By Howard Altman published in the Tampa Tribune on Dec. 5, 2014

The defense spending bill passed by the House of Representatives today authorizes a 10 percent budget increase for U.S. Special Operations Command, extended authority for it to carry out its missions and more money to keep its troops healthy. But it also includes reductions in benefits for troops and their families.

It also includes funds for new aerial refueling tankers that, while not coming to MacDill Air Force Base, will allow additional KC-135 Stratotankers to be based there, according to U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor. 

The $585 billion spending measure, which passed 300 to 119, gives Socom $7.7 billion. The command has said that would support nearly 70,000 personnel around the world.

The spending measure authorizes $26 million in additional funding for behavioral and psychological health programs and initiatives, specifically for special operations forces, said Castor in a statement. It also authorizes an extension of authorities permitting special operations forces to work with indigenous or surrogate forces in support of ongoing U.S. operations. The authority is used throughout the Middle East and Africa, The bill also extends the authority through 2017 and raises the authorized amount from $50 million to $75 million, according to Castor. The bill also provides Socom’s commander with enhanced rapid acquisition authority, she said in a media statement. 

The spending measure also authorizes $2.2 billion for the KC-46A – the Air Force’s next generation aerial refueling aircraft – and the replacement for KC-135. Castor said that means MacDill would receive additional KC-135 aircraft in future years as the Air Force begins the multi-decade tanker replacement.

In March, the Tribune reported MacDill would add eight KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling jets to its existing fleet of 16 in 2018, according to the Defense Department’s fiscal 2015 budget request. 

“MacDill Air Force Base and its missions are strengthened and our men and women in uniform and their families remain a top priority under the 2015 Act,” Castor said in a statement. “Specifically for our community, U.S. Special Operations Command will receive greater investments to develop the unique skills, agility and equipment necessary to address the unconventional and complicated threats to America’s national security.”

Castor said the Mission Support Facility at MacDill Air Force Base also should be in line for review under her priority to address the black mold in the building. 

The spending measure, she said, encourages the “Department of Defense and the military departments to continue taking cost-effective, timely, and appropriate actions to prevent the formation of, and remediate reported cases of, indoor mold in facilities located on military installations.”

But there is also some unhappy news for troops at MacDill and throughout the military. 

The bill also reduces benefits for troops and their families, according to The Hill. It would raise the copay by $3 for most pharmaceuticals under Tricare, the military health insurance plan.

It would also keep pay raises at 1 percent, according to The Hill, freeze raises for general and flag officers, and reduce housing subsidies by 1 percent. The bill also cuts subsidies for military commissaries, where troops buy groceries, by $100 million. 

Officials from MacDill could not immediately be reached for comment late Thursday afternoon.Socom officials could not immediately comment.