Press

**Click here to view and download video of Senator Fischer’s floor speech in support of FY 19 NDAA**  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate approved the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, voted in favor of advancing the bipartisan bill, which passed the Senate by a vote of 85 to 10. 

“Continuing the bipartisan tradition of the past 56 years, the Senate today passed legislation to provide for our national defense and ensure American forces are never outmatched on the battlefield. This legislation expands our country’s defense capabilities across every domain, including improving our nuclear deterrent, missile defense, and space operations. Importantly, the legislation makes significant investments in aircraft headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base and upgrades to facilities at USSTRATCOM,” said Senator Fischer. Audio of Senator Fischer’s statement available here. 

Overall, the bill provides a total of $716 billion in fiscal year 2019 for national defense. 

Other key provisions of the Senate FY 2019 NDAA include:

Investments in Offutt Air Force Base

 

  • Authorizes nearly $400 million for the RC-135 family of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance platforms, which are proudly headquartered at the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. 
  • In total, the Senate NDAA contains over $600 million for the aircraft based at Offutt Air Force Base.  

  • Encourages the Air Force to swiftly and diligently complete the Offutt runway project, and directs a larger assessment of the overall state of the Air Force’s runway infrastructure. 

Investments in USSTRATCOM 

  • Supports the mission of the men and women of USSTRATCOM, beginning with the sustainment and modernization of our nuclear forces and the supporting infrastructure of the Department of Energy.

  • Authorizes important funding for maintenance, operations and construction, including funding for a new parking lot for USSTRATCOM.

Support for Gold Star Families

  • Includes language based on a provision authored by Rep. Don Bacon (Neb.-02) to ease access for surviving spouses and next of kin to military installations to access benefits they are eligible for.

Rebuilding the Military

  • Increases $550 million authorized for depot maintenance to address critical readiness shortfalls. 

  • Increases facilities sustainment by roughly $450 million.

A Pay Raise for Troops

  • Authorizes a pay raise of 2.6 percent for all members of the uniformed 
    services, recognizing that no piece of equipment is more important than the men and women who wear the uniform. 

Modernizing Nuclear Forces, Improving Missile Defense, and Space Capabilities

  • Supports the administration’s 2018 Nuclear Posture Review by authorizing funding for the development of the low-yield submarine-launched ballistic missile warhead.

  • Authorizes significant additional resources to increase the pace of nuclear modernization, invest in space and missile defense capabilities, and meet unfunded warfighter requirements. These include:

    • An additional $69.4 million for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program and an additional $85 million for the replacement air-launched cruise missile, the Long-range Standoff weapon (LRSO). Both modernization programs are ahead of schedule and the additional funding will allow each to sustain their momentum.

    • An additional $100 million to accelerate the Evolved Space-Based Infrared System, in support of the Air Force’s plan to acquire the vital capabilities needed by our warfighters in a more rapid and agile way.

    • Additional funding to accelerate key missile defense technologies, including defense against hypersonic threats ($46 million), directed energy ($80 million), and space-based sensors ($73 million).
    • An additional $284.5 million to improve ballistic missile defense capabilities for our forces on the Korean Peninsula in response to an urgent need identified by U.S. Pacific Command.

 

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