U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA) praised the House passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2015 this week, saying the bill, which provides the Department of Defense with a budget of more than $604 billion, is “reflective of the world around us.”
“As threats around the world continue to develop, now more than ever we need a strong and well-equipped American military ready to stand up for freedom and its allies,” Boustany said. “This bill is reflective of the world around us, providing adequate funding to support military operations overseas while streamlining bureaucracy to ensure every dollar goes further to ensure the security of American families.”
The NDAA aggressively funds programs designed for the national defense of the United States from a global perspective. The bill authorizes $522.7 billion in national defense spending, with an additional $89.2 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), for a total of $604.2 billion. These numbers are in line with those indicated in the FY2016 Budget Resolution, passed in April.
Highlights of specific allocations covered in the NDAA include:
Withholding 25 percent of funding for the Office of the Secretary until all the details are provided regarding the Taliban 5 transfer; implementing reforms to the acquisition system to improve accountability and simplifying the chain of command to streamline the bureaucracy; acknowledging 11 of the 15 recommendations from the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission; improving the Special Victims program, and expanding sexual assault prevention training to ROTC and JROTC programs; requiring a Department of Defense report on Iran’s military power for 10 years and a strategy to counter Iran’s unconventional warfare threats; developing and funding for counter operations to Russia’s aggression and increase in funding for U.S. intelligence and technologies; and authorizing of lethal defensive assistance to Ukraine.
The NDAA also includes: provision of a retirement plan (beginning in 2017) to all service men and women through a Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), regardless of reaching 20 years in service, with a defined retirement annuity for 20 years or more of service; elimination of more than 460 reports; cuts to excessive budgets and wasteful spending across multiple accounts; channeling of resources to key priorities, including additional 12 F/A 18-F Super Hornets, A-10, Javelin, rotorcraft for Army National Guard, Israeli Cooperative Missile Defense, and additional unfunded requirements; funding for programs to train and equip forces to combat ISIL in Iraq and Syria; funding directly to Kurdish and Sunni forces; and prohibition of the transfer of detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and removal of the president’s ability to transfer detainees.
“I’ll continue to support building an American military with the resources to fight harder and smarter than any other force on Earth,” Boustany concluded.