FY 2021 NDAA Passes Senate with Rounds Support, Includes a Number of South Dakota Priorities
WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and Chairman of the SASC Cybersecurity Subcommittee, today made the following statement after the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2021:
“This year marks the 60th consecutive year that we’ve passed a strong, bipartisan NDAA out of the Senate,” said Rounds. “This shows that when we have a common goal—in this case, strengthening our military and taking care of the men and women who wear the uniform—we can work together to achieve it. The NDAA was drafted to support the National Defense Strategy, which provides clear direction for restoring our military’s competitive edge. Ellsworth Air Force Base will continue to be a key part of the National Defense Strategy for many years into the future as it will be the first base in the country to host the new B-21 Raider bomber training squadron and the first operational squadron. The NDAA that we passed includes important provisions to deter attacks against us by our adversaries, while also providing resources for our servicemen and women and their families. I thank Chairman Inhofe and Ranking Member Reed for their leadership in getting this important bill passed.”
The fiscal year 2021 NDAA:
- Provides a three percent pay raise for our troops;
- Supports military family readiness by advocating for the employment of military spouses and making sure the Department of Defense provides high-quality and accessible child care for military families;
- Includes a Rounds sponsored provision to establish a pilot program enabling Tricare beneficiaries to draw brand name maintenance medications from their local pharmacy;
- Reemphasizes focus on training to make certain our service members can conduct missions safely and effectively;
- Strengthens our cybersecurity efforts;
- Fosters innovative technological development that restores, maintains or expands our comparative advantage over China and Russia for key capabilities and technologies, including hypersonic weapons, cybersecurity, biotechnologies and beyond;
- Invests in the equipment and weapons platforms that will secure our military supremacy
across all domains; - Improves how the Pentagon manages its budget and makes the process more transparent and accountable to Congress and the American people;
- Provides the Pentagon with flexibility to recruit and hire top talent in key fields;
- Restores American leadership in semiconductor manufacturing so the U.S. doesn’t have to rely on our adversaries such as China for important products necessary to our national security.
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