U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law the substantial $886.3 billion National Defense Authorization Act, as announced by the White House.
This comprehensive defense policy legislation offers the most significant pay increase for military personnel in over 20 years, extends a debated surveillance program, and reinforces the US strategic position in the Indo-Pacific to counteract Chinese activities.
The Act, which spans nearly 3,100 pages, received approval from both the House and Senate. President Biden, while expressing support for the Act’s crucial goals, also highlighted his reservations.
In a statement from the White House, he pointed out concerns regarding restrictions on the allocation of funds for transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to specific foreign countries and the potential exposure of “highly sensitive classified information” to Congress.
Biden specifically mentioned provisions in the NDAA that might necessitate revealing sensitive intelligence sources, military plans, or information that could affect executive branch confidentiality.
Although the legislation sets the policy framework for the Department of Defense and the US military and aligns with the Pentagon’s spending priorities, it does not allocate the funds itself.
The final version of the bill incorporates several initiatives aimed at “ending wokeness in the military,” as per a summary by the Republican-led House Armed Services Committee.
Meanwhile, funding for an additional $105 billion national security package, intended to provide further support to Israel and Ukraine, remains a contentious issue in Congress.
Senate Republicans are pushing for increased foreign aid to be coupled with significant border security policy revisions. Despite ongoing discussions, a bipartisan agreement has yet to be reached.
The defense authorization bill also extends the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative until the end of 2026 and authorizes $300 million for the program for the current and following fiscal year.
This initiative allows the federal government to finance the production of weapons and security assistance for Ukraine, instead of directly using the U.S.’s own weapon stockpiles.
