WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced a bipartisan bill to establish a status identifier for remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) crew who conduct combat operations to help increase their access to services and give them proper recognition. The bipartisan Combat Action Recognition and Evaluation (CARE) for Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) Crews Act also would instruct the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with a federally funded research and development center to identify opportunities to provide more support services to, and greater recognition of, combat accomplishments of RPA crews. Creating a status identifier and studying ways to better support these servicemembers will provide them with the recognition and access to services they deserve, which have long been overlooked and out-of-reach. Nevada’s Creech Air Force Base is one of the highest operational tempo RPA installations throughout the Air Force.
Currently, RPA crews fly combat missions from the United States, but they have no identifier in their records for combat operations performed, because they are not physically located in a combat zone. If a crew member decides to change career fields within the military, or leave the service, there are often barriers for the member to receive the appropriate mental health services for those exposed to a combat environment because they lack a combat status identifier. This makes it difficult for members to receive prompt mental health care while in service or through the VA once they separate, despite the continuing mental health impacts of these operations.
“Remotely Piloted Aircraft crew like those at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada perform combat operations but have no status identifier in their records for having done so, making it challenging to receive the support and care they deserve once they transition,” said Senator Rosen. “That’s why I’m introducing this bipartisan bill to establish a status identifier for these crews in order to help improve the recognition they’ve earned and to ensure their future care. I’ll always fight to support Nevada’s servicemembers.”
“Now more than ever, military missions use airborne ISR platforms to meet our national security objectives,” said Senator Cramer. “Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) crews, including Fargo’s Happy Hooligans and the airmen from the 319th at Grand Forks, are an integral part of the nation’s Joint Force. The CARE for RPA Crews Act recognizes the accomplishments of RPA crews and identifies the appropriate resources to keep our airmen fit for duty.”
Senator Rosen has been a leader in the Senate supporting Nevada’s servicemembers and their families. The bipartisan CARE for RPA Crews Act is based on two amendments Senators Rosen and Cramer secured earlier this summer during markup of the FY2025 national defense bill, and builds on Senator Rosen’s efforts in the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act. Earlier this year, Senator Rosen also helped introduce the bipartisan READINESS Act to support military spouses and their families by creating more job flexibility when a servicemember relocates to a new duty station. Last year, during a confirmation hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee, she secured a commitment from General David Allvin, then-Air Force Chief of Staff nominee, to cut red tape in a program designed to make child care available for military families like Airmen at Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases who work overnight shifts.
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