HOUSE BILL NO. 72 An Act relating to an assistant adjutant general for national missile defense in the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs. CAROL CARROLL, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF SUPPORT SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS explained that the bill would create an Assistant Adjutant General for National Missile Defense. The position would be authorized for the duration of the development and deployment of the missile defense system in Alaska. Only the legislature has the authority to create positions of Assistant Adjutant General. Currently, the department is authorized an Assistant Adjutant General for the Army National Guard and an Assistant Adjutant General for the Air National Guard. The position would be federally funded and would be in effect during the development and deployment of the missile system in Alaska. The Assistant Adjutant General for National Missile Defense would be a member of the Alaska National Guard and the site commander for the development of missile defense in Alaska. She stressed the importance of filling the position with an Alaskan and member of the Alaska National Guard in order to promote Alaska jobs and training. In response to a question by Vice-Chair Bunde, Ms. Carroll clarified that the position has not been created. The legislation would require that the position be a member of the National Guard. Vice-Chair Bunde asked how the position would affect training. Ms. Carroll replied that an Alaskan perspective would increase the likelihood that Alaskans would be hired and that training needed to deploy the system in Alaska would occur. Representative Foster inquired what a chain of command would look like. Ms. Carroll replied that they would report to the Adjutant Commander. They would work with the National Missile Defense Joint Program Office, which would be the site Activation Command in Alaska. Representative Harris asked if the Governor had submitted a name for the position. Ms. Carroll could not confirm that any name had been indicated. To her knowledge, no name had been submitted. Representative Hudson MOVED to report HB 72 out of Committee with the accompanying fiscal note. Vice-Chair Bunde OBJECTED for comment. He pointed out that the legislation would increase the budget by $200 thousand dollars per year. There being NO FURTHER OBJECTION, HB 72 was reported out of Committee. HB 72 was REPORTED out of Committee with a "do pass" recommendation and with a fiscal impact note by the Military and Veterans Affairs.