Friends and Colleagues, 

This week, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees voted out the annual defense authorization bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This legislation, which has passed annually for 60 years, sets military funding levels, establishes new laws and policies related to U.S. national security, and establishes criteria for how taxpayer funds are spent. It will likely be the only major piece of legislation Congress passes this year. 

While absent of important provisions to fight Russian aggression in Ukraine, we are pleased to report that With Honor Action’s legislative work resulted in the passage of 63 provisions. A handful of these consequential laws are summarized below. You can view the full list at this link.

Nonetheless, the NDAA continues the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides support for the Ukrainian security forces in their defense struggle against a Russian invasion. It is possible that these funds will be appropriated as part of President Biden’s national security supplemental, which is best understood as an emergency spending request if it passes in the new year. This month, With Honor Action led a broad coalition of veterans groups to the Hill in support of this legislation. Our team facilitated over 100 engagements with Congressional staff in support of Ukraine, Taiwan assistance, and more visas for our courageous Afghan allies left behind after the fall of Kabul.

• Department of Defense Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve Act (S. 903; Section 1536)
  • The Cyberspace Solarium Commission, a leading cyber and technology commission that was co-founded by For Country Caucus Member Rep. Mike Gallagher, has discovered shortages of cyber and technical experts across the Federal Government have created significant vulnerabilities in our cyber infrastructure. 
  • The bipartisan DoD Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve Act, led by the founding Co-Chairs of the For Country Caucus, Rep. Jimmy Panetta and Rep. Don Bacon, would combat this change by establishing a pilot program within the Department of Defense (DoD) to recruit civilian personnel to serve in cybersecurity reservist positions to ensure that we have the talent necessary to defeat, deter, or respond to cyber threats. 
     
• Taiwan Cybersecurity Resiliency Act (H.R. 2756 / S. 1241; Section 1518)
  • This bipartisan bill, led by For Country Caucus founding members Rep. Mike Gallagher and Rep. Seth Moulton, directs the Secretary of Defense to seek engagement with the Taiwanese government on expanding cooperation of military cybersecurity activities. The Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly disregarded Taiwanese independence and interfered with the Taiwan Strait and their cyberspace. This bill would improve global security by ensuring we stand up to our adversaries and defend democratic nations across the globe.
     
• Critical Mineral Independence Act (S. 2031; Section 1414)
  • This bill, led by For Country Caucus members Rep. Mike Gallagher and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, tasks the Department of Defense to assess vulnerabilities in its supply chain, identify and recommend changes to acquisition laws, regulations, and policies, and prioritize recommendations to achieve critical mineral supply chain independence. Critical minerals are used for everything from weapons manufacturing to making smartphones, and the Chinese government currently holds a near monopoly on these minerals and manufacturing processes. This bill would ensure that we are taking the necessary steps to establish logistical independence from our adversaries, furthering military readiness.
     
• Codification & Elevation of the Defense Innovation Unit [Sec. 913]
  • This provision, led by For Country Caucus members founding members, Rep. Mike Gallagher and Rep. Seth Moulton, would codify the Defense Innovation Unit, an organization in the Department of Defense that specializes in identifying, investing in, and adopting commercial dual-use technology at speed and scale and clarifies its Director as the principal staff assistant to the Secretary of Defense on the issues under its jurisdiction.
     
• Organization & Management of the Defense Innovation Unit [Sec. 913: Support for Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships]
  • This subsection authorizes the Defense Innovation Unit to identify and support multi-stakeholder research and innovation across the whole of society, including institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, for-profit commercial enterprises, and departments or agencies of the federal government.

• The Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act (H.R. 2597 / S. 1095; Section 601) 
  • This bill, led by For Country Caucus members Reps. Jeff Jackson and Zach Nunn, extends the same active duty parental leave policy to an estimated more than one million National Guard and Reserve service members by expanding eligibility beyond birthing mothers to include fathers, adoptive parents, and foster parents. These expanded benefits are already enjoyed by active duty personnel and would put National Guard and Reserve personnel on par with their full-time counterparts.
  • Read more about this legislation in Rep. Jeff Jackson's latest substack article here.
     
• Including military service in determining family and medical leave eligibility for federal employees under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
  • This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, expands eligibility provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act for federal employees to military service if the individual has completed at least 12 months of honorable service. This provision will impact hundreds of thousands of military families. 

• Expansion of the JROTC Program (Sec. 551)
  • This provision, led by Senator Roger Wicker, requires the Department of Defense to establish and support not less than 3,400 and not more than 4,000 units of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, an expansion from the existing 3,275 units.
     
• Stop Funding JROTC at CCP-Owned Schools Act (Sec. 553)
  • Prohibition of Establishment or Maintenance of a Unit of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at an Education Institution Owned, Operated, or Controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

With Honor Action has been working on expanding and improving opportunities for more Americans to serve our country since the start of the organization. You can read With Honor Action Co-Founder and CEO, Rye Barcott's Fortune Op-Ed here which he wrote alongside Rep. Mike Gallagher and Rep. Mikie Sherrill talking more about this important issue and the work With Honor Action is doing to equip the next generation to lead through civic duty.