The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have sent a $886 billion defense spending bill to President Joe Biden, paving the way for the Department of Defense to pay its bills for the upcoming fiscal year.
Alaska’s Congressional delegation secured funding for Alaska programs and projects in the National Defense Authorization Act, including Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright.
Rep. Mary Peltola, Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan singled out a few highlights as major wins, including a significant 5.2% pay raise for servicemembers and improving troops’ basic needs allowance.
“This NDAA improves our capabilities, gives our servicemembers a well-earned raise, and simultaneously focuses on everything from food security to new tools to help those in crisis.,” Murkowski said in a news release.
Peltola called the pay raise overdue, as were the provisions sponsored by the delegation.
“Alaska’s delegation worked hard to improve this bill throughout the legislative process, and I’m grateful to Senator Murkowski and Senator Sullivan for listening to the needs of our military leaders and families,” Peltola said.
The bill funds several Arctic- and Alaska-specific projects, including improvements to servicemembers’ quality of life, tribal-military partnership measures and infrastructure needs.
Murkowski also pushed hard for the basic needs provision, which pays for food, housing and other necessities.
“Studies have shown that food insecurity impacts nearly one in four servicemembers, and one in eight military families, highlighting the need to do better to ensure their basic needs are met,” Murkowski’s office stated.
For military construction, the largest project includes a $107.5 million runway extension for Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage, as well as $18.1 million to design a combat alert cell.
Fort Wainwright has $34 million earmarked to complete its housing project for single or unaccompanied enlisted personnel and $7.9 million to design a performance readiness center.
Eielson will receive $9.5 for a dormitory, $5 million to design a dual hangar bay, $3 million for a joint mobility center expansion, $1.7 million to design a fire station and $1.4 million for a Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex design.
Another $11 billion has been assigned to the Missile Defense Agency, which operates a location at Fort Greely near Delta Junction. The funding will be used to complete 64 ground-based interceptor missile launchers.
Work on a long-range discrimination radar Clear Space Force Station in Denali Borough will be expected to be completed over the next year. Once complete, the Space Force will take over the radar system operations.
“This year’s NDAA affirms Alaska’s importance to our nation’s defense during the most dangerous period since World War II,” said Sullivan, who noted he authored several provisions included in defense budget bill, including the pay raise and several construction projects.
The bill also includes provisions to allow the Defense Department to treat PFAS-cocontaminated soils on and around Eielson Air Force Base, exempt Alaska small businesses and Native corporations from having to comply with certain greenhouse gas emission regulations and allows military personnel to receive counseling from licensed mental health professionals residing outside of Alaska.
Sullivan noted his provisions also allow the Army’s Innovative Readiness Training to be used for responses to natural disasters in Alaska.
He said Alaska reflects the “three pillars of America’s military might,” which include its radar system, the F-35 squadrons stationed at JBER and Eielson and the Army’s newly re-branded 11th Airbonre Division, which train for operations and combat in Arctic conditions.
“With an additional $371 million dollars in military construction funding for our state — and many other provisions we were able to secure in this NDAA — Alaska will be further cemented as the center of gravity for America’s Arctic and Indo-Pacific security operations,” Sullivan said.