Senate Armed Services Committee Approves National Defense Authorization Act with Rounds’ Support

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, made the following statement after the committee approved the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):

“Passing a strong, bipartisan NDAA each year is one small way for us to show our gratitude to the men and women who sacrifice so much to protect our freedoms,” said Rounds. “This year marks the 60th consecutive year that our committee has approved a widely-supported NDAA. The NDAA that we passed takes significant steps in making sure our military remains the best in the world for many years to come. I thank Chairman Inhofe and Ranking Member Reed for their leadership throughout this process, and I urge the rest of our colleagues to support this important bill when it comes to the Senate floor. “

“Cyberspace is a critical warfighting domain, and countries like China and Russia are seeking to reap the benefits of weaknesses in our cyber defenses,” said SASC Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.). “As Chairman of the Cybersecurity Subcommittee, Senator Rounds has worked to change that in this year’s NDAA – shoring up our defenses in cyberspace, supporting development of a cohesive U.S. strategy for cybersecurity, and implementing mission-critical recommendations of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission. In addition, Senator Rounds supported full funding for the B-21 Long-Range Strike Bomber, the next generation of stealth aircraft that will send a strong signal to our enemies. I thank Senator Rounds for his tireless work this year.”

The fiscal year 2021 NDAA includes a number of provisions offered by Rounds, including provisions to:

• Address our nation’s bomber shortfall. The Air Force has a total inventory of 157 bombers, the smallest and oldest fleet of bomber aircraft in its history. Language offered by Rounds would require the DoD to establish a floor for the future bomber force.  The envisioned bomber force would primarily consist of B-21s, such as those to be stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, in addition to a B-52H fleet.

• Expand the DoD cyber institutes program. The bill includes a requirement for the DoD to report to Congress on expanding the Cyber Institutes program to additional select institutions of higher learning like Dakota State University. The DoD cyber institutes promote the development of foundational expertise in critical cyber operational skills for future DOD military and civilian leaders.

• Establish a pilot program enabling Tricare beneficiaries to draw brand name maintenance medications from their local pharmacy.

• Change a requirement for military funerals that would allow, with the consent of the deceased’s family, for the funeral detail to be made up of members of a service other than that of the deceased. Current law requires that the funeral honors detail for the funeral of a veteran must consist of two or more persons and that at least one member of the detail must be a member of the branch of service of which the deceased was a member. For example, in South Dakota, we don’t have a large number of naval personnel, and with long travel distances and poor winter weather, the Navy is not always able to provide a member for funeral details, which results in missed funerals. By changing this requirement, a funeral detail for a deceased Navy veteran could be comprised of members from a different branch of the armed forces.

• Advance the procurement and deployment of high-pressure Cold Spray systems that can be used to repair high performance materials for the Department of Defense (DoD), and explore additional cold spray applications for new weapon systems.

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