Washington, D.C. – As Ranking Member of Intelligence, Emerging Threats, and Capabilities on the House Armed Services Committee, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik has secured critical wins for Fort Drum, our troops, military families, and the North Country as a whole in today's 14-hour markup of the FY2021 NDAA.
“As I have every year since taking office, I proudly worked across the aisle to successfully deliver crucial wins and results for Fort Drum and our North Country military community in the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “I will continue to be the number one advocate for Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division. Over the past six years, I have successfully worked as a leader on the House Armed Services Committee to rebuild our military readiness and intelligence capabilities after the devastating impacts of defense sequestration under the Obama-Biden Administration that gutted our nation's military. I was honored to secure a pay raise for our troops and improved childcare and education for the Fort Drum community. This year’s NDAA also brings great improvements to healthcare and education for our military families. Additionally, through my bipartisan work as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Intelligence, Emerging Threats, and Capabilities, I secured provisions to strengthen our position in emerging technologies like cyber and artificial intelligence to counter adversaries like Russia and China. Importantly, this bill specifically establishes and names Fort Drum as the preferred site for an East Coast land-based missile defense underlayer. I will diligently work to deliver the FY21 NDAA’s passage on the House Floor and I will always work tirelessly to deliver results for our troops, military families, and the North Country.”
FY2021 NDAA wins:
East Coast Missile Defense Location Specifically Designated at Fort Drum
- Establishes and names Fort Drum as the preferred site for a land-based missile defense underlayer
Wins for Fort Drum and North Country Military Community
- 3% pay raise for our troops
- Directs DOD study on cyber infrastructure for Mission Training Complex
- Directs DOD study on infrastructure improvements to Childcare Development Centers
- Directs DOD to conduct a study and inventory of firefighting operations, management, and equipment
- Allows civilian DoD emergency and protection workers stationed on a military base access to the commissary and exchanges
- Directs USD for Acquisition and Sustainment to provide a briefing to the House Committee on Armed Services by February 1, 2021, as to military installations where biomass will be considered during analysis of alternatives for achieving additional installation energy resiliency (Fort Drum is the only military installation that is 100% energy-resilient with the long term biomass Re-Energy contract)
- Establishes a pilot program to give participating servicemembers the option of cryopreserving their male gametes and female eggs before deploying to a combat zone
- Authorizes additional funding to community schools who educate DOD children
Servicemembers and Military Families
- Requires Transition Assistance Programs (TAP) to educate servicemembers of sexual assault and sexual harassment, on care provided by the Veteran’s Administration (VA)
- Requires the Department of Defense to establish a standard phrase that service members may use to initiate a confidential, mandatory mental health evaluation referral
- Adds permanent coverage for DBT Mammography to TRICARE
- Increases female and minority representation in the Armed Forces
- Ensures that election officials track and confirm the receipt of military and overseas absentee ballots
- Audits the medical conditions of individuals and the association between adverse exposure in unsafe or unhealthy housing units and the health of those individuals
- Authorizes funding for the Women in Military Service for America museum
- Expands eligibility for the Special Operations Force’s Preservation of the Force and Family program
- Establishes a private-public partnership and collaboration to enhance and expand Professional Military Education
Wins for New York State – National Guard and Reserves
- Directs DOD to brief Congress on the feasibility of creating a policy for a flexible drill schedule to allow for up to twelve weeks of parental leave
- Standardizes payment of hazardous duty incentive pay for members of the Guard and Reserve components of the Armed Forces
- Restores funding to the High Energy Laser Advanced Technology Research
- Directs DOD to fun the Military Munitions Response program to clean unexploded ordinance on military installations around the stat
Testing for Harmful Water Contamination and Providing for Clean-Up
- Increases funding transfer from DOD to the CDC to study PFOS/PFOA contamination in drinking water
- Increases access for National Guard to access Defense Environmental Remediation monies to study PFOS/PFOA
Intelligence, Emerging Threats, and Capabilities
- Includes $600 million above POTUS’ budget request for science and technology investment in the fields of critical technology
- Invests and strengthens America’s position in emerging technologies like cyber, AI, biotechnology, autonomous systems, and others
- Establishes a National Artificial Intelligence Initiative
- Authorizes a number of recommendations from the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence that Congresswoman Stefanik ushered through in the FY19 NDAA
Strategic Forces
- Funds critical modernization of our nuclear forces
- Begins work on the W93 warhead to support STRATCOM requirements for the sea-based leg of our nuclear triad
Seapower and Projection Forces
- Fully funds the Columbia Class B-21 submarine
Tactical Air and Land Forces
- Maintains detailed oversight of critical aircrafts such as the F/A-18, A-10, and the F-35
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