Bacon Lauds Progress on FY27 Defense Policy Bill

This press release from Representative Don Bacon (R-NE) was published on 2026-06-09 and titled "Bacon Lauds Progress on FY27 Defense Policy Bill".

Bacon Lauds Progress on FY27 Defense Policy Bill

Bacon Lauds Progress on FY27 Defense Policy Bill Washington, D.C. – Rep. Don Bacon (NE-02), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation Subcommittee (CITI), voted in favor of advancing H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27 NDAA). The bill was reported out of committee on June 5 by a vote of 44-12. The annual legislation, which contains 33 amendments and provisions authored by Rep. Bacon, authorizes defense spending and sets the policy and priorities for the Armed Forces. “Once again, the House Armed Services Committee has shown why it remains one of the most bipartisan and productive committees in Congress,” said Chairman Bacon after completing his tenth and final full-committee markup of the NDAA . “At a time when restoring American deterrence requires serious investment, this year’s bill makes clear that Congress is committed to providing for the common defense. In my final NDAA markup, our office delivered our strongest result yet, securing 33 provisions and amendments in this year’s bill. We are running through the finish line and continuing to deliver serious wins for military readiness, nuclear command and control, cyber defense, defense innovation, and support for our servicemembers and military families. I am grateful to my hardworking team and colleagues on the committee for months of work that made this possible. I look forward to advancing this important legislation through the House.” Highlights from the committee’s FY 2027 bill include: Raises all servicemembers’ pay by 5 to 7% and improves housing, education, and access to childcare for military families Restores defense spending to 4.5% of GDP, the level needed to deter conflict and ensure America leads by example as our allies increase their own defense spending Expands U.S. production capacity, unleashes private sector investment, opens the door to new and innovative entrants, reduces needless regulations, and creates thousands of skilled jobs for Americans Rebuilds depleted stockpiles by providing the authorities and resources required to expedite the production and acquisition of munitions and key warfighting capabilities Invests in the capabilities needed to maintain a strong U.S. posture. It strengthens nuclear deterrence, expands missile defense, and provides resources and authorities to counter adversaries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea Ensures our warfighters have the capabilities they need to prevail in future conflicts by accelerating innovation and prioritizing cutting-edge technologies like hypersonics and autonomous systems Streamlines DoD operations and cuts billions in wasteful programs by standing up a new task force and providing necessary resources to achieve a full and clean audit within 24 months In addition, the committee’s bill contains 33 Bacon-backed legislative proposals, amendments, and funding priorities, including: Requiring the Air Force to provide the timing and requirements for selection of Looking Glass-Next, including the feasibility and affordability of a business jet solution, platform dependencies, and a recommended acquisition strategy and multi-year funding profile Authorizing $2.2 billion in funding for the Survivable Airborne Operations Center Authorizing $660 million in funding for three EA-37B Compass Call aircraft Directing the Department to examine the feasibility and advisability of establishing a pilot program to deploy an advanced nuclear microreactor or small modular reactor to provide primary and redundant power to mission-critical facilities of U.S. Strategic Command Providing $175 million for the Baltic Security Initiative Directing the Army to report on the feasibility of establishing dedicated Army Prepositioned Stocks in each Baltic state and Romania Directing U.S. European Command to assess integrated air and missile defense in the Baltic region, including efforts to enhance Baltic IAMD in coordination with NATO allies and partners Directing U.S. European Command to assess the feasibility and requirements for expanding training ranges and live-fire opportunities in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania Requiring the Department to carry out a program providing for long-range aerial transport of individuals infected with high-consequence infectious diseases Requiring a policy to guide the development and acquisition of quantum computing systems for the Department of Defense Directing the Department to provide a plan to transition hypersonic weapon technologies from science and technology, prototyping, and middle-tier acquisition efforts into major acquisition capabilities Providing $15 million in funding for the Pathfinder Additional Bacon-backed priorities include provisions to advance physics-based alternative positioning, navigation, and timing capabilities; keep adversary AI companies excluded from Department of Defense systems and devices; develop emerging cryptographic capabilities