§231a Budgeting for Life-cycle Costs of Aircraft for the Army, Navy, and Air Force: Annual Plan and Certification

Summary

Require the Secretary of Defense to send the congressional defense committees, no later than 30 days after the President’s budget is filed, an annual aircraft plan for the Army, Navy, and Air Force and a certification that the President’s budget and the future‑years defense program fund that plan. The plan must cover common major aircraft types (fighter, attack, bomber, inter‑ and intra‑theater lift, ISR, tanker, remotely piloted, rotary‑wing, operational/executive lift, and any other major support aircraft the Secretary names). The plan must span the next 15 fiscal years and show how the aviation force will meet the latest National Defense and National Military Strategies. It must give a detailed 15‑year buying schedule, describe needed force structure, show estimated annual investment and life‑cycle operating costs (both for the whole Defense Department and for each service), say whether each cost number comes from the military service or from the independent cost office, explain any cost difference over 5 percent, state the confidence level for each estimate, and certify that all calculations use the common cost categories required by the acquisition office. The Secretary must also assess how well the combined air forces meet national security needs. The plan will be unclassified with a classified annex, and a public summary must be released. If the budget does not fund the plan’s required buys for any service for the year, the Secretary must include a coordinated assessment with the budget materials that explains the funding shortfall and the risks to force structure, after consulting combatant commanders. The annual submission must also report the aircraft inventory for that year: total aircraft, active counts (primary, backup, attrition/reconstitution reserve, with mission subcategories), inactive counts (bailment, drones, for sale/transfers, leased/loaned, maintenance training, reclamation, storage), and the Joint Chiefs’ approved inventory requirements. These inventory items must be broken out for the regular and each reserve component and list each type, model, and series in the future‑years program. "Budget" means the President’s budget as sent to Congress under 31 U.S.C. 1105.