Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David G Valadao (CA-21)

WASHINGTON – Today, the House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 with Congressman David Valadao’s (CA-22) support. The FY26 NDAA authorizes funding for all discretionary military programs and activities, including personnel, operations, maintenance, procurement, research, and development. It also outlines critical policies and directives for the Department of Defense (DoD).

A portion of Congressman Valadao’s Strengthening Election Cybersecurity to Uphold Respect for Elections through Independent Testing (SECURE IT) Act was also included in the FY26 NDAA.

“Today, I was proud to vote to ensure our military has the resources needed to keep Americans safe while delivering meaningful quality-of-life improvements for our servicemembers and their families,” said Congressman Valadao. “The FY26 NDAA provides a well-deserved pay raise for our troops and improves housing, education, and access to childcare for military families. It also ensures the Department of Defense is prepared to confront growing global threats, promotes the development of new and innovative defense technologies, and deepens partnerships with our allies in the Indo-Pacific and Middle East. I’m especially proud that key provisions of my SECURE IT Act were included to help bolster confidence in our elections by requiring voting systems to undergo simulated cyberattacks to identify vulnerabilities. For over 60 years, the NDAA has been a bipartisan commitment to our national defense, and I’m glad to see the House and Senate once again came together to get this critical legislation over the finish line.”

Among other provisions, the FY26 NDAA:

• Provides enlisted servicemembers with a 3.8% pay raise.
• Improves housing, education, and access to childcare for military families.
• Authorizes over $355 million to renovate military hospitals and build new medical facilities to expand access to healthcare.
• Enhances U.S. defense initiatives in the Indo-Pacific to support Indo-Pacific allies and counter China’s growing reach.
• Strengthens U.S.-Israel military operations and cooperative missile defense programs.
• Enhances America’s nuclear deterrent and new nuclear power technologies.
• Accelerates the development and delivery of space capabilities to counter Chinese and Russian nuclear arsenals and space surveillance. 

Read the bill summary here.

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Reprepsentative Kathy Castor (FL14)

Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) released the following statement upon passage of the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):

“I am proud to support the FY2026 NDAA, which delivers a hard-earned pay raise for military service members and their families while improving their quality of life and safeguarding America’s national security.

“I am particularly proud to have championed parts of the defense bill that benefit the service members and families at MacDill Air Force Base, including pay raises and critical improvements to on-base housing and infrastructure, health care and childcare. The bill includes $74 million to support the construction of new KC-46 aircraft hangars and maintenance facilities.

“To address the high cost of living, I am proud to have fought for and helped secure a 3.8 percent pay raise for all service members. This well-earned pay raise will provide meaningful relief to service members and their families.

“This year’s NDAA also includes important provisions intended to address mold issues plaguing base housing, including in privatized housing at MacDill AFB. The new provision strengthens mold reporting requirements, standardizes remediation guidelines across the military, and requires routine inspections of privatized and government-owned military housing by an independent, qualified home inspector.

“Education and childcare are also fundamental for our military families and their children. This year’s NDAA authorizes $50 million to support local school districts that serve military-dependent students and additional funding for the construction of child development centers.

“Service members and their families deserve reliable access to high-quality health care. That’s why I’m thankful that the NDAA fully funds military medical treatment facilities and includes stricter requirements for downsizing or closing facilities, like Tampa’s Sabal Park Clinic.

“After decades of the executive branch taking advantage of two broad Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMF), the FY2026 NDAA finally repeals the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs against Iraq, re-establishing the Constitutionally prescribed role of Congress in the use of military forces.

“Congressional Democrats also successfully opposed numerous policy riders and poison pills targeting LGBTQ+ service members.

“Tampa Bay is a vibrant hub for defense-sector companies and entrepreneurs. To continue strengthening business and relationships with these key partners, this year’s NDAA delivers the most substantive reforms in decades to address the defense acquisition process. These updates will ensure both regulatory requirements and efficiency are met, while bolstering our nation’s industrial base and commercial innovation, as well as the workforce that delivers them.

