05/02/2023 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS

           HB 158-MILITARY; UNITED STATES SPACE FORCE                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:05:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WRIGHT announced  that the only order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL NO. 158, "An Act  relating to the Joint Armed Services                                                               
Committee;  relating to  judge  advocates;  relating to  military                                                               
facility zones; and providing for an effective date."                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:06:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
FORREST  WOLFE,  Staff,  Representative  Stanley  Wright,  Alaska                                                               
State Legislature, presented HB  158, on behalf of Representative                                                               
Wright, prime  sponsor.   He said  HB 158 seeks  to add  the U.S.                                                               
Space  Force  (USSF) to  places  in  Alaska Statute  where  other                                                               
military branches are  listed.  This bill was  brought forward as                                                               
a  suggestion from  the U.S.  Department  of Defense  (DoD).   He                                                               
presented  the  sectional  analysis [included  in  the  committee                                                               
packet], which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
      Section 1: Adds the United States Space Force to AS                                                                       
      24.20.650(b) which establishes the membership makeup                                                                      
     of the Joint Armed Services Committee.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
      Section 2: Adds the United States Space Force to AS                                                                       
      26.05.385(d) which outlines who may serve as a judge                                                                      
     advocate under the code of military justice.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
      Section 3: Adds the United States Space Force to AS                                                                       
     26.30.900(3) under the definitions section of Chapter                                                                      
     30 Military Facility Zones.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Section 4: The effective date is immediate.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WRIGHT introduced invited testifier, Tammie Perreault.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:08:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TAMMIE PERREAULT, Northwest Regional  Liaison, U.S. Department of                                                               
Defense,  said  her  office  supports  policies  that  positively                                                               
impact  military  families.     She  expressed  the  department's                                                               
support of HB  158, and its hopes that Alaska  becomes one of the                                                               
first states to  adopt legislation on the issue.   She referenced                                                               
Title 10, which includes the USSF  as a part of the military, and                                                               
she affirmed that changing state  law to mirror this federal code                                                               
would ensure  that members and  veterans of the military  will be                                                               
treated  equally  across  all  branches.     She  emphasized  the                                                               
importance of  the USSF and  described Alaska's role  in national                                                               
security  as "on  the cutting  edge."   Recognizing  the USSF  in                                                               
Alaska Statutes would allow better support of state regiments.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WRIGHT invited questions from committee members.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WRIGHT asked whether there is  a current or future need for                                                               
a USSF national guard.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS. PERREAULT  maintained that the  answer is part of  an ongoing                                                               
conversation and deferred  the question to the  National Guard or                                                               
Alaska National Guard, if present.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  WRIGHT  thanked  Ms. Perreault  and  introduced  the  next                                                               
invited testifier, Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Castle.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:11:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHRISTOPHER  CASTLE,  Lieutenant  Commander,  Clear  Space  Force                                                               
Station, expressed his passion for  space and military operations                                                               
therein, including operations  currently going on in  Alaska.  He                                                               
provided  a brief  summary  of the  history of  the  USSF as  the                                                               
newest branch  of the  U.S military.   It was  established within                                                               
the  U.S. Air  Force and  has two  main functions:   to  maintain                                                               
freedom of operation for the U.S.  in, from, and to space; and to                                                               
provide prompt  and sustained space operations.   He acknowledged                                                               
a  common question,  "Why was  the  creation of  this new  branch                                                               
necessary?"  Space  touches most aspects of  Americans' civil way                                                               
of  life,  he  answered.    He  used  the  importance  of  global                                                               
positioning  system   (GPS)  timing   and  space   satellites  as                                                               
examples.   As for military,  he reported that space  provides an                                                               
asymmetric  advantage  for  troops   and  detailed  some  of  the                                                               
benefits  of space  support in  military operations.   Space  was                                                               
once  seen as  a benign  environment  where objects  we put  into                                                               
orbit would not  be touched, however, he posited that  this is no                                                               
longer  the  case.    He  spoke  about  the  potential  of  other                                                               
countries  developing capabilities  that  would  the degrade  the                                                               
advantages [the  United States] currently  has in space.   Alaska                                                               
comes  into play  due  to its  excellent  strategic location,  he                                                               
explained,   which  makes   it  a   wonderful  place   for  space                                                               
infrastructure.  He  referenced the Clear Space  Force station in                                                               
the state, which  has already provided the  military with several                                                               
functions,  including  missile  warning  and  defense  and  space                                                               
domain awareness.   New radar systems for  missile detection have                                                               
been put  into place here,  he reported, which contribute  to the                                                               
billions of  dollars of equipment and  national security missions                                                               
already  being  carried  out  by  the  USSF  in  Alaska,  and  he                                                               
indicated that  there was  huge potential  for further  growth in                                                               
equipment, units, and  missions within the state.   He reiterated                                                               
his support for HB 158.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:17:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WRIGHT announced that HB 158 was held over.