NDIA lauds draft defense bill 'to reverse readiness decline'

ARLINGTON, VA -- The National Defense Industrial Association supports the reform and rebuilding initiatives in the House Armed Services Committee’s Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act draft bill.

The bill realigns defense resources to fund essential capabilities needed to counter threats in an era of renewed great power competition. Replacing outdated and maintenance-intensive equipment, expanding our maritime capacity, increasing training opportunities for our warfighters, recapitalizing our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, and reforming the procurement process optimize available resources to confront the military and economic challenges of our peer competitors. The proposed bill defines specific deficiencies in current and future pilot inventory and increases funding to begin tackling shortfalls.

Additionally, this bill counters our competitors’ investment in directed energy lasers and hypersonic technology by adding funding to those systems and in strategic areas, including missile defense and space warfighting. Also, added security cooperation initiatives will expand interoperability among U.S., allied and partner forces while supporting the defense industrial base. The bill’s additional resources for kinetic and nonkinetic warfare demonstrate congressional commitment to transformational capabilities. 

Sequestration imposed crippling constraints on resources needed to protect the American homeland; this bill continues congressional efforts begun in 2018 to reverse our readiness decline, holds the service branches responsible for achieving and maintaining adequate readiness levels, and ensures U.S. forces have the capabilities and capacity to deter and defeat potential adversaries and protect the homeland.   

For questions, more information or to set up an interview with Wes Hallman, NDIA’s policy senior vice president, contact Evamarie Socha, esocha@ndia.org or (703) 247-2579.