“Importantly, the NDAA includes provisions to ensure that the Trump Administration does not walk away from our partners and allies like Ukraine, and to provide oversight and accountability measures to restrain illegal actions by the Trump Administration, including strikes that have occurred in Venezuela and the Caribbean, removal of general officers, and the use of military aircraft, personnel, and installations for immigration enforcement.”

Supporting Military Service Members and their Families:

1. 3.8% pay raise for all service members
2. Increased investments in child development centers
3. Increased investments in base housing
4. Increase to the Family Separation Allowance (FSA)

Military Housing:

1. Provides funds to keep DoD facilities in good working order and reduce the maintenance backlog
2. Strengthens military housing by creating new reporting requirements, establishing standardized remediation of mold across military branches and requiring inspections of privatized and government-owned military housing by an independent, qualified home inspector

Health Care:

1. Establishes additional requirements that changes to military medical treatment have no effect on operations at treatment facilities for service members and their families

The FY2026 NDAA Conference Report passed by a margin of 312-112 in the House. The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate.

U.S. Rep. Castor is a member of the powerful U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee and previously served on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee and as Chair of the former U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. Her district includes MacDill Air Force Base and is home to U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), two of the Armed Forces’ most important military commands.  MacDill Air Force Base’s 6th Air Refueling Wing is the centerpiece of the U.S. Air Force’s Global Vigilance, Global Reach, Global Power mission, with its essential aerial refueling function. The base’s mission is vital to keeping America safe and ready for any contingencies we may face as a nation.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)

“Our lives are increasingly intertwined with the internet, and those who would commit crimes against our children know that all too well. With the PROTECT Our Children Act, the ICAC Task Force Program will get predators offline and help make the internet a safe space for all children,” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. “I’m proud that this bipartisan legislation to build on the original PROTECT Our Children Act that I authored over a decade ago passed the House. We all have a role to play in keeping our children safe.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

Headline: Carter brings home more than $320 million for GA-01 in NDAA

Carter brings home more than $320 million for GA-01 in NDAA

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — Today, Speaker Johnson commended House passage of S. 1017, The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26 NDAA). This annual legislation includes major priorities for the Louisiana military community, particularly Barksdale Air Force Base and Air Force Global Strike Command, Fort Polk and the Joint Readiness Training Center, and Camp Minden.

“This year’s National Defense Authorization Act helps advance President Trump and Republicans’ Peace Through Strength Agenda by codifying 15 of President Trump’s executive orders, ending woke ideology at the Pentagon, securing the border, revitalizing the defense industrial base, and restoring the warrior ethos.

“This legislation includes important House-passed provisions to ensure our military forces remain the most lethal in the world and can deter any adversary. It roots out Biden-era wokeism in our military and restores merit-based promotions and admissions to service academies, prohibits contracts with partisan firms, counters antisemitism, and halts harmful, unnecessary programs like CRT, DEI, and climate initiatives. 

“President Trump has made clear the past few decades of investments propping up Communist China’s aggression must come to an end, and this bill includes important guardrails to protect America’s long-term investments, economic interests, and sensitive data.

“The NDAA builds on the landmark investments included in the Working Families Tax Cut, ensuring America has both the economic strength and the military power to deter our enemies and protect our interests worldwide. The legislation improves the livelihoods of America’s brave men and women in uniform by giving them a well-deserved pay raise, and ensures our warfighters have access to the best and most innovative military technologies. 

“Under President Trump, the U.S. is rebuilding strength, restoring deterrence, and proving America will not back down. President Trump and Republicans promised peace through strength. The FY26 NDAA delivers it,” Speaker Johnson said.

Louisiana’s Fourth Congressional District Provisions included in the FY26 NDAA:

Barksdale Air Force Base

• Weapons Generation Facility Dormitory ($18 million)
• This dormitory will be built to support the new $275 million Weapons Generation Facility, which is currently under construction.
• Child Development Center Design ($2.2 million)
• This funding will support a new Child Development Center (CDC) at Barksdale. It will build a 13-room addition to the existing CDC. The existing facility is undersized and in poor condition.

Air Force B-52 Program

• The NDAA includes $931 million for the continued modernization of the B-52. These upgrades will allow the B-52 to continue to serve as the core of the Air Force’s bomber mission.

