The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday, December 15, 2022, to pass the final defense authorization bill for the fiscal year 2023, clearing the sweeping measure for President Joe Biden’s signature.
The Senate’s final NDAA passage vote was 83-11, and 60 votes were required. The House passed the bicameral compromise on December 8.
When Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed noted that the bill is named after the committee’s top Republican, James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma, the chamber resounded with applause. Reed said that Inhofe’s committee leadership, both in the majority and minority, had been “monumental.” Inhofe is retiring at the end of this year, making this action very significant for the future of the Armed Services Committee.
With the enactment of the bill, Washington will have authorized spending at about $858 billion on defense programs in this fiscal year, mainly at the Pentagon. That is $45 billion, or five percent, more than Biden asked for in March.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the total amount of authorized funding would be about 10 percent higher than the fiscal 2022 level.
The funds have yet to be appropriated, but congressional leaders hope to clear an omnibus spending bill sometime between December 19-23, 2022.
The final NDAA is noteworthy for several reasons. It would rescind a 2021 Defense Department directive that troops be vaccinated against the coronavirus unless they have an allowable exemption for medical or religious reasons. Something EANGUS has led the charge, having conducted Call-to-Actions that sent thousands of letters to congressional representatives.ย
Fullย Bill:
https://rules.house.gov/sites/democrats.rules.house.gov/files/BILLS-117HR7776EAS-RCP117-70.pdf
Provisionsย citedย belowย areย authorizationsย onlyย andย doย notย indicate funding.
Summaryย funding:ย H.R.ย 7776ย authorizesย $857.9ย Bย inย totalย National Defense spending.
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Armyย National Guard
- Authorizesย fundingย forย ARNG toย end-strengthย atย 325,000Soldiersย (Sec.ย 411)
- Authorizesย 30,845ย AGRย positions
- Authorizesย 22,294ย Dual-Statusย Technicians
- Authorizesย 17,000ย ADOSย positions
- Limitsย productionย onย Extendedย Rangeย Cannonย Artilleryย Howitzersย (Sec. 111)
- Authorizesย $7.85ย Bย inย ARNGย Operationsย andย Maintenanceย (Sec.ย 4301) Limitsย productionย onย Extended Rangeย Cannonย Artillery Howitzers (Sec. 111)
- Authorizesย $7.85ย Bย inย ARNGย Operationsย andย Maintenance (Sec. 4301)
Airย National Guard
- Authorizesย fundingย forย ANG toย end strengthย atย 108,400Airmenย (Sec.ย 411)
- Authorizesย 25,333ย AGRย positions
- Authorizesย 10,994ย Dual-Statusย Technicians
- Authorizesย 16,000ย ADOSย positions
- Modifiesย Combatย Airย Forcesย Totalย Aircraftย Inventory(Sec.ย 141)
- Reducesย requirementย fromย 1,970ย toย 1,800ย total aircraft
- Reducesย A-10ย requirementย fromย 171ย toย 153ย aircraft
- Limitsย fundsย forย destructionย ofย A-10ย aircraft inย storageย status
- Modifiesย Airย Refuelingย Totalย Aircraftย Inventory(Sec.ย 142)
- Reducesย requirementย fromย 479ย toย 466ย totalย aircraft
- Limitsย reductionย ofย reserveย components KC-135ย toย noย moreย thanย 12ย aircraft
- Requiresย developmentย ofย aย planย toย transfer KC-135sย toย theย Airย National Guardย (Sec.ย 155)
- Requiresย minimumย inventoryย ofย 271ย C-130s(Sec.ย 146)
- Limitsย retirementย ofย F-22ย aircraft(Sec.ย 143)
- Requiresย minimumย inventoryย ofย 184ย aircraft
- Limitsย Divestmentย ofย F-15ย aircraft(Sec.ย 150)
- Authorizesย $6.9ย Bย inย ANGย Operationsย andย Maintenanceย (Sec. 4301)
- Authorizesย $364.1ย Mย inย ANGย Militaryย Constructionย (Sec.ย 4601)
- $215.3ย Mย above President’sย Budgetย Request
Joint-Personnel
- Authorizesย aย 4.6ย percentย military andย civilianย personnel payย raise
- Backdatesย effectiveย dateย ofย rankย forย reserve officersย inย theย Nationalย Guardย dueย toย delays in Federal Recognition (Sec. 513)
- Triggersย after theย 100-dayย mark
- Implementation date:ย January 1,ย 2024
- Establishment ofย anย independentย studyย onย Federalย Recognitionย ofย Nationalย Guard Officers (Sec. 519)
- Expansionย ofย National Guardย unit/personnelย inspectionsย toย includeย complianceย with Federal law and policy applicable to the National Guard (Sec. 514)
- Includesย policies issuedย byย theย Secretaryย ofย Defense,ย theย Secretaryย ofย aย military department concerned, or the Chief National Guard Bureau
- Reviewย ofย titling andย indexingย practicesย ofย theย Armyย forย servicemembersย inย connectionย to the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program (Sec. 549)
- Expansionย ofย transitionalย healthcareย forย members ofย theย Nationalย Guardย followingย 502(f) orders in response to a Presidential Declared Emergency (Sec. 702)
- Requires aย studyย onย providingย Tricare Reserveย Selectย andย dentalย benefits toย membersย of the selected reserve (Sec. 707)
- Extends theย one-yearย authorizationย ofย specificย expiring bonusesย andย special payย authoritiesย for members of the reserve components (Sec. 601)
- Extendsย requirementย forย anย annual Nationalย Guardย andย Reserveย Equipmentย Reportย (Sec. 1059)
- Expands theย authorityย ofย theย Secretaryย ofย Defenseย toย transferย excess aircraftย toย states(Sec. 1060)
- Inclusionย ofย Natural andย Man-madeย Disaster responseย itemsย inย CNGBย unfunded priorities report (Sec. 384)
- Supportsย Nationalย Guard trainingย forย wildfire preventionย andย response(Sec.ย 385)
- Continuedย Nationalย Guard supportย forย theย Fireguardย program(Sec.ย 516)
- Enhancementย ofย theย Nationalย Guardย Youthย Challengeย programย (Sec.ย 517)
- Requiresย noticeย toย Congressย beforeย deactivation,ย reassignment,ย orย homeย station moveย of a unit in specific reserve components (Sec. 518)
- Recissionย ofย COVID-19vaccinationย mandateย (Sec.ย 525)
- Expandsย Defenseย Environmentalย Restorationย Programย access toย state-ownedย Guard facilities (Sec. 313)
- Addressesย PFAS/PFOAย contaminationย onย militaryย facilitiesย (Sec.ย 341-346)
- Authorityย toย waive theย requirementย that theย performanceย ofย activeย guard andย reserveย dutyย atย the request of a governor may not interfere with specific responsibilities (Sec. 515)
The bill is also a milestone in the campaign to change prosecutions in the military justice system. The fiscal 2022 NDAA had shifted key prosecution powers for certain crimes from military commanders to trained prosecutors. This year’s NDAA would further grow those powers and expand the covered crimes from 11 to 14, including sexual harassment.
The NDAA would authorize about $10 billion over five years in grants to Taiwan to purchase U.S.-made military equipment and $1 billion a year in weapons for Taiwan drawn from U.S. stocks.
The measure also would endorse $11 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative.
For more information on the FY2023 NDAA or any other National Guard issues, please do not hesitate to contact Kevin Hollinger at kevin@eangus.org or contact him direct at (202) 670-1826
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