A-10. UH-60 Blackhawk Modernization
The Army National Guard is a significant component of the United States Army. The Army is currently implementing an Army Aviation Transformation Plan (AATP). This plan generates a shortfall of 330 UH-60 Blackhawks. The majority of this shortfall is across ARNG Aviation structure. As substitute aircraft for the UH-60, the Army National Guard is currently flying UH-1's that are over 25 years old and have significant Safety of Flight concerns. This non-modernized fleet significantly reduces the capability of the United States Army and the Army National Guard to perform its mission in support of the National Military Strategy and the state mission. According to the AATP, the UH-1 is to be retired by 2004 creating an urgent need for the replacement UH-60. The Army cannot perform its mission today without the ARNG. As such, the ARNG must be equipped with the same modernized aircraft that is required for the Army.
It is the recommendation of NGAUS that the National Guard Bureau, the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, and the Congress of the United States, support a multi-year procurement program of 60 aircraft per year until the UH-60 Blackhawk requirements for the Army National Guard are fulfilled.
C-3. Relating to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) for Military Technicians
Current CSRS regulations assess a two percent per year penalty if anyone leaves the technician service before obtaining 30 years of federal technician service. The military personnel management system requires officers to be removed from service by a mandatory removal date (MRD). Many National Guard officers are federal military technicians who reach MRD before they are able to reach 30 years of federal technician service. Those affected officers are penalized two percent per year of their annuity through no fault of their own. The result is an inequity between two personnel management systems as one is for uniformed and the other non-military federal employees.
It is the recommendation of the National Guard Association of Arkansas that the National Guard Bureau strongly encourage Congress to change the Civil Service Retirement System to allow military technicians to retire after attaining 20 years of service and reaching age 50 or 27 years of federal technician service at any age without suffering the penalty of a two percent reduction per year for each year under age 55.
C-4. Reserve Component Retirement Age Reduction
Background
The active duty components have been reduced to a point that reserve components are an essential part of the current and future missions of the United States Armed Forces. With this change, RC members are finding themselves engaged to a greater extent than they imagined or have been prior to 1991. Army National Guard members are heavily involved in peacekeeping operations in Europe and Southwest Asia while Air National Guardsmen are fulfilling a major role in supporting worldwide operations such as Southern Watch and Northern Watch in SWA. Meanwhile, these guardsmen and women are required to wait until age 60 before receiving any retirement benefits from their service. Any National Guard member can retire with a minimum of 1000 points, based on 50 points/year for a good year, but those members who are actively volunteering and deploying to support the worldwide operations are accumulating a greater number of service points. With each point over the minimum, they are becoming closer to their AD counterparts who receive retirement immediately upon departure from the service.
It is the recommendation of the National Guard Association of Arkansas and NGAUS that the National Guard Bureau, the Departments of Army and Air Force, the Department of Defense, and the Congress of the United States, support a revised retirement program for reserve components that determines the age at which a member receives retirement benefits on four factors: 1) Member’s participation over his/her career, 2) member’s age at retirement, 3) member’s Title 10 AD service (part of AD component, not deployed in Title 10 status), and 4) member’s years of service over 20 years which would reduce eligibility age ½ year for each year over 20 years served. The following formula shows how this would be calculated:
Reduction in age: (Total Points earned –1000)* (60 –age at which member retires) * (20-Title 10 AD Years) + (TYS-20)
6300 20
Where; 1000=minimum points for retirement
6300=delta between minimum AD retirement and minimum RC retirement points
20=years required for retirement
Receive Retirement Age=60 – Reduction in Age (calculated above)
B-8. Procurement of C-130J-30 Aircraft
Background
The C-130J is the latest generation C-130 that incorporates a redesigned two-crew member flight station, a modern technology propulsion system and an integrated digital avionics subsystem. The program continues a modernization effort focused on eventually replacing the aging C-130E aircraft, many of which are at the end of their useful service life. This is a commercial acquisition and SAF/AQ has directed the program to use commercial practices and streamline all contract provisions. In FY 99, the Air National Guard started an initiative to procure the C-130J-30, a stretched version of the basic J. Congress added $192 million to the FY 99 budget for three C-130J-30 aircraft for the Air National Guard. These will go to the 143d Airlift Wing, Rhode Island Air National Guard. Eight aircraft are required to complete the buy for Rhode Island and to initiate conversion of the 146th AW, Channel Islands, California. The Air Force has recognized the need to complete the modernization and is currently purchasing two aircraft in 2001. If future C-130J’s and the associated spares and support equipment are not funded, the Air National Guard will be unable to continue fleet modernization efforts; and one unit (143d AW, Rhode Island ANG) will be only partially combat capable. Other units impacted include 146th AW, California ANG; 189th AW, Arkansas ANG (schoolhouse); and 152d AW, Nevada ANG, with all other units in the C-130 community being affected.
Recommendation
It is the recommendation of the National Guard Association of Arkansas that the National Guard Bureau, the Department of the Air Force, and the Department of Defense urge the Congress of the United States to authorize and appropriate $520 million in FY 01 for eight (8) C-130J-30 aircraft plus spares and support equipment for the Air National Guard.