U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) on Dec. 17 applauded the Senate’s passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, the annual bill that sets policy for the U.S. military.
Wicker, the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the bill would help the military protect the United States against growing foreign threats.
“Not since the era of World War II has our nation faced an axis of aggressors across multiple theaters seeking to dismantle American influence. The bill we now send to the president’s desk is a reflection of that reality and an appropriate response,” Wicker said. “In this NDAA, my colleagues and I have prioritized the structural rebuilding of the arsenal of democracy and returning the department to its warfighting mission. Crucially, it also contains the most sweeping upgrades to the Pentagon’s business practices in 60 years—a watershed moment for our military.”
Wicker said the bill would set the country on a path to modernizing the military’s defense capabilities and to augment drone manufacturing, shipbuilding and low-cost weapon innovations.
The bill includes FY26 Defense $855.7 billion for the Department of Defense, $34.3 billion for the Department of Energy, $500 million for other defense-related activities, and $10 billion for defense-related activities outside of NDAA jurisdiction for a total of $900.6 billion.
Wicker said the legislation will enable the United States to deter aggression from increasingly hostile nations like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. The bill will also provide service members with new weapons systems, state-of-the-art technology tools, and investments in ships, aircraft and other vehicles.
Wicker said the legislation also made reforms to the acquisition process that will allow the Department of Defense to acquire military hardware and software quicker, including being able to tap into defense startups to secure technology innovations.
Among the funding decisions were a provision allowing the DoD to use progressive design build contracts for construction projects; a pilot program for wastewater surveillance to detect infectious diseases at military installations; a $50 million increase in Port Infrastructure Development Program funding; $10 million to support Artificial Intelligence enabled system for Army multi-domain operations; and $6 million to safeguard against cognitive hacking, foreign malice influence and propaganda.