WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) voted in favor of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25 NDAA).
The bill authorizes a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted and a 4.5% pay raise for Virginia’s nearly 150,000 servicemembers, expands programs to help Virginia’s over 50,000 military spouses attain and retain employment, and boosts access to childcare for the nearly 100,000 children of military families in the Commonwealth. While making critical investments, the FY25 NDAA also achieves significant cost savings in key areas, such as cuts to inefficient defense programs and obsolete weapons systems, which saves taxpayers $30 billion or 4% of current U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) spending levels.
“As China’s aggression escalates, Russia’s ambitions continue, and threats from Iran and North Korea persist, America faces more global threats than any time since World War II,” said Rep. Wittman. “We cannot shortchange our national security when the stakes are this high. This year’s NDAA provides record investments in our troops and their families – all while providing our military with the resources necessary to deter a near-term major war, and if necessary, prevail in conflict. I’m proud to have helped craft and pass this critical piece of legislation, and I remain committed to ensuring our defense resources are effectively deployed and that America continues to project strength on the world stage.”
Watch Rep. Wittman’s House floor remarks in support of the NDAA here.
As vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, the congressman played an integral role in crafting the bill, which authorizes funding for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for the next fiscal year. The NDAA serves as the primary vehicle through which defense policy is enacted and is historically one of Congress’ most bipartisan bills as it has been passed and signed into law every year for the past six decades.
This year’s NDAA includes the following provisions championed by Rep. Wittman:
Taking Care of Our Troops and Their Families
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Revitalizing the Troops to Teachers program, which helps transitioning service members seeking to pursue careers in education.
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Requiring the U.S Government Accountability Office to address U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) civilian recruitment and retention shortfalls when competing with the private sector.
Bolstering Our Tactical Aviation Forces
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Requiring the DoD to implement corrective actions, adopt current test practices, and integrate cutting-edge technology to put the Joint Strike Fighter program on track.
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Increasing the number of F-35 aircraft manufactured for developmental testing.
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Authorizing $600 million for procurement of six F-15EX fighter aircraft.
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Authorizing an additional $400 million to accelerate development of the U.S. Air Force’s airborne early warning and control E-7 aircraft.
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Supporting 6th Generation combat aircraft development.
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Accelerating technology development of unmanned air systems including engine development for collaborative combat aircraft.
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Developing affordable cruise missiles to the needed quantity to overwhelm adversaries in future conflict.
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Stopping the Biden-Harris administration from retiring F-22 Block 20s and F-15E aircraft.
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Authorizing retirement of legacy aircraft incapable of performing current battlefield requirements.
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Urging procurement programs for unmanned air systems to use parallel acquisition pathways for hardware and software.
Protecting Forward Deployed Forces
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Requiring the Secretary of the Army to report on the Army’s ability to defend against missiles and unmanned aircraft.
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Expanding counter-unmanned aerial vehicle forces by including the Army Chief of Staff top unfunded requirement.
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Doubling U.S. Air Force counter-unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities in two years.
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Establishing a DoD executive agent responsible for all DoD counter-unmanned aerial vehicle research, testing, and training activities.
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Retiring legacy unmanned aerial vehicles incapable of supporting modern warfare.
Strengthening Our Navy
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Providing an additional $357 million for Virginia-class submarine industrial base challenges.
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Formalizing congressional support for a stable procurement schedule for the Ford-class aircraft carrier (CVN-82).
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Creating a pilot program to examine how robotic technologies can be used for shipboard maintenance and inspection.
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Developing unmanned undersea vehicles that keep our troops safe while enabling reconnaissance, mine laying, and mine detection missions.
Spurring Defense Innovation
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Recruiting more scientists and engineers to support defense innovation in critical offices at the Department of Defense.
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Granting greater authority to DoD to accelerate the adoption of new technology.
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Providing an additional $16.2 million to advance a mobile micronuclear reactor program to provide resilient energy to the U.S. military.
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Expanding shared classified commercial infrastructure pilot programs within the DoD.
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Reforming the Department of Defense’s “Authority to Operate” process.
Preparing for the Battlefield’s Expansion into Space
Boosting Military Readiness
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Ensuring the resilience of key military installations while conserving natural resources.
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Requiring a report from the Army on international sourcing of energetic materials when they are otherwise available from domestic production facilities in order to ensure that the U.S. domestic industrial base is leveraged to its full extent.
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Requiring the DoD to show how they are addressing pharmaceutical supply chain risks.
Countering China’s Growing Military Aggression
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Boosting public-private collaboration with allies and private sector partners to prevent adversaries from gaining control over strategic assets abroad.
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Increasing funding for innovative technology to counter the CCP such as hypersonics, AI, autonomous systems, cyber, mobile micro nuclear reactors, and high energy lasers.
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