House Armed Services Committee Passes FY2014 Defense Bill, Advances Carson Legislation

House Armed Services Committee Passes FY2014 Defense Bill, Advances Carson Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Armed Services Committee today passed H.R. 1960, The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014, by a bipartisan vote of 59-2. The legislation includes a number of provisions introduced by Congressman André Carson, including the Military Suicide Reduction Act, which ensures active duty service members receive mental health screening and treatment during deployment in combat zones. The NDAA will be considered by the full House next week.

"I am pleased with the work the House Armed Services Committeehas done on this legislation, and I'm honored to have made some significant contributions that ensure we better serve our military and protect jobs in Indiana's 7th Congressional District," said Congressman Carson. "This is important work, and I commend the committee leadership for promoting a spirit of non-partisanship to address some of today's most serious national security issues. While there were areas of disagreement, we came together wherever possible to support our men and women in uniform and their families."

H.R.1960, The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014, includes the following measures:

• Raises pay for the troops by 1.8%.
• Strips commanders of their ability to reduce or dismiss court martial sentences. Also establishes minimum sentence for sexual assault.
• Sets a gender neutral standard for military service, ensuring women can serve equally.
• Provides critical funding to allow for training and maintenance that ensures our military is ready to quickly respond to future conflicts.
• Increases funding for cyber security, one of our greatest current threats, and calls for a comprehensive accounting of cyber threats, capabilities and processes.
• Requires the President and Department of Defense to announce their plan for withdrawal from Afghanistan and our involvement beyond 2014.
• Prevents additional rounds of Base Realignment and Closure hearings, which can result in the closure of facilities and cost jobs. BRAC hearings result in significant upfront costs and minimal short-term savings.

In addition, Congressman Carson was able to add the following measures to the final bill:

• Requires mental health assessments every 180 days during deployment in combat zones.
• Prevents retirement of the Global Hawk Block 30, a unmanned reconnaissance aircraft which has made critical contributions to our efforts in Afghanistan and which relies on engines built in Indianapolis manufacturing plants.
• Requires the services to provide 120 days notice for the cancellation of a deployment, ensuring that fewer members of the National Guard will be impacted by uncertainty.
• Limits the ability of the Department of Defense to reduce the meals-ready-to-eat (MRE) stockpile, an action that would decrease the number of days we could sustain a deployed force.A large portion of these are produced in Indiana.
• Provides funding for C-130H cargo plane engine upgrades, which increase fuel efficiency, cost effectiveness, and reliability. These upgrades are manufactured by Hoosier workers.
• Directs the DOD to utilize National Security Agency/Department of Homeland Security Centers of Academic Excellence to develop qualified cyber security personnel.
• Requires the DOD to assess the current training provided by universities to determine what additional training is needed to ensure access to qualified cyber security personnel.
• Directs the DOD to maintain Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance aircraft for a variety of conflict possibilities, not just action in Afghanistan. Hoosier workers contribute to many of these aircraft.
• Directs the DOD to investigate the issuance of national security waivers for the purchase of non-domestic specialty metals, materials that play critical roles in many of our most significant defense systems. These waivers create a bad precedent, opening the door to waivers being given for other non-domestic, sensitive materials.