Rep. Sherrill Secures Defense Authorization Funds to Strengthen Picatinny Arsenal, Combat Climate Change, Lower Price of Insulin, Improve Childcare & Bolster Workforce Development for Servicemembers

Statement

Today, Navy veteran and Vice Chair of the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), participated in the committee mark-up of the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023, advancing the final bill out of committee.The NDAA is critical bipartisan legislation that Congress authors each year to establish defense priorities, make organizational shifts to military posture, and provide guidance on how military funding can be spent. This year's bill also includes critical efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions, develop new and sustainable fuels, and protect our environment.

The House of Representatives will now bring the NDAA to the floor for a vote.

"North Jersey plays a critical and strategic role in America's national defense and security," said Rep. Sherrill. "As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am proud to advocate for major investments in our defense capabilities, including the critical research and development work at Picatinny Arsenal, as well as support for our brave servicemembers and their families. With this year's NDAA, we are also combating the urgent security threat of climate change by bolstering development of clean energy, reducing our reliance on foreign oil, and cleaning up PFAS, or "forever chemical,' contamination.

"I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to shepherd the Committee-reported bill through the legislative process-- cementing these wins for NJ-11 and our country."

The NDAA also includes provisions that will strengthen Picatinny Arsenal, one of the largest employers in NJ-11, and support the work conducted there. Rep. Sherrill championed additional funding for the following programs:

An increase of $70 million for the Strategic Long-Range Cannon, a large artillery piece, intended to be able to hit targets at a range of 1,000 miles or more;
An increase of $25 million for Collaborative Networked Armament Lethality and Fire Control, which will better enable our warfighters to coordinate the fight;
An increase of $40 million for Platform Agnostic Remote Armament Systems, which allow Picatinny to continue to invent new and innovative armament systems;
An increase of $35 million for Armament Digital and Mission Engineering, which will allow the Army to use analytics and simulations to better develop mission capabilities;
An increase of $21.4 million for ERCA autoloader development, that will enable Picatinny to continue to refine one of its signature platforms;
An increase of $5 million for Novel Printed Armament Components, which will enable Picatinny to investigate ways to 3-D print weapons parts;
$3.654 million for renovations to the Precision Munitions Test Tower at Picatinny Arsenal;
An increase of $5 million for Novel Armament Systems and Technologies, funding that will enable Picatinny to explore cutting-edge weapons systems;
An increase of $5 million for Modular Open Systems Architecture, a way of designing systems so that they can talk with each other and can help the military stay on the cutting edge;
An increase of $5 million for Agile Manufacturing for Advanced Armament Systems, research funding for new and innovative manufacturing;
An increase of $5 million for Munitions Materials Improvements, which will allow Picatinny to explore more modern and durable weapons materials;
An increase of $5 million for Additive Manufacturing in Ship Concept Advanced Design, which will allow the Navy to develop standards for additive manufacturing;
An increase of $5 million for Turret Gunner Survivability and Simulation, which will allow the Army to better protect soldiers manning gun turrets;
An increase of $35 million for Tactical Network Technology Modernization, which will allow the Army to develop modern, cyber-hardened communications networks; and
An increase of $30 million for Distributed Aperture Infrared Countermeasure Systems, which allow the military to better defend rotary-wing aircraft from missile attacks.
Climate change poses immediate risks to our nation and our national security, having broad and costly impacts on the way the U.S. military carries out its missions. Rep.

Sherrill ensured inclusion of key priorities to combat the effects of climate change, including:

A provision urging the Departments of the Navy and the Air Force to install microgrids on every installation by 2035;
A provision urging the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force to achieve 100% carbon pollution-free power generation;
A provision requiring the Department of Defense to develop a plan to increase its use of local plants, localized water management, and sustainable ground cover to lower emissions and energy costs;
Provisions to invest in the removal and remediation of toxic PFAS forever chemicals;
A provision creating a pilot program to investigate how to develop renewable and sustainable aviation fuel; and
A provision creating a pilot program to transition certain Defense Department vehicles to electric vehicles.
Mitigating climate change and achieving energy security here at home go hand-in-hand. Rep. Sherrill was proud to support significant reforms to reduce our reliance on foreign energy -- including a provision that would direct the Defense Department to eliminate any reliance on Russian-produced energy.

Rep. Sherrill offered and successfully secured inclusion of 12 amendments to the NDAA, including:

Requiring the DOD to study how to increase the number of women in STEM jobs in the military and post-service careers;
Directing the Air Force to explore current practices for mental health assessments and crew fatigue prevention for pilots of remotely piloted aircraft;
Requiring the DOD to direct the Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command to conduct training exercises with covered defense partners of the United States to deter China from attacking Taiwan;
Studying how best to maximize the benefits military parents have earned -- especially when it comes to affordable, reliable childcare for their children;
Requiring the DOD to educate new servicemembers about opportunities their occupational specialties create for them in the workforce;
Requiring the DOD to study the availability of registered apprenticeships in the Skillbridge Program for servicemembers entering the civilian workforce and to take steps with the Department of Labor to increase access to these apprenticeships;
The Onward to Opportunity Act, which would expand services and resources for servicemembers transitioning to civilian life;
Urging the Army, Air Force, and Navy to install microgrids on 100% of military bases by 2035;
Studying how the DOD can ensure that housing inspectors have access to privatized military housing, increasing the health and quality of life of our military families;
Urging the Army, Air Force, and Navy to transition to 100% carbon pollution-free power generation by 2040;
Increasing funding for Novel Armament Systems and Technologies research at Picatinny Arsenal;
Increasing funding for Modular Open System Architectures research at Picatinny Arsenal.

The NDAA supports servicemembers, veterans, and their families, by:

Raising servicemember salaries by 4.6%, the highest pay raise in decades;
Creating an expert roundtable to increase career resources for military spouses;
Increasing reimbursements for childcare costs;
Taking steps to decrease barriers to home ownership for military families;
Promoting early literacy for young children in military families; and
Increasing resources for mental health care and suicide prevention.

Other notable items in the NDAA include:

Robust investments, across all services, in research and development of new and innovative technologies;
More than $6 billion in funding for the European Deterrence Initiative, a key bulwark against Russian aggression;
Nearly $4 billion in funding for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, a program designed to counter Chinese ambitions in the Pacific;
Robust oversight of and reforms to how the Department of Defense handles cases in which its operations harm civilians, including establishing a Department Center of Excellence in Civilian Harm Reduction;
Extension of the authorization for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program, so that the United States can continue to work to keep our promises to our Afghan partners;
Investments in cybersecurity, including increasing the government's ability to hire and retain cybersecurity experts;
Investments in future security initiatives in the Arctic Region related to the Army's Arctic Strategy, the readiness of forces positioned in the Arctic, and a reexamination of validation procedures for units operating in the Arctic; and
Provisions that support the military entrepreneurial base, spur innovation through patents and other IP protection, and create a counter innovation warfare strategy to deter and deny adversaries.
Rep. Sherrill is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the Navy for almost 10 years as a helicopter pilot and Russian policy officer. As a Russian policy officer, she worked on the implementation of our nuclear treaty obligations and oversaw the relationship between the U.S. Navy and Russian Federation Navy. She now serves on the House Armed Services Committee, where she serves on the Tactical Air and Land Forces and Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittees.

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