Dayton Reporter

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On June 22, Congressman Mike Turner (OH-10), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement after the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act was passed out of the House Armed Services Committee.

“Strengthening the footprint of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base by expanding facilities and securing new missions remains one of my top priorities," said Congressman Mike Turner. “In the past year, Wright-Patt has added new operational missions such as National Space Intelligence Center and the 76th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron, reaffirming the critical national security work being done by the men and women in the Dayton area. The National Defense Authorization Act is among the most consequential pieces of legislation that Congress takes up every year, and this year’s NDAA includes several key initiatives for Wright-Patt that will further grow our local economy and bolster the Miami Valley’s defense industry.”

“Congressman Mike Turner has worked tirelessly to ensure the FY24 NDAA supports our servicemembers and counters the unprecedented threats facing our nation,” said Chairman Mike Rogers. “I thank Congressman Turner for his continued efforts to strengthen our national security to meet the growing threats posed by our adversaries.” 

FY24 NDAA Overall Wins:

• Authorizes $9.9 million for planning and design funding for the Acquisition Management Complex at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
• Supports a 5.2% increase in servicemember basic pay, the largest pay raise in over 20 years.

Military Service Members and Families:

• Basic Allowance for Housing: Authorizes over $240 million to reduce servicemember out-of-pocket housing expenses and counteract the skyrocketing cost of rent.
• Expands reimbursements available to military spouses for relicensing or business costs when servicemembers transfer locations.
• In support of military recruiting, requires the Secretary of Defense to review and revise medical standards and waivers for military accessions every two years, and to submit a report to the Committees on Armed Services on findings and recommendations during the same period.
• Requires the Defense Health Agency to examine the feasibility of hiring qualified spouses while they await the transfer of professional licenses.
• Opens commissary and recreational facility access to remarried Gold Star Spouses.
• Requires DoD to publish and maintain a website of wait lists for childcare centers. 
• Expands the in-home childcare pilot program to focus on more rural areas.
• Requires DoD to identify ways for local installations to expand childcare capacity by partnering with off-installation childcare providers. 
• Authorizes DoD to reduce out of pocket childcare expenses for military families.
• Authorizes remote electronic notarization for members of the Armed Forces.

Healthcare:

• Strengthens oversight of TRICARE pharmacy program.
• Waives fees and copays on the TRICARE Dental Program for all members of the Selected Reserve. 
• Prohibits cuts in reimbursement rates for providers of applied behavior analysis for the treatment of autism. 
• Expands cardiac care pilot program to provide electrocardiograms to all individuals entering.

Technological Innovation and Industry:

• Improves partnership intermediary agreements to allow DoD labs to transfer technologies from academia or industry into DoD labs.
• Requires DoD to implement a strategy to encourage the development of patentable inventions.
• Rescopes the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to focus on integrating commercial technology into DoD requirements.
• Authorizes contributions to NATO’s Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) – a technology incubator designed to facilitate the acquisition of emerging technologies more rapidly.
• Creates the Principal Transition Advisor in each military service to help facilitate the transition of technologies from industry and academia into capabilities and technologies for the warfighter.
• Extends the Domestic Investment program to allow for companies with venture capital majority ownerships to apply for Small Business Innovation Research Program funds.
• Expands initiatives to rapidly test innovative technologies directly with warfighters.
• Requires DoD to develop ways to expand access to sensitive compartmented information facilities for small businesses.

Foreign Policy and National Security:

• Directs the Secretary of Defense to report on potential enhancements to U.S. and Allied air and missile defense capabilities that could contribute to NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD).
• Removes outdated policy limitations preventing missile defenses from being oriented against threats to the homeland from near-peer adversaries such as China.
• Requires DoD to assess the joint U.S.-Taiwan production of weapons systems and munitions.

Original source can be found here.