FY24 SenateNational Defense 

Authorization Act (NDAA)

Summary of S. 2226

The National Defense Authorization Act 

for Fiscal Year 2024 

As of July 14th, 2023 

Passed in 

Committee

Passed in 

Chamber Agreement Final Passage

Signed into 

Law

House June 22, 2023 July 14, 2023

Senate June 23, 2023
Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................... - 1 -

ARMY NATIONAL GUARD - AUTHORIZATION OF FUNDING (ALL DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)....... - 3 -

AIR NATIONAL GUARD - AUTHORIZATION OF FUNDING (ALL DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)............ - 3 -

LEGISLATIVE PROVISIONS................................................................................................................................... - 3 -

AIR FORCE PROGRAMS.......................................................................................................................................... - 3 -

OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE..................................................................................................................... - 4 -

MILITARY PERSONNEL AUTHORIZATIONS .................................................................................................... - 4 -

MILITARY PERSONNEL POLICY ......................................................................................................................... - 6 -

GENERAL SERVICE AUTHORITIES AND MILITARY RECORDS................................................................. - 6 -

MEMBER TRAINING ................................................................................................................................................ - 7 -

DECORATIONS AND OTHER AWARDS, MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS AND OTHER MATTERS......... - 7 -

COMPENSATION AND OTHER PERSONNEL MATTERS ................................................................................ - 7 -

HEALTH CARE PROVISIONS................................................................................................................................. - 8 -

GENERAL PROVISIONS .......................................................................................................................................... - 9 -

SPACE FORCE PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT.................................................................................................... - 9 -

MILITARY CONSTRUCTION................................................................................................................................ - 10 -

SASC COMMITTEE REPORT REQUIREMENTS / ITEMS OF SPECIAL INTEREST ................................ - 15 -
- 1 -

Executive Summary

This guide provides a short summary of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Fiscal Year 2024 

National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). 

To obtain a complete understanding of any particular provision, users are encouraged to review 

the actual bill text. Bill text and the conference report can be found on NGB-LL’s website: 

https://www.nationalguard.mil/leadership/joint-staff/personal-staff/legislative-liaison/. Beyond the 

legislative provisions, there are a number of directive reports with specific relevance to the National 

Guard. Readers are encouraged to review this report language for their own situational awareness. 

Status: 

On June 23, 2023, the Senate Armed Services Committee passed their FY24 National Defense 

Authorization Act. The bill authorizes a total of $886.3 billion in fiscal year 2024 funding for national 

defense. Within this topline, the legislation authorizes $844.3 billion for the Department of 

Defense (DOD) and $32.4 billion for national security programs within the Department of 

Energy (DOE).

Highlights: 

• Elevates the position of the Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau to the rank of General

• Authorizes the Space Force to become a single-component military service

• Requires SecDef to retain a Federally Funded Research and Development Center

(FFRDC) to perform an independent assessment of the feasibility and advisability of moving 

ANG space assets (personnel, equipment, resources, etc.) into the single-component 

USSF by 1 FEB 2025. The assessment should analyze three COAs: status quo, move all 

ANG space assets to the USSF, create a SNG.

• Authorizes SecDef to transfer members of the USAFR and the ANG to the USSF

• Authorizes Dual Basic Allowance for Housing for Training for RC members without 

dependents

• Authorizes ANG membership of the Air Force Reserve Forces Policy Committee

• Clarifies the National Guard has access to the Defense Environmental Restoration Program

• Requires the SecDef to alternate appointments of deputy commanders for certain 

combatant commands between officers of the National Guard and the Reserves no less 

frequently than every two terms. The provision also authorizes the SECDEF to waive the 

requirements of this provision when in the national interest

• Requires a plan for modernizing the Air Force fighter force structure

• Requires members of the reserve component to receive special and incentive pay in the 

same monthly amount that is paid to a member in the regular component when such pay is 

made for the purpose of maintaining a skill certification or proficiency identical to those 

required in the regular component, or when such pay is made to compensate reserve 

component members for exposure to hazards or risks identical to those that regular 

component members are exposed
- 2 -

• Directs DOD to pay reserve component pilots sufficient compensation to cover all inactiveduty training periods per month necessary for the pilots to obtain or maintain an 

aeronautical rating or designation

• Authorizes the SecDef to order the Ready Reserve to active duty to respond to a significant 

cyber incident

• Reduces minimum quantity of Primary Mission Aircraft Inventory 

• Authorizes a 5.2% pay raise for service members

• The following HASC NDAA Provisions were not included:

• Does NOT include TRICARE Dental Plan for the Selected Reserve 

• Does NOT establish a Space National Guard

• Does NOT establish the eligibility of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau to be 

appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

• Does NOT include transferring officers between the active and inactive reserve NG
- 3 -

National Guard Accounts Overview

Army National Guard - Authorization of Funding (All Dollars in Thousands)

Army 

National 

Guard

FY24 PB

Request

HASC 

Mark

Delta 

from PB

SASC 

Mark 

Delta 

from PB

Conference 

Report

FY24

Delta 

from 

PB

O&M $8,683,104 $8,687,104 $4,000 $8,681,424 -$1,680

MILCON $340,186 $590,942 $250,756 $650,567 $310,381

Army National Guard End Strength

Army National 

Guard

FY24 PB 

Request

HASC 

Mark

Delta 

from PB

SASC 

Mark 

Delta 

from 

PB

Conference 

Report

FY24

Delta from 

PB

End Strength 325,000 325,000 - 325,000 -

AGR 30,845 30,845 - 30,845 -

Dual Status 

Technicians 22,294 22,294 - 22,294 -

ADOS 17,000 17,000 - 17,000 -

Air National Guard - Authorization of Funding (All Dollars in Thousands) 

Air 

National 

Guard

FY24 PB

Request

HASC 

Mark

Delta from 

PB

SASC 

Mark

Delta 

from PB

Conference 

Report

FY24

Delta from 

PB

O&M $7,253,694 $7,234,194 -$19,500 $7,370,574 $116,880

MILCON $178,722 $331,064 $152,342 $322,292 $143,570

Air National Guard End Strength

Air National 

Guard

FY24 PB 

Request

HASC 

Mark

Delta 

from PB

SASC 

Mark

Delta 

from 

PB

Conference 

Report

FY24

Delta from 

PB

End Strength 108,400 108,400 - 105,000 -3,400

AGR 25,713 25,713 - 25,333 -380

Dual Status 

Technicians 9,830 9,830 - 10,994 1,164

ADOS 16,000 16,000 - 16,000 -

LEGISLATIVE PROVISIONS

Air Force Programs

Sec. 133. Modification to minimum inventory requirement for A–10 aircraft.

The committee recommends a provision that would alleviate the current restrictions on retiring A-10 

aircraft to allow the Air Force to retire 42 A-10 aircraft in fiscal year 2024.

RECOMMENDED FUNDING AUTHORIZATIONS DO NOT EQUAL FINAL FUNDING. FINAL FUNDING 

LEVELS WILL BE DECIDED BY APPROPRIATIONS BILLS 
- 4 -

Sec. 134. Modification to minimum requirement for total primary mission aircraft

inventory of Air Force fighter aircraft.

The committee recommends a provision that would reduce the number of fighter aircraft that the

Air Force would be required to maintain from 1,145 fighters to 1,112.

Sec. 135. Modification of limitation on divestment of F–15 aircraft.

The committee recommends a provision that would modify section 150 of the James M. Inhofe 

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117-263), to include an 

accounting of remaining service life, upgrades, and other modifications made to each F-15 as part 

of the required report prior to divestment.

