Troop pay, Ukraine and social issues: US Congress takes up the 2026 NDAA defence Bill
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The 2026 National Defence Authorisation Act, or NDAA, is a nearly US$1 trillion (S$1.3 trillion) Bill setting policy for the Pentagon.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- The US House will vote on the US$1 trillion 2026 NDAA, which covers defence policy, troop pay rises, and competition with China and Russia.
- The Bill provides substantial support for Ukraine, the Baltic states, Taiwan, and Israel, while reasserting Congress's war-declaration role.
- The NDAA includes a 4% pay raise for service members but omits some "culture war" measures, such as bans on gender-affirming care.
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WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives is due to vote this week on the final version of the 2026 National Defence Authorisation Act, or NDAA, a nearly US$1 trillion (S$1.3 trillion) Bill setting policy for the Pentagon that Congress has passed for 63 straight years.
Because it becomes law every year, Congress uses the NDAA as a vehicle for a wide range of initiatives: from pay raises for the troops, to competition with China and Russia, and major weapons programmes.
It is closely watched by major defence companies, such as Lockheed Martin, RTX and other firms that receive Department of Defence contracts.
Here are some highlights of this year’s Bill:
Programmes for Europe
Days after President Trump released a National Security Strategy
The Bill provides US$400 billion for Ukraine as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which pays US companies for weapons for Ukraine’s military. It also authorises the Baltic Security Initiative and provides US$175 million to support Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia’s defence.
The Bill also limits the Defence Department’s ability to drop the number of US forces in Europe to less than 76,000 and bars the US European Commander from giving up the title NATO Supreme Commander.
Combating China
The NDAA sets up a process for screening outbound investment in China, requiring Americans and US companies to alert the Department of the Treasury when they back sensitive technologies in China.
Treasury would also have more power to block such deals.
The NDAA also includes the “Biosecure Act”, which bars some Chinese biotech companies from receiving federal funding.
Amid concerns that China might try to invade Taiwan, the Bill fully funds the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative at US$1 billion, authorises funding for US forces to continue training for Taiwan and requires the Pentagon to seek to establish a joint programme with Taiwan to field drone and anti-drone systems.
The NDAA also authorises US$1.5 billion in new security assistance for the Philippines.
Middle East
The Bill includes extensive support for Israel, including full funding for cooperative missile defence programmes Iron Dome and David’s Sling. And it requires an ongoing assessment of international arms embargos against Israel, such as those responding to the war in Gaza, and an evaluation of whether the US can step in to fill Israel’s defence production needs.
The proposed NDAA repeals the tough “Caesar” sanctions imposed on Syria under its former leader Bashar al-Assad, a move seen as a key part of Syria’s economic recovery.
And it repeals the 1991 and 2002 Authorisations for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iraq, an attempt to reassert Congress’ role in deciding to send troops into combat.
Lawmakers have long argued that Congress has ceded too much authority to the president over whether troops should be sent into combat, by passing and then failing to repeal broad, open-ended war authorisations that presidents have then used to justify military action around the globe.
During his first term, Mr Trump said the 2002 AUMF provided legal authority for the 2020 killing in Iraq of senior Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.
Benefits for troops and ‘culture wars’
The 2026 NDAA includes a 4 per cent pay raise for all service members, and extends efforts to improve childcare and military housing. It also includes provisions to protect civilian workers for the defence department from losing their jobs, after Mr Trump and Mr Elon Musk’s DOGE operation this year slashed thousands of federal jobs.
The Bill does include some of the “culture war” efforts popular with politicians on the US right. One measure bars transgender women from participating in athletic programmes designated for women at US military academies. However, it does not include a ban on Defence Department-funding for gender-related medical treatment.
Expansion of coverage for in-vitro fertilisation for military families is not included in the final NDAA. It also does not contain funding for Mr Trump’s plan to change the name of the Department of Defence to the Department of War, an effort estimated to cost US$2 billion. REUTERS
