Rep. Calvert, Sen. McCain Lead Effort to Transfer Excess Military Aircraft to Fight Wildfires

Rep. Ken Calvert (CA-42), Senator John McCain (AZ) and a dozen Members of the House and Senate have asked the Obama Administration for an update on the transfer of excess military aircraft to the Forest Service for wildfire fighting purposes. Specifically, Rep. Calvert and Senator McCain spearheaded a letter sent to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack regarding the status of the aircraft transfer.

"Last week's wildfires were yet another stark reminder of the danger we face here in the West," said Rep. Calvert. "I'm hopeful the Obama Administration can act without any unnecessary delay in getting these excess military aircraft into the hands of our firefighting community."

The authority to transfer several C-27J Spartan aircraft to the Forest Service was provided to the Defense Department via legislation , known as the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 2012 (H.R. 6248/S. 3441), sponsored by Rep. Calvert and Senator McCain during the 112th Congress. The legislative language was ultimately included in the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act and signed into law.

The signed letter can be viewed HERE and the text is provided below.

April 29, 2013

The Honorable Chuck Hagel

Secretary

U.S. Department of Defense

1300 Defense Pentagon

Washington, DC 20301-1300

The Honorable Tom Vilsack

Secretary

U.S. Department of Agriculture

212A Whitten Building

1400 Independence Ave., SW

Washington, DC 20250

Dear Secretary Hagel and Secretary Vilsack:

We are writing to request a status update from both the Department of Defense and the Department of Agriculture on the transfer of excess military aircraft to the Forest Service for wildfire suppression activities.

As you know, Section 1091 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (NDAA) authorizes the Forest Service to obtain up to 7 aircraft deemed excess to the needs of the Department of Defense. This provision enacted under the NDAA is based on legislation introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate during the 112th Congress (S. 3441/H.R. 6248, the "Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 2012"). The transfer authority was drafted with the understanding that the U.S. Air Force previously planned to divest the C-27J and that the Forest Service concurrently identified the C-27J as "a modern platform capable of multiple wildland fire missions," including smokejumper and cargo delivery, fire crew transport, and aerial application of fire retardant.

Much of the western and southeastern United States has and will continue to experience record-level wildfire events which are stressing the ageing Forest Service airtanker fleet. Many of the core aircraft operated by the Forest Service are Korean-War era DC-3s and P-2Vs, some more than 60-years old. Recapitalizing a portion of the Forest Service fleet with modern, 21st century aircraft is a practical, cost-effective opportunity that will improve the federal government's wildfire suppression capabilities and enhance fire crew safety.

Given our work on this issue, we would appreciate knowing what steps both Departments are taking to carry out the transfer authority provided under the Section 1091 of the NDAA. Thank you for your attention to our request.

Sincerely,

Senator John McCain

Congressman Ken Calvert

Senator Dianne Feinstein

Congressman Paul Gosar

Senator Mike Johanns

Congressman Darrell Issa

Senator Bill Nelson

Congressman Dana Rohrabacher

Senator Barbara Boxer

Congresswoman Betty McCollum

Congressman Adam Schiff

Congressman John Campbell

Congressman Ed Royce

Congressman Walter Jones