While the committee largely supports the Air Force’s force design and modernization plans, 

concerns remain that Air Force divestment plans do not always target the oldest or least relevant 

parts of the aircraft fleet first. Specifically, the Air Force plans to retire portions of the F-15E Strike 

Eagle fleet that have also recently received expensive and necessary upgrades. The committee 

needs to understand such divestments in the broader context of actions with the whole fighter fleet.

Operations and Maintenance

Sec. 323. Modification of authority for environmental restoration projects at National Guard 

facilities.

The committee recommends a provision that would amend sections 2700, 2701, 2703, and 2707 of 

title 10, United States Code, and section 345(f) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

Year 2022 (Public Law 117-81) to clarify that the National Guard has access to the Defense 

Environmental Restoration Program for the purposes of conducting environmental cleanup rather 

than having to use its readiness funding out of Operation and Maintenance accounts.

Military Personnel Authorizations

Sec. 411. End Strength for Selected Reserve.

This provision authorizes 325,000 personnel for the Army National Guard and 105,000 personnel 

for the Air National Guard. 

This provision would authorize Selected Reserve component end strengths in line with the

Department of Defense's request for all reserve components except for the Air National Guard. The

committee has received regular updates from the Department and the military services on end 

strength projections for fiscal year 2023, as well as the current state of recruiting in all of the 

military services, and believes the Department's end strength request for the Selected Reserve in 

the Air National Guard is unattainable for fiscal year 2024 based on current trends. Statutory end 

strengths must be both consistent with the National Defense Strategy and attainable by the military 

services, and this provision would meet both requirements.

The committee believes that it will be a multi-year effort to reverse the downward trend in

military recruiting and does not want to encourage the military services to lower recruiting 

standards in order to attain short-term goals. Legislating unreachable end strength numbers would 

set the military services up for failure by guaranteeing continued recruiting shortfalls, putting undue 

strain on recruiting forces, and ultimately compromising readiness by encouraging quantity over 

quality in recruiting. The committee believes that the United States military is best served by 

bringing in high numbers of high-quality recruits.

The committee notes that under section 115 of title 10, United States Code, the Secretary of

Defense and the Secretaries of the military departments are authorized to increase statutory end

strength levels for the Selected Reserve by up to three percent. In the event that the recruiting
- 5 -

environment improves more rapidly than expected in fiscal year 2024, the Air National Guard could 

reach an end strength in excess of 108,000 airmen in the Selected Reserve. Further, the 

committee notes that, under section 123a of title 10, United States Code, in the event of a war or 

national emergency, the President is authorized to waive statutory end strengths. Should additional 

funding be required to support a better than projected recruiting environment, the committee would 

look favorably upon any request to reprogram funds into military personnel accounts.

This provision would also require the end strengths authorized in this provision to be

proportionately adjusted based on units in the Selected Reserve serving on active duty at the end 

of the fiscal year and individual members not in units in the Selected Reserve who are on active 

duty without their consent at the end of the fiscal year.

Sec. 412. End Strength for Reserve on Active Duty.

This provision authorizes 30,845 ARNG positions for the Army National Guard and 25,333

positions for the Air National Guard.

The committee once again notes its concern that the Air Force has gone too far in requesting

increases in Reserves on Active Duty in support of the Reserves at the expense of military 

technician positions. The Air Force has yet to provide a sufficient justification to the committee for 

these conversions. The committee remains concerned about the impact that such conversions 

would have on the readiness of the Air Force. Therefore, this provision would fix end strengths for 

Reserves on Active Duty in support of the Reserves for the Air National Guard and Air Force 

Reserve at fiscal year 2023 levels.

Sec. 413. End Strength for Military Technicians (Dual Status).

This provision authorizes 22,294 dual status technicians for the Army National Guard and 10,994

for the Air National Guard. 

The provision would also establish limits on the number of temporary technicians authorized

to be employed within the end strengths set forth by this section to not more than 25 percent of the

total authorized strength for each component.

The committee once again notes its concern that the Air Force has gone too far in requesting

increases in Reserves on Active Duty in support of the Reserves at the expense of decreases in 

military technician positions. The Air Force has yet to provide a sufficient justification to the 

committee for these conversions. The committee remains concerned about the impact that such 

conversions would have on the readiness of the Air Force and therefore this provision would fix the 

end strength for military technicians in the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve at fiscal year 

2023 levels.

Finally, the provision would also prohibit under any circumstances the coercion of a military

technician (dual status) by a State into accepting an offer of realignment or conversion to any other

military status, including as a member of the Active, Guard, and Reserve program of a reserve

component. The provision would further specify that if a technician declines to participate in such a

realignment or conversion, no further action may be taken against the individual or the individual’s

position.

Sec. 414. Maximum Number of Reserve Personnel Authorized to be on Active Duty for 

Operational Support.

This provision authorizes 17,000 ADOS positions for the Army National Guard and 16,000 ADOS 

positions for the Air National Guard.
- 6 -

Military Personnel Policy

Sec. 504. Updating authority to authorize promotion transfers between components of the 

same service or a different service. 

The committee recommends a provision that would amend sections 578 and 624 of title 10, United 

States Code, to authorize the Secretary of a military department to transfer the promotion selection 

of a regular officer or warrant officer to the reserve component and integrate the officer into the 

corresponding promotion list based upon the officer’s date of rank in his or her current grade.

Sec. 508. Removal of active duty prohibition for members of the Air Force Reserve

Policy Committee.

The committee recommends a provision that would amend section 10305 of title 10, United States 

Code, to authorize members of the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve who are on 

Active Duty to serve as members of the Air Force Reserve Policy Committee.

Sec. 522. Selected Reserve and Ready Reserve order to active duty to respond

to a significant cyber incident.

The committee recommends a provision that would amend section 12304 of title 10, United States 

Code, to: (1) Authorize the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Department in

which the Coast Guard is operating to order units and members of the Selected Reserve or 

Individual Ready Reserve, without the consent of the members, to Active Duty to respond to a

significant cyber incident; and (2) Remove the requirement that an order to Active Duty to augment 

the active forces be for a named operational mission.

Sec. 524. Alternating selection of officers of the National Guard and the Reserves

as deputy commanders of certain combatant commands.

The committee recommends a provision that would amend section 164 of title 10, United States 

Code, to require the Secretary of Defense to alternate appointments of deputy commanders for 

certain combatant commands between officers of the National Guard and the Reserves no less 

frequently than every two terms. The provision would authorize the Secretary of Defense to waive 

the requirements of this provision when in the national interest.

Sec. 525. Grade of Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau.

The committee recommends a provision that would amend section 10505 of title 10, United States 

code to require that the Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau be appointed to serve in the 

grade of general, and that the Secretary of Defense designate this position as one of the general 

officer positions to be excluded from the limitations of section 526a of title 10, United States Code.

General Service Authorities and Military Records

Sec. 531. Modification of limitation on enlistment and induction of persons whose score on 

the Armed Forces Qualification Test is below a prescribed level.

The committee recommends a provision that would amend section 520 of title 10, United States 

Code, to limit the number of enlistments of people who score between the tenth and thirty first 

percentile of the Armed Forces Qualification Test to 4 percent of the total number of people who 

enlist in a fiscal year. The provision would authorize the Secretary of Defense to increase the 

limitation to 20 percent of the total number of new recruits upon the request of the Secretary of the 

military department concerned.

Sec. 537. Diversity, equity, and inclusion personnel grade cap.

The committee recommends a provision that would prohibit the Secretary concerned from 

appointing or employing a military or civilian employee whose annual pay rate exceeds the

equivalent of the rate payable for GS-10 to any position with duties solely related to diversity, 

equity, and inclusion policy.
- 7 -

Member Training

Sec. 551. Future servicemember preparatory course.

