Defense bill passes House

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the annual defense policy bill that authorizes spending for military personnel, weapons systems, national security programs, and foreign military operations by a vote of 269 to 151. This is the first National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to be passed under local U.S. Congressman Mac Thornberry’s (R-Clarendon) chairmanship of the House Armed Services Committee, and it includes funding for Sheppard Air Force Base, the Pantex Plant, and the V-22 Osprey program at Bell Helicopter’s Military Aircraft Assembly Center in Amarillo.

The bill authorizes nearly $612 billion in spending for national defense. The funding in the bill is consistent with the House Budget Resolution that balances the federal budget and reduces government spending by $5.5 trillion over the next 10 years.

“The first job of the federal government is to provide for the nation’s defense, and the threats we face today at home and abroad are more varied, widespread, and dangerous than at almost any other time in our history,” Thornberry said. “For too long, the American military has shouldered a disproportional amount of the mindless budget cuts under sequestration, and our military leaders have warned us of the serious consequences we will face if that continues. This year’s NDAA seeks to reverse that dangerous trend.”

Locally, the bill also includes funding for national security facilities, including training missions at Sheppard Air Force base in Wichita Falls. In addition, it includes about $2.7 billion total for Bell’s V-22 Osprey and helicopter programs, including the procurement of 19 new Ospreys and 28 new AH-1Z / UH-1Y helicopters for the Marine Corps. Much of the work for those aircraft will be performed in Amarillo.

It also provides $9.1 billion in funding for nuclear weapons activities—including those performed at Pantex. To help address the severe backlog of maintenance on physical infrastructure across the National Nuclear Security Agency, the bill provides $150 million specifically for recapitalization projects and an additional $24 million for preventative maintenance. The bill also includes $632 million for defense nuclear security and $245 million to accelerate much needed efforts to improve emergency response at Pantex and other nuclear weapons facilities.

A key compensation reform in the bill will provide a new retirement system for future military service members. The system would allow new service members to contribute to a portable 401(k)-style retirement plan with matching contributions from the government of up to 5 percent of basic pay. Eighty-three percent of service members leave the military before the current 20-year mark to qualify for retirement. Current members will have the option of being grandfathered into the old system or choosing the new 401(k)-styled system, and the provision would not affect veterans who are already retired. The bill does not make any significant changes to current TRICARE benefits.

“Many of the men and women who honorably serve our nation, often risking their lives in combat, do not receive any type of retirement benefit right now because of the current 20-year, all-or-nothing plan,” Thornberry said. “This reform would reflect the value of their service to the country, while also helping us to continue recruiting the best and the brightest for our Armed Forces.”

The NDAA incorporates H.R. 955, the bipartisan legislation Thornberry introduced earlier this year to authorize assistance to the military and national security forces of Ukraine, which specifically includes defensive weapons to help the Ukrainians defend themselves from Russian-backed rebels. It also supports military operations in Afghanistan and against terrorist organizations like ISIS and al Qaeda.

Legislation to reform the Department of Defense’s (DoD) broken acquisition system, H.R. 1597, is also incorporated into the defense authorization bill. Thornberry and other members of the Armed Services Committee engaged with experts at the DoD, in the defense industry, and within Congress for more than a year with a focus on reforming the DoD’s acquisition system to make it more agile.

The bill reauthorizes the bipartisan prohibitions against transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to the U.S. and against building detention facilities in the U.S. Since January of 2014, the Obama Administration has transferred 33 detainees to other countries. Thornberry has expressed serious concerns about the circumstances of those transfers and of former detainees returning to the battlefield.

Local Highlights
• Military Personnel and Pay: The bill supports a 2.3 percent pay raise for the military.
• Joint Prescription Formulary: Creates a joint uniform formulary between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs for medications to treat psychiatric conditions, sleep disorders, and pain management to ensure transition veterans continue to receive the best care when they leave military service.
• BRAC: Prohibits another round of base closings.
• Pantex: Increases funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons activities including Pantex. The bill also provides $37.4 million specifically for recapitalization projects at Pantex.             
• Bell: Includes about $2.8 billion total for Bell V-22 and helicopter programs, much of which is done in Amarillo, including procurement of 19 new Ospreys and 28 new helicopters for the Marine Corps.           
• Sheppard AFB: Includes funding for activities at Sheppard AFB in the personnel account and operations and maintenance account.

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