{"id":26579,"date":"2021-12-15T17:19:25","date_gmt":"2021-12-15T17:19:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/12\/15\/congress-passes-defense-policy-bill-with-budget-boost-military-justice-reforms\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:35:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:35:18","slug":"congress-passes-defense-policy-bill-with-budget-boost-military-justice-reforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/home\/2021\/12\/15\/congress-passes-defense-policy-bill-with-budget-boost-military-justice-reforms\/","title":{"rendered":"Congress passes defense policy bill with budget boost, military justice reforms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After months of debate and weeks of angst, the Senate on Wednesday voted 88-11 to finalize plans for a $740 billion authorization bill for the Department of Defense<\/a>, sending the sweeping military policy measure to the White House for the 61st consecutive year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move codifies the annual 2.7% pay raise for troops<\/a> in 2022, backs $25 billion more in military spending for fiscal 2022 than the White House requested and overhauls how certain sexual misconduct crimes are prosecuted<\/a> under military rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what the bill doesn\u2019t include has gotten more attention than what it does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To speed up passage, congressional leaders dropped language to add women to the Selective Service System for potential future conscription, scaled back plans for even more dramatic military justice changes and dumped several other provisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Completion of the bill \u2014 considered \u201cmust pass\u201d legislation by congressional leaders each year because of the hundreds of reauthorization and policy reforms it includes \u2014 appeared in doubt as recently as two weeks ago, when Senate lawmakers still had not completed preliminary work usually done in late summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That prompted House and Senate Armed Services Committee leaders to ditch the typical conference and amendment process<\/a> in favor of a simplified compromise bill, frustrating lawmakers from both parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But both Republican and Democratic leaders praised the final product as providing key support for the military in an uncertain global environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt addresses a broad range of pressing issues, from strategic competition with China and Russia, to disruptive technologies like hypersonics, [artificial intelligence], and quantum computing, to modernizing our ships, aircraft, and vehicles,\u201d Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt provides our forces with the resources and support they need to defend our nation, makes historic reforms to help improve the lives of our service members, and takes important steps to care for their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile the process has been imperfect, I\u2019m glad that bipartisan work has produced a bill that authorizes an increase in top-line funding for our national defense,\u201d Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell<\/a>, R-Ky., said ahead of a procedural vote Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Joe Biden has signaled he will sign the measure into law in coming days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More defense spending<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers\u2019 biggest addition to the defense bill in recent months was arguably the $25 billion in additional military spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

White House officials and House progressives complained in recent months the money was unnecessary, given significant defense funding plus-ups over the past four years under former President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the extra funding found bipartisan backing in both chambers, with supporters pointing to military build-ups by Russia and China. Moderate Democrats said the money was needed to boost research and development spending, and future budget plans from Biden should follow suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve lost a lot of ground to the Chinese while we\u2019ve been focused over the last 20 years on counterterrorism and counterinsurgency, and they\u2019ve caught up in [artificial intelligence], machine learning, hypersonics and a lot of other things,\u201d said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee\u2019s panel on emerging threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to me that we can regain the ground we\u2019ve lost and make sure the Defense Department is well manned and well equipped.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., echoed that sentiment in a floor speech Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Biden administration originally proposed a top-line defense spending increase \u2026 that would not have kept pace with inflation even in a normal year,\u201d she said. \u201cBut in a year when it is threatening to spiral out of control, it would have meant an unacceptable cut in resources for our military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[This bill] offers an increase of $25 billion on top of President Biden\u2019s proposal, and we came together across party lines to agree to that because it is what our military needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t