The draft National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the fiscal year 2026, which was passed by the US Senate Committee on Armed Services on Wednesday, addresses various global security challenges and includes provisions to bolster Taiwan’s security and defense capabilities.
The NDAA is an annual policy bill that authorizes funding levels and provides authorities for the US military.
It ensures that US forces have the necessary resources to carry out their missions, and is closely watched by weapons makers such as Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co.
Screengrap from https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/
The NDAA, passed by the committee with a 26-1 vote, includes a provision to extend the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative through 2028, increasing authorized funding to US$500 million from US$300 million this year.
The NDAA supports a total of US$925 billion in funding for national defense, with US$878.7 billion allocated for the US Department of Defense and US$35.2 billion to the US Department of Energy. The bill also allows for up to US$6 billion in general transfer authority for unforeseen higher-priority needs.
The NDAA also addresses various global security challenges, including threats from China, Iran and North Korea.
It emphasizes the need for technological advancements in areas such as artificial intelligence, uncrewed technology and hypersonic weapons to maintain US military superiority.
In the drafted bill, provisions for the Indo-Pacific region include an initiative to bolster security cooperation across the defense industrial bases of US allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
Half of the highlighted directives listed for region are associated with Taiwan, and includes “directs the Department of Defense [DOD] to engage with Taiwan to develop a joint program to codevelop and coproduce uncrewed and counter-uncrewed capabilities.”
It also includes: “requires the DOD to consult with the Department of State and the American Institute of Taiwan [AIT] to develop contracting processes to support entities that are not part of AIT” and “directs DOD to assess Taiwan’s critical digital infrastructure and identify potential actions to help strengthen it.”
It authorizes US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative and expands the authority to expand its use for combat casualty care and medical equipment, and strongly encourages the US Secretary of Defense to invite the naval forces of Taiwan to the Rim of the Pacific exercises and requires a notification and justification if the secretary chooses not to do so.
The draft of the bill is to make its way through the legislative process in the coming months.
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