U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Blake Wiles
ROA welcomed the release last week of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) chairman’s mark of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY 2027 NDAA), which includes several ROA legislative priorities for the Reserve Components. The full committee is scheduled to mark up the bill on June 4.
The provisions reflected in the mark are the product of sustained ROA engagement. In its first wave of FY 2027 NDAA outreach, ROA engaged nearly 30 congressional offices, bringing the organization’s priorities directly to members and professional staff across both chambers. ROA is now mounting a second wave of engagement, ahead of and as a follow on to the markup process, to secure amendments for the priorities not yet reflected in the mark — and, where an amendment pathway is unlikely, to drive the member and staff education needed to carry those priorities forward through the remainder of the legislative cycle.
ROA Priorities Reflected in the Chairman’s Mark
- Dental Readiness for Reserve Component junior enlisted. ROA engaged Rep. Trent Kelly’s (R-MS) office on a provision providing cost-free dental coverage for Reserve Component service members in pay grades E-1 through E-4, which is included in the mark. The provision is a meaningful financial readiness measure for the most junior members of the Reserve Component, removing an out-of-pocket cost that can fall heavily on service members at the lowest end of the pay scale.
- Army Transformation Initiative (ATI) reporting requirement. ROA engaged HASC Readiness Subcommittee staff on a requirement for the Army to report to Congress on its decisions to reduce aviation forces under ATI. The provision is a meaningful step toward congressional accountability over decisions affecting Army Reserve MEDEVAC and other Reserve Component capabilities.
- Senior Transition Official. The mark continues the senior transition official position carried in the previous NDAA. ROA has long advocated for improvements to the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and last year announced its support for the establishment of an Under Secretary for Transition, for which the senior transition official language is a step in the right direction.
- Multi-year procurement authority for the F-15EX II. ROA has engaged with Air Force Reserve leadership and Congress on ensuring concurrent and proportional fielding of the F-15EX II, and welcomes the multi-year procurement authority included in the mark.
ROA Priorities Not Yet Reflected
Several ROA priorities are not included in the chairman’s mark as released. ROA will press for each of the following through markup and beyond:
- Reserve Forces Travel Fairness Act (RFTFA). RFTFA is the chief focus of ROA’s second wave of engagement, with the organization pursuing an amendment pathway to attach the measure to the FY 2027 NDAA.
- Duty Status Reform (DSR). The Duty Status Reform Act was referred to every committee of jurisdiction in the House, creating jurisdictional challenges to its inclusion in the NDAA. Based on conversations to which ROA has been privy, an amendment pathway for DSR through the NDAA appears unlikely. In response, ROA spearheaded a campaign to reach every House office as part of a broad co-sponsorship push for the standalone bill. Senate introduction is expected in the next few weeks.
- Reserve Component Emergency Service for Casualty Evacuation (RESCUE) Act. ROA continues to support the RESCUE Act, which would preserve Army Reserve MEDEVAC capacity, and will engage on an amendment pathway during markup.
- Prohibition on deactivation of Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigades (ECABs). ROA will support efforts to advance ECAB protection through the markup process as part of its sustained campaign to preserve Army Reserve MEDEVAC. Amendment language has already been drafted, and ROA’s support is pending review.
- Major Richard Star Act. ROA continues to advocate for the Major Richard Star Act through every available legislative pathway, including the discharge petition recently filed in the House.
- Tri-Service Nursing Research Program (TSNRP) authorization. ROA will engage during markup on opportunities to advance TSNRP authorization.
For priorities where an amendment pathway is unlikely, like Duty Status Reform, ROA’s continued engagement will focus on building the member and staff education needed to advance those measures through other legislative vehicles and future NDAA cycles.
The Road Ahead
HASC is scheduled to conduct its full committee markup of the FY 2027 NDAA on June 4. The Senate Armed Services subcommittees are scheduled to mark up their respective versions of the bill on June 8. ROA will be fully engaged through HASC markup, Senate consideration, and conference — fighting to preserve the Reserve Component gains in the chairman’s mark and to advance the priorities still outstanding.