WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Mike Turner (OH-10), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee Strategic Forces Subcommittee, released the following statement after voting in support of the updated version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022:
“I have worked to secure many advancements in this year’s defense bill for our dedicated service members serving at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, including military construction funding for a new childcare center and Army Reserves readiness center as well as improvements to military family housing,” said Turner. “The FY22 NDAA also includes a 2.7% increase for our service members, reforms how the military justice system prosecutes sexual assault and other serious crimes, and provides necessary funding to modernize our nation's nuclear triad and missile defense systems. As our adversaries continue to expand and advance their defense programs and capabilities, it remains critical that we pass this NDAA to support our servicemembers, deter our adversaries, and bolster our national security. I am glad we are one step closer to sending the final FY22 NDAA to President Biden’s desk and I urge the Senate to vote on this bill immediately," concluded Turner.
FY 2022 NDAA Turner Highlights:
Military Construction Initiatives
- Wright Patterson Air Force Base – Child Development Center: $24 million.
- Wright Patterson Air Force Base – Army Reserve Center Training Building: $19 million.
- Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport – Base-Wide Microgrid: $4.7 million.
- Camp Perry, Ohio – Red Horse Logistics Complex: $7.8 million.
- Youngstown Air Reserve Station – Assault Strip Widening: $8.7 million.
Other Ohio Initiatives:
- Authorizes the divestiture of C-130 aircraft to facilitate the remission of the Ohio Air National Guard’s 179th Air Wing, located atMansfield-Lahm Airport, as a Cyber Wing.
- Authorizes the National Nuclear Security Administration of the Department of Energy to release, without reimbursement or other consideration, its reversionary interest in the Advanced Technical Intelligence Center for Human Capital (AVETEC) building to the Community Improvement Corporation of Clark County and the Chamber of Commerce for use by the community.
- Codifies the mission of the United States Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) located at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, the purposes of which is to perform research and to provide education to members of the Air Force and Space Force (including the reserve components) and civilian employees of such Department.
Funding Authorization Initiatives
- $15 million for the Carbon Industrial Base.
- $5 million for Thermal Protection System Development.
- $6 million for Trustworthy Chip-Locking Microelectronics Security.
- $15 million for Defense Community Infrastructure Program.
- $6 million for Army Land Surveying Systems.
- $10 million for Metals Affordability Research.
Servicemember Pay and Benefits
- Authorizes a 2.7% pay increase for servicemembers.
- Extends military recruitment and retention bonuses and special pay authorities.
- Prevents President Biden’s cuts to military health program, increases funding for vaccine research, and provides $35 million for research and treatment of Havana syndrome.
- Increases parental leave, expands the in-home childcare pilot program, and improves support available to military families with special needs children.
- Requires the DoD to conduct a thorough and independent review of suicide prevention and response programs at various military installations.
Improving Military Family Housing
- Provides nearly $1.5 billion to improve servicemember family housing.
- Requires command oversight of military privatized housing as an element of military performance evaluations.
- Clarifies that window fall prevention requirements apply to all military family housing regardless of whether the housing is privatized or owned and operated by the Government and withholds certain funding until the Department assesses child safety issues in military family housing units.
Development, Test, & Evaluation
· Includes unprecedented levels of investment in emerging technologies, including AI, quantum computing, hypersonic, and autonomous systems.
· Includes a new $100 million fund and pilot program to expedite the deployment innovative technologies to the warfighter.
· Improves recruitment and retention of technical and scientific talent in the DoD with expanded scholarships and benefits.
Nuclear Deterrence & Missile Defense
- Prohibits any reduction in the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles or retiring or reconverting our low-yield nuclear warheads.
- Fully funds modernization of our nuclear triad, including Ground Based Strategic Deterrent.
- Fully funds the two-site solution for plutonium pit production.
- Prevents Russian and Chinese official s from accessing U.S. missile defense sites.
- Reverses President Biden’s cuts to missile defense.
- Fully funds the Guam Defense System.
- Supports the Next Generation Interceptor to protect the U.S. homeland from the DPRK ICBM threat.
Improving the Military Justice System
- Creates a “Special Trial Counsel” within the military justice system who will have exclusive authority to make prosecutorial determinations for the serious offenses of murder, sexual assault, rape, and domestic violence, among others.
- Protects the inherent authority of the unit commander to prosecute and adjudicate military-specific offenses.
- Defines Sexual Harassment as an enumerated offense, promoting a respectful and professional environment among servicemembers.
- Reforms military justice sentencing according to DoD-defined sentencing parameters which will enhance consistency, transparency, and accountability.
- Expands notification requirements to victims of an offense by requiring them to be notified of administrative actions unless doing so jeopardizes a law enforcement proceeding or would violate the privacy concerns of an individual involved.
- Experienced prosecutors will control serious offenses in the military justice system. This will promote a more efficient, transparent, accountable, and effective military justice system because offenses will be prosecuted according to the merits of the case and not according to inappropriate considerations.
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