Defense Authorization Funds Key Modernization Initiatives, Bolsters Cyber Capabilities, Enhances Afghanistan Oversight, Strengthens Environmental Protections, Improves Childcare & Strengthens Picatinny Arsenal, One of NJ-11’s Largest Employers
Washington, DC – Today, Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) participated in the extensive committee mark-up of and voted in support of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022.
"This year's NDAA, which we passed out of committee today, addresses the needs of our men and women in uniform and provides our military the tools it needs to modernize and confront the global threats of tomorrow," said Rep. Sherrill. "Whether we're focusing on armaments modernization, SOCOM acquisitions, expansion of our cyber capabilities, the protection of Picatinny Arsenal, the support of our military's workforce, removing sexual assault and harassment cases from the chain of command, or addressing environmental concerns that have long affected our military families, this NDAA will help our military remain the best, most professional fighting force the world has ever seen. Furthermore, it both addresses modernization challenges and provides greater oversight of the Pentagon's requirements and spending to ensure we are using taxpayer dollars wisely in support of our nation's defense."
Rep. Sherrill offered and successfully secured inclusion of five amendments to the NDAA, including:
Risk Assessment Study: An amendment to increase supply chain security as a defense strategic priority, creating a DOD-wide risk assessment strategy and system for continuous monitoring, assessing, and mitigating risk in the defense supply
Housing History for Service Members: An amendment directing the Department of Defense to conduct a study on the feasibility of providing tenant history for service members who have been asked to produce their rental history when renting from individual property owners or large-scale property management companies
ILER and Burn Pits: An amendment that directs the GAO to conduct a study and update Congress every two years on how the roll-out of the ILER program is progressing. The ILER program is designed to better track locations and exposures of service members to fix a fundamental challenge for veterans facing exposure-related illnesses and are seeking a right to claim VA healthcare benefits
Minor Military Construction: An amendment to raise the cap on minor military construction without congressional authorization from $6 million per year to $8 million, which will allow Picatinny Arsenal to further invest in their facilities
Title 32 Reform: An amendment to close the loophole in Title 32 that allows the president to send non-federalized National Guard troops to states without invoking the Insurrection Act and without the restrictions of Posse Comitatus
Additionally, the following key elements of bills Rep. Sherrill has introduced, co-sponsored, or fought for were included in the NDAA:
GI Bill and VR&E NEED Act (H.R. 2945; H.R. 2167): Removes the time limit on accessing GI Bill and VR&E benefits during times of emergency, such as a pandemic or natural disaster
I Am Vanessa Guillen Act (H.R. 3224): Addresses the response of the DOD to sex-related offenses committed against members of the Armed Forces, including allowing a member to confidentially allege a complaint of sexual harassment to an individual outside the immediate chain of command of that member
Access to Contraception for Servicemembers and Dependents Act (H.R. 2709): Ensures that all TRICARE enrollees will not have copays when they access contraception and related care, achieving parity with Affordable Care Act benefits
District of Columbia National Guard Home Rule Act (H.R. 657): Gives command of the Washington, DC National Guard to the Mayor of the District of Columbia.
Ensuring PFAS Cleanup Meets or Exceeds Stringent Standards Act (H.R. 4976): Ensures that the Department of Defense adheres to the strictest possible standards when conducting PFAS removal
PFAS Free Military Purchasing Act (H.R. 4975): Prohibits the DOD from procuring items that contain PFAS, such as cookware or cleaning products
Sections of the Inspire to Serve Act (H.R. 3000): Expands the Selective Service to include women
The NDAA also includes provisions that will strengthen Picatinny Arsenal and support the work conducted there, including:
Additional $10 million for Machine Learning for Army Integrated Fires
Additional $5 million for Novel Printed Armaments Components
Additional $5 million for Turret Gunner Survivability and Simulation Environment
Full funding for the Next Generation Squad Weapon
Full ($31,623,000) funding the Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon
Full funding for weapons and munitions development
Full funding for conventional munitions research
$117 million above the President's Budget for procurement of Army ammunition
Robust support for the extended range cannon artillery program
The NDAA will boost manufacturing and research jobs in the 11th District, with:
Additional $5 million in the Advanced Ammunition Material and Manufacturing Technologies account for foamable celluloid materials
Additional $33 million and report language in support of the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft
Additional $10 million for Novel Printed Armament components
Additional $200 million for AI research and development
Additional $15 million for composites research for weapon systems
Additional $10 million for Extended Range Artillery Munition development
The NDAA contains crucial force modernization provisions, including:
Requiring the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment to submit recommendations to make the Department's use of other transaction authorities more accessible to the public and improve the reporting of OTA authority
Requiring the ASA-ALT to submit to Congress a master plan for munitions modernization, to include cost estimates prioritized by activity. Annually thereafter, the Assistant Secretary will update the master plan, to include notification of delays and priority shifts
The NDAA will increase investments in our cybersecurity, including:
Additional $21.2 million for Defensive Cyber operations
Additional $8.8 million for the Cyber-Information Dominance Center
Additional $10 million for an AI-enabled cyber defense acceleration study
Additional $5.2 million for missile defense systems cybersecurity
Additional $13.6 million for critical infrastructure defense
The NDAA supports service members, veterans, and their families, by:
Authorizing a 2.7 percent increase for service men and women
Providing an additional $160 million in funding for child development centers
Protecting service members from threatening practices by debt collectors
Providing $50 million in funding for local schools with military children
Providing $20 million in impact aid for schools to support children with disabilities
Creating a new health platform to integrate health data for military health system beneficiaries
Requiring the creation of a digital health strategy for the military health system
Other notable items in the NDAA include:
Measures that would aid the effort to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Increases in funding to mitigate traumatic brain injury and PTSD among our special forces
Provisions that strengthen our strategic plans to address threats posed by China and Russia
Provisions that strengthen and expands our domestic supply base
Extensions to US support for our partners in Iraq and Syria to fight ISIS
Creation of a commission to examine the 20-year war in Afghanistan
Robust oversight over the final months of the war in Afghanistan
Additional background on Picatinny Arsenal:
Picatinny Arsenal, located in New Jersey's 11th district, is the Army's premier center of excellence for the development of armaments and management of ammunition and executes many of the Army's top modernization priorities. It is the largest employer in the district and contributes more than $1 billion to New Jersey's economy. Rep. Sherrill fought to strengthen Picatinny Arsenal to ensure it will continue to provide world-class armaments and ammunition in support of our nation's defense.
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