Fort Sill has been the economic engine that has driven southwest Oklahoma for more than 150 years, so it is natural for community leaders to become wary when national defense measures are given a thumbs down.
In the most recent case, President Donald Trump vetoed the $740 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would give American soldiers a 3% pay raise, modernize equipment and provisions to require more scrutiny before troops are withdrawn from Germany or Afghanistan. On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to override the president’s veto with the measure now headed to the Senate, which originally was set to vote on the veto override Tuesday but may be delayed until Friday.
Lawton leaders, including Lawton-Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Krista Ratliff, are hopeful the Senate will also override the president’s veto. “Our local servicemembers and civilian team members support our community in multiple ways. A government shutdown would have a negative impact on our community as a whole,” she said.
With the House overriding the president’s veto, “it underscores the importance and value that the leadership places on our military support. This (NDAA) will allow the military’s expertise to continue to be developed by way of their tools, training, and state-of-the-art technology that our military and civilian members utilize on a daily basis,” Ratliff said.
Fort Sill has an annual total economic impact of $1.9 billion and is home to a military population of about 16,500 and a civilian workforce of 7,000 people, according to a report prepared by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. Fort Sill is a designated U.S. Army Fires Center of Excellence and is home to field and air defense artillery schools, an Army training center, and a noncommissioned officer academy among other functions.
Fort Sill creates employment opportunities across a wide range of sectors, both indirectly and directly. Lawton and the state also benefit from defense contracts with private companies for supplies, construction, and various services such as health care and information technology.
The Department of Commerce report assessed the contribution and financial impact of the military in the state, which has six installations. The direct, indirect, and induced employment associated with the industry was 133,800 jobs, with average wages 14% higher than the state’s average wage. Impacts on Oklahoma’s Gross Domestic Product totaled more than $9.6 billion in 2010, which was more than 7% of the state’s total economy.
Military veteran Michael Merrit, commander of the state’s Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the battle between President Trump and U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is “sad.”
Merrit labeled the president’s veto of the NDAA as nothing more than a political stab in the back of Inhofe, an ardent Trump supporter. “I have a ton of respect for him (Inhofe). It’s a shame, after all the hard work he and his staff put into this bill and his unwavering support for the president, only to have the president turn around and slap him in the face over politics,” he said.
Merit has followed national and state legislation since college but became more active after joining the VFW.
“The yearly NDAA encompasses so much and affects so many,” said Merrit. “It is something that we keep a very close eye on. No, the defense of the nation and our veterans should not be pawns in a political fray. Anyone serving or has served including their families, signed blank checks to the U.S. government up to and including their lives. At no time should they be put on a spit and roasted over a political dumpster fire.”
Inhofe stated the NDAA is “absolutely vital to our national security and our troops. Our men and women who volunteer to wear the uniform shouldn’t be denied what they need – ever.”
In a Dec. 1 prepared statement, Inhofe pointed specifically to Altus Air Force Base and its role in training pilots on the KC-46 as the next generation mid-air refueling plane. All depot-level
maintenance on the aircraft will be performed at Tinker Air Force Base. Inhofe also stressed that maintenance on the new B-21 bomber will be conducted at Tinker.
Fort Sill, established in 1869, remains a vital part of the Army’s mission with the modernization of Long-Range Precision Fires, which are systems that can accurately strike targets from hundreds of miles, Inhofe stated. Those systems are based at Fort Sill, which also is home to the Paladin Integrated Management System, or PIM, and is a piece of the Army’s modernization effort.
U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, (R Oklahoma) voted to override the president’s veto. Cole represents the 4th Congressional District which includes Fort Sill and Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. The final House tally on the override was 322-87.
“I am disappointed by the president’s decision to veto the National Defense Authorization Act, which is vitally important to supporting and strengthening our common defense and ensuring our servicemembers have the resources they need to keep us safe,” said Cole. “I could not vote to sustain the president’s veto. If Congress does not enact the NDAA for the fiscal year 2021, it will cost military families their extra combat and flight pay, effectively giving them an undeserved pay cut for Christmas and shamefully disregarding the selfless sacrifices they daily make to ensure our shared safety and security.”
Trump vetoed the NDAA because of concerns surrounding tech companies and the renaming of military bases. Specifically, the president wants Congress to repeal Section 230 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which shields tech companies from liability from content posted by users. In addition, Trump carried out the veto because the NDAA contained provisions that change bases named after Confederate officials.
Like his counterpart Cole, U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas (R Cheyenne) was supportive of the veto override. His district includes Vance Air Force Base and Altus Air Force Base.
“Our nation’s defense and those who serve within its ranks are well-supported by this critical piece of legislation. While Congress shares President Trump’s concerns regarding Section 230, a provision which deserves its fair share of congressional scrutiny, Congress must not miss the opportunity to pass such a strong bill that provides for our Armed Service members, supports military families, and includes meaningful measures that counters aggression shown by Russia and China.”
However, Trump’s veto is hardly the first time a president has rejected the NDAA, which became an annual military appropriations bill in 1961. Five times since then, presidents have vetoed the initial NDAA that crossed their desks. Eventually, each president and Congress was able to reach an agreement that allowed for the measure to become law.
Prior to 1986, when military construction projects were authorized in separate legislation, an annual military construction bill was vetoed by President Johnson in 1965 and by President Ford in 1976.
Presidents who vetoed NDAA measures include Presidents Carter, Reagan, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama. The veto reasons vary depending on the status of the military, ongoing overseas conflicts, and strategic military needs