Sec. 1075. Sense of Congress regarding modular airborne fire fighting system; report
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Congress makes the following findings: Congress established the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (in this section referred to as MAFFS ) after civilian fire fighting tanker fleets were overwhelmed by the 1970 Laguna Fire that killed eight individuals and destroyed 382 homes. Air National Guard C–130 aircraft equipped with the MAFFS provide emergency capability to supplement existing commercial tanker support on wildland fires. A MAFFS II unit can discharge its load of 3,000 gallons of flame retardant in less than five seconds, covering an area one-quarter of a mile long and 60 feet wide.
Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units equipped with MAFFS II have provided critical support in fire fighting response efforts in recent years, including the Camp and Woolsey Fires in November 2018. The National Guard Bureau is currently developing a replacement system to the current, aging fleet of MAFFS II systems. The current MAFFS II system requires significant maintenance and repair, including deteriorating compression systems, that could reduce MAFFS capability in as soon as two years.
It is the sense of Congress that— MAFFS provides a necessary capability to support national, State, and local fire fighting response efforts; fire fighting response would be severely affected if MAFFS II or replacement MAFFS systems were not available, including reducing the number of sorties and drops planes can fly during emergencies; and the Department of Defense should use funding provided under the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account to develop, sustain and maintain continued MAFFS capability, including IMAFFS systems to replace the current fleet.
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit a report to the congressional defense committees regarding plans of the Secretary to fund long-term sustainment and operation and maintenance of MAFFS capabilities, including plans for the National Guard Bureau to submit program objective memoranda for funding for lifetime costs to the Department of Defense to be included in future Department of Defense Budget Requests, including the feasibility of establishing a dedicated program-of-record.