House and Senate negotiators of the fiscal year 2015 defense authorization bill are allowing the Army to begin consolidating all service-wide Apache helicopters in the active component next fall. A summary of the legislation, issued by House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA), says the service may start transferring helicopters out of the National Guard in FY-16, but leaves what happens later on subject to debate in the next Congress. Conferees allowed only "personnel-related preparation activities" connected with...
