ROA has submitted its Fiscal Year 2027 Defense Appropriations priorities to the professional staff of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense, in conjunction with the Subcommittees’ recent hearings of the Reserve Component Chiefs. The statement and supporting addendum were developed in close coordination with the Services and shaped by ROA’s Resolutions process.
“The Reserve Components are no longer a force held in reserve. Operation Epic Fury has confirmed that our citizen-warriors are mobilized, deployed, and bearing the same risks as the Active Component from day one. ROA thanks Chairmen Calvert and McConnell, Ranking Members McCollum and Coons, and the Subcommittees’ Members and staff for holding this hearing and considering our priorities. The FY 2027 Defense Appropriations Act is an opportunity to align national investment with the operational reality of the force we ask to fight,” said ROA CEO Maj. Gen. John B. Hashem, U.S. Army (Ret.).
Leading priorities in ROA’s statement include:
• Concurrent and proportional fielding of Reserve Component equipment.
• National Guard and Reserve Equipment Appropriation (NGREA) at no less than $1.3 billion.
• Full C-130J recapitalization for the Navy Reserve, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard.
• $200 million for Army National Guard and $100 million for Army Reserve HMMWV modernization.
• A prohibition on funds for any divestiture of dedicated Army Reserve MEDEVAC capability.
• Funding for a recurring, Joint-level mobilization exercise modeled on the 1978 Nifty Nugget series.
• Travel reimbursement for drilling reservists under Section 623 of the FY 2025 NDAA, with H.R. 7593 as a lower-cost alternative.
ROA will now request meetings with the Members and staff of the House and Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittees in the weeks ahead, building directly on its recent congressional outreach in support of its FY 2027 NDAA priorities, with which the appropriations agenda is closely aligned.