Includes $420 Million for NE Military Facilities Disaster Recovery, Authorizes Funding for Continued Nuclear Modernization

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, released the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed the conference report for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which now heads to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law: 

“Today the Senate came together in a bipartisan manner to provide for our national defense and give our service members the resources they need, including their biggest pay raise in a decade. I worked to authorize nearly $420 million of disaster relief for Offutt Air Force Base and Camp Ashland. I also advocated for provisions to continue nuclear modernization efforts and fully fund the mission of USSTRATCOM, while rejecting proposed cuts that would undermine our nuclear deterrent.”

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Senator Fischer chairs the Strategic Forces Subcommittee. The final version of the FY 2020 NDAA largely reflects the provisions drafted by her subcommittee and adopted by the full Senate Armed Services Committee in its bill. All of Senator Fischer's amendments were included in the final bill text. Specifically, this legislation:

• Authorizes funding for the sustainment and modernization of our nuclear forces, continuing a long-term effort to ensure that the men and women of STRATCOM have the tools they need to carry out their mission today and in the future.
• Rejects a number of cuts and other restrictions proposed by the House of Representatives that would delay the nuclear modernization effort and undermine our ability to field an effective nuclear deterrent.
• Authorizes significant additional resources to improve critical missile defense and space capabilities, including:

• $113 million to accelerate the development of the next generation of GPS receivers to ensure the U.S. military continues to have access to resilient position, navigation, and timing capabilities.
• $108 million to support the Missile Defense Agency’s development of space-based sensors to track advanced threats, such as hypersonic – a key unfunded priority of the Department of Defense. 

In addition, the legislation includes a number of priorities championed by Senator Fischer on behalf of the uniformed men and women of Nebraska, including:

• Nearly $420 million in disaster relief funding authorized for military installations damaged by flooding. This includes funding authorized to repair Offutt Air Force Base, replace damaged RC-135 simulators, and rebuild the Nebraska National Guard’s Camp Ashland training center.
• A provision to give added flexibility to the military services to allocate funds for disaster recovery, helping speed up future rebuilding efforts at impacted bases. 
• Authorization of funding to support the modernization and sustainment of the C-135 family of aircraft that comprise the core of the 55^th Wing’s Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission.  

Broadly, the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act includes a comprehensive set of measures designed to address readiness shortfalls, adapt our military to the new demands of the 21^st century security environment, and invest in the all-volunteer force. This legislation:

• Authorizes a discretionary topline of $738 billion – an increase of $22 billion over FY 2019 – providing real growth in the defense to continue rebuilding our military.
• Supports continued efforts to rebuild readiness, modernize the military, and execute the core tenets of the administration’s National Defense Strategy as we reorient to an era of great-power competition with Russia and China.
• Authorizes a pay raise of 3.1 percent for service members – the largest in a decade – and implements a substantial overhaul of the Privatized Military Housing Initiative, recognizing that caring for our service members and their families is a top priority.
• Restructures the Pentagon to improve efficiency, agility, and accountability by strengthening the acquisition system and instituting major business reform.