Defense Secretary Austin Urges Reconsideration of Fort Drum Missile Defense Site, Other Provisions in NDAA Bills

WASHINGTON — As the Senate continues to refine its version this fall of the National Defense Authorization Act, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III is urging a second look at some proposals, including one that could establish a missile defense site at Fort Drum.

The annual NDAA, which sets spending for the Department of Defense in 2025, includes several conservative proposals approved by the Republican-led House in June. The House bill, with an $883.7 billion price tag, passed largely along party lines, 217-199. Reps. Elise M. Stefanik, R- Schuylerville, and Claudia L. Tenney, R- Cleveland, voted in favor.

Austin penned letters Sept. 26 to Democrat Jack Reed, the senior senator from Rhode Island and the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Republican Michael D. Rogers, Alabama congressman and chair of the House Armed Services Committee. The committees usher the NDAA bills into their respective chambers.

"If left unaddressed, certain provisions in the House-passed or Senate-proposed bills will substantially impact the Department's ability to accomplish our strategic goals," Austin wrote. He highlighted more than three dozen elements of the House and Senate bills in his 15-page letters. For some of those, he recommended adjustments. Others he wholly opposed.

The House bill renews the congressional mandate that the Department of Defense pursue the construction of a third missile defense site in the U.S.

Austin wrote that the DOD "strongly objects" to the mandated construction of an additional site.

"The U.S. homeland is currently protected by missile defense sites in Alaska and California. DOD does not have an operational requirement for a third site at this time, which could cost as much as $5 billion for site construction and procurement of interceptors."

Instead, he wrote, the department "continues to prioritize the development of the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI), which can protect all 50 states, with flight testing beginning in 2027 and operational emplacement beginning in 2028 in the 20 available silos in Alaska."

"DOD also retains the option of replacing the older interceptors in Alaska and California with NGIs to further improve the probability of successfully intercepting missile threats," he added.

Stefanik, who has supported Fort Drum hosting a third missile defense site, criticized the objection, calling it "unacceptable yet unsurprising."

"We need to bolster our homeland missile defense and this must begin with the construction of a third missile defense site, at Fort Drum, the designated location of the DOD by law," Stefanik said in a news release.

A separate bill passed by the House in June, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, outlines $10 million set aside for the possible planning and design of a Fort Drum missile defense site.

The House version also aims to block a current policy that provides reimbursements to U.S. servicemembers who go out of state for an abortion procedure, should they be stationed in a state that bars or significantly restricts the procedure. One provision would block the use of U.S. funds to provide gender-affirming care to transgender servicemembers, and another would block the continued operation of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the military.

Such measures are unlikely to be included in the final Senate bill, which will then need to be reconciled with the House version.

The NDAA could streamline loan forgiveness programs for U.S. servicemembers and authorize a limited pay increase of 15% to 19.5% for junior enlisted servicemembers and a 4.5% base pay raise for others. The bill includes boosted investments in Army operations at Fort Drum.

The DOD's input on the bills is available at wdt.me/AustinLetters.

Deliberations on the NDAA's details will continue until the House and Senate contend with their differences.

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