OFFICE OF SENATOR WEBB: Three Webb Amendments Strengthen National Defense Authorization Bill
- Amendments Adopted on U.S. Global Defense Posture, Navy’s Future
- Outlying Landing Field, and Wartime Contracting Commission 

FROM THE OFFICE OF SENATOR WEBB

June 26, 2009

Contact:
Jessica Smith, 202-228-5185
Anne Hughes, 202-224-4447


WASHINGTON, DC – The Senate Committee on Armed Services today completed its final mark-up for the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2010, adopting three key provisions proposed by Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) to enhance national security, readiness, and wartime contracting accountability.  

The final version of the bill that the Committee will report to the full Senate for its consideration also includes a number of defense appropriations to support Virginia’s military installations, public university military-research programs, and the defense industrial base.  

“The amendments I proposed for inclusion in the defense authorization bill will strengthen our global defense strategy and support combat readiness,” said Webb. “I’m also pleased that the Committee approved a one-year extension of the Commission on Wartime Contracting that Senator McCaskill and I proposed jointly.”    

The three measures sponsored by Senator Webb and incorporated into the Senate version of the FY10 National Defense Authorization Act include:  

1)      A Reporting Requirement on U.S. Global Defense Posture in the Quadrennial Defense Review.   

The amendment requires the Secretary of Defense to report to the congressional defense committees on its global posture realignment strategy as part of the Quadrennial Review (QDR). The report will encompass the status of comprehensive master plans for overseas military infrastructure and an interagency review of these plans, to include coordination with the Department of State and other federal agencies.  

The report, required by this amendment, will include recommendations for additional closures or realignments of military installations outside of the United States that are consistent with the QDR.

  Webb indicated: “This more comprehensive approach will allow Congress to make more informed decisions regarding overseas installation closures and realignments as part of ongoing adjustments to U.S. global defense posture.”

  [To view a copy of the amendment, visit: http://www.webb.senate.gov/pdf/AmdtGlobalDefPosture.pdf]  

2)      Stricter Requirements to Address Community Concerns Over the Navy’s Establishment of an Outlying Landing Field.

  The amendment requires the Secretary of the Navy to address concerns raised by the public during the Navy’s preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) associated with establishing an outlying landing field (OLF) to support carrier-based aircraft training on the East Coast.  The Navy’s EIS will evaluate the suitability of five potential sites—three in Virginia and two in North Carolina.  The amendment ensures that the Secretary of the Navy takes any public opposition into consideration during the preparation of the EIS and examines means to mitigate any impacts on communities that might be affected.   

The reporting requirement also obliges the Secretary of the Navy to evaluate opportunities for economic assistance and to minimize the land removed from the state tax base. The Navy must include a description in the report of the measures taken to identify all suitable options for the location of the OLF.  

“It is important to ensure that the Navy gives full and careful consideration to the views of all potentially affected communities during its OLF evaluation process,” said Webb. “Importantly it requires that the Secretary of the Navy report fully to the Armed Services Committee on its findings before any decision is reached on where to locate such a field.”  

Webb continued: “This amendment is about good governance. It will enable our congressional committees to make more informed judgments to strike the right balance between important national security decisions and the views of local communities.”

  [To view a copy of the amendment, visit: http://www.webb.senate.gov/pdf/OLFamendment.pdf]  

3)      A One-Year Extension of the Commission on Wartime Contracting.    

The amendment, cosponsored by Senators Webb and Claire McCaskill (D-MO), extends by one year the charter of the Commission of Wartime Contracting and enhances certain authorities of the commissioners to allow them to carry out their statutory mandates more effectively.    

Through legislation introduced originally by Webb and McCaskill in 2007, the independent, bipartisan Commission of Wartime Contracting was created last year to evaluate and report on U.S. wartime contracting for logistics, reconstructing and security in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Commission issued an interim report June 10, 2009, identifying contracting areas in need of significant reform and areas in need of immediate Department of Defense attention to prevent the future waste of taxpayer dollars.   

“We tasked the Commission with uncovering waste, fraud and abuse in U.S. wartime support contracts,” said Webb. “The Commission has already begun to return accountability and more rigorous oversight into our contracting process. This amendment grants the commissioners additional time to continue their important work.”

  [To view a copy of the amendment, visit: http://www.webb.senate.gov/pdf/AmdtExtendCWCStatutory.pdf]  

To view the press release of the Committee on Armed Services, visit: http://armed-services.senate.gov/press/10mark.pdf  

  ///