Senate Passes National Defense Authorization Act Containing Over $11 Billion in Hirono-led Provisions to Strengthen National Security

~ Within the FY25 NDAA, Hirono secured over $2 billion for infrastructure in Hawaii and over $9 billion for projects, capabilities, and exercises to support the Indo-Pacific region ~

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, voted to pass the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in the U.S. Senate, securing several key provisions for Hawaii and the Indo-Pacific region, U.S. military servicemembers, and the maintenance and modernization of Department of Defense (DOD) infrastructure. Senator Hirono’s provisions include over $2 billion for infrastructure projects in Hawaii, over $9 billion for initiatives to support our allies and strengthen deterrence throughout the Indo-Pacific region, and the creation of a new “major mishaps” incident classification within the DOD to bolster accountability. In addition to the provisions Senator Hirono secured, the NDAA also provides a 4.5% pay raise for all servicemembers and a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted servicemembers. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 85-14 and now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

“This year’s NDAA invests in critical DOD infrastructure, bolsters national security and readiness, supports our servicemembers, and delivers for the people of Hawaii,” said Senator Hirono. “As Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, I’m proud to have helped secure provisions to increase pay for military personnel and ensure servicemembers and their families can access and afford basic needs like child care and health care. I am also glad the bill contains a provision I introduced following the Red Hill fuel spills to create a new classification for major mishaps within the DOD to ensure a more thorough investigative process and provide for greater oversight and accountability of such incidents.

While this NDAA takes important steps to ensure the readiness of our military and the health and safety of our servicemembers, it’s unfortunate Republicans demanded the inclusion of a cruel and unnecessary amendment preventing TRICARE from providing gender-affirming care, despite our efforts to strip it from the bill. I’ll continue working to support our servicemembers and their families and fighting to ensure they have access to the care and benefits they need.”

Throughout the negotiation process, Senate Democrats also successfully prevented Republicans from adding provisions to the bill that would, among other things, block the Pentagon’s policy to reimburse troops who travel to seek reproductive health care; eliminate DOD’s climate change mitigation efforts; and eliminate DOD’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

The FY 2025 NDAA includes several of Senator Hirono’s key priorities, including:

Bolstering Critical Infrastructure

• Increases to $30 million the threshold of authority for the Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command to conduct minor military construction projects to improve posture throughout the Indo-Pacific Region. 

• Authorizes over $600 million in additional funding to repair and improve enlisted barracks. 

• Requires the Navy to conduct more extensive planning on large military construction projects to more accurately identify operational mission need dates, and to routinely brief Congress on the status of the Pearl Harbor Dry Dock construction project until it is completed, including an assessment of the likelihood of cost overruns and steps being taken to avoid further cost overruns. 

• Requires DOD to designate two officials, one for Hawaii and one for Guam/Northern Mariana Islands, responsible for the coordination of infrastructure projects with state and local governments and the community to support additional servicemembers and their families who will be stationed in these locations over the next 10 years. 

• Directs DOD to implement all of the Inspector General Report recommendations related to issues identified at Defense Fuel Support Points around the world to prevent future fuel leaks.

• Equalizes the structure of jointly based services (such as those at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam) by requiring each military department with responsibility for a joint base to submit a prioritized list of military construction projects to Congress. This will help to ensure tenant Services receive equitable prioritization for infrastructure funds from the host Service. 

• Directs the Navy to brief Congress on its plan to repair ship and submarine berths and piers, including the surface ship piers at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, to include a timeline and funding necessary to secure a more resilient source of energy for its ship and submarine piers and berths.

Delivering for Hawaii

• Authorizes over $2.2 billion in DOD investment in Hawaii facilities, to include:
• $1.2 billion for Dry Dock 3 replacement at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam.
• $505 million for the Water Treatment Plant at Red Hill, Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam.
• $231 million for a Wheeler Army Airfield Aircraft Maintenance Hangar.
• $20 million for an Airfield Operations Building at Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA).
• $203.5 million for a Hangar and Parking Apron at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
• $94 million for Electrical Distribution and Modernization at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
• $36.6 million for a Hawaii Air National Guard Space Control Center at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam. 

• As a follow-up to the Red Hill fuel leak to bolster accountability within the Department of Defense, the NDAA establishes a new DOD-wide classification system for “major mishap incidents,” defined as incidents that surpass $500,000,000 in damage or loss and have a significant effect on national security. If an incident meets these criteria and is designated by the Secretary of Defense, the DOD will be required to appoint a two-star Admiral or General as the investigating officer and complete the investigation within 12 months. The provision also requires mandatory follow-on reports to Congress until all disciplinary actions are completed. 

• Authorizes over $100 million for the procurement of a dual-use, FAA aviation safety and missile tracking radar in support of the defense of Hawaii. 

• Encourages DOD to finalize a memorandum of agreement with the State of Hawaii formalizing a long-term commitment to environmental restoration and remediation as well as a research program to determine the total volume and location of any contaminated soil. 

• Authorizes an additional $4 million above the President’s budget for the Pacific Intelligence and Innovation Initiative (P3I), which creates a local skilled workforce to meet DOD demand for intelligence, IT, and cyber professionals in Hawaii. 

