Strong Secures North Alabama Wins in Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act
WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Dale Strong (AL-05), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on House passage of the Senate amendment to H.R. 5009, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25):
“This year’s NDAA is laser-focused on improving the quality of life for service members and their families. It restores focus on military lethality and deterrence of our adversaries, boosts oversight and accountability, and guts funding for woke ideology at the Defense Department.
“The NDAA is critically important to Redstone Arsenal, the hundreds of service members, thousands of civilians, contractors, military retirees, and their families here in North Alabama. I am proud to support the NDAA’s investments in North Alabama which highlight the region’s importance to U.S. national security,” said Representative Dale W. Strong.
The House voted 281-140 to pass the NDAA on Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said the following of Rep. Strong's work on this legislation:
“Rep. Strong fought hard to ensure that the FY25 NDAA improves the quality of life for Alabama’s servicemembers, strengthens our military, and supports the crucial role Alabama plays in our national defense,” Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) said. “I thank Rep. Strong for his continued leadership on the House Armed Services Committee.”
The NDAA authorizes policy and $895.2 billion in funding for the Department of Defense (DoD), nuclear weapons programs within the Department of Energy, and other defense-related activities. For the second year in a row, Rep. Strong successfully championed the authorization of millions of dollars for North Alabama.
Following is a breakdown of the bill’s most significant provisions. Rep. Strong’s wins and provisions relevant to North Alabama are bolded.
SERVICE MEMBER QUALITY OF LIFE
Authorizes a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% pay raise for all other service members.
Requires the DoD to implement a digital tool to allow military families living in on-base housing to request maintenance and track their requests.
Enables the DoD to recruit and employ additional mental health providers.
Fully authorizes funding for the childcare fee assistance program to eliminate all fee assistance waitlists for eligible families.
Authorizes $20 million for local school systems teaching military children with severe disabilities.
Codifies the Military Spouse Career Accelerator to provide employment support to military spouses and breaks down barriers hindering professional license transfers between states.
Improves the SkillBridge program to expand the number of private sector apprenticeships.
NORTH ALABAMA INVESTMENTS
Authorizes $17 million for a “Huntsville Readiness Center” for the Alabama National Guard.
Directs a brief on the modernization needs of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, which is managed by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command at Redstone Arsenal.
Authorizes $40 million for “Ground Test Facility Infrastructure” at Redstone Arsenal.
Authorizes more than $200 million for research, development, test, and evaluation projects; operations and maintenance; and procurement within AL-05.
Directs a brief on the impact to U.S. national defense as a result of the illegal seizure of the port infrastructure of Vulcan Materials’ quarry in Mexico.
ACQUISITION REFORM & INDUSTRIAL BASE READINESS
Establishes a pilot program for access to shared classified commercial infrastructure (i.e. SCIF locations) for small businesses and institutions of higher learning.
Permanently authorizes DoD’s Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program, which has participant companies from AL-05.
Increases funding authorizations for developing and procuring counter-drone systems.
Requires the establishment of guidance for middle-tier acquisition authority for rapid prototyping and fielding of new capabilities.
Extends DoD’s authority to modify contracts for inflation.
Requires the U.S. Army to provide a brief on the feasibility of adding a third commercial site for UH-60M recapitalization.
Requires a DoD-wide approach to leveraging the advancements of the domestic and allied commercial battery industry.
Establishes a pilot program for contracting officers to consider a wider range of products and services offered by small businesses and non-traditional defense contractors.
Requires the DoD to produce a strategy for ensuring the industrial base can meet requirements for the production of solid rocket motors.
DETERRING U.S. ADVERSARIES
Prohibits the Biden administration, or any other administration, from sharing information on U.S. strategic nuclear forces with Russia or admitting Chinese, Russian, Iranian, and North Korean foreign nationals into nuclear laboratories.
Declares that it is the official policy of the U.S. to ensure that Israel has adequate stocks of air defense interceptors to defend itself against Iran and its proxies.
Prohibits funding to transport money, any item of value, or security assistance to the Taliban or the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Prohibits universities and researchers from receiving DoD funds if they work with Chinese entities.
Requires the DoD to eliminate dependence on Russian energy for all U.S. military bases in Europe.
Prohibits the closure of Guantanamo Bay or the transfer of terrorists housed there to prisons in the U.S.
SECURING THE HOMELAND
Fully supports the deployment of National Guard troops to augment U.S. Border Patrol activities at the southwest border.
Authorizes a funding increase of $10 million for DoD counternarcotics activities.
Requires the DoD to brief an independent review on ways to improve its counternarcotics and counter-transnational organized crime mission.
GROWING THE FORCE & RESTORING FOCUS ON LETHALITY
Increases funding authorization for JROTC programs.
Extends the DEI hiring freeze, prohibiting the DoD from establishing any new positions or filling open positions until the GAO completes an investigation of said programs.
Extends existing military recruitment bonuses.
Prohibits the teaching, training, or promotion of Critical Race Theory in the military.
Permanently bans the DoD from providing minors with gender dysphoria medical treatments like hormones and puberty blockers.
PRIORITIZING INNOVATION
Directs a pilot program on the use of autonomous robotic targets in combat training to enhance the lethality of Army reserve components.
Provides incentives for contracting managers to look for commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions before entering into new contracts.
Provides necessary modifications to the Consortium on Additive Manufacturing for Defense Capability Development.
Improves the ability of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), Strategic Capabilities Office, Space Development Agency, and Office of Strategic Capital to hire highly-qualified staff.
STRENGTHENING STRATEGIC DETERRENCE, MISSILE DEFENSE, & SPACE CAPABILITIES
Directs an annual briefing on commercial space strategy of the U.S. Space Force.
Reverses the Biden administration’s decision to cease production of the Standard Missile 3 Block 1B interceptor.
Requires the DoD to designate a senior official responsible for establishing a national integrated air and missile defense architecture for the U.S.
Prohibits the DoD from reducing the number of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles below 400 or the alert status of the arsenal.
Fully authorizes funding of the nuclear triad, as well as scientific infrastructure and nuclear command, control, and communications (NC2) architecture.
The NDAA now awaits passage by the U.S. Senate and the President’s signature to become law. Once signed into law, it will mark the 64th consecutive defense authorization passed by Congress.
You can watch Congressman Strong’s remarks on the House floor in support of the NDAA HERE.
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