By Roxana Tiron

Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) are planning to introduce an amendment to the 2008 defense authorization bill to strike a provision that would transfer full control of the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) program to the Air Force, removing any Army jurisdiction.

McCaskill and Pryor, who have support for their amendment from the chairmen of the National Guard Caucus — Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Kit Bond (R-Mo.) — plan to introduce the amendment to the bill by Thursday.

Apart from the backing of the two powerful defense appropriators, the amendment is expected to gather significant support from other delegations and potentially a large number of co-sponsors, according to congressional sources. The National Guard Association (NGAUS) also is putting its weight behind the amendment.

In a “Dear Colleague” letter seeking support for their amendment, McCaskill and Pryor expressed concern that the defense authorization provision “threatens the viability of the entire program, which the Army and the Air Force currently share.” Read more…

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