The committee recommends a provision that would require the Secretary of the military department 

concerned to establish a future servicemember preparation course if, during a fiscal year within an 

Armed Force, the number of enlisted recruits who score lower than a 31 on the Armed Forces 

Qualification Test exceeds 10 percent of the total number of recruits.

Sec. 554. Community college Enlisted Training Corps demonstration program.

The committee recommends a provision that would require the Secretary of each military 

department to establish an Enlisted Training Corps (ETC) demonstration program at a community 

or junior college. As part of the demonstration program, the Secretary concerned may provide 

financial assistance to individuals enrolled in an ETC unit who agree to enlist in the Armed Forces 

upon completion of, or disenrollment from, the program. The provision would also require the 

Secretary of Defense to submit an annual report to the Committees on Armed Services of the 

Senate and the House of Representatives on the status of the demonstration program.

Sec. 557. Army Physical Fitness Test.

The committee recommends a provision that would designate the Army Physical Fitness Test 

(APFT) as the physical fitness test of record for the U.S. Army. This provision would expressly 

authorize the Army to continue using the Army Combat Fitness Test, but not as the official physical 

fitness test of record. The provision would also authorize the Army to update, replace, or modify 

the events and scoring standards in the APFT as the needs of the U.S. Army require after a pilot 

period of at least 24 months.

Decorations and Other Awards, Miscellaneous Reports and Other Matters

Sec. 583. Prohibition on requiring listing of gender or pronouns in official correspondence.

The committee recommends a provision that would prohibit the Department of Defense (DOD) 

from requiring members of the Armed Forces or DOD civilian employees to list their gender or 

pronouns in official correspondence.

Compensation and Other Personnel Matters

Sec. 601. Pay of members of reserve components for inactive-duty training to obtain or 

maintain an aeronautical rating or designation.

The committee recommends a provision that would amend chapter 3 of title 37, United States 

Code, to require the Secretaries of the military departments to pay certain members of the Reserve 

component who receive aviation incentive pay under section 334(a) of title 37, United States Code, 

such compensation for a number of periods of inactive-duty training each month sufficient for the 

member to obtain or maintain aeronautical rating or designation.

Sec. 602. Modification of calculation method for basic allowance for housing to more 

accurately assess housing costs of junior members of uniformed services.

The committee recommends a provision that would de-link Basic Allowance for Housing rates for 

junior enlisted members in the grades of E-1 through E-4 to specific housing types. This

modification would give the Secretary of Defense additional flexibility to ensure equitable housing 

rates can be calculated in markets with limited housing inventory.
- 8 -

Sec. 604. Dual basic allowance for housing for training for certain members of reserve 

components. 

The committee recommends a provision that would amend section 403(g) of title 37, United States 

Code, to authorize reserve component members without dependents who would normally

have to permanently change station for attendance at a school for a duration between 140 and 365 

days to be paid basic allowance for housing at both the location of the school as well as their 

permanent residence, if they are returning to that residence after completion of the school.

Sec. 621. Modification of special and incentive pay authorities for members of reserve 

components.

The committee recommends a provision that would amend section 357 of title 37, United States 

Code, to require the Secretaries of the military departments to pay a member of the reserve 

component a special and incentive pay in the same monthly amount paid to a member in the 

regular component of such Armed Force when the special and incentive pay is made for the

purpose of maintaining a skill certification or proficiency identical to a skill certification or proficiency 

required of the member in the regular component, or when such pay is made to compensate the 

member of the reserve component for exposure to hazards or risks identical to hazards or risks to 

which the member of the regular component was exposed.

The provision would also amend section 602(d) of the National Defense Authorization Act for 

Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117-81) to require the Secretaries concerned to evaluate each type 

or category of special and incentive pay separately for the purposes of certifying whether 

implementing such section would have a detrimental effect on the force structure of the Armed 

Forces affected by implementation of section 357 of title 37, United States code.

Sec. 631. Modification of requirements for approval of foreign employment by retired and 

reserve members of the uniformed services.

The committee recommends a provision that would amend section 908 of title 37, United States 

Code, to: (1) Authorize the Secretary of the military department concerned to delegate approval 

authority for foreign employment of retired and reserve members of the Armed Forces only to an 

official of the military department at or above the level of an Assistant Secretary or, in the event of 

a vacancy in the position of such an official, a civilian official performing the duties of that position; 

and (2) Require additional information in annual reports on approvals for retired general and flag 

officers.

Sec. 632. Restrictions on retired and reserve members of the Armed Forces receiving 

employment and compensation indirectly from foreign governments through private 

entities.

The committee recommends a provision that would amend section 908 of title 37, United States 

Code, to prohibit a retired or Reserve member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine

Corps, or Space Force from receiving employment and related compensation for work performed 

for a foreign government through a private entity unless approved by the Secretary of the military 

department concerned and the Secretary of State.

Health Care Provisions

Sec. 701. Extension of period of eligibility for health benefits under TRICARE Reserve Select 

for survivors of a member of the Selected Reserve. 

The committee recommends a provision that would amend section 1076d of title 10, United States 

Code, to extend eligibility for TRICARE Reserve Select from 6 months to 3 years for survivors of 

deceased members of the reserve components who were enrolled in TRICARE Reserve Select at 

the time of their deaths. The provision would be effective on October 1, 2025.
- 9 -

SEC. 713. Department of Defense Overdose Data Act of 2023.

The committee recommends a provision that would require the Secretary of Defense to submit an 

annual report to the congressional defense committees on the number of annual overdoses among 

servicemembers. The annual reporting requirement would begin one year after the date of 

enactment of this Act and sunset five years after the date of enactment of this Act.

General Provisions

Sec. 1053. Report on use of tactical fighter aircraft and bomber aircraft for deployments

and homeland defense missions.

The committee recommends a provision that would require the Secretary of Defense to conduct a 

study on the use of tactical fighter aircraft and bomber aircraft for deployments and homeland 

defense missions. The study should:

(1) Review both deployment and exercise requirements for tactical fighter aircraft and 

bomber aircraft levied by each geographic combatant command;

(2) Assess deployable forces currently available to fulfill each of those requirements, and 

whether those forces are adequate to meet the global requirements;

(3) Review any relevant tactical fighter forces or bomber forces that are not considered 

deployable or available to meet combatant command requirements;

(4) Assess whether adequate consideration has been given to fighter coverage of the 

homeland during these deployments, in particular within the Alaska Area of Responsibility and the 

Hawaii Area of Responsibility; and

(5) Assess U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy active duty, Air National Guard, and reserve landbased tactical fighter units that could be considered for inclusion into homeland defense mission 

requirements.

The Secretary would be required to submit the results of this review to the congressional defense 

committees not later than May 1, 2024.

Space Force Personnel Management

Sec. 1702. Space Force Personnel Management Act transition plan.

This section would prohibit a transition plan under this section until the SecAf certifies any State 

National Guard affected by the transfer of units, personnel billets, equipment, and resources into 

the Space Force will be made whole by the transfer of additional assets under the control of the 

SecAf into the affected State National Guard and submits a report that includes a transition plan to 

move all units, personnel billets, equipment, and resources performing core Space Force functions, 

under the operational control of the Space Force, or otherwise integral to the Space Force mission 

that may exist in the reserve components of the Department of the Air Force into the Space Force.

Sec. 1703. Comprehensive assessment of Space Force equities in the National

Guard.

Requires the SecDef to conduct an independent study to assess the feasibility and advisability of 

moving all units, personnel billets, equipment, and resources performing core Space Force 

functions, under the operational control of the Space Force, or otherwise integral to the Space 

Force mission that may exist in the National Guard and into a single-component Space Force. 

