Opinion: 2024 defense bill protects nation and supports troops

The following editorial was originally published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

I recently voted with a majority of the House of Representatives to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024. This annual legislation secures the future of our armed forces, supports our courageous servicemembers and their families, and enacts key policy reforms.

As a member of the House Armed Services Committee and former US Marine, I was honored to play a significant role in constructing the NDAA, adding multiple amendments to improve both our nation’s warfighting capabilities and the quality of life for those who serve in uniform. They deserve all the benefits these new policies will bring.

First off, our NDAA includes a 5.2% basic pay increase for servicemembers, with a monthly bonus for junior enlisted members, while expanding the Basic Needs Allowance for low-income households. It is our duty to offset high inflation and the rising cost of living, and the men and women of our Armed Forces should not have to worry about getting a tank of gas or feeding their families.

Speaking of families, we also authorized over $240 million to reduce out-of-pocket housing expenses for servicemembers to counteract skyrocketing rent across the country. We have expanded the reimbursements available to spouses for when they have to pull up stakes and get a new business license or certification when their family has to transfer locations—and required the Defense Health Agency to look at hiring qualified spouses while they wait for their professional licenses to come through. Our NDAA also reduces childcare fees, builds new childcare centers, and expands a host of medical and psychiatric health options, so that all military families can be healthy and happy, wherever home may be.

Of course, while taking care of military families is a top priority, the purpose of the American military is to be a lean, mean, fighting machine. Our goal in the 2024 NDAA was to cut costs while maximizing lethality and effectiveness in every arena, and I believe we succeeded.

We have cut inefficient programs, obsolete weapons, and unnecessary Pentagon bureaucracy, saving taxpayers $40 billion—5% of current defense spending levels. At the same time, we provide for America’s dominance on the world stage, funding modernization of our nuclear triad, rejecting the Biden administration’s attempt to cancel the Sea-Launched Cruise Missile program, and promoting our hypersonic research and workforce.

For Georgia in particular, we provided construction funding for the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, authorized over $30 million for heavy equipment for the Georgia National Guard, and preserved the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center (also known as the Air Dominance Center).

We addressed another issue of great concern to many Americans, especially veterans: the Pentagon’s politicization of the military. This bill ends the so-called “Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion” and terminates the “Defense Countering Extremism Work Group” used to unfairly target conservatives and people with traditional values. We’ve banned “Critical Race Theory” and radical gender ideology from DoD-run schools—that means no drag shows, drag queen story hours, or any more drag queen “Digital Ambassadors” online humiliating our Armed Forces. And before you ask, yes, the Navy actually hired one!

Our NDAA also bans the Department of Defense from any future projects that threaten to censor American citizens or keep them from reading news from sources they trust. The military is a place for meritocracy and discipline, not political games and indoctrination.

Finally, it is just as important to care for our honored veterans after their service as it is to support them during it. That’s why I introduced the Wounded Warrior Bill of Rights as an amendment to the NDAA. This legislation allows veterans to effectively appeal decisions made regarding their medical separation from service and entitlement to disability benefits. We cannot allow Washington bureaucrats to drown servicemembers in paperwork and obscure rules while they are trying to heal and care for their families.

As I write this, the Senate has just passed its own version of the NDAA, unfortunately lacking many of the crucial reforms we have in our bill. These differences will be hashed out in the “reconciliation process” when Congress returns from recess after August. For the good of our country, I urge my Senate colleagues to adopt the House NDAA intact. It will strengthen our military, defend our country, and support the courageous men and women who protect us every day.

Rep. Rich McCormick is a former Marine pilot and Navy physician who represents Georgia’s 6^th District in Congress and serves on the House Armed Services Committee.