PRINTER'S NO. 1048
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
149
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY BLAKE, VULAKOVICH AND COSTA, JUNE 15, 2015
REFERRED TO VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS,
JUNE 15, 2015
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Urging the Congress to take all necessary action to prohibit any
force structure changes, to prohibit any transfer of AH-64
Apache helicopters from the National Guard, and maintain the
Army National Guard at 350,200 soldiers until the National
Commission on the Future of the Army has reported its
findings; and urging the United States Army to reverse its
decision to deactivate the 55th Armored Brigade Combat Team,
and to reverse its decision to transfer any National Guard
AH-64 Apache helicopters to active duty.
WHEREAS, The United States Army plans to transfer all
National Guard AH-64 Apache helicopters to active duty as part
of the United States Army's Aviation Restructuring Initiative;
and
WHEREAS, The United States Army has marked Pennsylvania's
55th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) for inactivation; and
WHEREAS, The 55th ABCT is headquartered in Scranton, extends
over the eastern portion of Pennsylvania and approximately 3,500
Pennsylvanians serve with the 55th ABCT; and
WHEREAS, Congress established the National Commission on the
Future of the Army, which is tasked with completing an
independent study on the proper size, force mixture and force
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generation requirements for the army, and this commission is
required to report its findings during February 2016; and
WHEREAS, This comprehensive assessment will provide
Congressional members the opportunity to review and legislate in
response to the commission's recommendations; and
WHEREAS, There are 24 AH-64 Apache helicopters authorized for
the Pennsylvania Army National Guard (PAARNG) with a significant
portion of the allotment stationed at the John Murtha Johnstown-
Cambria County Airport; and
WHEREAS, Transferring the Apache helicopters would result in
the loss of 350 part-time personnel from the 1-104th Attack
Battalion and the stationing of PAARNG is an important economic
driver in the Johnstown area with an estimated impact of nearly
$45 million; and
WHEREAS, The economic necessity and the maintenance of
critical national defense units in the Johnstown area, including
the 1-104th Attack Battalion PAARNG and its complement of Apache
helicopters, dictates that the United States Army reverse its
decision to redeploy the helicopters; and
WHEREAS, Units from the 55th ABCT have deployed multiple
times since 9/11, including deployments to Kosovo, Kuwait,
Egypt, Iraq and Afghanistan and units from the brigade have
earned multiple Navy Unit Commendations and Meritorious Unit
Commendations; and
WHEREAS, The army's current force proposals reduce the total
Army National Guard end strength from 350,200 to 342,000 during
fiscal year 2016, and further, from 342,000 to 335,000 during
fiscal year 2017; and
WHEREAS, Since 2000, the army has cut the Army National Guard
by 14 Brigade Combat Teams and increased the active army by 12
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Brigade Combat Teams, which have resulted in a shift from the
majority of force structure residing with the Army National
Guard to the majority of the force structure contained within
the active army; and
WHEREAS, The geographical location of Pennsylvania in
relation to the entire northeast corridor places the
Pennsylvania National Guard in a strategically accessible
position that can effectively respond at the Federal and State
level when needed for domestic emergencies or armed conflicts;
and
WHEREAS, The National Guard represents the best economic
value for the United States validated by the Department of
Defense stating in 2013 that a drilling guardsman is about 15%
the cost of an active component soldier; and
WHEREAS, When Title 10 mobilized duty, a national guard
soldier only costs 80 to 95% as much as an active component
soldier; therefore be it
RESOLVED, (the House of Representatives concurring), That the
General Assembly urge the United States Army to reverse its
decision to deactivate the 55th Armored Brigade Combat Team and
to reverse its decision to transfer any National Guard AH-64
Apache helicopters to active duty; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the General Assembly urge Congress to take all
necessary action to prohibit any force structure changes, to
prohibit any transfer of AH-64 Apache helicopters from the
National Guard, and maintain the Army National Guard at 350,200
soldiers until the National Commission on the Future of the Army
has reported its findings to Congress in February 2016.
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