WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), the first-ever North Dakotan to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), issued the following statement after SASC passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) out of committee:

“I am grateful for another opportunity to help craft the National Defense Authorization Act through my seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Providing for the defense of our nation is the top priority of the federal government, and the NDAA is our annual opportunity to fulfill that obligation. This year’s legislation is a win for North Dakota’s bases and servicemembers, with several important provisions to strengthen their missions and improve their livelihood. I thank Chairman Inhofe and Ranking Member Reed for their bipartisan leadership, and I hope my colleagues will join us in supporting it when it comes before the full Senate.”

SASC Chairman Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) issued the following statement regarding Senator Cramer’s work on this year’s NDAA:

“Senator Cramer has been a strong proponent of gearing our military up for the future of warfare, whether that’s in space, on land, or in the skies. He shares my belief that the best way to preserve peace is through credible deterrence – telling our adversaries that they just don’t stand a chance. I appreciate his support for our nuclear triad, for our military’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, and in particular for the Space Force, which we’re making sure is stood up effectively and efficiently. My thanks to Senator Cramer for his great work on the committee.”

The Fiscal Year 2021 NDAA is a $740.5 billion bill to provide for the national defense of the United States. It passed overwhelmingly out of SASC 25-2.

Specifically, this NDAA:

  • Prioritizes strategic competition with China and Russia,
  • Provides the requested 3 percent pay raise for our troops,
  • Advocates for the employment of military spouses and ensures the Defense Department provides high-quality and accessible child care,
  • Strengthens oversight and acquisition management,
  • Extends the limitations on importation of uranium from the Russian federation, and
  • Establishes a Defense Department reserve of strategic minerals and metals which will fully meet the strategic demands, eliminate import reliance on near-peer and peer competitors within 5 years, provide Defense with the supplies in the event of international supply disruptions, utilize and build off existing programs like the National Defense Stockpile, and ensure the United States is no longer wholly reliant on China for the processing or manufacturing of these resources.

Learn more here.

Under Senator Cramer’s leadership, the SASC-passed NDAA contains funding authorization and language for missions both directly and indirectly impacting North Dakota’s military community. It advances nuclear modernization; Space Force; the Arctic Mission; National Guard members; and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) efforts.

Specifically, this NDAA:

Minot

  • Continues to prioritize a defense modernization strategy which includes fully funding the B-52 program and almost $1.5B for the Minuteman III replacement.
    • Includes language prohibiting the drawdown or reduction of ICBMs to any lower than 400.
    • Directs the Air Force Secretary, in consultation with the Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, to provide a report on the transition from the Minuteman III to the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent.
    • Ensures a constantly vigilant strategic deterrent to keep U.S. nuclear deterrent credible and modernized for decades.
  • Funds the MH-139 Gray Wolf helicopter as a replacement for the aging UH-1 helicopters at Minot.
  • Funds $66M in military construction for a consolidated airfield operations building at Minot Air Force Base.

Grand Forks

  • Limits the retirement of any RQ-4 Global Hawk aircraft until the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certifies that Combatant Commands will not lose ISR capability or capacity.
  • Encourages expeditiously building of Space Force with focus on minimizing bureaucratic structures to allow for innovative solutions.
    • Directs Space Force to continue working with research institutions, like the University of North Dakota (UND), in areas like autonomous platforms and policy, supply chains, and cybersecurity.
  • Funds $3M for extreme cold weather research performed by several universities including UND.
  • Funds $3M towards USMC Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) for mission planning and re-planning for an ISR mission for a UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) for a duration greater than 5 days.

Fargo

  • Provides $32M in military construction for the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Fargo.
  • Authorizes $17.5M for a Consolidated Remote Piloted Aircraft Operations Facility for the 119th Wing.
  • Prevents the premature shutdown of the MQ-9 production line by putting $170M into the purchase of new aircraft.

Cavalier

  • Funds operations of the Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS), a part of the Radar Warning System designed to detect and provide warning in the case of a Surface-Launched Ballistic Missile attack against North America at Cavalier Air Space Station.

“As we move ahead,” said Senator Cramer, “I look forward to working with my colleagues to further advance our USS Frank E. Evans legislation and to properly organize the budget process at the National Nuclear Security Administration.”