WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the House-Senate conference committee reached a bicameral agreement on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021.  This legislation authorizes funding levels and sets national defense policies to equip and train our troops and provide for military families.

The reconciled FY 2021 NDAA defense policy bill authorizes $635.5 billion for the base budget of the Department of Defense, along with $69 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations and $26.6 billion for national security programs of the U.S. Department of Energy.  A summary of the bill is available here.

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), worked on the bill with SASC Chairman James Inhofe (R-OK), and U.S. Representatives Adam Smith (D-WA) and Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC).  This year’s defense bill is named in honor of the retiring Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee and is officially known as the William M. “Mac” Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.

Senator Reed says the NDAA will strengthen military readiness and defense capabilities, protect our forces and their families, and support the defense industrial base.  The conference agreement authorizes a three percent across-the-board pay raise for all service members and other special pays and bonuses to ensure successful recruitment and retention.  It also authorizes $50 million in supplemental Impact Aid for school districts with military children, and an additional $20 million for schools serving severely disabled military children.  It also includes language Senator Reed championed establishing a thoughtful process to rename bases that are currently named after Confederate individuals.  Finally, the bill includes a number of provisions aimed at increasing diversity and inclusion within the Department of Defense and the military services.

“This bill represents a long overdue step forward.  It sends an important message that racism has no place in the ranks and our nation is committed to actively seeking ways to unify and strengthen our forces and work toward a brighter future,” said Senator Reed.  “Congress is establishing a thoughtful process that includes local input from our troops, citizens, and the community.  And in doing so, we are upholding our nation’s core values of fairness and equality while honoring U.S. servicemen and women of all races and backgrounds.”

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Black Americans make up about 13 percent of the U.S. population and represent about 15 percent of the Air Force, 17 percent of the Navy, 10 percent of the Marine Corps, and 22 percent of the Army.

The ten Army posts that were named in honor of Confederate generals during the Jim Crow era and still in use are Fort Rucker in Alabama; Fort Benning and Fort Gordon in Georgia; Camp Beauregard and Fort Polk in Louisiana; Fort Bragg in North Carolina; Fort Hood in Texas; and Fort Lee, Fort A.P. Hill, and Fort Pickett in Virginia.

After graduating from West Point, Jack Reed attended U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia where he went through training in three courses: Infantry Officer Basic Course; Basic Airborne Course; and Ranger Course.  After completing his training at Fort Benning, Reed was sent to Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina where he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 504th Infantry, 82nd Airborne Division.  Reed served as a Platoon Leader, Company Commander, and Battalion Staff Officer.

Senator Reed also successfully led the effort to ensure the bill continues the construction of two Virginia-class submarines per year, as well as multi-ship contract authority for up to two Columbia-class submarines.  These submarines, which are built in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Virginia, are critical to strengthening naval readiness.  Continuing the construction of two Virginia-class submarines per year will ensure steady work at Quonset Point and save taxpayers’ money through efficiencies gained in the production schedule.

“The NDAA authorizes funds needed to build the next generation of submarines, which are a vital part of America’s nuclear triad, are essential for power projection, deterrence, intelligence, and sea control,” said Senator Reed.  “Sustaining the two-a-year build rate is a smart investment that bolsters national security and benefits Rhode Island while saving taxpayers’ money.  Thousands of Rhode Islanders build the backbones of these boats and provide our nation with a strategic, technological advantage.  This bill means a steady workload at Quonset for years to come.”

The Trump Administration had previously proposed cutting a submarine in the president’s 2021 budget, breaking the two-per-year build rate that has been in effect since 2011.

Now that the NDAA conference report has been agreed to by members of the conference committee, it must be voted on and passed by both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, and then signed by the President.  The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to take up the bill this week.

The NDAA authorizes the expenditure of public funds and then the Appropriations Committee must determine the final level of defense spending.  Senator Reed is also a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.  Appropriators have until midnight on December 11 to reach an agreement on next steps for funding the federal government.

Congress has passed the NDAA for fifty-nine straight years.