• Requires the Army and Navy to coordinate a plan for the repair and maintenance of Kolekole Pass for emergency egress. 

• Requires DOD to provide an update on coordination efforts with the State of Hawaii to maintain or extend the Daniel K. Inouye Highway. 

• Requires the Secretary of Defense to enhance efforts to manage, control, and interdict the coconut rhinoceros beetle on military installations in Hawaii. 

• Directs an update from DOD on providing training for cultural adaptation and community orientation for servicemembers assigned to Hawaii and Joint Region Marianas.

 Supporting People

• Includes a 4.5 percent pay increase for more senior military personnel, and a significantly larger 14.5% increase for junior enlisted personnel to enhance quality of life and bolster recruiting/retention. It also includes a 2 percent pay raise for DOD civilian employees.  

• Increases the Basic Needs Allowance (BNA) for qualifying servicemembers to 200% of the federal poverty guidelines to help military families better afford basic needs.
• Authorizes an increase of $50 million of Impact Aid to support schools located near DOD concentration areas and an additional $20 million for children with severe disabilities.  

• Includes a provision that would establish contraception coverage parity under TRICARE, eliminating insurance co-pays, to bring military healthcare in line with civilian healthcare. 

• Expands access to and capacity of military child care programs.  

• Improves on my previous work with the Stayskal Act by adjusting the DOD medical malpractice claims process to require that a medical expert be board-certified in the medical specialty related to the underlying claim. 

• Directs the Secretary of Defense to carry out a three-year demonstration program to reimburse covered members for expenses incurred in the retrieval, testing, cryopreservation, shipping, and storage of gametes. 

• Requires the Secretaries of the Military Departments, in coordination with the Defense Logistics Agency, to develop a plan to allow for quick access to all required uniform items. 

• Includes multiple provisions to improve DOD efforts related to traumatic brain injury. 

• Codifies the authority to hire military spouses into noncompetitive appointments in the civil service. 

• Authorizes the military services to provide travel and transportation allowances to pay for the shipping of two privately owned vehicles during military moves (current law limits reimbursement for only one vehicle). 

• Authorizes free high-speed internet access and wireless network connections to be provided to servicemembers who reside in unaccompanied housing within the United States.  

• Encourages the Defense Department to implement recommendations contained in three separate Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports related to improving the Department’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and directs a briefing detailing the progress in implementing all of the outstanding GAO recommendations.

 Strengthening Our Ability to Protect the Indo-Pacific Region

• Authorizes almost $10 billion for Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) related items and requires a plan for more effective budgeting for PDI in future years. 

• Directs DOD to create a pilot program for advanced manufacturing (3D printing) in the Indo-Pacific to expedite the building of ship repair parts and autonomous systems. 

• Requires a plan for the establishment of a joint force headquarters subordinate to INDOPACOM in Japan. 

• Authorizes the Commander of INDOPACOM to carry out campaigning exercises that will strengthen alliances and partnerships, deter aggression by adversaries, and allow the U.S. Armed Forces to coordinate and operate with foreign military partners in the region. 

• Authorizes a second Virginia-class attack submarine and a third Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. 

• Authorizes the Navy to allow U.S. homeported ships (including those in Hawaii) to do up to 21 days of maintenance at foreign shipyards with a cap on the cumulative amount of work of 2% that can be performed of the average total workload in individual homeports. This provision will support the Navy’s need to exercise wartime battle damage repairs at overseas locations while protecting Hawaii’s vital ship repair and maintenance industry. 

• Requires DOD to establish a cross-functional team to implement the recommendations of the Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) reform. 

• Includes a variety of DOD acquisition reform proposals to streamline the delivery of critical weapons system procurement and save taxpayer money. 

• Establishes a medical readiness program with Indo-Pacific partner nations to ensure access to foreign medical facilities during peacetime and wartime operations. 

• Requires a multi-year plan for DOD activities to establish a regional contingency stockpile for Taiwan. 

• Requires a report on the military cooperation between China and Russia and the implications of such for U.S. national security. 

• Requires a plan for ensuring comprehensive ballistic missile defense radar coverage of Guam against simultaneous ballistic missile threats from China and North Korea.

 Prioritizing Sustainability and the Environment

• Authorizes $10 million for the Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative (REPI) Program above the President’s budget request of $177 million. REPI has funded many projects in Hawaii since its inception. 

• Includes $16.3 million of Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program funding for solar panel covered parking and EV charging station at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam. 

• Authorizes $7 billion for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) defense environmental cleanup activities. 

• Directs the Army to provide a briefing regarding Hawaiian Homelands that surround DOD testing facilities that assess advanced surveillance technologies to locate munitions and unexploded ordnance (UXO) and a schedule of upcoming surveying events. 

• Directs the Navy to mitigate the further spread of the invasive octocoral found in Pearl Harbor. 

• Requires DOD to prioritize the recycling of critical materials and where possible, source materials derived from recycled and reused minerals and metals.  

• Directs a briefing on DOD efforts to enhance military installation resilience through the scaling and adaptation of the DOD Climate Assessment Tool. 

• Directs a briefing on the risks related to flooding and other natural disasters that threaten military installations and surrounding civilian infrastructure. 

• Requires the Defense Department to brief Congress on policies for situations where an environmental release at an overseas base migrates off the installation.

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