Defense Communities 360 Headlines

Pennsylvania lawmakers last week urged the Pentagon not to close Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station, home of the 911th Airlift Wing and about 1,900 reservists. On Friday, Gov. Tom Corbett and other elected officials highlighted the installation’s role in national security, its low cost and the economic boost it provides Western Pennsylvania. Last February, the Air Force had proposed retiring the air wing’s seven C-130H aircraft and shuttering the air reserve station as part of its fiscal 2013 budget request …

Language in the final version of the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill would make it more difficult for the Pentagon to skirt statutory requirements to notify Congress when closing or realigning a mission outside of a BRAC round. The provision is intended to ensure DOD doesn’t sidestep the requirements of 10 U.S.C. Sec. 2687, a rarely used statute allowing base closures and realignments to be carried out when a BRAC round is not in force …

The House Tuesday night approved the New Year’s Eve deal passed by the Senate earlier in the day to extend Bush-era tax cuts for most Americans and postpone by two months automatic spending cuts slated to go into effect starting Wednesday …

360 will be taking the rest of the year off. Have a safe and joyous holiday, and an even happier new year! Look for the next edition of 360 on Jan. 2.

Louisiana Economic Development (LED) has issued a request for proposals for consulting services for a statewide economic impact analysis. The RFP can be obtained by visiting LED’s website or by contacting Paul Sawyer, Director of Federal Programs, LED, at Paul.Sawyer@la.gov or 225/342-5443. Deadline for receipt of written inquiries is 5 p.m. CST, Friday, Dec. 28. Proposals must be received by LED, Room 229, Capitol Annex Building, 1051 North Third Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, by 4:30 p.m. CST, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, to be considered.

DOD will be required to issue guidance for selecting the financing approach for renewable energy projects, under a provision in the conference report for the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill approved this week. The guidance, which is due six months after the measure is enacted, “should describe the requirements and restrictions applicable to the underlying authorities and any Department of Defense-specific guidelines for using appropriated funds and alternative-financing approaches for renewable energy projects …

The Pentagon’s year-old defense strategy is threatened by two principal dangers, stress on the force and a political system that forces the military to operate with little certainty about available resources, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said this week at a National Press Club luncheon. The department’s effort to ensure the health of the force by investing in its readiness, though, is hamstrung by political considerations that prevent officials from directing funding to the military’s highest priorities …

With the prospect of a bipartisan deal to avert the fiscal cliff — including $52 billion in fiscal 2013 defense cuts — in doubt, lawmakers are trying to figure out how much of a spending reduction the Pentagon’s budget can absorb before core strategy is jeopardized. President Obama’s most recent deficit reduction proposal, for instance, called for $200 billion in discretionary spending cuts over the coming decade, including $100 billion from defense …

If the next Congress authorizes a new BRAC round, the impetus likely would begin in the Senate. One provision in the conference report for the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill, one notable omission and a request in the committee report that accompanied the Senate Armed Services version of the measure potentially could lay the ground work for a future base closure round …

Automatic defense cuts slated to be imposed starting on Jan. 2 may not require DOD to impose immediate reductions in spending, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday in a memo outlining the potential consequences of sequestration. “I do not expect our day-to-day operations to change dramatically on or immediately after January 2, 2013, should sequestration occur. This means that we will not be executing any immediate civilian personnel actions, such as furloughs, on that date …