The U.S. Senate passed the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) earlier this week to bipartisan approval and applause from the bill’s co-sponsors, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE).
The bill, which authorizes funding for the U.S. Department of Defense, passed the Senate by a vote of 92-7.
“This final bill makes important investments to support the men and women serving in our Armed Forces, strengthen our military capabilities, bolster our nation’s cyber defenses, and takes further steps to counter the ever-evolving threats to our national security,” Carper said.
The legislation also includes provisions related to border security as well as provisions from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Accountability Act of 2016.
“To address border security, I worked with stakeholders to establish baseline metrics for the Department of Homeland Security to measure the security along all of our borders,” Johnson said. “These metrics will help inform the administration and Congress in the coming months and years on where resources are most needed. For the first time, information collected by the department to inform these metrics will be consistent and available to the public.”
Johnson said language in the bill will allow the next administration to to use joint task forces to direct the DHS and its components to help secure the border and the nation.
Regarding DHS accountability provisions, the final NDAA bill strengthens responsibilities for the Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO) and requires that position to develop strategic workforce planning policies and performance measure to evaluate the planning efforts by DHS components.
The bill will also direct the President to submit to Congress a national strategy to combat terrorist travel and direct the head of relevant federal agencies to develop implementation plans and provide a report to Congress.
“These long-sought improvements will have a lasting impact on the operations of the Department of Homeland Security for years to come, and I am grateful for the partnership of both Secretary [Jeh] Johnson and Chairman Ron Johnson to finally get this crucial legislation across the finish line,” Carper said.