WASHINGTON—Today the National Governors Association (NGA) commends Congress for its swift action to pass H.R. 5515, The John S. McCain Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
‘We particularly want to thank Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Jack Reed (D-RI), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK), and Representatives Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and Adam Smith (D-WA), Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, for their leadership.
As commanders-in-chief of their respective National Guards, governors truly understand the critical importance of the annual passage of the NDAA, which helps to ensure our service members receive the resources they need to complete their missions both overseas and at home.
The NDAA includes several key provisions that will help support National Guard and state missions:
- Establishes a pilot program for an Army National Guard cybersecurity training center,
- Requires a report on the feasibility of establishing reserve component cyber civil support teams,
- Establishes a database on emergency response capabilities of each of the National Guards within the states and U.S. territories and
- Allows governors to recommend the closure or realignment of a military installation within their state or territory.
However, governors are disappointed that the final FY19 NDAA did not retain language that would have granted the president and the secretary of defense, upon request from a governor, the authority to authorize Title 32, section 502 (f) for National Guard members supporting the response to a catastrophic disaster.
NGA will continue to work with Congress to help find ways to better address this critical gap in effective and rapid responses to catastrophic disasters.”
Congress passed the conference report this week. It now heads to the president, who is expected to sign the bill quickly.
About the National Governors Association
Founded in 1908, the National Governors Association (NGA) is the collective voice of the nation’s governors and one of Washington, D.C.’s most respected public policy organizations. Its members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. NGA provides governors and their senior staff members with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key federal issues to developing and implementing innovative solutions to public policy challenges through the NGA Center for Best Practices. For more information, visit www.nga.org
