By a recorded vote of 397 to 27, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1585, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.  The legislation authorizes defense spending and policy for 2008, and contains multiple provisions important to Guam.

The centerpiece of the bill is the funding provided for military readiness, which includes $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve equipment, and increased training funds for units to improve their readiness levels.

“We ask our men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces to make many sacrifices to serve our country and to defend our way of life; as such we must provide our Armed Forces with the best training and equipment available.  In particular, we must be mindful of the dual missions of our Guard personnel and Reservists,” Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo said.  “The funding represented in this bill will help our Guard personnel perform their unique missions more efficiently and effectively.”

The authorization for Guam Military Construction (MILCON) spending remained intact in bill.  The projects are listed below.

• $59.4 million to improve security of electrical systems at Naval Base Guam;
• $57.2 million to replace Naval Family Housing on Guam;
• $51.8 million to build Phase I of the Kilo Wharf extension;
• $45.2 million for a fitness center at Naval Base Guam;
• $40.8 million to repair and upgrade the Naval Base Guam wastewater treatment plant;
• $31.4 million to build Phase I of a potable water distribution system at Naval Base Guam;
• $10 million for infrastructure at Northwest Field; and
• $5.8 million to build a technical training facility at Northwest Field.

The bill also sustains a provision that authorizes TRICARE recipients requiring non-emergency specialty medical care not available in Guam to have a higher priority than retirees currently have for Space-A (space available) seats on military aircraft flights to Hawaii and the mainland.  The provision also requires the Department of Defense to report back to Congress on a long-term solution to the TRICARE medical referral issue for retirees on Guam.

The Senate will now begin to take up their version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.