Hearings to examine military to civilian transition, focusing on success after service. (Official U.S. Senate photo by Rosa Pineda)
- U.S. Senator Roger Wicker says Mississippi has always played an outsized role in America’s national security. The latest NDAA recognizes that and devotes resources to the state’s drone producers, solid rocket motor manufacturers, and shipbuilders.
In recognition of growing dangers facing the United States, my colleagues and I on the Senate Armed Services Committee recently advanced a national defense bill that significantly raises our investment in American security. It will now proceed to a full vote in the U.S. Senate. We specifically wrote the bill to address modern threats. With this legislation, we are equipping our armed forces to defend America from 21st century dictatorships who wield 21st century weapons.
For the past year, I have listened to the testimony of uniformed officers, met with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, and visited with service members stationed half a world away. As chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I was able to channel those interactions into the only bill that Congress passes each year without fail. This annual legislation, called the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), sets the course for the U.S. military. It impacts weapons development, military family care, nuclear stockpiles, advanced research, our relationships with allies, and so much more.
An NDAA for Today’s Threats
President Trump and I agree that the U.S. military needs a major investment in order to defend the homeland in an increasingly unstable world. In December, the president announced his intention to raise defense investment by 50 percent. Our NDAA begins putting that call into action.
The president asked for the largest shipbuilding budget in history, and the committee matched that ambition by authorizing more ships and by streamlining ship purchasing. My colleagues and I approved new aircraft, upgraded our nuclear deterrent, and created a new position dedicated to the nation’s cyber defense operations. We embraced the future of war by increasing the production of low-cost drones and munitions so our stockpiles never run low.
Even as we invested more in our defense, we passed reforms to rein in Pentagon bureaucracy and make those dollars go further. The bill will allow the military to sign multi-year contracts, bringing down costs for 22 new weapons. It also requires large defense companies to reinvest what they earn from taxpayer dollars back into their companies — expanding capacity and manufacturing jobs rather than funneling it back to their shareholders.
American service members have always been the strength of the armed forces. This NDAA raises recruitment caps, allowing the military to hire more than 40,000 additional service members. It boosts pay for every member by 3.6 percent and will improve housing, barracks, and childcare capacity.
Service members and their families will receive expanded health care benefits. We strengthened mental health care and suicide prevention efforts. The bill increases accountability within the military health system and helps prepare it for service during potential future conflicts. Throughout the NDAA, we reinforced the merit-based personnel policies that made excellence, not identity, the pathway to promotion.
Mississippi Leads the Way
Mississippi has always played an outsized role in America’s national security. This bill recognizes that. It devotes resources to our drone producers, solid rocket motor manufacturers, and shipbuilders. Mississippians are building sea-based rocket launch platforms that can help our military run missile interception drills, and this NDAA supports their work. The bill will keep our state on the cutting edge of defense technology — bringing investments to our research universities, innovative startups, and advanced manufacturing companies.
I will continue advocating for Mississippi’s defense priorities as this bill moves from the committee to the full U.S. Senate. The legislation is historic, bearing the highest dollar figure of any defense bill in our history. But deterrence is worth every penny. By investing in defense today, I hope to prevent tomorrow’s wars and secure peace and prosperity for coming generations.