Long Range Standoff Weapon

• $607 million to support the continued development of the new Long Range Standoff Weapon (LSRO). The LRSO will replace the existing air launched cruise missiles (ALCM), which have been in service since the 1980s.

Air Force Global Strike Command

• Codifying Air Force Global Strike Command
• The NDAA establishes the Global Strike Command as an Air Force Major Command.  The Commander of Global Strike Command will continue to serve as the Single Point of contact to the Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force for carrying out all aspects of nuclear and long-range strike missions of the Air Force, solidifying even further the importance of Barksdale Air Force Base’s Global Strike Command.
• Bomber Aircraft Force Structure and Transition Roadmap
• The Air Force will be required to submit to Congress a comprehensive roadmap detailing the planned force structure, basing, modernization, and transition strategy for the bomber aircraft fleet of the Air Force through fiscal year 2040. This report will update Congress on the status of B-52 modernization and future basing plans for the B-21.

Military Community

• Authorizes the creation of the Military-Civilian Medical Surge Program, which can leverage the new campus of LSU-Heath Shreveport to mobilize direct support to military medical treatment facilities and provide support to other requirements of the military health system.

Since his original appointment to the House Armed Services Committee in 2021, Speaker Johnson has secured:

• Nearly $787 million in military construction projects for the state of Louisiana.
• $377.7 million for Barksdale Air Force Base
• $311.8 million for Fort Polk
• $13.8 million for Camp Minden
• Over $4.1 billion for the Air Force B-52 program
• Over $3.6 billion for the Long Range Standoff Weapon program

In addition, this year’s NDAA:

• Advances the Trump Administration’s efforts to improve servicemember quality of life with a 3.8% pay increase and improved benefits for military families.
• Codifies President Trump’s work to end DEI and wokeness in the military and returns to a focus on the warrior ethos.
• Fully supports President Trump’s top priorities, including the Golden Dome, F-47 fighter aircraft, submarines, warships, and autonomous systems.
• Advances President Trump’s agenda to revitalize American shipbuilding.
• Fully funds and provides additional authorities for the Department of War to support border security efforts.

FY26 NDAA Bill Text, HERE.

### 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA)

WASHINGTON—Today, Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and Co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Jim McGovern (D-MA), released the following statement marking International Human Rights Day:

“On International Human Rights Day, we mark the 77th anniversary of the U.N. General Assembly’s proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the cornerstone of an international human rights system designed to prevent a repeat of the horrific crimes against humanity suffered during World War II. Its authors bridged differences of background and opinion to affirm that ‘all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.’ This universal principle is the foundation of human rights. But it is under threat, including from within our own government.

“Congress has led on human rights through legislation and policy. Part of this legacy is the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, which I am proud to co-chair. We have seen how people rely on international human rights law not as an abstraction, but as a tool to improve their lives. When foreign governments deflect criticism of their human rights records, we point to the shared standards set by the Universal Declaration and remind them of their obligations through their own commitments. China and Russia are among the governments threatening the international human rights system by twisting definitions to suit ideological ends and undermining multilateral institutions. Sadly, our own government is now following suit.

“The Trump administration is attacking this principle of universality by asserting a hierarchy of rights defined by a far-right ideology hostile to LGBTQ persons, migrants, and marginalized communities. They are institutionalizing such bias by creating offices in the State Department for ‘western values,’ ‘natural rights’ and ‘remigration.’ This is offensive.

“The Administration withdrew from the U.N. Human Rights Council, sanctioned officials of international courts, and slashed funding for human rights and pro-democracy programs. Make no mistake: these actions make Americans less safe. They reduce our capacity to respond to crises and mitigate risks to our national security. They diminish our moral credibility. America is best when we lead by example. But the increasing reports human rights violations by our own government—from attacks on freedom of expression to torture in detention centers to the extrajudicial killing of people on boats in the Caribbean—do the opposite. When we break the rules and shirk responsibility for the consequences, we set a terrible precedent and invite others do the same to Americans. Instead, we must seek the moral high ground.