Sec. 1743. Transfer to the Space Force of members of the Air Force Reserve

and the Air National Guard.

This provision authorizes the SecDef to transition officers and enlisted members in the Air Force 

Reserve or the Air National Guard, who hold an Air Force specialty code for a specialty held by 

members of the Space Force, into the Space Force.
- 10 -

Sec. 1744. Placement of officers on the Space Force officer list.

This provision authorizes officers of the Space Force who transferred in accordance with section 

1743 from the Air Force Reserve or the Air National Guard shall be placed on the Space Force 

officer list in an order determined by their respective grades and dates or rank. 

Military Construction

Sec. 2406. Extension of Authority to Carry Out Certain Fiscal Year 2021 Projects.

This section would extend the authorization of certain fiscal year 2021 Environmental Resilience 

and Conservation Investment Program projects until October 1, 2024.

ERCIP Projects: Extension of 2021 Project Authorizations 

State Installation Project Original 

Authorized 

Amount

Arkansas Ebbing ANG Base PV Arrays and Battery Storage $2,600

Sec. 2601. Authorized Army National Guard Construction and Land Acquisition Projects. 

The committee recommends a provision that would authorize military construction projects for the 

Army National Guard for fiscal year 2024. The committee recognizes the Department of

Defense's significant unfunded military construction requirements and has included an additional 

$169.4 million for many of these projects here. The authorized amounts are listed on an 

installation-by-installation basis.

Army National Guard

State Location FY2024 

Request

Senate

Agreement

Alabama Fort McClellan; Cost to Complete: Enlisted 

Barracks, TT

-- $7,000

Alabama Huntsville; Cost to Complete: NG Readiness 

Center

-- $4,650

Arizona Surprise Readiness Center $15,000 $15,000

Arkansas Fort Chaffee; Cost to Complete: NG 

Readiness Center

-- $610

California Bakersfield; Cost to Complete: Vehicle 

Maintenance Shop

-- $1,000

California Camp Roberts; Cost to Complete: 

Automated Multipurpose Machine Gun 

(MPMG) Range

-- $5,000

Colorado Peterson Space Force Base; Cost to 

Complete: NG Readiness Center

-- $3,000

Connecticut Putnum; Cost to Complete: NG Readiness 

Center

-- $6,125

Florida Camp Blanding, Automated Multipurpose 

Machine Gun Range

-- $11,000

Guam Barrigada; Cost to Complete: NG Readiness 

Center

-- $6,900

Idaho Jerome; Cost to Complete: NG Readiness 

Center

-- $1,250

Idaho Jerome County Regional Site, NG Vehicle 

Maintenance Shop

$17,000 $17,000

Illinois Bloomington; Cost to Complete: NG Vehicle 

Maintenance Shop

-- $5,250
- 11 -

Illinois North Riverside NG Maintenance Center, NG 

Vehicle Maintenance Shop

$24,000 $24,000

Indiana Shelbyville; Cost to Complete: NG 

Readiness Center Add/Alt

-- $5,000

Kansas Topeka; Cost to Complete: NG/Reserve 

Center Building

-- $5,856

Kentucky Burlington, Vehicle Maintenance Shop -- $16,400

Kentucky Frankfort; Cost to Complete: NG/Reserve 

Center Building

-- $2,000

Louisiana Camp Beauregard; Collective Training 

Unaccompanied Housing Open-Bay (P&D)

-- $2,400

Louisiana Camp Beauregard; Cost to Complete: NG 

Readiness Center

-- $2,000

Louisiana Camp Minden; Cost to Complete: Collective 

Training Unaccompanied Housing, Open Bay

-- $3,718

Maine Northern Maine Range Complex; Automated 

Multipurpose Machine Gun Range (P&D)

-- $2,800

Maine Saco; Cost to Complete: National Guard 

Vehicle Maintenance Shop

-- $7,420

Massachusetts Camp Edwards; Cost to Complete: 

Automated Multipurpose Machine Gun 

(MPMG) Range

-- $3,000

Mississippi Camp Shelby; JFTC Railhead Expansion 

(P&D)

-- $2,200

Mississippi Camp Shelby; Cost to Complete: Maneuver 

Area Training Equipment Site Addition

-- $5,425

Mississippi Southaven; NG Readiness Center $22,000

Missouri Belle Fontaine, NG Readiness Center $28,000 $28,000

Nebraska Bellevue; Cost to Complete: NG Readiness 

Center

-- $9,090

Nebraska Greenlief Training Site; Collective Training 

Unaccompanied Housing Open-Bay (P&D)

-- $1,200

Nebraska Mead Training Site; Cost to Complete: 

Collective Training Unaccompanied House, 

Open Bay

-- $1,913

Nebraska North Platte; Cost to Complete: NG Vehicle 

Maintenance Shop

-- $400

New Hampshire Concord; Cost to Complete: NG Readiness 

Center

-- $200

New Hampshire Littleton, NG Vehicle Maintenance Shop 

Add

$23,000 $23,000

New Jersey Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst; Cost to 

Complete: NG Readiness Center

-- $605

New Mexico Rio Rancho Training Site, NG Vehicle 

Maintenance Shop Add

$11,000 $11,000

New York Lexington Avenue Armory, NG Readiness 

Center 

-- $70,000

North Carolina Salisbury; Army Aviation Support Facility 

(P&D)

-- $2,200

North Dakota Camp Grafton; Institutional Post-Initial 

Military Training, Unaccompanied Housing 

-- $1,950
- 12 -

(P&D)

North Dakota Dickinson; Cost to Complete: NG Readiness 

Center

-- $5,425

Ohio Camp Perry Joint Training Center, NG 

Readiness Center

$19,200 $19,200

Ohio Columbus; Cost to Complete: NG Readiness 

Center

-- $4,000

Oklahoma Ardmore; Cost to Complete: Vehicle 

Maintenance Shop

-- $400

Oregon Washington County; NG Readiness Center $26,000 $26,000

Pennsylvania Hermitage; NG Readiness Center $13,600 $13,600

Pennsylvania Moon Township; Cost to Complete: 

Combined Support Maintenance Shop

-- $3,100

Puerto Rico Fort Allen; Cost to Complete: NG Readiness 

Center

-- $3,676

Rhode Island Camp Fogarty Training Site; Collective 

Training Unaccompanied Housing Open-Bay 

(P&D)

-- $1,990

Rhode Island North Kingstown $30,000

South Carolina Aiken County Readiness Center $20,000 $20,000

South Carolina Joint Base Charleston; Cost to Complete: NG 

Readiness Center

-- $4,373

South Carolina McCrady Training Center, Auto MPMG 

Range

$7,900 $7,900

Tennessee Campbell Army Airlfield, Army Air Traffic 

Control Towers (P&D)

-- $2,500

Tennessee McMinnville; Cost to Complete: NG 

Readiness Center

-- $500

Texas Fort Cavazos, General Purpose Instruction 

Bldg (P&D)

-- $2,685

Texas Fort Worth; Cost to Complete: Aircraft 

Maintenance Hangar Add/Alt

-- $6,489

Texas Fort Worth; Cost to Complete: NG Vehicle 

Maintenance Shop

-- $381

Utah Camp Williams; Collective Training 

Unaccompanied Housing, Senior NCO and 

Officer (P&D)

-- $2,875

Vermont Bennington; Cost to Complete: NG 

Readiness Center

-- $3,415

Virgin Islands St. Croix; Cost to Complete: Army Aviation 

Support Facility

-- $4,200

Virgin Islands St. Croix: Cost to Complete: Ready Bldg -- $1,710

Virginia Sandston RC & FMS 1, Aircraft Maintenance 

Hangar

$20,000 $20,000

Virginia Troutville; Cost to Complete: Combined 

Support Maintenance Shop Addition

-- $2,415

Virginia Troutville; Cost to Complete: NG Readiness 

Center Addition

-- $2,135

West Virginia Parkersburg; NG Readiness Center (P&D) -- $3,300

Wisconsin Viroqua, NG Readiness Center $18,200 $18,200

Worldwide Planning and Design $34,286 $34,286
- 13 -

Unspecified

Worldwide 

Unspecified

Unspecified Minor Construction $63,000 $63,000

Military Construction, Army National Guard Total $340,186 $650,567

Sec. 2604. Authorized Air National Guard Construction and Land Acquisition Projects. 

