Young Includes Key National and Indiana Priorities in Final National Defense Authorization Act and Report
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Trump signed into law the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes language secured by U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.), who served in the Marine Corps and now serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The NDAA authorizes funding and sets forth policy for the Department of Defense (DoD). Congress has passed an NDAA each fiscal year for more than half a century.
“The United States confronts an extraordinary array of security threats and challenges, yet we’ve seen an erosion in our nation’s military readiness and margin of military superiority. We must invest the resources necessary to restore the military preparedness required to protect Americans, our allies, and our interests. The NDAA becoming law today represents an important first step,” said Senator Young. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to now achieve a bipartisan budget agreement that provides the vital funding necessary to support our troops, restore readiness, deter aggression, and defend our nation.”
Senator Young worked successfully to include a provision in the final defense bill that requires a comprehensive review of U.S. maritime intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting capabilities.
Senator Young said, “America’s security and prosperity depend on U.S. naval supremacy. That’s why this statutory requirement that I worked to include for a review of U.S. maritime intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting capabilities is essential.”
Senator Young also worked to include a provision that encourages the Air Force and Navy to increase integration as they modernize our nation’s nuclear deterrent. Young’s statutory provision was included in the Senate-passed bill, but was not included in the final bill. However, Young worked successfully to secure language in the FY 2018 NDAA Report (115-404) that provides Congressional guidance to DoD.
This language urges “the Navy, the Air Force, the Missile Defense Agency, and other components of the Department of Defense and wider U.S. Government to work together to increase integration, co-location, and commonality where appropriate between acquisition programs to improve efficiency and effectiveness for programs related to nuclear forces…” Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane currently provides significant support to the Navy’s strategic programs, but could also provide increased support for the Air Force’s strategic programs.
“The North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile threat demonstrates the continued relevance of a credible, reliable, and modernized nuclear deterrent. As we modernize our nuclear triad, the Air Force and Navy must look for opportunities to integrate efforts to achieve the maximum capability at the lowest cost to the taxpayers,” Senator Young said. “Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane continues to play an essential and increasing role in this work that is so vital to our national security.”
Young also worked to include language in the NDAA Report that directs the Comptroller General of the United States to summarize the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) recommendations made to DoD in fiscal years 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 which have not been fully implemented. Adoption of these recommendations would cut waste and improve the Department of Defense’s efficiency and performance.
Senator Young said, “The Pentagon must look for every opportunity to serve as a better steward of our tax dollars. The threats we confront are onerous and the budget is finite, and we can’t afford to waste a single dollar.”
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