Rounds Secures South Dakota Victories in FY25 NDAA

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the top Republican member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, released the following statement on the final passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25). Rounds authored 40 provisions in this year’s NDAA.

“This year marks the 64th consecutive National Defense Authorization Act that will be signed into law,” said Rounds. “Each year, my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee and I put politics aside to craft this piece of legislation that is critical for our national defense. The provisions are designed to support our men and women in uniform by doing everything we can to make certain they never enter a fair fight and always have the upper hand over our adversaries.

“This year’s NDAA includes several critical provisions for our men and women in uniform, including a 4.5% pay raise for troops and an additional 10% raise for E-1 through E-4 enlisted troops. It also authorizes $282 million in projects at Ellsworth Air Force Base to support the bed down of the B-21 bomber, as well as $2.6 billion for procurement of B-21s. There are several provisions in the NDAA that fight back against ‘woke’ Department of Defense policies, helping return our military to a focus on warfighting and lethality instead of diversity, equity and inclusion policies that distract from the DoD’s true mission of defending our nation.

“I am pleased that this bipartisan legislation is heading to the president’s desk to be signed into law.”

This is the tenth NDAA that Rounds has helped craft as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In last year’s bill, Rounds authored 33 provisions, which were ultimately adopted and signed into law. This included the creation of a congressional charter for the National American Indian Veterans organization. In 2023, Rounds was named one of the most effective Senators on defense issues.

ROUNDS-LED MAJOR NATIONAL DEFENSE VICTORIES:

• Requires a comprehensive report on the impact military support for air shows have on recruiting, and provide support for five air shows in rural and small market areas like the “Let Freedom Fly” Pierre Air Show.
• Allows minor military construction funds to “rollover” into the next fiscal year, making it easier for installations like Ellsworth Air Force Base to complete renovation projects and saving the Department of Defense millions of dollars.
• Requires the DOD to review their war plans in light of growing cooperation between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.
• Includes $14.5 million for high altitude balloons and several reporting and briefing requirements to enhance their use, including the creation of a program executive officer for high altitude balloons.
• Provides $6 million for cold spray repair and additive manufacturing technology.
• Provides $5 million for the University Consortium for Cybersecurity.
• Creates a Small Business Bill of Rights at DOD to improve the experience and quality of life for smaller companies doing business with the Department.
• Establishes a National Security Capital Forum to allow DOD to engage with domestic and international investors so we can leverage capital markets against the Chinese Communist Party.
• Prohibits the DOD from purchasing Chinese-made unmanned ground vehicle systems and requires a report on their current use in the Department and accompanying supply chains.
• Allows verified electronic notifications from Federal Firearms License dealers.
• Prevents destruction of landmines used to protect forward deployed U.S. troops.
• Requires DOD to begin planning for providing support to civil authorities in the event of a major foreign attack on the homeland such as a massive cyber-attack.
• Requires the DOD to analyze and report on how their mergers and acquisitions policies have led to consolidation and impacted the defense industrial base.
• Require the DOD to test and assess the possibility of using technology to allow electromagnetic spectrum sharing.

ROUNDS-SUPPORTED MAJOR SOUTH DAKOTA VICTORIES:

• Requires the Secretary of the Air Force, in coordination with the Director of the Air National Guard, to develop and implement a plan to fully fund the establishment and maintenance of F–16 simulators at training centers of the Air National Guard.
• Fully funds the B-21 Raider program, including over $2.6 billion for procurement.
• Authorizes $282 million in military construction projects to support the B-21 Raider housed at Ellsworth ($177 million for new projects).
  • $44M for ADAL [Addition & Alterations] Squadron Operations
  • $79M for the B-21 East Alert Apron Environmental Protection Shelters
  • $54M for the other B-21 North Environmental Protection Shelters
  • $105M for the B-21 Weapons Generation Facility

ROUNDS-LED AI & CYBERSECURITY VICTORIES:

• Requires a comprehensive report on defense critical assets in the U.S. that are likely targets for kinetic and non-kinetic attacks in the event of a conflict with an adversary. 
• Requires DOD to establish tabletop exercises to prepare the defense industrial base for cyber-attacks preceding or during times of conflict or war.
• Creates a program to use AI to help the Defense Contract Management Agency process small business contracts to make doing business with the DOD easier.
• Creates a program to use AI to improve workflows and operations at shipyards, depots and DOD manufacturing facilities.
• Requires the DOD to evaluate cybersecurity products and services that protect employee’s mobile devices and evaluate networks for threats and proactively block or neutralize them.
• Introduces language to protect artificial intelligence (AI) innovation within DOD.
• Updates DOD’s cyber curriculum so that cyber operators are being taught and trained to respond to the latest threats using the most recent technologies and systems.
• Secures $500,000 for US Cyber Command International cooperation with Jordan.

ROUNDS-SUPPORTED AI & CYBERSECURITY VICTORIES:

• Requires a briefing on the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification 2.0 implementation and launches a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report to help strengthen cybersecurity in the defense industrial base.
• Limits the use of funds for the Joint Cyber Warfighting Architecture until a detailed plan for the Next Generation Architecture is provided by the Commander of U.S. Cyber Command.
• Improves cybersecurity of the DOD’s networks with a Cyber Operational Readiness Assessment.
• Improves data capability for AI tools and requires the DOD to improve the interoperability of the data used by command and control systems.
• Requires DOD to begin working on ways to modernize software acquisition.
• Requires the DOD to develop a roadmap for addressing cyber warfare in space.
• Updates the education and pilot program on authentication of digital content provenance for certain DOD media content.
• Provides employment transparency regarding individuals who perform work in the People’s Republic of China.
• Modifies prohibition on the purchase of cyber data products or services other than through the Program Management Office for DOD-wide procurement of cyber data products and services.
• Directs DOD to brief its development and implementation of a private AI architectural framework, including current and future use cases.
• Reports on Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability Contracts.

OTHER ROUNDS-SUPPORTED VICTORIES IN THE NDAA:

• Authorizes a 4.5% pay raise for all troops.
• Authorizes and additional 10% raise for E-1 through E-4 enlisted troops, so a 14.5% raise for junior enlisted and junior non-commissioned officers (10% raise begins in April 2025).
• Adjusts the cost of living allowance calculation to properly account for inflation.
• Provides $1.2 billion to renovate and build new barracks.
• Banning the DOD from providing minors with gender dysphoria treatments like hormones and puberty blockers that could result in sterilization.
• Prohibits funding for the teaching, training, or promotion of Critical Race Theory in the military, including service academies and DOD schools.
• Extends the DEI hiring freeze (no new positions or filling open DEI positions until GAO completes an investigation of the DOD’s DEI programs).
• Prohibits DOD from contracting with advertising firms that blacklist conservative news sources.
• Prohibits DOD from requiring service members and civilian employees to use zero-emission vehicles.
• Prohibits DOD from issuing climate change rules that give preference to weapon systems with lower climate impacts.

TOPLINE NUMBERS:

• Total FY25 NDAA topline: $895.2 billion ($883.7 billion within SASC/HASC jurisdiction)
  • $849.9 billion for Department of Defense programs
  • $33.3 billion for Department of Energy and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Review Board
  • $512.4 million for defense-related activities
  • Other jurisdictions bring the total to $895.2 billion

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