The committee recommends a provision that would authorize military construction projects for the 

Air National Guard for fiscal year 2024. The committee recognizes the Department of Defense's 

significant unfunded military construction requirements and has included an additional $127.2 

million for many of these projects here. The authorized amounts are listed on an installation-byinstallation basis.

Air National Guard

State Location FY2024 

Request

House 

Agreement

Alabama Montgomery Regional Airport, F35 ADAL SQ 

OPS 

$7,000 $7,000

Alaska Eielson Air Force Base; AMC Standard Dual 

Bay Hangar (P&D)

-- $3,700

Alaska Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, ADAL

Alert Crew Facility Hgr 18

-- $7,000

Arizona Tucson, Mcca: Aircraft Arresting System 

(New Rwy)

$11,600 $11,600

Arkansas Ebbing Air National Guard Base; 3-Bay 

Hangar

-- $54,000

Arkansas Ebbing Air National Guard Base; Aircrew 

Flight Equipment/Step

-- $9,300

Arkansas Ebbing Air National Guard Base; Special 

Access Program Facility

-- $12,700

Colorado Buckley Space Force Base, Aircraft 

Corrosion Control

$12,000 $12,000

Indiana Fort Wayne International Airport; Fire Station $8,900 $8,900

Mississippi Field ANG Base; Cost to Compete: 172nd

Airlift Wing Fire/Crash Rescue Station

-- $8,000

Missouri Rosecrans ANG Base; 139th Airlift Wing 

Entry Control Point (P&D)

-- $2,000

Missouri Rosecrans ANG Base; Entry Control Point 

(P&D)

-- $2,000

Oregon Portland International Airport, Special Tactics 

Complex, Phase 1

$22,000 $22,000

Oregon Portland International Airport, Special Tactics 

Complex, Phase 2

$18,500 $18,500

Oregon Portland International Airport, Special Tactics 

Complex, Phase 3

-- $20,000

Oregon Portland International Airport, Special Tactics 

Complex, Phase 4

-- $11,000

Pennsylvania Harrisburg International Airport, Entry 

Control Facility

-- $8,000

Wisconsin Truax Field, F-35: MM&I Fac, B701 -- $5,200

Wisconsin Volk ANGB; Fire/Crash Rescue Station 

(P&D)

-- $670

Worldwide 

Unspecified 

Planning and Design $35,600 $35,600
- 14 -

Worldwide 

Unspecified

Unspecified Minor Construction $63,122 $63,122

Military Construction, Air National Guard Total $178,722 $322,292

Sec. 2606. Authorization of Appropriations, National Guard and Reserve. 

The committee recommends a provision that would authorize appropriations for the reserve 

component military construction projects authorized for construction for fiscal year 2024 in this Act. 

This provision would also provide an overall limit on the amount authorized for military construction 

projects for each of the reserve components of the military departments. The state list contained in 

this report is the binding list of the specific projects authorized at each location.

Sec. 2607. Extension of Authority to Carry Out Certain Fiscal Year 2018 Project at Hulman 

Regional Airport, Indiana. 

The committee recommends a provision that would extend the authorization contained in section 

2604 of the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, Division B, Title XXVI, of 

the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115-91) for one project 

until October 1, 2024, or the date of the enactment of an Act authorizing funds for military 

construction for fiscal year 2025, whichever is later.

National Guard and Reserve: Extension of 2018 Project Authorization

State Installation Project Original 

Authorized 

Amount

Indiana Hulman Regional Airport Construct Small Arms 

Range

$8,000

Sec. 2608. Extension of Authority to Carry Out Certain Fiscal Year 2019 Project at Francis S. 

Gabreski Airport, New York. 

The committee recommends a provision that would extend the authorization contained in section 

2604 of the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, Division B, Title XIII, of the 

John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115-232) for 

one project until October 1, 2024, or the date of the enactment of an Act authorizing funds for 

military construction for fiscal year 2025, whichever is later.

National Guard and Reserve: Extension of 2019 Project Authorization 

State Installation Project Original 

Authorized 

Amount

New York Francis S. Gabreski 

Airport

Security Forces/ Comm. 

Training Facility

$20,000

Sec. 2609. Extension of Authority to Carry Out Certain Fiscal Year 2021 Projects.

The committee recommends a provision that would extend the authorization contained in section 

2402 of the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, Division B, Title XXIV, of 

the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public 

Law 116-283) for 13 projects until October 1, 2024, or the date of the enactment of an Act 

authorizing funds for military construction for fiscal year 2025, whichever is later.

National Guard and Reserve: Extension of 2021 Project Authorization 

State Installation Project Original 

Authorized 

Amount

Arkansas Fort Chaffee NG Readiness Center $15,000
- 15 -

California Bakersfield NG Vehicle Maintenance Shop $9,300

Colorado Peterson Space Force 

Base

NG Readiness Center $15,000

Guam Joint Region Marianas Space Control Facility #5 $20,000

Ohio Columbus NG Readiness Center $15,000

Massachusetts Devens Reserve Forces 

Training Area

Automated Multipurpose 

Machine Gun Range

$8,700

North Carolina Asheville Army Reserve Center/Land $24,000

Puerto Rico Fort Allen NG Readiness Center $37,000

South Carolina Joint Base Charleston NG Readiness Center $15,000

Texas Fort Worth Aircraft Maintenance Hangar 

Add/Alt

$6,000

Texas Joint Base San Antonio F-16 Mission Training Center $10,800

Virgin Islands St. Croix Army Aviation Support Facility $28,000

Virgin Islands St. Croix CST Ready Building $11,400

Sec. 2610. Modification of Authority to Carry Out Fiscal Year 2022 Project at Nickell 

Memorial Armory, Kansas.

The committee recommends a provision that would modify the authorization contained in section 

2606 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117-81) for

the construction of a sensitive compartmented information facility project at Nickell Memorial 

Armory, Kansas.

Sec. 2612. Authority to Conduct Restoration and Modernization Projects at the First City 

Troop Readiness Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The committee recommends a provision that would authorize the Army National Guard to repair 

the roof of the South 23rd Street Readiness Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania if certain

conditions are met.

The committee notes that due to the arrangement of the leased facility, this authorization is 

required to conduct this repair project.

SASC Committee Report Requirements / Items of Special Interest 

Aircraft Survivability Equipment. 

The committee is concerned about the threats posed to low flying U.S. military aircraft from enemy 

air defense systems. Department of Defense fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters operating at low 

altitudes often are exposed to threats. These threat systems are widely proliferated and are a 

significant risk to our forces.

Additionally, the committee understands that in-aircraft survivability equipment and weapons 

engagement training aids and opportunities are not as available to the reserve component

aviation enterprise as they are to the active component. This creates a disparity in training 

uniformity that could negatively affect National Guard and reserve aviator readiness, and reduces

their capability to assist the active component during conflict operations.

