Washington, DC- Congressman Mike Turner (OH-10), Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after voting to advance the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (FY23 NDAA) through the U.S. House.
“The FY23 NDAA is a bipartisan, bicameral bill that improves the lives of our dedicated service members and their families while prioritizing critical funding for military modernization. In securing $29 million for a second Child Development Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, as well as unprecedented levels of investment in emerging defense technologies, my work continues to advance Wright Patterson Air Force Base,” said Turner. "The bill funds our national defense capabilities; increases pay for our service members by 4.6 percent and eases the burden of military families’ increased costs from inflation. In addition, as the threat landscape continues to increase, it is critical that our armed services exceed the pace of our adversaries by enhancing the deterrence value of capabilities. This bipartisan cooperation was necessary to develop and ultimately pass this vital legislation out of the House.”
Congressman Turner Specific FY 2023 NDAA Initiatives:
Childcare at Wright Patterson Air Force Base:
- $29 million for construction of a new Child Development Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, the second of two new CDCs funded at the installation in the last two years, totaling $53 million for childcare.
Investment in the Competitiveness of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base:
- $4 million for planning and design for the military constructions of the Human Performance Wing Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
Increasing opportunities for HBCUs:
- Increases funding for research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities by $131 million.
- Establishes a pilot program to increase HBCU and minority student involvement in defense research
Protections for families of fallen service members:
- Requires the DoD to reimburse families if the personal effects of a deceased servicemember are damaged, lost, or destroyed.
Increasing our miliary capabilities:
- Establishes a National Hypersonic Initiative, to accelerate the development of hypersonic missiles and eliminate our capability gap with Chinese and Russian programs.
Overall FY 2023 NDAA Highlights:
Military Construction Initiatives
- $29 million for construction of a new Child Development Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, the second of two new CDCs funded at the installation in the last two years, totaling $53 million for childcare.
- $4 million for planning and design for the military constructions of the Human Performance Wing Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
Service Member Pay and Benefits
- Authorizes a 4.6% pay increase for servicemembers.
- Extends military recruitment and retention bonuses and special pay authorities.
- Authorizes an additional $250 million to reduce costs of food and other necessities at military commissaries.
- Expands eligibility for Basic Needs Allowance for low-income servicemembers supporting a family
- Launches comprehensive study of personnel compensation with the intention of improving pay competitiveness and enhancing retention of the all-volunteer force.
Military Families
- Permanently authorizes reimbursement of spouse professional relicensing fees due to servicemember change of station.
- Extends authority to offer military families childcare discounts at DoD childcare facilities.
- Authorizes DoD to reimburse military families for certain childcare expenses associated with servicemember change of station orders.
- Congressman Turner established the requirement for the DoD to reimburse families if the personal effects of a deceased servicemember are damaged, lost, or destroyed.
Research, Development, Test, & Evaluation
- Establishes a National Hypersonic Initiative, to accelerate the development of hypersonic missiles and eliminate our capability gap with Chinese and Russian programs.
- Includes unprecedented levels of investment in emerging technologies, including AI, biotechnology, quantum computing, and autonomous systems.
- Increases funding for research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities by $131 million.
- Invests nearly $400 million in the renovation and construction of DoD laboratories and testing facilities.
Nuclear Deterrence & Missile Defense
- Restores funding for nuclear sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N) canceled by President Biden which fulfills a critical deterrence gap in our nuclear triad by providing a low-yield, flexible option.
- Accelerates funding for the modernization of our nuclear triad, providing an additional $500 million for infrastructure upgrades and plutonium pit and high explosives production.
- Prohibits any reduction in the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles or the retiring or reconverting of our low-yield nuclear warheads.
- Moves forward planning for an East Coast Missile Defense Site.
- Requires an assessment of our nuclear strategy, policy, posture, and capabilities to ensure U.S. strategic deterrence is safe, secure, and reliable in the near and long term.
- Prohibits the retirement of the B-83 Gravity Bomb until DoD submits a plan for its replacement.
Industrial Base Support
- Increases DoD stocks of critical munitions, provides material and related services to allies and partners that have supported Ukraine, and provides materials and services to Ukraine.
- Requires strategic assessments of gaps and competitiveness in the defense industrial base for production of small arms, additive manufacturing, microelectronics, biotechnology, critical minerals, space systems, hypersonics, and textiles.
Improving the Military Justice System
- Places sexual harassment and other offenses under the jurisdiction of the Special Trial Counsel.
- Requires independent trained investigators outside of the immediate chain of command to investigate claims of sexual harassment.
- Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to expand restricted reporting of sexual assault to DoD civilian employees.
Countering China
- Authorizes over $11 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, ensuring full funding of training and operations, expedited construction of defense infrastructure, and the timely deployment of weapons systems and logistics throughout Indo-Pacific to deter Chinese aggression.
- Reaffirms U.S. support of the defense of Taiwan.
- Fully funds military exercises with our allies and partners in the Pacific to counter China’s growing reach.
- Requires assessments of Chinese efforts to infiltrate our defense supply chain through acquisition of defense industrial base companies and sources of raw materials and critical minerals.
Countering Russia
- Fully funds the European Deterrence Initiative.
- Expresses support for the membership of Finland and Sweden into NATO.
- Authorizes $800 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
- Includes $225 million for Baltic security cooperation.
###