WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) fought to secure vital wins in the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill passed the U.S. Senate yesterday and will soon be signed into law.

“Once again, I am honored to have fought for priorities in the NDAA that will bolster our nation’s security and directly benefit Tennessee’s military and research communities,” said Senator Blackburn. “As Communist China and their fellow New Axis of Evil members continue to escalate their aggression, it’s vital our military stands ready. We succeed by supporting servicemembers and their families, promoting innovative research, advancing cybersecurity, and providing our men and women in uniform with the resources they need to fight and win.”

KEY POINTS ON BLACKBURN’S WORK:

• Support the Pathfinder Program by encouraging additional funding for defense capabilities and partnering with private sector developers at Vanderbilt University and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville;

• Support the classified additive manufacturing partnership between the Air Force Research Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory for future Air Force assets, including at Arnold Air Force Base;

• Secured $39 million in funding to support a multipurpose training range at Fort Campbell that trains and tests the skills necessary to detect, identify, and defeat stationary infantry and stationary or moving armor targets in a tactical array;
• Authorize funding for CH-47 Block II Chinook Helicopters including those flown at Fort Campbell;

• Provide $2.5 million for the planning and design of a new air traffic control tower at Fort Campbell;

• Authorize $760 million for construction of the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex;

• Support projects funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) including autonomous vehicle research at Tennessee Tech University;

• Support the Cavitation Erosion Research project between the University of Memphis and the Memphis Detachment of Naval Surface Warfare Center which studies cavitation erosion on combat ships and other vessels at the William B. Morgan Large Cavitation Channel (LCC) at Carderock’s Memphis Detachment, one of the world's largest and most technically advanced high-speed, variable-pressure water tunnel facilities; and

• Include report language addressing the establishment of a pilot program to provide DoD with qualified civilian personnel to ensure the U.S. has the talent to address cyber vulnerabilities.

This builds upon Blackburn’s bipartisan measure in the FY2021 NDAA that created a pilot program allowing the National Guard to provide “rapid, remote response for cyber assistance” to state and local governments, along with critical infrastructure entities when they are hit with cyberattacks.