(The Center Square) — U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly’s bill to study cancer rates among military aviators is headed to President Donald Trump for his signature.
Passed this week by Congress, the Aviator Cancer Examination Study Act addresses cancer rates among Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps aircrew members.
Speaking as a former Navy combat pilot, Kelly, D-Arizona, said there are “certain risks that we know and accept” with military service, but the nation knows little about the health risks affecting aviators and crew members later in life.
“Veteran aviators and aircrews deserve answers about the correlation between their job and cancer risks so we can reduce those risks for future pilots,” said Kelly in a news release. “Getting this across the finish line has been a bipartisan effort from the start, and I am proud to see this bill on its way to becoming law so we can deliver real answers and accountability for those who served.”
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, co-sponsored the ACES Act. A combat veteran and fellow Armed Services Committee member, Cotton said the nation owes it to aviators to research cancer rates among this group.
The Center Square reached out to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for information on cancer rates among aviators and did not receive a response. However, Kelly’s press release said “pilots and aircrews have been found to face higher risks of developing prostate cancer and melanoma, with potential links to non-Hodgkin lymphoma and testicular cancer.” As a result, the ACES Act directs the secretary of Veterans Affairs to study cancer incidence and mortality rates among aviators and aircrew who served in the Armed Forces.
“This legislation is critical as it would improve our understanding of the link between military service and cancer risks among veteran aviators,” said Kelly’s office. “By better understanding the correlation between aviator service and cancer, we can better assist our military and provide more adequate care for our veterans.”
U.S. Reps. August Pfluger, R-Texas, and Jimmy Panetta, D-California, introduced the House version of the ACES Act.
In 2023, Kelly co-introduced the Counting Veterans’ Cancer Act, signed by President Joe Biden in 2024. That measure was also sponsored by U.S. Sen. Thom Thillis, R-North Carolina, and required VA facilities to share cancer data with state registries to guarantee that information be included in national registries.