U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) on Dec. 17 praised the passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets policy for the U.S. military. The bill has been presented to the president to be signed into law.
“Not since the era of World War II has our nation faced an axis of aggressors across multiple theaters seeking to dismantle American influence,” Sen. Wicker said. “The bill we now send to the president’s desk is a reflection of that reality and an appropriate response.
“In this NDAA, my colleagues and I have prioritized the structural rebuilding of the arsenal of democracy and returning the department to its warfighting mission,” he added. “Crucially, it also contains the most sweeping upgrades to the Pentagon’s business practices in 60 years — a watershed moment for our military.”
S. 1071, which Republicans introduced in March, also sets the nation on a path to modernize defense capabilities and augment drone manufacturing, shipbuilding efforts, and the development of innovative low-cost weapons, said Sen. Wicker, who is chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee.
The FY 2026 NDAA contains several of Sen. Wicker’s national defense priorities, such as enabling the United States to deter aggression from increasingly hostile nations like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.
Additionally, service members will benefit from new weapons systems, state-of-the-art technology tools, and investments in ships, aircraft, and other vehicles, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmaker’s staff.
Notably, Sen. Wicker also used the legislation to usher in the most significant acquisition reforms to Pentagon business practices in decades, including changes that will allow the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to acquire military hardware and software more quickly, including by tapping into the defense startups driving national security technology innovation today.
Sen. Wicker also pointed out that Mississippi’s contributions to national defense are once again recognized in the act, such as by reflecting the state’s status as a multi-domain state — a term that indicates leadership across an array of American military capabilities, including air, sea, land, space, and cyberspace.
The FY26 NDAA also authorizes a total of $528.7 million to support military installations, defense industry sites, and academic research facilities in every corner of Mississippi, the summary says, and authorizes funding for five military construction projects in Mississippi.
Under the bill, the DOD also will be able to use progressive design build contracts for construction projects, a format that can align the DOD with commercial construction program management and will reduce risks and costs in complicated projects.
The NDAA also authorizes funding to support a 3.8-percent pay raise for military members, $168.8 million to fully restore the JROTC funding authorizations, and adds $15 million to continue the critical flagship language program at the University of Mississippi, the summary says.
Among numerous other provisions, the NDAA also will authorize $10 million to support development of artificial intelligence-enabled systems for U.S. Army multi-domain operations, and will authorize $6 million to safeguard against the emerging threats posed by cognitive hacking, foreign malign influence, and propaganda.