The Journal Record: Oklahoma Military Institutions To Benefit From Federal Defense Bill

The Journal Record

The U.S. House passed a defense bill on Thursday that includes the biggest pay raise for troops in more than two decades and would secure millions of dollars to support Oklahoma military installations.

The Senate had previously passed the measure, so it immediately moved to President Joe Biden for his consideration.

Passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was lauded by Rep. Frank Lucas, R-OK, who represents the state’s Third Congressional District, and Rep. Tom Cole, R-OK, who represents the state’s Fourth District.

“The FY 2024 NDAA will support Oklahoma installations and military families, defend our national security interests, and provide necessary oversight of funding to ensure American tax dollars are accounted for,” Lucas said in a statement.

The act includes:

• $72 million in funding for Oklahoma Air Force bases.
• $2.8 billion to procure 15 KC-46A tanker aircraft for training at Altus Air Force Base.
• Support for continued KC-135 program training at Altus.
• Support for continuing missions at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City and Fort Sill in Lawton.
• A 5.2% boost in service member pay.

Cole, a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, noted in a statement that the measure also included funding to support research, development and procurement of weapons and technologies needed to defend the nation against its adversaries.

“In the last two years the world has grown increasingly dangerous with new threats emerging, and providing for our common defense in tense times deserves bipartisan support from lawmakers,”  Cole said. “This NDAA authorizes $886.3 billion to adequately support national defense programs, $28 billion more than the fiscal year 2023 enacted level. This level of funding authorization will allow the Pentagon to build and maintain the lethal fighting force we need to prevail on the battlefield and support our service members and military families.

“This bill is not perfect. It does not go as far as I would have liked in some areas,” Cole continued, “but it represents a good-faith compromise that must be reached in divided government.”

The measure is likely the last piece of major legislation Congress will consider before leaving for the holiday break, though negotiations continue on a bill to aid Ukraine and Israel and boost border security.

Notably, the bill does not include language sought by House Republicans to restrict gender-affirming health care for transgender service members and it does not block the Pentagon’s abortion travel policy, which allows reimbursement for travel expenses when a service member has to go out of state for an abortion or other reproductive care.

Online: The Journal Record