WASHINGTON - This week in the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) successfully added an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that preserves the National Guard’s Apache helicopter fleet.

Lee’s amendment to the Army’s Aviation Restructuring Initiative extends the prohibition on AH-64 Apache helicopter transfers out of the National Guard for FY
2016.

"The hard-working men and women of the National Guard’s 1-211th Attack Helicopter Battalion have served with honor and distinction in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Lee. “The extension provided by my amendment will give Congress and the Department of Defense more time to ensure the National Guard’s resources are used in the most effective and beneficial way to protect our national security."

Senator Lee continues to view sequestration for the Defense Department as a misguided and ultimately unsustainable mechanism. He also believes that Congress needs to find a better way to protect the freedom of Americans through reductions in overall federal spending, smart reforms to the Defense Department, and better aligning our international engagements with U.S economic and security priorities.