S.Amdt. 1082

SA 1082. Mr. LANKFORD submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by him to the bill S. 2226, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2024 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:

At the appropriate place in title I, insert the following:

SEC. __. PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN REDUCTIONS TO INVENTORY OF E-
3 AIRBORNE WARNING AND CONTROL SYSTEM AIRCRAFT.

(a) Prohibition.--None of the funds authorized to be
appropriated by this Act for fiscal year 2024 for the Air
Force may be obligated or expended to retire, prepare to
retire, or place in storage or in backup aircraft inventory
any E-3 aircraft if such actions would reduce the total
aircraft inventory for such aircraft below 16.
(b) Exception for Plan.--If the Secretary of the Air Force
submits to the congressional defense committees a plan for
maintaining readiness and ensuring there is no lapse in
mission capabilities, the prohibition under subsection (a)
shall not apply to actions taken to reduce the total aircraft
inventory for E-3 aircraft to below 16, beginning 30 days
after the date on which the plan is so submitted.
(c) Exception for E-7 Procurement.--If the Secretary of the
Air Force procures enough E-7 Wedgetail aircraft to
accomplish the required mission load, the prohibition under
subsection (a) shall not apply to actions taken to reduce the
total aircraft inventory for E-3 aircraft to below 16 after
the date on which such E-7 Wedgetail aircraft are delivered.
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