WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today spoke on the Senate floor to highlight the numerous bipartisan objectives laid out in the FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

HIGHLIGHTS:

WEST VIRGINIA’S HISTORY OF MILITARY SERVICE: “My state of West Virginia has some of the highest rates of veteran population. We have about 10 percent of our population that are veterans, and nationally – that average is only 7 [percent] so I think service in the military and taking care of our military is something of very much importance to me as their representative here in the Congress. I think we can all agree that our armed forces would not be what it is without the great service of our patriotic men and women of our all-volunteer force. That’s why it’s so important that we continue to support them and the work they do to protect our freedoms every single day.”

PAY RAISE FOR TROOPS: “The NDAA also designates the necessary funds to provide our active duty service members, veterans, and their families with the resources they have earned through their dedication and support. Another way that the NDAA looks out for our troops and their families is that it authorizes a three percent raise for our soldiers. This comes less than a year after a 3.1 percent raise for our service members – which was the largest in a decade. Given the fact that our military is an all-volunteer force, it is important that we make it known that their sacrifices do not go unnoticed.”

SECURING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE: “The NDAA makes sure our military is trained and equipped to protect this country. We accomplish this in the bill by continuing to carry out the plans highlighted in the National Defense Strategic Plan, which stresses that the United States strives for superiority on land, on the seas, in the air, and in cyberspace. The NDAA advances DoD’s cybersecurity strategies and cyber combat capabilities and enhances US security efforts by countering competition from near-peer adversaries like Russia and China and defeating threats from rogue regimes like Iran and North Korea.”

 

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