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 (USDOD).   He                                                               
read through  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,  USDOD, said  her                                                               
office   supports  policies   that  positively   impact  military                                                               
families.  She expressed the  department's support of HB 158, and                                                               
their 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  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 this question  to the National Guard or                                                               
Alaska National Guard if present.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  WRIGHT  thanked  Ms. Perreault  and  introduced  the  next                                                               
invited testifier, Lt. Colonel Christopher Castle.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:11:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHRISTOPHER  CASTLE,   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.  First, it  exists to maintain                                                               
freedom of  operation for the  U.S. in,  from, and to  space, and                                                               
second, to  provide prompt  and sustained  space operations.   He                                                               
acknowledged a  common question,  "Why was  the creation  of this                                                               
new  branch necessary?"   Space  touches most  ways of  Americans                                                               
civil  way of  life,  he  answered, and  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  contributes 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.