WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) secured vital wins for Tennessee in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill now heads to President Biden’s desk.

“The New Axis of Evil is threatening the safety and security of the United States and our freedom-loving partners across the globe, and our military must remain ready to respond,” said Senator Blackburn. “As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I worked to secure increased funding for Tennessee’s military installations and research communities, and successfully led the fight to repeal the COVID vaccine mandate in this year’s NDAA. It will always be a top priority of mine to support servicemembers and their families, promote innovative research, advance cybersecurity, and provide our men and women in uniform with the resources they need to fight and win.”

KEY POINTS:

The NDAA Will Support Tennessee By:

• Procuring additional Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters for Fort Campbell, 101st Airborne, and 160th SOAR while supporting increased funding for the Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) line of effort;
• Increasing funding above the President’s Budget Request for nuclear modernization projects at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) program at Y-12 National Security Complex;
• Encouraging additional funding for defense capabilities and partnering with private sector developers along with additional research at Vanderbilt University; the University of Memphis; Tennessee Technological University; University of Tennessee Space Institute at Tullahoma; the University of Tennessee at Knoxville; Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU); Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE); and more;
• Increasing funding by $5 million to support defensive and offensive cyber protections, firewall protections, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based intrusion detection, and data encryption for the Department of Defense (DoD) autonomous vehicles for Fort Campbell;
• Supporting companies such as General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., who spent $8 million on subcontractors in Tennessee in 2020, with additional funding and authorities for the MQ-9 program;
• Authorizing the Future Force Requirements Experimentation (FFRE) program to develop the next generation of technology innovation. Vanderbilt and the University of Tennessee are collaborating with the 101st Airborne and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), 5th Group, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, University of Tennessee at Martin, University of Tennessee Space Institute in Tullahoma, and University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis;
• Putting enhanced focus on the vital work of Holston Army Ammunition Plant (HSAAP), which supplies energetics to support U.S., Allies, and partners – including in Ukraine;
• Advancing domestic uranium enrichment capability with Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) by establishing and implementing long-term plans for continued research, development, and demonstration of enrichment technologies to support deployment decisions;
• Securing military construction funding for the Tennessee National Guard’s Smyrna Volunteer Training Site and KC-135 Maintenance Shops at McGhee Tyson Airport; and
• Enhancing the development of anthropomorphic Female Body Armor to protect female soldiers with protector gear designed for the female form for soldiers at Fort Campbell.

Click here for more information on Senator Blackburn’s work in the FY23 NDAA to support Tennessee servicemembers and strengthen national defense capabilities. 

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• Senator Blackburn Fights For Tennessee Servicemember Readiness Capabilities In NDAA