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

Summary

Within 30 days after the President sends the budget to Congress, the Secretary of Defense must send Congress a plan and a certification. The plan must show how the Army, Navy, and Air Force will buy the covered aircraft types (11 groups, including fighters, attack and bomber planes, inter‑ and intra‑theater lift, ISR, tankers, remotely piloted and rotary‑wing aircraft, support/executive lift, and any other major support aircraft the Secretary names). The certification must say that the President’s budget and the future‑years defense program fund the plan on the schedule shown. For this law, “budget” means the President’s budget under section 1105 of title 31. The annual plan must cover 15 fiscal years and explain the force needed to meet the most recent National Defense and National Military Strategies. It must show estimated yearly investment costs and estimated yearly life‑cycle operating and support costs, both for the whole Department of Defense and for each military department. Each cost must say whether it came from the military department or the Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, show the confidence level, and if the two sources differ by more than 5 percent include an annotated explanation. The plan must use Selected Acquisition Report data when required under section 4351. The plan is submitted unclassified with a classified annex and a public summary. If the budget does not pay enough to keep the planned force, the Secretary must include an assessment of the shortfall and its risks, coordinated with combatant commanders. The Secretary must also include an annual inventory report that gives totals and breaks down active and inactive aircraft categories, shows Joint Chiefs‑approved inventory needs, and lists counts separately for regular and reserve components by type, model, and series in the future‑years defense program.