Suffolk Reporter

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Suffolk County), a Navy Veteran and member of the Armed Services Committee, released a statement following the House's passage of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included several of LaLota’s priorities and amendments.

“The NDAA is one of the most important bills Congress passes every year to support our men and women in uniform. I am proud to have worked with my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee to secure the passage of this vital bill,” said LaLota. “The bill includes several provisions I championed, improving legal protections for servicemembers abroad, addressing global artificial intelligence challenges, a 19.5% pay raise for most junior enlisted personnel, securing $14 million for Gabreski Airport, support for small businesses, and fully funding child care fee assistance programs. The Administration should drop their opposition to increasing troop pay and sign this bill into law to ensure our military remains the greatest fighting force the world has ever known.”

Background:

The House Armed Services Committee plays a critical role in ensuring that U.S. military policies and resources are adequate for national defense. The culmination of the committee’s work is passing the NDAA – an annual bipartisan bill that authorizes funding levels and provides authorities for the U.S. military and other essential defense priorities.

This year’s NDAA includes several of LaLota’s priorities:

- Authorizing a 19.5% pay raise for junior enlisted personnel.

- Authorizing $14 million for an Air National Guard Combat Rescue Helicopter Simulator at Francis Gabreski Airport.

- Increasing the Basic Housing Allowance (BAH) calculation back to 100% of local housing costs and directing DoD to evaluate and change current BAH rates on Long Island as necessary.

- Requiring reporting of a comprehensive review of legal protections afforded to servicemembers abroad.

- Authorizing full funding for child care fee assistance programs.

- Requiring the Secretary of Defense to establish a Multilateral Artificial Intelligence Working Group tasked with developing and coordinating an artificial intelligence initiative among U.S. allies and partners.

- Requiring the Secretary of Defense to produce a report on the impact of bundled contracts on small businesses and reducing such contracts.

- Supporting local-level defense supplier manufacturing training programs.

- Increasing authorized funding to $7 million for the Deep Submergence Collective Propulsion program.

- Increasing authorized funding to $77.5 million for joint Research and Development (R&D) with Israel on emerging technologies and anti-tunneling cooperation.

- Directing Under Secretary for Research and Engineering to report on progress in demonstrating technical feasibility within utility-scale quantum computing operations under US2QC program.

- Authorizing $64 million for United States Merchant Marine Academy capital improvement projects.

- Establishing a Naval Innovation Center at Naval Postgraduate School.

- Including military service academies in Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program participation.

- Enhancing Small Business Development within critical technology sectors in DoD.

- Promoting domestic battery manufacturing relevant to military applications.

- Authorizing $271 million in funding for F-15X advance procurement.

- Allocating $10 million in funding through pilot program procurement of drone-based automated inspection technologies for shipyards

-Increasing authorized funding by $10 million for Network Tactical Common Data Link program enhancements

-Engaging SBA with DoD procurement personnel training focused on Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses awards

-Requiring contract solicitations from DoD written in plain language

-Clarifying Wounded Warrior Service Dog Program Grant process as competitive grant

-Evaluating respiratory protection technology within DoD requirements

-Studying implications related Foreign Acquisition Testing Laboratories owned by US entities

-Ensuring Army adopts interoperable waveforms key international partners both current future procurements records

-Assessing benefits commercial enterprise disconnected edge logistics technology business systems leveraging options by Navy

-Reporting how JWCC cloud-native application protection platforms incorporated approved cloud product security assessment lifecycle

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