[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 83 (Wednesday, May 25, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3218-S3219]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4216. Mr. BOOKER (for himself and Mr. Menendez) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 2943, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2017 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle E of title I, add the following:

     SEC. 154. REPORT ON NORTHCOM JOINT URGENT OPERATIONS NEED FOR 
                   AESA RADARS.

       (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM) requested 
     a Joint Urgent Operational Need (JUON) in 2015 at the request 
     of the First Air Force for 72 F-16 aircraft equipped with 
     active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars.
       (2) According to a June 2009 report of the Defense Science 
     Board Task Force on the Fulfillment of Urgent Operational 
     Needs, a JUON is ``a need prioritized by a combatant 
     commander and is defined as a need requiring a solution that, 
     if left unfilled, could result in the loss of life and/or 
     prevent the successful completion of a near-term military 
     mission''.
       (3) According to Department of Defense Instruction 5000.02 
     ``Operation of the Defense Acquisition System'', the purpose 
     of urgent

[[Page S3219]]

     operational needs is ``to deliver capability quickly, within 
     days or months''.
       (4) Furthermore, Department of Defense Instruction 5000.02 
     states that ``DoD Components will use all available 
     authorities to expeditiously fund, develop, assess, produce, 
     deploy, and sustain these capabilities for the duration of 
     the urgent need''.
       (5) One of the criteria for selecting a rapid fielding such 
     as JUON is that the capability can be fielded within 2 years. 
     However, to date no AESA Radars have been fielded in support 
     of this JUON.
       (b) Report Required.--Not later than 60 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Commander of U.S. Northern 
     Command and the Secretary of the Air Force shall submit to 
     the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House 
     of Representatives a report setting forth--
       (1) the status of the NORTHCOM JUON for 72 AESA radar-
     equipped F-16 aircraft;
       (2) when the Air Force expects to field all 72 radars;
       (3) what acquisition strategy the Department of Defense 
     will use for the full buy; and
       (4) how NORTHCOM is addressing threats to the homeland and 
     capability gaps in United States air combat alert in the 
     absence of F-16 aircraft equipped with AESA radars.
       (c) Form.--The report required under subsection (b) shall 
     be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a 
     classified annex.
                                 ______