Therefore, the committee directs the Secretaries of the military departments, or their designees, 

and representatives from the National Guard and reserve components, to provide a briefing to the 

congressional defense committees, not later than March 1, 2024, on the service strategy for 

fielding and maintaining aircraft survivability equipment on U.S. military aircraft to counter modern 

enemy air defense systems and other widely proliferated threats, including identification of
- 16 -

commercial off-the-shelf capabilities that would provide threat replication and simulation, and a list 

of National Guard and reserve aviation training sites where this training could be implemented.

KC-135 Emergency Response Refuel Equipment Kit. 

The committee directs the Secretary of the Air Force to provide a briefing to the Committees on 

Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives, no later than June 1, 2024, on 

the implications of the National Guard’s KC-135 fleet lacking the Emergency Response Refuel 

Equipment Kit (ERREK). The briefing should address: (1) If, without ERREK, the National

Guard’s KC-135 fleet will be able to meet capability requirements to transfer fuel on and off the 

aircraft for disaster relief operations where there is no ground power infrastructure available to 

move fuel to support fuel truck, bladder, or ground fuel tanks; (2) The consequences to the

National Guard’s intended missions without this KC-135 capability; and (3) How the National Guard 

intends to meet these capability requirements.

Modernization of the Air Force Fighter Force Structure. 

The committee needs a better understanding of the U.S. Air Force long range plans for 

modernizing the fighter force. The Air Force is currently operating several series of aircraft in

the inventory, including A-10, F-15, F-16, F-22, and F-35. Adding the Next Generation Air 

Dominance (NGAD) and the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) platforms to the force is in

the Air Force's longer-term plans.

The committee understands that the Air Force now has specific force structure modernization plans 

for at least 10 of its 29 fighter squadrons in the Air Reserve Component (ARC) through fiscal year 

2031. The committee believes that this time horizon is too close to provide adequate information 

about the future of the total fighter force. Questions that remain unanswered include whether the 

U.S. Air Force planning to recapitalize all of the other 19 ARC fighter squadrons or shift one or 

more squadrons to other high priority missions and whether the U.S. Air Force is planning to shift 

missions for any of the active duty fighter squadrons. A longer-term assessment could help clarify 

Air Force plans and could help as well to:

(1) Provide the Congress with a clear understanding of the U.S. Air Force's plans and the 

ability to provide more informed oversight;

(2) Mitigate recruitment and retention challenges in skilled and experienced manpower that 

are associated with the uncertainty associated with looming divestments; and 

(3) Avoid hindering recruitment/retention of servicemembers transitioning from Active Duty 

to the Reserve components.

Therefore, the committee directs the Secretary of the Air Force to produce a plan for long-term 

support of fighter force structure in the active and reserve components. The Secretary shall provide 

a report on that plan to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of 

Representatives not later than April 1, 2024.

That report shall detail plans for force structure, recapitalization, and sustainment for the next 20 

years. The report shall address specific year-by-year plans for procurement and unit activation or 

deactivation. Finally, the report shall also address the following:

(1) The appropriate mix of fighter force structure for the Active Duty and ARC units;

(2) The specific plan for modernizing each of the active duty units and the ARC units;

(3) How the U.S. Air Force will maintain readiness during units' recapitalization or change of 

missions; and

(4) Any plans to shift missions of active or reserve component units, and if so, explanation 

of the shifts and timing of implementation.

Report on Reuse of Modern Equipment from F-16 Aircraft Being Retired

The Air Force plans to divest F-16 Block 30/32 aircraft in the Air National Guard and Air Force 

Reserve components over the next several years as the fleet is upgraded to post-Block 30/32
- 17 -

F-16 aircraft. Many of these Block 30/32 aircraft contain upgraded and modernized equipment, 

such as active electronically scanned array radars, multi-function information distribution

system/joint tactical radio system communications terminals, upgraded radios, and 

countermeasures systems, among other equipment.

Many aircraft in the post-Block 30/32 F-16 fleet have not been outfitted with these upgrades. The 

committee believes that it would be prudent to harvest these upgraded systems from the

Block 30/32 aircraft and use these systems to upgrade post-Block 30/32 aircraft.

Therefore, the committee directs the Secretary of the Air Force to provide a briefing to the 

congressional defense committees, not later than February 28, 2024, on the Air Force's plan to use 

equipment harvested from retiring aircraft to upgrade the F-16s that will remain in service.

UH-60 Internal Auxiliary Fuel Tank Systems

The committee directs the Secretary of the Army to provide a briefing to the Committees on Armed 

Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives, not later than June 1, 2024, on the 

implications of the National Guard’s UH-60 Black Hawk fleet lacking crashworthy and ballistically 

tolerant Internal Auxiliary Fuel Tank Systems (IAFTS). The briefing should address: (1) If, without 

IAFTS, the National Guard’s UH-60 Black Hawks will have the auxiliary fuel capability necessary to

accomplish disaster relief, homeland security, and combat missions with added mission flexibility 

and extended station time; (2) The consequences to the National Guard’s intended missions 

without this UH-60 capability; and (3) How the National Guard intends to meet these capability 

requirements.

Locked Shields Exercise

The budget request included $469.4 million in Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, 

Defense-wide (RDDW) for PE 3625JCY Cyber Operations Technology Support. 

The committee notes that the National Guard Bureau's Army Interagency Training and Education 

Center (AITEC), through the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), has led the United

States’ team in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of 

Excellence Locked Shields exercise, the only international critical infrastructure protection exercise 

in existence. This exercise is critically important to U.S. national security, and the committee

encourages robust interagency participation and solicitation of private industry and academia 

participation. The committee commends the coordination efforts and expertise of AITEC

throughout the foundational years of the Locked Shields exercise, and directs DISA to continue to 

coordinate the participating organizations and future host locations through AITEC.

To support this effort, the committee recommends an increase of $4.0 million in RDDW PE 

3625JCY for the purposes of facilitating travel, training, and infrastructure preparation for the 

exercise within the previously established organizational structure of the U.S. team.

Air Force National Guard and Reserve Military Technicians (Dual Status). 

The amounts authorized to be appropriated for Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve military 

technician (dual status) civilian payroll include the following increases from the budget request to 

accommodate increased military technician end strengths in the Air Force reserve components. 

The provision underlying these changes in funding levels is discussed in greater detail in title IV of 

this committee report.

[Changes in millions of dollars]

Air Force Reserve military technician payroll +27.5

Air National Guard military technician payroll +139.7

Total +167.2
- 18 -

Military Service Recruiting And Advertising. 

The amounts authorized to be appropriated for recruiting and advertising activities of the military 

services include the following increases from the budget request:

[Changes in millions of dollars]

Army Active-Duty recruiting and advertising +138.1

Army Reserve recruiting and advertising +6.7

Army National Guard recruiting and advertising +50.7

Navy recruiting and advertising +80.8

Marine Corps recruiting and advertising +49.3

Air Force Active-Duty recruiting and advertising +40.9

Air Force Reserve recruiting and advertising +1.9

Air Force National Guard recruiting and advertising +23.4

Total +391.8

Unobligated Balances.

The budget request included $329.8 billion across the Operation and Maintenance accounts.

The committee notes that the Government Accountability Office has repeatedly issued 

recommendations for the Department of Defense to analyze its unobligated balances given 

historical trends and managerial use of the account.

