FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 25, 2007

Georgia ’s Military Communities Benefit from Senate Armed Services Committee 2008 Defense Authorization Bill

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today praised the provisions included in the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, which authorizes funding for the Department of Defense and the national security programs of the Department of Energy.  Included in the authorization, is funding for our servicemembers and their families, critical military construction projects at Georgia bases and Georgia-made weapons systems. The Senate Armed Services Committee crafted the bill this week.  It now goes to the full Senate for consideration.

 “In this time of increased demand on our troops, we need to stand behind our soldiers and offer them our full support for the sacrifices they make,” Chambliss said.  “The provisions in this bill address the critical needs of our troops and include key resources for Georgia’s military communities. It’s imperative that we ensure that the men and women wearing the uniform of the United States are fully-equipped and well-prepared.”

“Georgia is a big winner in this Defense Authorization bill, thanks in large part to the work of Senator Chambliss on the Committee,” Isakson said. “This legislation sets the priorities for our nation’s military needs and I am proud of the strong commitment it shows to Georgia.”

The bill authorizes $648.8 billion in funding, including $130 billion in war-related Global War on Terrorism funding.  It provides a 3.5 percent raise for all military personnel across the board, includes $4 billion for mine resistant vehicles to protect our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan from Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), and many provisions to improve compensation and quality of life for the men and women in uniform.

The Committee authorizes funds for the following Georgia-specific projects (in millions):  

• Fort Benning : (Military Construction)

Modified Record Fire Range                                           $5.8 M
Reception Station, PH 1                                                $51 M
Simulations Training Facility                                           $56 M
Trainee Barracks Complex                                              $73 M
                                                                                 ($185.5 M total)

(Special Operations Command)
SOF Battalion Complex                                                $21 M
SOF HQ Building Addition                                              $5 M
SOF Tactical Equipment Shop                                        $9 M                                                                                ($35 M total)

• Fort Stewart : (Military Construction)
  Barracks Complex                                                       $36 M
  Brigade Complex-Headquarters                                      $26 M
  Fire Station                                                               $5.5M
  Barracks                                                                    $25M
  Unit Operations Facility                                                $15M                                                                               ($107.5M total)

• Hunter Army Airfield: (Military Construction)
  Unit Operations Facility                                                 $16M
  SOF Support Company Facility                                    $13.8 M

• Robins Air Force Base:
  Aircraft Component Repair Facility                               $14.7 M

• Georgia Air National Guard
  Savannah International Airport – Troop Quarters                $9 M

• Fort Gordon
  Regional Security Operation Center                              $100 M

The Committee authorizes funds for the following Georgia made-weapon systems:

• $3.7 B for 20 F-22A’s aircraft
• $800 M for 9 C-130J’s
• $400 M for C-5 modernization which will replace outdated engine flight instruments and flight system components with state of the art technology for the C-5 fleet.
• $1.1B for 6 Joint Strike Fighters
• $268M for 4 KC-130J’s
• $157M for Utility Fixed Wing Aircraft (Joint Cargo Aircraft)
• $773M for 42 UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopters for the Army
• An additional $495M for 7 KC-130J’s and $888M for 13 C-130J’s is funded in the war-related Global War on Terrorism request.

The Committee authorizes funding for the development of the following Georgia-related programs:

• $1.5M for Advanced Bio-engineering for Enhancement of Soldier Survivability
• $4M for Advanced Surface to Air Missile Simulator Development
• $5M for the Focus Center Research Program
• $8M for Joint Threat Emitters for the Georgia Air National Guard
• $2M for Complex-Shaped Armor for Soldier Torso and Extremity Protection
• $2.5M for the Intelligence Surveillance and Detection Sensor Suite
  $2M for Deployable Fuel Cell Processors

The bill provides for the following improvements in support of our men and women in uniform:

• $135 billion directed toward military personnel for allowances, bonuses, death benefits, and permanent change of station moves.
• A 3.5 percent across-the-board pay raise for all uniformed service personnel.
• The authorization for payment of combat-related special compensation to service members medically retired for a combat-related disability. Payment is equal to the amount of retired pay forfeited because of the prohibition on concurrent receipt of military retired pay and VA disability compensation.
• The reduction of the age at which a member of a reserve component may draw retirement pay by 3 months for every aggregate 90 days' service on active duty under certain mobilization authorities.
• An increase in the allowable amount of annual carry-over leave from 60-90 days

General authorizing provisions:

• End strengths for the Army and Marine Corps of 525,400 and 189,000 respectively, an increase of 13,000 for the Army and 9,000 for the Marine Corps
• Additional $90 million to restore fiscal year 2008 funding for Armed Robotic Vehicles.
• Authorizes an increase of $100 million for the Department of Defense's Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program.
• Authorizes the adoption of provisions that would repeal all of the required annual certifications and that would expand the CTR program to countries outside of the former Soviet Union.
• Authorizing payment of over 25 types of bonuses and special pays aimed at encouraging enlistment, reenlistment, and continued service by active-duty and reserve military personnel.
• $188.4 billion to meet the services' operation and maintenance requirements to support the combat operations, improve the readiness of deploying and non-deployed forces, and to support the Army and Marine Corps plans to increase their fiscal year 2008 end strengths.
• Realigned funding from the cancelled E-10A aircraft development program to begin a program to backfit the JSTARS aircraft with the improved multi-platform radar technology insertion program (MP-RTIP) radar.
• Recognizing the significant changes in the role and missions of the National Guard and Reserve, by:

  -Increasing the grade of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau from lieutenant general to general and expanding the duties of and eligibility requirements for this position.
  - Requiring the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretaries of the Army and Air Force and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to prescribe the charter for the National Guard Bureau.
  - Enhancing the authority for National Guard and Reserve general and flag officers to serve on active duty.

• A provision, sponsored by Senator Chambliss, which would require DoD to report to Congress on the number of Department of Defense contractors that will re-locate to military installations as a result of BRAC and global re-basing, and require DoD to include the school-aged children of such contractors in their estimates of the impact such re-locations will have on local school districts.

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