Sioux City Times

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is described as a critical investment in troops, military families, and national security. The Fiscal Year 2025 NDAA includes several key provisions aimed at enhancing military readiness and the quality of life for servicemembers.

Among its provisions, the NDAA includes a 19.5% pay raise for junior enlisted troops and a 4.5% pay increase for all other servicemembers. It also reforms the cost-of-living allowance to account for inflation and fully covers servicemember housing based on average rent rates by location. Additional support includes new military family housing, upgrades to barracks, and resources for housing maintenance to address issues such as sewage overflows, mold, bedbugs, and rodent infestations.

The legislation expands childcare access for military families and ensures high-quality healthcare. It requires the Department of Defense to develop strategies to address healthcare staffing shortages at facilities serving military families in rural communities.

To address border security, the NDAA fully funds National Guard deployment to secure the border and supports counternarcotics operations. It also requests a detailed report from the Department of Defense on threats posed by Mexican cartels.

The NDAA reverses aspects of the Biden administration’s agenda by cutting DEI and CRT programs from military schools, stopping forced electrification of military trucks and tanks, and ensuring parental involvement in children's education.

Significant investments are made to counter Chinese aggression, including funding military exercises in the Indo-Pacific, monitoring Chinese military base expansion overseas, preventing Chinese espionage at U.S. bases, and prohibiting sharing sensitive defense information with China. The NDAA also strengthens alliances with Israel by fully funding the Iron Dome missile defense system and improving air and missile defense cooperation between the two nations.

In summary, this year's NDAA aims to bolster support for U.S. troops while addressing various global security challenges.