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Subcommittee hears delay, basing questions on Guard MQ‑9/Gray Eagle procurements
Summary
Members pressed the National Guard Bureau about basing decisions and delays for MQ‑9/Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft systems that Congress funded in prior National Defense Authorization Acts.
Representative Steve Womack and others pressed the National Guard Bureau on the status of Gray Eagle/MQ‑9 basing and procurement funded in prior National Defense Authorization Acts. Womack said infrastructure and basing decisions could not be delayed further.
General Stephen Nordhaus said the first basing announcement for the NDAA‑23 Gray Eagle procurement had been made to Arizona and that NDAA‑25 procurements would follow formal basing decisions and Army force‑structure processes. He told members the bureau follows deliberate basing processes and would incorporate funding and infrastructure considerations as part of a formal decision.
Members asked whether the Army Transformation Initiative, which the witness said had proposed changes for active‑component procurement, would affect Guard plans for UAS. Nordhaus said Guard UAS integration remains synchronized with Army force structure and beddown plans and that the Arizona decision will be used to inform future Guard UAS beddowns across divisions.
No basing decisions were altered at the hearing. The subcommittee requested additional timelines and infrastructure cost estimates to understand capability gaps from the procurement pacing and any transformation‑driven changes to active‑component buys that could affect Guard force structure.
