US lawmakers push back against China and Russia with massive defence bill
- The National Defence Authorisation Act includes US$300 million for Ukraine’s military and a statement of support for the defence of Taiwan
- The NDAA usually gets strong bipartisan support and is closely watched because it is one of the only major pieces of legislation that becomes law every year
US lawmakers included a range of efforts to push back against China and Russia in a massive annual defence bill released on Tuesday, including US$300 million for Ukraine’s military and a statement of support for the defence of Taiwan.
The fiscal 2022 National Defence Authorisation Act, or NDAA, authorises US$770 billion in military spending, including provisions such as a 2.7 per cent pay increase for the troops, reforms of the military justice system to combat sexual assault and initiatives to address geopolitical threats.
The NDAA, which normally passes with strong bipartisan support, is closely watched by a broad swathe of industry and other interests because it is one of the only major pieces of legislation that becomes law every year and because it addresses such a wide range of issues.
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The legislation includes US$300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides support to Ukraine’s armed forces, addresses strong support for Nato, includes US$4 billion for the European Defence Initiative and US$150 million for Baltic security cooperation.