Reid, Ensign Legislation Will Protect C-130Hs For Nevada National Guard

Press Release

Senators John Ensign and Harry Reid have introduced legislation that will prevent the Air Force from indefinitely taking C-130Hs from the National Guard unless certain criteria are met and deadlines for return are promised.

"It's so important that the National Guard have the resources that it needs to defend our nation or respond to a disaster should the need arise," said Ensign. "The Air Force has developed a plan that seeks to indefinitely take a valuable resource away from the National Guard, and our legislation will help to ensure that this does not happen."

"The mission of the Nevada National Guard requires them to be at their best whether overseas or at home in Nevada," Reid said. "I understand the importance of the Air Force's readiness objectives, but we can't afford to limit the resources these servicemen and women need to help keep Nevada safe."

The Ensign, Reid legislation will be an amendment to the Defense Spending Supplemental and states that no funds shall be used to transfer C-130Hs from the National Guard to the active duty Air Force without first meeting several criteria.

The criteria are: providing a date certain for their to return to not exceed 18 months; providing written justification to the HASC and SASC as to why this transfer is necessary no less than 6 months; providing the same justification to the Governors and National Guard of those states affected no less than 6 months prior to the transfer; providing the same justification to the Senate and House Congressional Delegations affected no less than 6 months prior to the transfer; providing all of the above mentioned parties a list of alternatives explored by the Air Force and a justification as to why those alternatives were not chosen; ability for Governor to recall the C-130 in order to deal with an emergency or disaster.

Source