“As we confront these threats, it is worth remembering that as chair of the drafting committee, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt infused the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the very best of our country’s values. The principles laid out by the Declaration are part of our legacy—and they are worth defending. 

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brian Babin (R-TX)

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brian Babin, D.D.S. (TX-36) voted in favor of the Passage of S. 1071 – National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.

“Today, I proudly voted YES on the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act. This legislation delivers on President Trump and Republicans’ promise of Peace Through Strength by ensuring the U.S. military remains the most lethal and ready force in the world,” said Babin. “The NDAA revitalizes our defense industrial base, improves the quality of life for our servicemembers with a 4% pay raise, expands cutting-edge technologies, and restores merit-based promotions and admissions to our service academies. It also roots out woke ideology, counters antisemitism, and protects America’s economic and national security interests. From strengthening our nuclear deterrent and maritime capabilities to securing our southwest border, this bill equips our military to deter adversaries and protect our homeland. I’m proud to stand with President Trump and House Republicans in delivering this critical legislation to keep America strong and safe.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

Today U.S. Representatives Don Beyer, Suhas Subramanyam, James Walkinshaw, Bobby Scott, Jennifer McClellan, and Eugene Vindman, Members of Congress representing Virginia, issued the following statement on Section 373 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2026, which addresses “Manned Rotary Wing Aircraft Safety” in the wake of the January 29, 2025 mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan National Airport that took 67 lives:

“We share serious concerns raised by the Families of Flight 5342 and the National Transportation Safety Board about Section 373 of the National Defense Authorization Act related to safety in the airspace around National Airport following the tragic collision in January. We are deeply disappointed that this provision, which only applies to training flights, creates a waiver process to allow training flights in the region that further congest the airspace, an issue that contributed to January’s deadly crash.

“This provision falls short of NTSB’s preliminary safety recommendations and omits changes that are essential to improve visibility, safety, and communications between military and civilian aircraft in D.C. airspace. Further action is needed to prevent a repetition of the mistakes that led to this incident, and we will continue working with all possible speed on legislative solutions with our colleagues and transportation officials to get this right before any waivers are issued, and to ensure air safety in the region.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Today, Representatives Rick Larsen (WA-02) and Sarah Elfreth (MD-03) announced legislation they co-led, the AI Training for National Security Act, has been included in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (FY26 NDAA).

The AI Training for National Security Act requires the Department of Defense (DoD) to include information on the unique cybersecurity challenges created by artificial intelligence in its annual cybersecurity training for servicemembers and civilian employees.

“Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the national security threat landscape,” said Larsen, who previously served on the Armed Services Committee for 22 years. “This legislation ensures that DoD meets this moment and prepares our armed forces for today’s challenges and opportunities.”

“The rapid development of AI threatens to outpace our ability to counter cyber threats to our nation’s security,” said Rep. Elfreth. “Our national security leaders – many of whom fight these global threats from CYBERCOMM headquarters at Fort Meade here in Maryland – must maintain the education and expertise to utilize rapidly developing technologies. I’m grateful to work with Representative Larsen to develop an AI strategy for our servicemembers.”

The House of Representatives will vote on the FY26 NDAA later today.

The full text of the AI Training for National Security Act is available HERE.

Larsen Champions AI Education for Servicemembers

The AI Training for National Security Act builds on Larsen’s work to develop an AI education strategy for servicemembers.

In 2024, three provisions from Larsen’s Next Generation Military Education Act were included in the FY25 NDAA and became law. These provisions require:
– The DoD’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer to provide an online AI education course;
– All military branches to participate in “Digital On-Demand,” the DoD’s initiative to accelerate AI knowledge; and
– The DoD to add an AI risks and threats section to its annual mandatory cybersecurity training.
The AI Training for National Security Act is the final remaining provision from the Next Generation Military Education Act that has yet to become law.

In 2019, Larsen successfully included a provision in the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act that required DoD to develop an AI education strategy. Larsen’s provision also required the underlying curriculum to include ethical issues, bias, and potential strengths and weaknesses of AI.

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Larsen Releases Statement on Defense Policy Bill Vote