WASHINGTON, D.C.(Press Release) — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today applauded the Senate’s passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2025. Thune highlighted the bill’s full funding of the B-21 mission at Ellsworth Air Force Base, critical Ellsworth military construction funding, much-needed modernization directives, and other Thune-led provisions. Thune also spoke about Senate Republicans’ commitment to prioritizing national security at a recentpress conference.
“The men and women of Ellsworth Air Force Base carry out a critical mission in service to America’s national defense, and South Dakotans have cause to celebrate with this year’s National Defense Authorization Act,” said Thune. “The B-21 mission will be supported by the authorization of key infrastructure and facilities, and service members everywhere will receive sizable salary increases, particularly junior enlisted members.
“However, years of Washington Democrats neglecting national defense will not be remedied by one piece of legislation. We have too many planes that can’t fly, ships that can’t go out to sea, and a Pentagon culture that has clouded sight of its primary mission. The incoming Senate Republican majority will work closely with the Trump-Vance administration to make smart national security investments to keep our homeland safe, and we will do so early next year.”
U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the top Republican member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, released the following statement on the final passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25). Rounds authored 40 provisions in this year’s NDAA.
“This year marks the 64th consecutive National Defense Authorization Act that will be signed into law,”said Rounds. “Each year, my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee and I put politics aside to craft this piece of legislation that is critical for our national defense. The provisions are designed to support our men and women in uniform by doing everything we can to make certain they never enter a fair fight and always have the upper hand over our adversaries.
“This year’s NDAA includes several critical provisions for our men and women in uniform, including a 4.5% pay raise for troops and an additional 10% raise for E-1 through E-4 enlisted troops. It also authorizes $282 million in projects at Ellsworth Air Force Base to support the bed down of the B-21 bomber, as well as $2.6 billion for procurement of B-21s. There are several provisions in the NDAA that fight back against ‘woke’ Department of Defense policies, helping return our military to a focus on warfighting and lethality instead of diversity, equity and inclusion policies that distract from the DoD’s true mission of defending our nation.
“I am pleased that this bipartisan legislation is heading to the president’s desk to be signed into law.”
This is the tenth NDAA that Rounds has helped craft as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Inlast year’s bill, Rounds authored 33 provisions, which were ultimately adopted and signed into law. This included thecreation of a congressional charter for the National American Indian Veterans organization. In 2023, Roundswas named one of the most ef
NDAA priorities for South Dakota include:
- Full B-21 funding, including $2.65 billion for research and development and $2.68 billion for procurement
- $282 million for FY 2025 Ellsworth military construction, including:
- B-21 squadron operations facility, $44 million
- Alert Apron B-21 environmental protection shelters, $79 million
- Additional B-21 environmental protection shelters, $54 million
- B-21 weapons generation facility completion, $105 million
- Protects Ellsworth from the permanent divestment of its B-1 fleet during its transformation, while keeping relocated airmen closer to their families
- Requires clarification of TRICARE emergency travel coverage for families who can’t access specialty care near their homes
- Directs the Army to report on the feasibility and cost of acquiring and fielding portable, drone-agnostic droppable munitions
- Leverages artificial intelligence against the “data swamp” of digital data generated by equipment like the B-1 and B-21, to inform maintenance, procurement, and detection of system intrusion
- Directs the Air Force to develop a plan for modernizing all 25 fighter aircraft squadrons in the Air National Guard
- Total FY25 NDAA topline: $895.2 billion ($883.7 billion within SASC/HASC jurisdiction)
- $849.9 billion for Department of Defense programs
- $33.3 billion for Department of Energy and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Review Board
- $512.4 million for defense-related activities
- Other jurisdictions bring the total to $895.2 billion
The bill passed on a 85-14 vote and now heading to President Biden’s desk for signature or veto.