Accordingly, the committee recommends a decrease of $129.6 million across Operation and 

Maintenance, Army; a decrease of $262.1 million across Operation and Maintenance, Navy; a

decrease of $233.7 million across Operation and Maintenance, Air Force; a decrease of $75.1 

million across Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps; a decrease of $73.0 million across

Operation and Maintenance, Space Force; a decrease of $3.4 million across Operation and 

Maintenance, Army Reserve; a decrease of $23.4 million across Operation and Maintenance, 

Army National Guard; a decrease of $4.2 million across Operation and Maintenance, Navy 

Reserve; a decrease of $34.2 million across Operation and Maintenance, Air Force Reserve; a 

decrease of $21.9 million across Operation and Maintenance, Air National Guard; a decrease of 

$1.0 million across Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps Reserve; and a decrease of $15.0

million across Operation and Maintenance, Defense-wide (OMDW). The committee also 

recommends a decrease of $3.6 million in OMDW SAG 1PL1 Joint Chiefs of Staff; a decrease of 

$22.4 million in OMDW SAG 4GTA Defense Legal Services Agency; a decrease of $2.5 million in 

OMDW SAG 4GT3 Civil Military Programs; a decrease of $2.7 million in OMDW SAG 4GT6 

Defense Contract Audit Agency; a decrease of $15.5 million in OMDW SAG 4GTO Defense 

Contract Management Agency; and a decrease of $9.9 million in OMDW SAG 4GT9 Defense 

Information Systems Agency.

Feasibility of Co-locating 214th Attack Group MQ-9 Elements. 

The committee notes that, with the advent of auto takeoff and landing capability in the MQ-9, 

maintaining line of sight is no longer a basing requirement for remotely piloted aircraft launch and 

recovery elements. The committee encourages the Air Force to consider whether geographically 

separated units can be restructured to a single location in order to provide operational efficiencies 

and eliminate adverse impacts to servicemembers currently required to report to multiple duty

stations.

Therefore, the committee directs the Secretary of the Air Force, in coordination with the Chief of 

the National Guard Bureau, to review those remotely piloted aircraft units with launch and recovery 

elements that are geographically separated from their mission control elements and provide the 

Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives with a report, not 

later than January 31, 2024, with recommendations on the feasibility of co-locating those activities. 
- 19 -

The report should address anticipated reduction of operational costs and operational efficiencies 

gained.

Multi-domain Operations Training Ranges. 

The committee is aware that the Army's multi-domain operations concept includes the combined 

arms employment of joint and Army capabilities to create and exploit relative advantages that 

achieve objectives, defeat enemy forces, and consolidate gains on behalf of joint force 

commanders. The committee notes that the Army will need necessary adversarial components to 

present a realistic threat training capability for joint forces. The committee believes that the 

Department of the Army should seek more opportunities to provide realistic intelligence communitycertified threat environments to new range areas in support of multi-domain operations training.

The committee directs the Secretary of the Army to provide a briefing to the Committees on Armed 

Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives, not later than January 31, 2024,

that assesses the potential need for expansion of threat environment training. The briefing shall 

include: (1) Identification of the limitations of current multi-domain operations training ranges; (2) 

Identification of the Army's training range needs in support of multi-domain operations; and

(3) An assessment of additional range site locations to provide collective training to active, reserve, 

and National Guard soldiers. 

National Guard Medical Training. 

The committee is aware of existing programs that provide state-of-the-art trauma, critical care, 

behavioral health, public health, and other ancillary direct medical training at academic medical 

centers for Air National Guard and Army National Guard medical and non-medical personnel and 

State Partnership Program/Global Health Engagement international partners. The programs 

provide both critical training to support the readiness of participating National Guard units and 

additional opportunities to deepen State Partnership Program relationships with international

partners while offering these partners valuable training. This joint training minimizes medical 

operational gaps and promotes interoperability between civilian, military, and international

coalition partners, all at a significantly reduced cost compared to comparable in-house Department 

of Defense training.

For all these reasons, the committee supports these programs and encourages the Chief of the 

National Guard Bureau to continue delivering these preparedness programs through direct training 

services to include advanced trauma, public health, and combat lifesaver curriculums that prioritize

critical life-saving procedures, epidemiology of public health diseases, prevention and treatment, 

mass casualty triage, and psychological health.

Briefing on Indo-Pacific Command Contested Logistics Requirements. 

The committee believes that a robust logistics system, providing both sufficient capacity to support 

major combat operations and resilience to operate under severe and sustained kinetic and nonkinetic attack, is vital to the Department of Defense’s (DOD) core missions of deterrence and 

warfighting. The committee is encouraged by recent DOD efforts to address contested logistics 

challenges, but remains concerned with the pace and scale of such efforts, as well as the 

resilience of such efforts in the face of attrition of equipment, logistics platforms, or prepositioned 

supplies.

Therefore, the committee directs the Secretary of Defense to provide a briefing to the Committees 

on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives, not later than March

29, 2024, on the current ability of the joint force to conduct contested logistics in the Indo-Pacific 

Command (INDOPACOM) area of responsibility, and DOD efforts to improve contested logistics 

capabilities and capacity including:

(1) Current concepts for sustaining each service component in a conflict scenario;
- 20 -

(2) Total lift capacity requirements to complete combatant commander plans, to include 

force deployment, bulk fuel, munitions, and all other relevant classes of supply;

(3) Current and planned lift capacity in theater;

(4) Current and planned lift capacity out of theater that would be available to the combatant 

commander in a conflict scenario within relevant time frames;

(5) A vulnerability assessment of current and planned concepts for sustaining combat 

operations in INDOPACOM;

(6) An assessment of existing port infrastructure to support joint force peacetime and 

contingency operations, including the sufficiency of bilateral agreements to support contingency 

access to such infrastructure;

(7) Any relevant support contracts in the region expected to mitigate sustainment 

requirements in a contingency;

(8) Actions that can be undertaken and completed by each of the military departments 

within the next 4 years that would have the greatest impact on sustaining combat operations

across all domains in INDOPACOM, both constrained and unconstrained by costs, accesses, 

policy, and statute;

(9) An assessment of the extent to which deployed forces could meet logistical support 

requirements locally for consumables other than munitions and spare parts;

(10) A net assessment of U.S. capabilities to sustain prolonged combat operations in 

INDOPACOM in the 2027 time frame based on current projections of fielded capabilities;

(11) A report on which Army logistics capabilities reside within the Active Army component 

compared with the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve; and, an assessment of the

risk incurred by that mix, to include potential delays to Joint Force employment as a result of 

mobilization delays; and

(12) Any other matters deemed relevant by the Secretary. 

Review of Unfunded Priorities Lists.

The military services, combatant commands, the Missile Defense Agency, and the Chief of the 

National Guard Bureau are required by statute to provide the congressional defense committees 

with a report that contains a list of unfunded priorities with several associated justifications.

Congress has used these reports to evaluate the Department of Defense’s (DOD) budget request 

and make changes. The committee notes that these annual lists of unfunded programs and

activities have varied significantly over time.

Therefore, the committee directs the Comptroller General of the United States to review: (1) The 

extent to which the officers specified under sections 222(a) and 222(b) of title 10, United States 

Code, have policies, procedures, and criteria in place to develop unfunded priorities lists; (2) The 

extent to which the type, quantity, or total dollar amount of unfunded priorities lists have changed 

over the last 10 years; (3) The extent to which Congress has appropriated funding for the

unfunded priorities submitted over the last 10 years; (4) The extent to which appropriations made 

for unfunded priorities in fiscal year 2023 affected DOD’s long-term budget plan, requirements 

planning, or major defense acquisition programs; and (5) Any other matters deemed appropriate by 

the Comptroller General.

The committee directs the Comptroller General to provide a briefing to the congressional defense 

committees on the preliminary findings of this review by April 30, 2024, with a final report to be 

submitted by a mutually agreed upon date.

National Guard State Partnership Program in the Indo-Pacific. 

The committee strongly supports the National Guard State Partnership Program (SPP) as a means 

to strengthen U.S. alliances and partnerships with foreign counterparts in the Indo-Pacific region. 

