Immediate Action Required: Ask your senators and representatives to support the House version of the fiscal 2015 defense appropriations bill which includes funding for Army Guard Black Hawk helicopters
The Army National Guard’s No. 1 priority for fiscal 2015 is the continuation of the UH-60 Black Hawk modernization program. The Army National Guard operates 849 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, and more than 400 of those are older UH-60A models. The A-model helicopters are an average of 24-years-old. Many in the National Guard’s fleet are nearing the end of their useful life.
The current procurement schedule of new Army National Guard UH-60M helicopters to replace the older UH-60A models is not sufficient. These older UH-60As need to be modernized and replaced as quickly as possible for the Guard’s Black Hawk fleet to remain viable and mission capable. The UH-60 Black Hawk is the Army National Guard’s primary rotary aviation platform supporting its dual overseas and homeland defense missions.
The House of Representative’s fiscal 2015 defense appropriations bill included $103 million for the Army National Guard to buy 7 additional UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters. Senate defense appropriators did not include similar funding.
NGAUS urges you to contact your senators and representatives and ask them to support the House version of the fiscal 2015 defense appropriations bill. The funding it includes will allow the Army Guard to continue to modernize its Black Hawk fleet.
By using the Write to Congress at www.ngaus.org, you can email your elected representatives. A sample letter is included. You can email the prewritten message or edit the sample letter as you desire. Also, urge your friends and family to use Write to Congress. Please direct any questions concerning this issue to Mike Waite, the NGAUS deputy legislative director, at mike.waite@ngaus.org.
