The Department of Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2013 was adopted by the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee yesterday.

There is language inserted in the bill to prevent the Air Force from transferring the F-16 Squadron from Eielson Air Force Base to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The language is the same as that adopted by the Senate Armed Services Committee in May.

In May, the Senate Armed Services Committee, of which Alaska’s Senator Begich is a member, adopted language in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 prohibiting the Air Force from carrying out the relocation of the F-16’s. On June 6, Sen. Begich and Sen. Lisa Murkowski sent a letter to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye and Ranking Member Thad Cochran requesting they include similar language in the appropriations bill for DOD.

The following provision was included in the bill: Consistent with the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, as reported by the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Committee endorses a one-year strategic pause for Air Force force structure adjustments. The bill directs the use of existing funds for procurements of the C-27 Spartan and the RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 30, and adds more than $800 million to sustain current force structure, including equipment, personnel, and operations.

Senator Murkowski, in her remarks leading up to the adoption of the bill, “I think it takes a certain amount of audacity if you will to pull something off without congressional consultation and without a BRAC round. It takes some audacity to tell a base that has been around for 88 years that they will have to close three schools practically overnight, that their real estate values are in the tank practically overnight, one third of their economy in the area down – practically overnight. I think it was a blunder of the highest magnitude.”

Senator Begich made a statement after the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee adopted the DOD’s Appropriations Bill, “I am pleased to see the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee also included language placing a moratorium on the proposal to relocate the F-16s from Eielson Air Force Base to JBER.

“Although the Air Force no longer intends to execute the proposal in Fiscal Year 2013 per General Schwartz’s commitment to me in a letter on June 26^th, it is imperative the Air Force understands all of Congress will band together to halt the proposal legislatively if it is proposed outside a BRAC process again in the future.”

Additionally, Congressman Don Young secured language in the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 which will force the Air Force to do a thorough analysis before proposing the Eielson realignment plan again.

The bill is now headed to the full Senate Appropriations Committee for approval on Thursday.