Fort Bragg to Receive Millions in National Defense Authorization Act
Fort Bragg will see more than $27.2 million in military construction projects from the defense spending bill signed into law last week, a bill that also includes funding to cover changes to military sexual assault investigations and directs the Pentagon to investigate instances of UFOs.
The $768.2 billion National Defense Authorization Act, which outlines defense spending and policy changes, was signed Dec. 27, by President Joe Biden.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that a top priority is ensuring that Fort Bragg and North Carolina’s other military installations “have the support and resources they continue to play a critical role in protecting our nation.”
According to a news release from Tillis, projects for Fort Bragg include $19.5 million for a microgrid that will use existing and new generators and $7.7 million for an emergency water system.
Republican Sen. Richard Burr said the bill approved by the Senate enhances the “national defense strategy to address evolving 21st-century threats.”
“As we continue to counter aggression from our adversaries and recover from the pandemic, this defense spending bill makes significant investments to modernize our Armed Forces, boost our military edge over China and Russia, and prioritize our military families,” Burr said.
Burr said the act includes a 2.7% pay raise for troops, increases parental leave to 12 weeks for all service members, improves military health care and supports employment for military spouses.
Burr said the act also provides $7.1 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative to maintain and enhance America's "competitive edge over China and Russia," as well as protecting nuclear modernization programs, extending the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, and reducing foreign reliance on Department of Defense product acquisitions.
Republican Rep. Richard Hudson, whose district includes Fort Bragg, said in a news release, supporting troops, their families and veterans is a “top priority.”
“This defense bill provides needed investments for Fort Bragg and military families, while excluding Democrat-led provisions like red flag laws which threatened the Second Amendment," Hudson said.
He said the bill prohibits the Department of Defense from dishonorably discharging service members who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine — servicemembers may only be receive honorable or general discharges. The prohibition is retroactive to the date of the DOD’s COVID-19 vaccine order and is in effect for at least two years.
Hudson said that there were also provisions about withdrawal from Afghanistan to include a review on the “disastrous withdrawal” and requiring ongoing reports to Congress about DOD expenses that support Afghan resettlement activities.
He said the act increases Impact Aid funding by $70 million to include $50 million for supplemental Impact Aid and $20 million for Impact Aid for military children with severe disabilities.
The act also provides about $1.5 billion to improve servicemember family housing; includes $517 million to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down easily. The act requires the DOD to test for and study the impact of PFAS exposure in defense communities; requires an independent analysis of the DOD Comprehensive Autism Care Demonstration program, and requires an independent review of suicide prevention and response programs at various military installations.
Sexual Assault
Hudson said that the act criminalizes sexual harassment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
All claims of sexual harassment will be required to be investigated by an independent investigator outside the chain of command.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, raised concerns that the Act allows military commanders to forward complaints to the investigator or decide to separate accused service members without a court-martial and that a special trial counsel could refer the charges back to a commander
In a statement, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Washington, said that claiming the act “does not take the commander’s authority away” is a mischaracterization.
Smith said a special trial counsel’s office operated by independent, uniformed attorneys who report to civilian service secretaries will make decisions to prosecute charges.
“All of which will take place separate from the military chain of command for all parties to an alleged crime,” he said.
UFOs
The act requires the secretary of defense and national intelligence director to establish an office “to address unidentified aerial phenomena”
The office will be tasked with evaluating the “links between unidentified aerial phenomena and adversarial foreign governments,” recovering materials and determining if the objects cause medical effects.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, who co-sponsored the legislation, said that reporting on unidentified aerial phenomenal should be destigmatized “particularly from military aviators.”
Global War on Terrorism Memorial
The act proposes three sites on the National Mall for a Global War on Terror memorial.
In 2015, the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation was started by Fayetteville-area veterans who wanted to ensure a monument would commemorate and honor members of the armed forces and others who have supported the nation’s longest war.
The foundation has worked with the National Capital Memorial Advisory Committee, National Capital Planning Commission, National Parks Service and Fine Arts Commission for a 24-step process.
Marina Jackman, president and CEO of the nonprofit Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation, told The Fayetteville Observer in 2020 that the next part of the process is the design phase, which was contingent on the location of the actual site.
While plans are for the memorial to honor lives lost during the conflict, Jackman said its purpose is also to allow others to heal, reflect and unite, which is why it would also honor those still serving.