Press Releases

Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3), along with 67 House colleagues, yesterday sent United States Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter a letter expressing concern about the Army’s Aviation Restructure Initiative (ARI) as planned, which will begin transferring Apache helicopters out of the Army National Guard in April 2016, and its potential impact on the National Guard.  The letter says, in part: 

“Due to a lack of sufficient and compelling budget justification, we are concerned the Army’s decision to remove the Army National Guard from combat attack aviation is based on the Army’s incorrect perception that Army National Guard attack aviation capability lacks in its ability to adapt to new tactics and procedures.  The National Guard can continue to perform any Apache mission in a professional, fully competent and cost-effective way, as was proven in all recent conflicts.”

The letter goes on to request a delay in the transfer of Apaches from the National Guard to the Army until Congress has had sufficient time to consider the recommendations of the Commission and, if necessary, act on those recommendations.

The full text of the letter can be found here.

Congressman Steve Womack has represented Arkansas’s Third Congressional District since 2011 and serves on the House Appropriations Defense, Financial Services and General Government, and Labor-Health and Human Services subcommittees and the House Committee on the Budget.

###