The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 Provides a 4.6% Pay Raise for Troops, Funds Nevada Military Construction Projects, Supports NV National Guard Firefighting Efforts, Includes Rosen-Drafted Programs to Strengthen U.S. Cybersecurity
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) helped advance the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (NDAA) out of the Senate Armed Services Committee, securing in it a total of seven amendments and 16 other provisions she championed. The legislation authorizes $847 billion in funding for our national defense and provides a 4.6% pay raise for our troops.
The package includes more than 20 Rosen-led victories for Nevada’s servicemembers, national security installations, and the nation – including funding for military construction projects in Nevada, support to help the Nevada National Guard combat wildfires, and the creation of a new Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve, based on bipartisan legislation Senator Rosen introduced.
“This year’s bipartisan national defense bill provides a well-deserved pay raise for our troops, explores ways to ease the burden of inflation on our servicemembers, and includes provisions I championed to bolster America’s cybersecurity,” said Senator Rosen. “As we face growing and unprecedented global threats, this legislation takes bold steps to maintain our nation’s readiness and support our allies, while authorizing critical resources for Nevada’s military construction projects as well as defense and energy installations.”
Senator Rosen’s amendments included in the FY23 NDAA:
- Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve: Based on bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Rosen and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), this provision establishes a Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve pilot program at the Department of Defense to equip the Department with the supplemental personnel needed to respond to significant cyber incidents.
- Public-Private Partnership Technology Investment Program: Directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to carry out a public-private partnership program to incentivize investment in defense-centric technology small businesses to ensure the United States maintains its technological competitive advantage.
- Off-Base Military Housing Allowance for Junior Servicemembers: Directs the Secretary of Defense to brief Congress on the implementation of the expanded dislocation allowance authority. This follows a year-long effort by Senator Rosen to make housing dislocation allowance available to junior servicemembers as they’re ordered to vacate barracks and dormitories due to housing shortages.
- Inflation at Military Exchanges: Directs the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress on options for reducing the price of high-need products at military exchanges as inflation continues raising prices for servicemembers and their families.
- Report on Feasibility of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Crew Mission Readiness Program: Directs the Secretary of the Air Force to provide a report on establishing a program to help improve quality of life for remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) crews, who face a retention and mental health crisis due to the stressors and intensity of their occupation. Creech Air Force Base is one of the highest operational tempo RPA installations throughout the Air Force.
- Rapid Acquisition Authority Technical Fix: Aligns current law and DoD policy to cut through red tape and allow for more rapid acquisition during urgent operational needs.
Senator Rosen’s requests included in the base text of the committee-passed FY23 NDAA include, among others:
- Zero dollars in funding authorization for defense nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain.
- Funding authorization for a new Army National Guard Readiness Center in Reno.
- Funding authorization for a new F-35C aircraft maintenance hangar at Naval Air Station Fallon.
- Directs the Secretary of the Air Force to brief Congress on their basing criteria for more capable C-130J aircraft to better fight wildfires and encourages the Air Force to follow through on its commitment to Senator Rosen to include firefighting missions as part of its basing criteria. This is a top priority for the Nevada Air National Guard.
- Authorizing $500 million for U.S.-Israel cooperative missile defense programs, including for the Iron Dome short-range rocket missile defense system.
- Directing the Department to revise its internal policy related to late-stage referrals to ensure consistency throughout the pregnancy of a TRICARE beneficiary.
- Authorizing the Secretary of Defense to submit a strategy and seek to cooperate with partners and allies in the Middle East, including Israel, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, and Bahrain, to develop a regional integrated air and missile defense to defend against threats from Iran and its terrorist proxies. This provision is based on Senator Rosen’s bipartisan, bicameral DEFEND Act.
- Authorizing increased funding for U.S. Cyber Command’s hunt forward operations, to help allied nations identify adversary operations and cyber vulnerabilities on their networks.
- Requiring an assessment of our ability to combat Iranian aggression toward U.S. troops deployed abroad.
- Laying the groundwork for better maritime security in the Middle East.
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