Washington, D.C. – House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee Chairman Rob Wittman (VA-1) applauded the passage of legislative language considered by the subcommittee as part of H.R. 1735, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2016. The House Armed Services Committee will consider the full legislation next week on Wednesday, April 29, 2015.
“The Readiness mark includes a number of important initiatives and restores funding to an account that has been consistently undermined by previous budget cuts and the impending threat of sequestration,” Wittman said. “The world is not getting any safer, and our servicemen and women are continually being tasked with challenging and vital missions both within and outside the traditional mission set. We must do all that we can to restore lost readiness and preserve the gains that have already been made. Our military is the greatest the world has ever known, but it will only remain that way if we do our collective duty to provide it with the resources it needs.”
Among other provisions, this year’s proposal:
· Rejects the request for an additional Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round;
· Requests an assessment of excess capacity to better understand those areas the Department of Defense believes need to be streamlined to achieve efficiencies;
· Requires the Department to assess single points of failure within the Defense supply system;
· Enhances property accountability by requiring a strategic plan for excess defense articles;
· Codifies a prohibition on the Department’s purchase of bulk alternative fuels for operational use unless cost-competitive with traditional fuels;
· Directs several assessments of the military departments’ plans to rebuild readiness, enhance exercises, and modernize training requirements; and,
· Provides an increased military construction program above FY15 enacted levels.
“I would like to salute my colleagues on the subcommittee, all of whom worked in a bipartisan manner to carry out this important work,” Wittman added. “I’d especially like to thank Ranking Member Bordallo and Vice Chair Stefanik for their cooperation and determination in this effort. I look forward to the full committee markup and floor consideration in the coming weeks.”
Congressman Rob Wittman represents the 1st District of Virginia. He serves on the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, where he is Chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee.
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