S.Amdt. 2426

SA 2426. Mr. CRUZ submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 2301 proposed by Mr. Inhofe to the bill S. 4049, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
Amend section 144 to read as follows:

SEC. 144. MINIMUM AIR FORCE BOMBER AIRCRAFT LEVEL.

(a) Minimum.--The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the
congressional defense committees recommendations for a
minimum number of bomber aircraft, including penetrating
bombers in addition to B-52H aircraft, to enable the Air
Force to carry out its long-range penetrating strike
capability.
(b) Report on B-1 Aircraft Fleet Sustainment.--Not later
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary of the Air Force shall submit to the
congressional defense committees a report on the sustainment
of the B-1 aircraft fleet. The report shall include the
following:
(1) A cost benefit analysis of bombers compared with the
Air Force Arsenal Plane program.
(2) A description of any structural issues found in full-
scale fatigue testing or inspections of B-1 aircraft.
(3) A description of future structural mitigation
strategies for B-1 aircraft, including an analysis of the
support requirement for each aircraft.
(4) A potential modernization plan for B-1 aircraft
capability, including hypersonic and other advanced weapons,
to ensure survivability and combat efficacy of such aircraft
until the B-21 aircraft is operational
(c) Limitation.--None of the funds authorized to be
appropriated by this Act for the Department of Defense may be
obligated or expended in support of the Air Force Arsenal
Plane program, and the Department may not otherwise implement
any such activity, until the report required under subsection
(b) is submitted.
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