Wicker: Introduces Congress’ Annual Defense Bill

By U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)

Mississippi Integral to National Security

This month, the Senate Armed Services Committee introduced Congress’ annual national defense bill. An updated National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, has passed Congress and become law every year for over six decades, setting the policy and funding levels for the U.S. military. I serve as the chairman of the committee, which allows me to set the course for this crucial legislation.

I have two priorities for this year’s NDAA: to reform the outdated way the Pentagon does business and to rebuild the U.S. military’s competitive edge. As we work toward both goals, we can proudly point to Mississippi’s many contributions to national security.

Reform Pentagon Bureaucracy

In our legislation, we not only invest in new ships, weapons, and munitions but also change the way the Pentagon buys those tools. The Department of Defense (DOD) is mired in layers of regulations that increase its costs and decrease its adoption of cutting-edge technology.

The new NDAA would incorporate the most sweeping reforms of Pentagon business practices in decades. For example: Just one single provision of this bill repeals 86 outdated or unnecessary acquisition policies. The legislation takes an axe to the thicket of DOD bureaucracy, which boxes out many innovative companies across our country.

Rebuild America’s Military Edge

These reforms will help us accomplish the second goal: to regain the American military’s competitive edge. The U.S. armed forces are the most powerful in the world, but our adversaries are quickly catching up. Russia has turned its economy into a wartime machine, and China has executed the fastest military buildup in the modern era. They routinely challenge American leadership, and they could soon do so with military force unless we act now. My goal is to make the United States so strong that the dictators in Moscow and Beijing would never dare move against us.

This bill prioritizes our most important strength, the men and women in uniform. It raises service member pay by 3.8 percent and puts the best equipment in their hands—tapping into the latest cyber, drone, and artificial intelligence technology. The bill helps replenish munitions stores, accelerate shipbuilding, and support the Golden Dome initiative, which will defend our homeland from missile attacks.

Recognize Mississippi’s Defense Contributions

As always, Mississippi will play a central role in our military rebuild. This NDAA recognizes our work, authorizing investments in firms up and down the state.

Modern warfare has become dominated by cyber and drone technology, with Mississippi on the cutting edge of this trend. The bill authorizes continued support for our narrative intelligence and cybersecurity programs. For instance, the NDAA enlists the help of companies in North Mississippi and the Golden Triangle. At some of those sites, manufacturers are building lightweight drones for intelligence gathering. At another, they are producing tools to help American fighters take down drone attacks.

The American military is a world-class logistics enterprise, an under-celebrated reason for its success. This legislation supports a new simulator at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg. The simulator will be used to test the effect of heavy military vehicles on roadways, to ensure maneuverability. The bill also invests in work along the coast to construct Navy auxiliary personnel lighter vessels, which can house sailors during ship maintenance.

For many years, I have worked to help the federal government make the most of our state’s talents and resources. In this article, I have run out of room to list the ways this NDAA will continue recognizing Mississippi’s contributions to national defense. I will be sure to share more as the legislation progresses.

This column is the weekly Wicker Report from U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, who is solely responsible for its content.