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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON BASING AND

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INFRASTRUCTURE IN SUPPORT OF NATIONAL AND

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STATE DEFENSE

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2015 GENERAL SESSION

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STATE OF UTAH

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Chief Sponsor: Val L. Peterson

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Senate Sponsor: Jerry W. Stevenson

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9     LONG TITLE
10     General Description:
11          This bill strongly urges support for moving Air National Guard operations to Hill Air
12     Force Base.
13     Highlighted Provisions:
14          This resolution:
15          ▸     acknowledges and urges the integration of Reserve, National Guard, and Active
16     Duty military components;
17          ▸     notes the 2014 legislative study regarding the value and benefits of co-locating Utah
18     Air National Guard with other components at Hill Air Force Base;
19          ▸     supports the strategic value and location of Hill Air Force Base and the open air
20     training and test ranges; and
21          ▸     strongly encourages continuing Utah's legacy of collaborative support for national
22     and state defense.
23     Special Clauses:
24          None
25     

26     Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
27          WHEREAS, the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force Act

28     (Commission) was adopted by Congress in 2012 for the purpose of undertaking a
29     comprehensive study of the structure of the Air Force to determine how best to fulfill current
30     and future mission requirements;
31          WHEREAS, the Commission was required to submit its final report and
32     recommendation not later than February 1, 2014, for legislation and administrative actions that
33     may be appropriate;
34          WHEREAS, this concurrent resolution is a result of some of the recommendations from
35     the study;
36          WHEREAS, the Commission notes that increasing integration of Reserve, National
37     Guard, and Active Duty Component Airmen at headquarters and units, and increasing the
38     number of integrated or multi-component or associate units will lead directly to improved
39     processes as well as more effective and efficient employment of the total Air Force;
40          WHEREAS, the Commission noted that increasing the number of associate units could
41     allow for consolidation of support infrastructure, which would create added efficiencies;
42          WHEREAS, the Commission noted that continuing to operate all current bases at the
43     same level of effort will require the Air Force to reallocate present and future funding and
44     reduce some of the benefits that would otherwise be gained by the Commission's force
45     structure recommendations;
46          WHEREAS, the increasingly complex security environment with its evolving
47     asymmetric threats require greater collaboration between Utah communities and local, state,
48     and federal authorities;
49          WHEREAS, the Legislature of the state of Utah and the Governor of Utah in the 2014
50     legislative session appropriated $300,000 to study the value and benefit of co-locating the Utah
51     Air National Guard with its KC-135R, Air Control, Intelligence, and other support missions
52     with other active and reserve components at Hill Air Force Base to achieve the integration and
53     efficiencies identified by the Commission;
54          WHEREAS, the United States Congress has provided ample authority to enable
55     innovative solutions to reduce infrastructure, consolidate military forces, and increase total
56     force integration, including the exchange authority in United States Code, Title 10, Section
57     18240, allowing the exchange of reserve component facilities such as those located at the Salt
58     Lake International Airport at the Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base;

59          WHEREAS, the United States Air Force, recognizing the strategic value and location of
60     Hill Air Force Base, adjacent to the Utah Test and Training Range, selected the 388th Fighter
61     Wing and the Air Force Reserve 419th Fighter Wing to become the USAF's first operational
62     units flying the F-35A Lightning II, with the first jet projected to arrive at Hill Air Force Base
63     in September 2015 and at least 72 jets projected to arrive in total;
64          WHEREAS, the Utah Test and Training Range provides responsive open air training
65     and test services that support day-to-day training, large force training exercises, and large
66     footprint weapons testing, thus assuring superiority for America's war fighters and their
67     weapons systems; and
68          WHEREAS, the citizens of the state of Utah have demonstrated a legacy of support for
69     national defense-Hill Air Force Base being the direct result of a collaborative community,
70     state, and federal effort beginning in 1935:
71          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
72     Governor concurring therein, expresses support for continuing Utah's legacy of support for
73     national defense by collaboratively working with community, state, and national stakeholders
74     to meet the challenge of today's budgetary and security environment by using the reserve
75     component exchange and other authority to achieve required force integration, infrastructure
76     consolidation, cost savings, and new efficiencies in the interest of the nation's long-term
77     security.
78          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge support for
79     expansion, consolidation, and protection of the Utah Test and Training Range to preserve this
80     invaluable training area for future generations.
81          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the United
82     States Department of Defense, the United States Air Force, the National Guard Bureau, and the
83     members of Utah's congressional delegation.






Legislative Review Note
     as of 2-20-15 9:06 AM


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel