SASC Completes Markup of Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act

U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced today that the Committee voted 23-3 to advance the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022. During the subcommittee and full committee markups of the legislation, the Committee considered 321 amendments and adopted 143 bipartisan amendments. The bill now heads to the Senate floor for consideration.

“The FY22 National Defense Authorization Act will help safeguard the nation, counter a range of evolving threats, and support our troops both on and off the battlefield.  This forward-looking legislation invests in people, platforms, and infrastructure.  It authorizes funding levels and sets policies to equip, supply, and train U.S. forces now and in the future.  It provides for military families while strengthening America’s industrial base and the workers who contribute to our national security,” said Senator Reed.  “This year’s markup provides our troops and Defense Department civilians with a well-deserved pay raise, as well as new tools and reforms to protect the health and well-being of our servicemen and women and their families.  It prioritizes programs and policies to strengthen our cyber defenses, improve readiness, and accelerate research and development of advanced technologies that will give our forces strategic advantages. 

“This bill makes critical investments in the readiness and well-being of our total force—including active duty, reserve, National Guard, civilians, and their families.  It ensures we have the proper support, force structure, and systems in place to meet their most pressing needs.

“I commend Ranking Member Inhofe for his leadership and unwavering commitment to supporting our service members and their families.  Congress must work on a bipartisan basis to ensure we have the policies and resources to deter America’s adversaries, reassure our allies, and ensure our forces have the right tools and capabilities to combat threats around the globe.  Advancing this bill is a significant step toward achieving that objective.”

Senator Inhofe also commented: “After a lengthy but productive markup, I’m proud this year’s bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act increases the defense topline to the National Defense Strategy Commission’s recommendation of three to five percent real growth. This is a big win for our national security and sends a strong message to both our allies and adversaries that America is prepared to stand up for ourselves and our friends. The world we face today is more dangerous than I’ve seen in my lifetime, and our military must be ready to meet any and all challenges we face. The NDAA largely moves us toward that goal — strengthening our national defense, standing up to Russia and China and, mostly importantly, supporting our service members and their families. While I don’t support every provision in the bill, one of the reasons the NDAA gets done year after year is because we work together, find common ground and compromise.

“I hope we see this bill on the Senate floor soon, where we can continue improving it through an open and robust amendment process. Thank you to Chairman Reed for his leadership and bipartisan collaboration and to the members of the committee for their hard work.”

Committee approval is the first step in a months-long process to establish defense funding levels and set policies for the Defense Department and the Energy Department’s national security programs.  The bill must now be debated and voted on by the full U.S. Senate.  A separate measure will make its way through the U.S. House of Representatives.  Once both the Senate and House pass their versions of the bill, they must then be reconciled in a bicameral conference committee, and then approved by each chamber before a final version may be sent to the President to be signed into law.

This marks the 61st consecutive year that the Committee has come together on a bipartisan basis to advance a defense policy bill.

Click here for an executive summary of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022.