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Legislative bills

House Approves Defense Bill with Provisions to Boost Servicemembers' Pay and Strengthen National Security

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022, an annual bill that authorizes military spending and sets defense policy. The bill includes provisions led by Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy to protect U.S. servicemembers from foreign threats, counter aggression by the Chinese Communist Party, and support the U.S.-Israel alliance. The bill also provides a 2.7 percent pay increase for U.S. servicemembers. "As a leader on the House Armed Services Committee, I will never back down from keeping America and our troops safe," said Murphy.

Key Takeaways:

  • The NDAA contains numerous provisions to strengthen national security and support U.S. servicemembers, including measures to protect U.S. servicemembers from foreign governments, counter aggression by the Chinese Communist Party, and support the U.S.-Israel alliance.
  • The bill includes a 2.7 percent pay increase for U.S. servicemembers, with the total cost of the pay increase expected to be around $16 billion.
  • The bill also provides $5 million to conduct a competition in which small businesses in the modeling and simulation sector are awarded prizes for developing technological solutions to emerging national security challenges.
  • The legislation requires the Secretary of Defense to swiftly brief key Members of Congress if the Secretary determines with high confidence that a foreign government is seeking to kill or severely injure U.S. servicemembers.
  • The bill also includes measures to strengthen the alliance between the United States and Israel, including the creation of a United States-Israel Operations-Technology Working Group.
  • The legislation requires the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict to provide a report on the current and projected force posture, capabilities, and activities of special operations forces in Latin America and the Caribbean, and how they advance U.S. national security objectives and address evolving threats from state and non-state actors emanating from this critical region.
  • Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy has championed several provisions in the bill, reflecting her leadership on the House Armed Services Committee and her role as a former national security specialist at the Department of Defense.

Statistics:

  • The NDAA includes a 2.7 percent pay increase for U.S. servicemembers, with the total cost of the pay increase expected to be around $16 billion.
  • The bill provides $5 million to conduct a competition in which small businesses in the modeling and simulation sector are awarded prizes for developing technological solutions to emerging national security challenges.
  • The legislation requires the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict to provide a report on the current and projected force posture, capabilities, and activities of special operations forces in Latin America and the Caribbean.
  • The bill includes provisions to strengthen the alliance between the United States and Israel, including the creation of a United States-Israel Operations-Technology Working Group.

Sources:

  • United States House of Representatives -- Representative Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla)
  • House Approves Defense Bill that Boosts Servicemembers' Pay and Includes Murphy Measures to Strengthen National Security and Support Our Troops. (September 23, 2021).

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