Legislation includes $75 million for military construction in Southeastern Arizona
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today will attend a White House signing ceremony for a defense authorization bill that includes more than $75 million for military construction projects in Southeastern Arizona.
Giffords, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, was part of a bipartisan majority in the House to support the National Defense Authorization Act on Oct. 8. Similar legislation already had passed the Senate.
The legislation authorizes $550 billion for the Defense Department and national security programs in the Energy Department. It also authorizes $130 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The bill increases the size of the military by 30,000 Army troops, 8,100 Marines, 14,650 Air Force personnel and 2,477 Navy sailors in 2010 and authorizes an additional 30,000 Army troops in 2011 and 2012.
The bill also provides a 3.4 percent pay raise for all service members, extends the authority for the Defense Department to offer bonuses and incentive pay, expands TRICARE health coverage to reserve component members and their families for 180 days prior to mobilization, prohibits fee increases on TRICARE inpatient care for one year and provides $2.2 billion for family housing programs.
Giffords worked to secure $75.2 million for eight essential military construction projects in Southeastern Arizona. Three projects are at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, five projects are at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson and one is for the Arizona Air National Guard in Tucson. The projects are:
Fort Huachuca
• $6 million to construct a new headquarters for the Unmanned Aerial Systems Training Battalion
• $15 million for new facilities for aircraft maintenance, flight operations and unmanned aerial system training
• $6.7 million to design and construct a fire station
Davis-Monthan
• $4.8 million for infrastructure improvements to utilities and roads
• $8.7 million for an operations training facility
• $8.4 million for a flight simulator facility
• $20 million for a 144-room dormitory
Arizona Air National Guard
• $5.6 million for new facilities housing the Predator Unit that recently received an Outstanding Unit award from the Air Force.
Giffords was successful in including several provisions into the bill that benefit renewable energy, border security and military preparedness. Among them:
• Prohibiting the Air Force from retiring tactical fighter aircraft until a plan is submitted that adequately mitigates the fighter gap it would create.
• Requiring the Army to conduct an analysis of the current requirements for missile systems and plans for developing upgraded, next-generation systems and warheads that meet current and future threats.
• Requiring the Defense Department to report to Congress on its efforts to combat Mexican drug cartel activity.
• Requiring the Defense Department to assess the feasibility of using renewable fuels, including domestically produced algae-based and biomass-derived fuels, as alternative for tactical and non-tactical aviation, maritime and ground transportation fleets including technical, logistical and policy considerations.
• Requiring the Defense Department to procure 25 percent renewable aviation fuel by 2025.
• Requiring the Government Accountability Office to examine all Defense Department expenditures on renewable energy programs.
• Requiring the Defense Department to show a preference for hybrid and electric vehicles when purchasing or leasing non-tactical vehicles.