Local leaders praise military spending bill

Senate and House leaders came to a compromise on the annual defense spending bill, providing a rare opportunity — at least based on recent years — to provide some fiscal stability in the military.

The House overwhelmingly passed the conference version of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 on Thursday. The final vote was 359 to 54.

The Senate also is expected to approve the NDAA before it heads to President Trump’s desk.

The two previous NDAAs were signed into law in December, well after the military’s fiscal year drew to a close, forcing the Army and others — including Fort Bragg — to operate under the constraints of a continuing resolution as opposed to a new budget bill that addresses current needs.

There’s no reason the same should happen this year, as officials still have until October before the next fiscal year is underway.

This year’s NDAA includes a 2.6 percent pay raise for troops and, according to officials, supports the new National Defense Strategy and responds to aggressive behavior by Russia and China.

North Carolina’s congressional delegation had a big role in this year’s NDAA.

Sen. Thom Tillis, Rep. Richard Hudson and Rep. Robert Pittenger each praised the final version of the bill, which in many cases includes provisions that directly benefit North Carolina.

Tillis noted that the NDAA includes $240 million for military construction in the state, including more than $42 million for Fort Bragg.

Other provisions address the opioid crisis by requiring the Department of Defense to establish and maintain a prescription drug monitoring program, provides $40 million in supplemental Impact Aid for local school districts, supports military spouses and establishes policies to combat juvenile sexual assault and harassment in military schools and establish teams to prevent domestic violence and child abuse on military installations.

“I’m proud of the bipartisan work we were able to accomplish with the NDAA, demonstrating a commitment to our servicemembers and our national security,” Tillis said.

Hudson also had provisions he authored included in the final version of the bill, including an amendment that changes how some deployed special operations forces are paid by linking additional allowances to mission as opposed to geography.

“I want to make sure soldiers from Fort Bragg are properly compensated whenever they’re put in harm’s way – no matter where they are in the world,” Hudson said. “This amendment asks the secretary of defense to evaluate whether we are paying our soldiers appropriately based on the realities of today’s warfare. I’m pleased it was included in the conference report, and I encourage my colleagues to support it.”

The NDAA also included legislation authored by Pittenger that will block the acquisition of sensitive American technology and infrastructure by Chinese investors.

The Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act aims to protect critical national security technology and infrastructure from malicious foreign investment, the representative said.

“For years, China and other adversarial nation-states have vacuumed up critical American security-related technology and infrastructure through targeted business investments, especially in the areas of emerging technology,” Pittenger said.

The legislation is the culmination of two years of efforts, he added. “Our final product, which passed today, strengthens America’s national security while continuing to allow beneficial foreign investment.”

Among other things, the legislation expands jurisdiction for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to include joint ventures, minority position investments and real estate transactions near military installations and sensitive national security facilities. It also updates the definition of critical technologies and adds to the review process.