Despite the federal government shutdown, the Senate passed its version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last week, which includes funding for North Carolina military installations.
It now clears the way for the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to negotiate a compromise bill and send it back to both chambers for a vote before going to President Trump for his signature.
In addition to increasing funding for North Carolina military installations, the bill includes numerous provisions to improve readiness and quality of life for troops, protect the US, and strengthen alliances abroad.
“Today, the Senate passed one of the most important legislative priorities to enable the modernization of our military and strengthen of our national security,” said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-MS in a press release. “This year’s NDAA reflects the severity of the threat environment we find ourselves in – one that we have not faced since World War II.”
He said the bill centers on two main themes: rebuild and reform, including drone technology, shipbuilding, and innovative low-cost weapons.
“We have also set out to enact historic reforms in the Pentagon’s budgeting and acquisition process to unleash innovation and root out inefficiencies,” Wicker continued.
Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed said it’s a good, bipartisan bill that supports the troops and strengthens America’s security.
“It provides essential resources for servicemembers and their families, modernizes key platforms, and invests in critical technologies like hypersonics, AI, and cybersecurity,” he said in the press release. “This NDAA also bolsters our posture against China and Russia, supports America’s allies, and prepares the Department of Defense for emerging threats.”
US Sen. Ted Budd, R-NC, a member of the SASC, was instrumental in getting the funding for the state military installations and manufacturers, and the passage of many provisions in the bill.
“North Carolina has long stood at the forefront of America’s military strength, and I was proud to deliver key victories for our state and our nation in the FY 2026 NDAA that will further empower our servicemembers and strengthen our forces both at home and abroad,” he said in a press release on Friday. “Last night, the Senate passed this historic defense package that enhances military facilities, reinforces air superiority, cuts burdensome regulations, combats terrorism, and ends discriminatory affirmative action policies at our service academies. America’s strength rests on the unmatched lethality of its armed forces, and this year’s NDAA reaffirms that commitment by advancing our military’s readiness to confront any threat and its resolve to defend the cause of freedom against any adversary.”
Budd’s bipartisan Seized Iranian Arms Transfer Authorization (SEIZE) Act was among the 55 amendments that were included and passed. According to the press release, the amendment streamlines the process for taking ownership over confiscated Iranian weapons seized in transit to terror proxies like the Houthi’s in Yemen. It also bypasses a potential year-long legal process for the distribution of captured Iranian weapons and equipment held by US Central Command, allowing it to be sent to US military partners around the globe.
He also co-sponsored the bipartisan Comprehensive Operations for Unmanned-System Neutralization and Threat Elimination Response (COUNTER) Act, which also passed the Senate as an amendment to the FY26 NDAA. The amendment enhances airspace security at military installations.
Budd also championed several key priorities he says were aimed at improving the quality of life for the military and their families, including:
- Providing a 3.8% raise across the board for service members
- Creating a pilot program to improve Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates for North Carolina service members and their families
- Prohibiting affirmative action in the US Service Academies’ admissions
- Cutting burdensome environmental regulations that prohibit the Defense Department from procuring basic items
- Accelerating the development, prototyping, and deployment of mobile nuclear microreactor systems to enhance energy resilience and forward-deployed power capability for US military operations
The FY 2026 NDAA authorizes more than $700 million for military construction projects and planning and design funding at facilities across North Carolina. Budd successfully worked to include authorizing provisions to support the following facilities, programs, and units:
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
- Authorizing $40M in funding to boost the F-35 Aircraft Sustainment Center
- Authorizing $15M in funding to design the next phase of the Flightline Utilities Modernization project
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
- Authorizing $34M in funding for the expansion of the Special Operations Forces Combat Service Support/Motor Transport
- Authorizing $90M in funding to boost the Special Operations Forces Marine Raider Battalion Operations Facility
- Authorizing $48.28M in funding to boost Amphibious Combat Vehicle Shelters
Fort Bragg
- Authorizing $19M in funding to boost the Automated Infantry Platoon Battle Course
- Authorizing $24M in funding to complete the construction of the Aircraft Maintenance Hangar
- Authorizing $80M in funding to improve the Fort’s power generation and microgrid
- Authorizing $32M in funding for the Special Operations Forces Mission Command Center
- Authorizing $80M in funding to boost the Special Operations Forces Operational Ammunition Supply Point
- Authorizing $5M in funding for the Pathfinder Airborne Program to improve soldier readiness
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base
- Authorizing $54M in funding to improve the Child Development Center
- Authorizing $41M in funding to boost the Combat Arms Training and Maintenance Complex
North Carolina National Guard
- Authorizing $69M in funding for the Aircraft Maintenance Hangar Addition/Alteration project at Salisbury Training Center
North Carolina Manufacturers & Projects
- Authorizing $34M in funding to procure Infantry Squad Vehicles manufactured in Concord, which will support the Army Transformation Initiative
- Authorizing $4M in funding to procure rare earth magnets manufactured in Durham
- Authorizing $8M in funding to procure Army Load-Carrying Technology Advancements built in Concord
- Authorizing $5M in funding to expand the Defense Innovation Unit OnRamp Hub, which Senator Budd has advocated for bringing to North Carolina
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