FACTSHEET
No. 275 | AUGUST 8, 2024
This paper, in its entirety, can be found at https://report.heritage.org/fs275
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The Senate NDAA for FY 2025
THE ISSUE
The current Senate version of the National
Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2025
(FY 2025 NDAA) contains critical funding for
the U.S. Indo–Pacific Command and increased
funding for shipbuilding, but it does not ade-
quately address divisive, politicized problems
at the Department of Defense (DOD). Most
egregiously, the Senate NDAA includes a provi-
sion to register women for the draft, a measure
that is widely and correctly opposed by the
American public, including most American
women. The Senate NDAA is therefore a mixed
bag that contains many important provisions
for U.S. national security but also some very
objectionable provisions that most Americans
would oppose.
Unlike the House version of the FY 2025
NDAA, which adheres to the defense spending
cap in the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), the
Senate version contains an additional $25
billion in defense spending. To its credit, this
increased defense spending is focused on the
Indo–Pacific and procurement of the ships,
planes, and munitions needed to deter China—
but this should be done within the parameters
of the FRA, given the United States’ perilous
fiscal condition.
THE GOOD:
l
The bill reinserts funding for a second
Virginia-class submarine, supporting the
Navy’s mission in the Indo–Pacific and
reassuring Australia of the viability of
the planned future sale of Virginia-class
submarines as part of AUKUS (the security
partnership among Australia, the United
Kingdom, and the United States).
l
The bill fences o funding for the Constella-
tion-class frigate program instead of zeroing
it out (as the House version did), extending
a lifeline to a program that will be critical to
the U.S. Indo–Pacific security strategy.
l
The bill authorizes increased funding for the
procurement of precision-guided munitions.
l
The bill increases shipbuilding by buying a
third Arleigh Burke–class destroyer.
l
The bill authorizes funding for the
nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise mis-
sile (SLCM-N).
l
The bill contains substantial support to the
U.S. mission in the Indo–Pacific, including
full funding of the Pacific Deterrence
Initiative and authorization for a new Indo–
Pacific Security Assistance Initiative.
THE BAD:
l
The bill fails to address the politicized
initiatives on diversity, equity, and inclusion
(DEI) and climate change at the DOD.
l
The bill contains insucient safeguards
against Chinese malign foreign influence.
l
The bill containsan unfunded coverage
mandate for universal in vitro fertilization
(IVF) for servicemembers and their depen-
dents, estimated to cost approximately $1
billion annually. Due to the fixed amount of
funding for defense health care programs,
this provision would either force reductions
in military medical readiness or lead to
