Letter to Charles T. Hagel, Secretary of Defense, Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture - Wildfire Suppression

Letter

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

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