Lieutenant Colonel Shawn Johnson, director of operations for the North Dakota Wing of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), described CAP’s volunteer structure, mission set and a budget request included under HB1016.

Johnson said the wing has about 320 volunteer members across seven squadrons, operates Cessna 172 and 182 aircraft (one aircraft outfitted with a forward‑looking infrared sensor), and performs search‑and‑rescue, aerial imagery for disaster assessment, cadet leadership development and support for community events. He said CAP aircraft operate at a modest hourly cost compared with other options and that CAP provides statewide utility because its squadrons are distributed across North Dakota.

On funding, CAP asked for one‑time CEF funding of $250,000 to acquire radios and related equipment to make aircraft and response vehicles interoperable with the statewide interoperable radio network (referred to in testimony as the statewide radio or siren system). Johnson said the priority is equipping aircraft first—he identified ten radios to outfit aircraft with interoperable equipment and indicated additional radios would be purchased afterward for vehicles and incident command posts; at one point he used a working figure of roughly 20 radios as a possible total while noting final counts depend on accessories and aircraft‑to‑airframe integration needs. CAP requested the emergency clause to begin procurement promptly.

Committee members asked for more detail on the proposed radios and model numbers and requested an itemized spreadsheet; Representative Bosch asked for a breakdown because radios and aviation integration can involve higher per‑unit costs and aircraft‑specific accessory requirements. Johnson committed to provide a detailed list and said training and headset adapters would be included in the procurement plan.

Johnson also described CAP’s cadet program, aerospace education and outreach, and noted CAP’s role as the lead air search and rescue organization in North Dakota under the state emergency operations plan. The committee heard no vote and asked CAP to return with procurement specifics.