S.Amdt. 4400

1. Adds SEC. 352. ANNUAL REVIEW AND ASSESSMENT ON EQUIPMENT RESETS FOR THE ARMED FORCES at the end of subtitle D of title III

   Adds a section

   In S. 2766 · Placed on Calendar Senate

   (c) Form of Report.--Any report submitted under subsection (a) shall be submitted in both classified and unclassified form.

   Inserted: SEC. 352. ANNUAL REVIEW AND ASSESSMENT ON EQUIPMENT RESETS FOR THE ARMED FORCES.

   Inserted: (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:

   Inserted: (1) As a result of the unprecedented strain of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, the inventories of equipment, vehicles, and aircraft of the Army and Marine Corps have been gravely depleted. Having 16 to 18 Army brigades deployed in combat at one time for the last 3 years, in addition to other United States forces, has added to the strain on United States military equipment. Battle losses and so-called equipment "wash-out" are having a significant impact on the readiness of the Armed forces.

   Inserted: (2) In Operation Iraqi Freedom, United States tanks are being driven more than 4,000 miles per year, 5 times the expected annual usage of 800 miles per year. Army helicopters are experiencing usage rates roughly 2 to 3 times the planned peacetime rate. The truck fleet of the Army is experiencing some of the most pronounced problems of excessive wear, with usage rates of 5 to 6 times the peacetime rate, further exacerbated by the addition of heavy armor.

   Inserted: (3) This increased "operational tempo" (optempo) shortens the life of equipment, vehicles, and aircraft and demands much earlier and larger investments in maintenance and procurement. Other causes of degradation of equipment, vehicles, and aircraft include--

   Inserted: (A) sand and extreme heat that effects mechanical and electronic systems; and

   Inserted: (B) rocket-propelled grenade and improvised explosive device (IED) attacks.

   Inserted: (4) From 2003 to 2005, the Army claimed that it deployed more than 40 percent of its equipment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Recently, the Marine Corps estimated that approximately 40 percent of all Marine Corp ground equipment and 20 percent of aircraft assets are in use in support of current operations.

   Inserted: (5) According to the Government Accountability Office, although the Army reports high rates of equipment readiness in Operation Iraqi Freedom currently, it risks sacrificing long-term readiness through decisions to keep equipment in theater, to forgo depot repairs, and to rely almost exclusively on in-theater repair capabilities to keep equipment mission-capable. As a result, much Army equipment has not undergone high-level depot maintenance since the start of operations in March 2003. Continued usage at rates like those in Operation Iraqi Freedom, without higher levels of maintenance, could result in more equipment requiring more extensive and expensive repairs in the future and may result in the need for replacement rather than repair.

   Inserted: (6) Because most Army and Marine Corps equipment is staying in Iraq, Operation Iraqi Freedom is hampering--

   Inserted: (A) the ability of Government-run depots in the United States to retain the industrial base to meet recapitalization needs; and

   Inserted: (B) the ability of the Armed Forces to address future threats at home and abroad.

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   Inserted: (7) Army Chief of Staff General Schoomaker recently testified that over the next 6 years, the Army projects that it will cost $36,000,000,000 to fund reset activities for equipment, vehicles, and aircraft, assuming that the United States fully draws down its forces from Iraq by the end of 2007. If the Army continues to operate in Operation Iraqi Freedom at current levels, the reset cost will total more than $72,000,000,000, and will eventually require steady reset expenditures for a full 2 years after the Armed Forces withdraws from Iraq.

   Inserted: (b) Annual Review and Assessment on Equipment Reset.--

   Inserted: (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Defense and the Comptroller General of the United States shall each--

   Inserted: (A) conduct a review and assessment of the equipment, vehicle, and aircraft reset requirements of the Armed Forces as a result of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom; and

   Inserted: (B) submit to the congressional defense committees a report setting forth--

   Inserted: (i) the results of such review and assessment; and

   Inserted: (ii) recommendations for actions to address the long-term preparedness challenges with respect to equipment, vehicles and aircraft for the Armed Forces that result from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

   Inserted: (2) Particular requirements.--In carrying out paragraph (1) each year, the Secretary and the Comptroller General shall each--

   Inserted: (A) assess the consequences of deferred depot maintenance on the equipment, vehicles, and aircraft of the Armed Forces;

   Inserted: (B) evaluate the impact of the need for resets of Army equipment, vehicles, and aircraft on Army force modernization initiatives (such as modularity) and on the development of the Future Combat Systems (FCS);

   Inserted: (C) identify a realistic multi-year schedule for the procurement, repair, and recapitalization to be required to reset equipment, vehicles, and aircraft for the Armed Forces, and, in the case of the Secretary, develop mechanisms for incorporating such schedule (and the funding required to implement such schedule) in coming Future-Years Defense Programs of the Department of Defense;

   Inserted: (D) develop, to the extent possible, an accurate estimate of the cost of the necessary reset of equipment, vehicles, and aircraft for the Armed Forces;

   Inserted: (E) review and assess the impact of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom on the defense industrial base of the United States in meeting the requirements of the Department of Defense for equipment, vehicles, and aircraft for the Armed Forces, including the regular components and reserve components of the Armed Forces, in order to ensure the full and continuing readiness of the Armed Forces to fulfill their national defense responsibilities; and

   Inserted: (F) develop recommendations, including recommendations on the utilization and expansion of existing authorities like the Defense Production Act, to improve the capacity and capability of the defense industrial base of the United States to meet such responsibilities.

   Inserted: (c) Reset Defined.--For purposes of this section, the term "reset", when applied to equipment, vehicles, or aircraft, means the actions required to bring such equipment, vehicles, or aircraft to full combat readiness. Such actions include--

   Inserted: (1) repair, which generally involves restoration by military technicians and contractors deployed in the field;

   Inserted: (2) replacement; and

   Inserted: (3) recapitalization, which generally involves long-term depot-level maintenance to return equipment, vehicles, or aircraft to a status approximating not-previously used.

   Original wording

   At the end of subtitle D of title III, add the following:

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As printed