Central Missouri News

Washington, DC – On June 21, the House Armed Services Committee passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) out of committee; within the package Congressman Mark Alford introduced and successfully passed seven amendments. We applaud Chairman Mike Rogers active and engaged leadership during the markup process and commend the committee for their hours of bipartisan work.

In the underlying bill, Congressman Alford secured language that requires the Air Force to brief the Armed Services Committee on existing B-2 infrastructure and how it can be reutilized for the B-21 bomber. The Congressman also secured $50 million for privatized military family housing at Fort Leonard Wood.

Below are the seven amendments that passed last night from Congressman Alford:

• Amendment 2915 – Urges investment in domestic Nickel Zinc Battery production for supply chain resilience, reducing reliance on China.
• Amendment 2875 – Requires a manpower study of the office of DEI at DoD
• Amendment 2777 – Prohibits federal funds for the Department of Defense Countering Extremism Work Group.
• Amendment 2765 – Requires the Department of Defense to provide an update to HASC on its final DoD-wide fitness standard for installation access.
• Amendment 2708 – Requires the Secretary of the Air Force to submit a brief to HASC outlining potential increase in capability by divestment of air refueling from the boneyard/demilitarization to the original equipment manufacturer via the excess defense article (EDA).
• Amendment 2700 – Requires the Department of Defense to provide a 5th Anniversary Report on the status of the Blended Retirement System that was enacted in Title VI, Subtitle D, Part I of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016.
• Amendment 2694 – Directs the Sec of Defense to report to HASC on establishing a Domestic Response Training Center.

Congressman Alford issued the following statement:

 “The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is vital to American safety and prosperity. This critical piece of legislation ensures our military maintains its position as the world's leading fighting force. It is absolutely essential that we prioritize readiness, innovation, and the welfare of our service members over any divisive, non-military focused ideologies. Through this legislation, we can align our resources and efforts towards fostering a resilient, robust, and mission-focused military.

This bill will enhance our ability to deter China and other adversaries by modernizing and investing in new platforms including the B-21 bomber. We must ensure our warfighters have the resources they need to project military power across the globe. I’m proud to have voted for this legislation favorably out of the House Armed Services Committee and will continue to work with my colleagues as the bill advances to the House floor.”

Original source can be found here