H.R. 1361 — Introduced in House

I 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1361 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 21, 2013 Mr. Kind introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services A BILL To terminate or retire certain aircraft and ship programs of the Department of Defense, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Inefficient Defense Elimination Act of 2013. 2. Termination or retirement of aircraft and ship programs (a) C–27J aircraft (1) Prohibition on procurement Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2014 or any fiscal year thereafter for the Department of Defense may be obligated or expended to procure C–27J aircraft. (2) Treatment of current aircraft Notwithstanding any other provision of law, with respect to each C–27J aircraft being maintained by the Secretary of Defense that was procured on or before the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall— (A) make the aircraft available for sale to another department or agency of the Federal Government or the government of an ally of the United States; or (B) if the Secretary determines that the sale of an aircraft under subparagraph (A) is not appropriate, retire or dispose of the aircraft in a manner the Secretary determines appropriate. (b) Global Hawk aircraft (1) Prohibition on procurement Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2014 or any fiscal year thereafter for the Department of Defense may be obligated or expended to procure RQ–4 Block 30 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft systems. (2) Treatment of current aircraft Notwithstanding section 154(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (Public Law 112–239) or any other provision of law, with respect to each RQ–4 Block 30 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system being maintained by the Secretary of Defense that was procured on or before the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall— (A) make the aircraft available for sale to another department or agency of the Federal Government or the government of an ally of the United States; or (B) if the Secretary determines that the sale of an aircraft under subparagraph (A) is not appropriate, retire or dispose of the aircraft in a manner the Secretary determines appropriate. (c) Aegis guided missile cruisers Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Defense shall— (1) retire four Aegis guided missile cruisers during fiscal year 2014; and (2) retire three Aegis guided missile cruisers during fiscal year 2015. (d) Amphibious landing ships Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Defense shall retire two amphibious landing ships during fiscal year 2014. 3. Report on military presence in Europe (a) In general Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees (as defined in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code) a report analyzing the necessity of stationing members of the Armed Forces in Europe, including an evaluation of property owned by the Federal Government in Europe that could be sold if such stationing was reduced or terminated. (b) Matters included The report under subsection (a) shall consider the following: (1) Benefits to the United States from having the Armed Forces present in Europe that would not be achievable elsewhere. (2) Direct military threats to the United States that require such a presence and whether such threats could be countered with a smaller presence. (3) The ability of European allies to address threats without such presence. (4) Ways in which a withdrawal or reduction of members of the Armed Forces stationed in Europe will affect the sustainability of military operations abroad. (5) Ways in which such a withdrawal or reduction will affect the ability of the United States to implement a broader national security strategy. (6) Any formal treaty obligations or bilateral agreements that require the Armed Forces of the United States to be present in Europe. (7) Effectiveness of current force levels in Europe in achieving national security objectives. (8) Unique benefits of sustaining each base location in Europe and ways in which reduction of such bases would affect the ability of the United States to sustain military operations abroad.