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Congressman Alford Leads Bipartisan Letter to DoD Concerning Department Wide Standards

Washington, DC, May 19, 2023

Earlier today, As first reported by Military Times, Congressman Mark Alford (MO-04) led 11 of his House colleagues in a letter to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security Ronald Moultrie. Right now, every branch of the military can create their own standards to access a base. This has led to confusion and difficulties for veterans, gold star families, truck deliveries, and medical patients. This letter calls for the Department of Defense to allow for feedback for the Armed Services Committee on their department-wide fitness standard.

Co-signers of the letter are the following Representatives (11).

  • John Garamendi (CA-08)
  • Rob Wittman (VA-01)
  • Sara Jacobs (CA-51)
  • Dale Strong (AL-05)
  • Don Bacon (NE-02)
  • Veronica Escobar (TX-16)
  • Doug Lamborn (CO-05)
  • Salud Carbajal (CA-24)
  • Sam Graves (MO-06)
  • Ronny Jackson (TX-13)
  • Mike Turner (OH-10)

Congressman Mark Alford issued the following statement: 

“For nearly 15 years Congress has repeatedly directed the Department of Defense (DoD) to develop and implement a department-wide fitness standard. Now DoD is planning to publish a final standard without providing for external review and input. This is unacceptable. 

They must share their proposal with Congress and allow for feedback. Standards must be workable and structured to ensure that visitors can have a high level of confidence in compliance before they arrive at the gate. All my Armed Services’ colleagues and I are asking for is transparency. We look forward to hearing back from the Under Secretary.”