On Thursday, U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (NDAA) on a bipartisan basis. The NDAA has been approved annually by Congress for the last 63 years. The NDAA authorizes funding for the U.S. military for the next year, outlines national security priorities, and sets targets for modernizing defense technologies and munitions.
“With adversaries such as China, Russia, and Iran becoming increasingly more aggressive, there is no more important priority than our national defense,” said Sen. Britt. “To achieve peace through strength, our warfighters must remain the best trained, best equipped, and best resourced in the world. This legislation makes great strides to ensure that we maintain a robust military through strategic investments and modernization efforts. I will always make the security of our country and the wellbeing of our servicemembers a top priority.”
Senator Britt secured passage of a key amendment in the legislation requiring the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to submit a report to Congress on the feasibility of allowing American servicemembers and their dependents to keep previously retained mental healthcare via telehealth services while transferring between postings.
Sen. Jack Reed (R-Rhode Island) chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“This forward-looking defense bill will go a long way toward keeping the American people safe, deterring conflict, and confronting the national security threats we face,” Sen. Reed said. “This bipartisan NDAA provides a historic level of support for our troops and their families, including the largest military pay raise in decades. It authorizes record-level investments in the people, platforms, and programs that our forces need to safeguard the nation and advance U.S. interests worldwide. The bill also accelerates the development of cutting-edge technologies like hypersonics and artificial intelligence to provide our forces with key advantages on the battlefield.”
“Our bipartisan approach netted a major win for America’s military men and women and their families,” Reed added. “I appreciate Majority Leader Schumer and Minority Leader McConnell for working to facilitate a thorough debate that allowed all senators to engage and contribute to this bill. I salute Senator Wicker for his continued leadership and partnership. I look forward to working together in conference to produce a strong NDAA that takes on the real threats facing our military.”
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) is the Ranking Member of the Committee.
“Although I would have preferred a topline defense spending number that better reflects the most dangerous threat environment that the United States has faced since World War II, I appreciate the hard work that the Senate has put into this year’s NDAA,” Sen. Wicker said. “The bill we have delivered takes care of our troops with a substantial pay raise and reforms that will improve quality of life for our servicemen and women. We are also taking pivotal steps toward the monumental investments in our naval power, munitions capacity, and defense industrial base that the moment demands. The bill also harnesses defense innovation through procurement reform and investments in high-tech research.”
The Fiscal Year 2024 NDAA authorizes a 5.2% military pay raise, invests in the U.S. Navy, rebuilds our nation’s arsenal by adding critical munitions to the Pentagon’s multi-year procurement (MYP) program, prioritizes individual merit in our military, helps secure the southern border by using previously procured materials to continue building the border wall, and prevents foreign adversaries from investing in, purchasing, leasing, or acquiring American farmland.
The 63rd annual NDAA authorizes a total budget of $886 billion in fiscal year 2024 funding for national defense. Within this topline, the legislation authorizes $845 billion for the Department of Defense (DOD) and $32 billion for national security programs within the Department of Energy (DOE).
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a separate version of the NDAA earlier this month along partisan lines, with Republicans adding amendments on the House floor that Democrats would not support. The two chambers are expected to take the bill to a Conference Committee to work out differences and agree on a final version before the end of the year.
“The Congress once again has an opportunity to send an unmistakable message to China and Russia that we are stalwart in our commitment to a ‘peace through strength’ agenda,” Wicker said. “I am hopeful that working alongside the House, we will send a bill to the president’s desk that puts our national defense on a path toward improving our deterrent capabilities. I am especially grateful for the partnership of Chairman Reed on my first NDAA as ranking member.”
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