The committee notes that the SPP currently maintains relationships with 16 foreign partners in the 

Indo-Pacific region. The committee supports efforts to leverage existing capacity in the National 
- 21 -

Guard to deepen cooperation with existing allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific and to expand 

efforts to include additional foreign partners, as appropriate.

Therefore, not later than November 1, 2023, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategies, 

Plans, and Capabilities, in coordination with the Commander, United States Indo-Pacific

Command, the Director, Defense Security Cooperation Agency, and the Chief of the National 

Guard Bureau, shall provide a briefing to the congressional defense committees summarizing 

ongoing SPP activities in the Indo-Pacific and identifying opportunities to expand such efforts to 

include new foreign partners, including an identification of any additional resources or authorities

necessary to support such activities.

Nationwide Integration of Time Resiliency for Operations. 

The committee recognizes the need for resilient Position Navigation, and Timing (PNT), as PNT is 

integral to Department of Defense operations, continuity of operations and mission assurance, and 

other national critical functions. The committee remains concerned that there is insufficient 

redundancy in PNT, and therefore in the event of PNT disruption, continuity of operations would be 

at risk, including the operations of the National Guard and other federal, state, and local agencies

tasked with emergency services response and civil support whom National Guard forces may 

interact with in the course of their duties.

Therefore, the committee directs the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Air Force, in 

coordination with the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, to provide a briefing to the congressional 

defense committees, not later than February 1, 2024, assessing the utility of the Nationwide 

Integration of Time Resiliency for Operations (NITRO) program for providing assured PNT for 

continuity of operations in responding to military contingencies and supporting civil authorities. The

briefing shall include an assessment of: (1) Performance of NITRO in relation to PNT requirements; 

(2) Survivability of NITRO including to cyber, electromagnetic, and radiological threats; (3) Costs 

associated with manning, fielding, deploying, and maintaining NITRO; (4) Existing deployments of 

NITRO as well as currently planned future deployments; (5) Potential for nationwide and territorial 

deployment of NITRO to include timelines and costs; (6) Current coordination related to NITRO

between the National Guard Bureau and the National Executive Committee for Space-Based PNT; 

and (7) Policies, regulations, guidance, and federal statutes governing the communicating of

NITRO data with state, local, tribal, and territorial partners.

Army National Guard Mission Assurance Program. 

The committee remains concerned about the prospect of degradation of defense critical 

infrastructure from disruption that would affect the mobilization and movement of military forces 

and supplies in support of global and homeland operations.

For this reason, the committee directs the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the 

Secretaries of the military departments, the Commander of United States Northern Command,

and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Global Security, to establish a 

mission assurance program to acquire and maintain all-domain awareness of threats posed to

such defense critical infrastructure, and offer assistance to those entities in conducting all-domain 

threat assessments and remedial actions within their operational and information technology 

systems. 

Additionally, the committee encourages the Secretary to work through existing assistance 

programs and organizations within the Department of Defense, such as the National Guard

Bureau's Army Interagency Training and Education Command (AITEC), to establish relationships 

with defense critical infrastructure operators to maintain awareness and ensure rapid response to 

adverse events.
- 22 -

Report on Critical Infrastructure Supporting National Security and Force Projection 

Activities. 

The committee commends the Department of Defense (DOD) on efforts to address cyber 

vulnerabilities of servicemembers, military installations, the defense industrial base, and other

key components of the national security enterprise. The committee remains concerned, however, 

about the potential for cyberattacks against the homeland to impede the ability of the

DOD to conduct operations and functions.

The committee believes that the DOD must do more to address domain awareness gaps to ensure 

that vulnerabilities to military installations, which stem from dependence on critical infrastructure 

located in surrounding communities, do not present an attack vector which adversaries can exploit.

Therefore, the committee directs the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretaries of 

the military departments, and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, and in consultation

with the Secretary of Homeland Security, to provide a report to the Committees on Armed Services 

of the Senate and the House of Representatives, not later than February 1, 2024, on vulnerabilities 

of military installations related to critical infrastructure supporting national security and force 

projection activities. The report shall be submitted in an unclassified form but may include a 

classified annex. The report shall include the following elements:

(1) Development of potential models for establishing processes, relationships, and 

command structures for proactively identifying vulnerabilities, responding to cyber incidents

involving DOD installations, and providing synchronized reporting to higher authorities;

(2) An assessment of the feasibility of designing and establishing a data repository within 

the DOD for resources and data related to potential cyber incidents involving DOD installations; 

tailored responses; impacts; and exercises to facilitate the sharing of policies, procedures, best 

practices, data, and emerging issues; and

(3) An assessment of the need for utilizing the planning and execution of integrated 

campaigning (as defined in the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Concept for Integrated Campaigning) at 

multiple echelons to understand potential adversary actions against U.S. Government and nongovernment partners and to better inform campaign plan assumptions. 

Space Force Personnel Management (Secs. 1701-1752)

The committee recommends a set of provisions that would amend title 10, United States Code, by 

adding a new subtitle F, titled "Alternative Military Personnel Systems," and establishing 

thereunder a military personnel system for the Space Force. The provision would also make 

various technical and conforming amendments to provisions in title 10, 19, 28, 38, and 50, United 

States Code, to account for the creation of the Space Force personnel system.

Under the recommended provision, the U.S. Space Force would become a single-component 

military service, incorporating elements of personnel policy from existing authority in title 10, United 

States Code, pertaining to both active and reserve components from other Armed Forces. Of note, 

the single component Space Force personnel system would allow for greater flexibility in career 

management and progression for U.S. Space Force members, who would be allowed to go back 

and forth between full-time military service and part-time service throughout their careers.

Implementation of the military personnel system for the U.S. Space Force would be contingent 

upon a certification from the Secretary of the Air Force that any State National Guard affected by 

the transfer of units, personnel billets, equipment, and resources into the U.S. Space Force would 

be made whole by the transfer of additional assets under the control of the Secretary of the Air 

Force into the affected State National Guard. The Secretary concerned would also be required to 

submit to the congressional defense committees a report that includes a transition plan to move all 

units, personnel billets, equipment, and resources that perform core Space Force missions, are 

under the operational control of the U.S. Space Force, or are otherwise integral to the U.S. Space 

Force mission that may exist in the reserve components of the Department of the Air Force into the 

U.S. Space Force. The provision would also require protections for affected members of the 
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reserve components of the U.S. Air Force to ensure they would be able to remain in the reserve 

components without a negative impact on their careers if they chose not to transfer to the U.S. 

Space Force.

Under this title, the Secretary of Defense would also be required to enter into an agreement with a 

federally funded research and development center to conduct an independent study to assess the 

advisability and feasibility of moving personnel billets, equipment, and resources performing core 

space functions into the U.S. Space Force, as well as an analysis of the possibility of maintaining 

the current model in which the Air National Guard has units and personnel performing core space

functions; transitioning such units and personnel to the U.S. Space Force; and creating a new 

National Guard component of the U.S. Space Force. Such study shall be due to the Secretary of

the Air Force not later than February 1, 2025.

The committee notes that the transfer of capabilities from the National Guard to the U.S, Space 

Force is a unique requirement and based on the strategic importance of maintaining unified 

Federal control of space assets and capabilities under the new U.S. Space Force personnel 

management system. Should the Department of Defense ever seek to incorporate elements of the

U.S. Space Force military personnel system into the personnel systems of the Army or Air Force, 

the committee would not support any large-scale transfer of units, personnel billets, equipment, or 

resources of the State National Guards into single-component Army or Air Force services under 

such unified personnel management systems. The Army National Guard and Air National Guard 

provide critical capabilities for the Armed Services and the States, and must be maintained as 

standing reserve components of the Armed Forces.