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Click here or on the image above to view today’s speech

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate passed the conference report for the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by voice vote. The bill now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for signature into law. U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, helped advance key provisions of this bill and served on the NDAA conference committee.

“Today Congress is sending bipartisan legislation to the president’s desk that will provide our military with the resources they need to keep the American people safe. I had the great privilege of working on this legislation every step of the way: in the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, in the full Senate Armed Services Committee, on the Senate floor, and as a conferee. The legislation is a critical step toward rebuilding our military, something our commanders agreed is sorely needed, and gives our troops the biggest pay raise in eight years. It also includes important provisions to strengthen missile defense and modernize our nuclear forces, key priorities to ensure we stay ahead of the threats our nation faces,” said Senator Fischer.

Congress has passed the National Defense Authorization Act every year for 55 years.

Key Provisions Included in the FY 18 NDAA Conference Report:

Restoring Military Readiness

  • Authorizes over $26 billion to address unmet requirements identified by the military services and our combatant commanders, and provides additional resources to
  • Increases the size of the active-duty force above President Trump’s request by 9,500.

A Pay Raise for our Troops

  • Authorizes a 2.4% pay raise for our troops, the biggest increase in eight years.

Staying Ahead of the Threats of Tomorrow

  • Authorizes more than $500 million in additional funding to support the Department of Defense’s Third Offset Strategy and improve U.S. military technological superiority, including:
    • Nearly $300 million to enhance the development of hypersonic – and directed – energy weapons. These were two key areas of focus when Senator Fischer chaired the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee last Congress.

Prioritizing Cybersecurity

  • Adds more than $1.7 billion for cyber-related operations, including:
    • Over $250 million to improve readiness and training for cyber forces.
    • $10 million to bolster efforts begun during Senator Fischer’s tenure as chairman of the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee to improve the resiliency of weapons systems to withstand cyberattack.
    • Requiring the Department of Defense to undertake the first-ever Cyber Posture Review, which will evaluate the military’s policy and capabilities in the cyber domain.

Other provisions under the jurisdiction of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, which Senator Fischer chairs:

Strengthening Missile Defense

  • Authorizes an additional $4.4 billion above the President’s original budget request for missile defense programs. including:
  • Expanding the capacity of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense – or GMD – system to protect the homeland from growing ICBM threats;
  • Purchasing additional Aegis, THAAD, and Patriot interceptors to bolster regional missile defenses;
  • Increasing investment in next-generation technology and sensor capabilities.

Meeting the Needs of Space Operations

  • Contains reasonable reforms to our military space enterprise that are designed to achieve a more streamlined and agile system that is more responsive to the needs of our warfighters.

Modernizing America’s Nuclear Forces

  • Fully supports ongoing efforts to modernize our nuclear forces and the Department of Energy’s nuclear enterprise.
  • Provides $150 million in additional funding to help address the backlog of maintenance activities at our nuclear facilities. More than half of these facilities are over 40 years old, and roughly 30% date back to the era of the Manhattan Project.
  • Click here to view Senator Fischer’s floor speech on NDAA
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