The Senate’s draft version of next fiscal year’s defense authorization bill provides $682.5 billion for national defense discretionary programs, $6.4 billion less than President Obama’s $688.9 billion request. The Senate Armed Services Committee approved the draft legislation last week, authorizing $547.1 billion for the Pentagon’s base budget ($5.9 billion less than Obama’s $553 billion request), $117.3 billion for the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq ($537 million less), and some $18.1 billion (minor addition) for Energy Department national security programs, according to the release summarizing the committee’s marks. Among the Air Force-related highlights, the SASC fully funded F-35A procurement (19 aircraft) and development of the next-generation bomber. The committee also authorized the block purchase of two Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications satellites using a fixed-price contract and with incremental funding. It permitted the Air Force to retire six B-1 bombers, but prohibited any U-2 retirements until the Defense Department certifies that its planned successor, the RQ-4 Global Hawk, costs less to operate and sustain. The House provided roughly $690 billon in its version of the Fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill passed in May.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.