Senator Peters Helps Senate Pass Defense Appropriations Bill, Secures Key Provisions to Bolster Michigan Military Installations and Strengthen National Security

WASHINGTON, DC?- U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, helped the Senate pass the?Fiscal Year 2026 Defense Appropriations Act. This bipartisan legislation supports our servicemembers, bolsters Michigan's military installations, and provides investment in our state's robust defense footprint.

"Michigan is home to key military installations and vital defense sector partners that strengthen our national security and keep our servicemembers safe," said Senator Peters. "This bipartisan bill delivers the resources to ensure our state continues to develop the innovative technologies needed to meet the growing threats posed by our adversaries around the world. I'm also proud this bill includes provisions I authored to address PFAS contamination in Michigan communities and funds essential clean-up activities at Michigan's military installations."

The bill includes measures led and supported by Peters, including:?

Supporting Michigan's Defense Installations

Funding for Exercise Northern Strike: Peters secured a record $27.3 million for Exercise Northern Strike - the National Guard Bureau's largest joint service and multicomponent exercise which takes place annually in Michigan. Northern Strike takes place at the National All-Domain Warfighting Center (NADWC), which utilizes both the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center and the Alpena Combat Readiness Center, based in Northern Michigan. ??

Supporting PFAS Remediation in Grayling:?Peters secured $42.8 million to support PFAS remediation efforts at Camp Grayling. This funding will extend municipal water to new residential areas and begin remediation at the Army Airfield to protect the municipal wells in the City of Grayling and AuSable River. Peters has long?supported?DOD's plans to expand use of PFAS mitigation strategies pioneered in Northern Michigan at more than 30 DOD installations and National Guard facilities nationwide, including Camp Grayling.?

Investing in PFAS Remediation Stemming from Defense Activities:?In addition to the funding secured for Camp Grayling, the bill makes substantial investments in defense communities to help limit environmental impacts from military activities, such as PFAS contamination. This bill includes $135 million for PFAS cleanup, testing, and remediation. Peters also secured language in the bill highlighting concerns with the health and safety impacts of PFAS contamination and requiring the Department of Defense to provide Congress with the Department's plans for PFAS remediation and disposal activities.

Protecting Defense Medical Research: Peters helped secure robust funding for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP), which aims to translate research discovery into health care solutions for servicemembers, veterans, and the American public.

Supporting Michigan's Servicemembers and Military Families??

Pay Raise for Servicemembers: The bill provides a 3.8 percent across-the-board pay raise for servicemembers, as well as an additional 10 percent pay raise for junior enlisted personnel.

Delivering Child Care & Early Education: The bill fully funds the Child Care Fee Assistance Program and provides funding for the operation, renovation, and repair of child development centers. It also supports full-day, universal pre-K for our military families.

Supporting Suicide Prevention and Response: The bill fully funds programs that support servicemember and veteran suicide prevention and response. The bill also supports continued implementation of the recommendations of the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee. It also designates suicide prevention as a research area within the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs' Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program.

Working to Prevent Sexual Assault: The bill provides $47 million for the Special Victims' Counsel (SVC) program to help survivors of sexual assault.

Bolstering Michigan's Defense Economy, Workforce Initiatives??

Promoting STEM Education through STARBASE: This bill includes an additional $53 million in funding for STARBASE, a DoD Youth Program that promotes STEM education. Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township is home to the first STARBASE program, which specifically provides K-12 students unique experiences in experiential learning, simulations and experiments in aviation and space-related fields.

Accelerating Vehicle Cybersecurity Education: The bill includes $7.7 million secured by Peters for the Virtual Institutes for Cyber and Electromagnetic Spectrum Research and Employ (VICEROY) program, which has enabled the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) to establish the Metro-Detroit Regional Vehicle Cybersecurity Virtual Institute. This funding will help UDM leverage the expertise in the Metro-Detroit region to accelerate workforce development. VICEROY already has nearly 250 enrollees in the Detroit metro area, including high school, Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), community college, and bachelor's and master's degree students.

Funding to Support Combatant Craft Heavy Platform : The final bill includes $7.5 million in funding to support the production of the next Combatant Craft Heavy (CCH) vessel. This work in Holland will continue to keep Michigan at the center of our nation's defense.

Modernizing High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs): Peters helped secure $50 million to upgrade Humvees with anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control systems that will help prevent rollovers, which have claimed the lives of U.S. servicemembers. These kits are made in Troy and this funding would help support more than 150 jobs.

Expanding Michigan's 3D Printing Network: The bill includes $5 million to create a shared network of 3D printers available for small and medium-sized defense manufacturers throughout Michigan. The initiative, called Project DIAMOnD, aims to support Michigan's manufacturing businesses by supporting product development, workforce training, and peer-to-peer information sharing.

Supporting Defense System Production in Coldwater: Peters fought to secure $7.5 million in the bill to support development and production of high velocity weapon systems in Coldwater. The facility will produce molybdenum alloys, which are essential to fill critical capability gaps currently facing the Department of Defense. This provision will strengthen our domestic supply chain of these essential alloys and support an estimated 130 good-paying jobs in Michigan.

Strengthening Michigan's Marine Workforce: Peters secured $100 million to support the Marinette Marine shipyard, which is located along the Menominee River and employs hundreds of Michiganders. These funds will be used to hire hundreds of additional skilled trades workers. ?

Strengthening Collaboration Between U.S. Navy and the University of Michigan: Peters secured $3.25 million to kickstart creation of the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Research and Education Hub, which will be housed at the University of Michigan (UM). In partnership with the Office of Naval Research and Michigan's Defense Manufacturers, UM will work to develop new defense technologies that improve and enhance the performance of Navy systems. The Hub will also serve as a training and recruitment tool for Navy personnel.

Supporting Youth National Guard Programs: The bill includes an additional $87.4 million Peters secured for the National Guard Youth Challenge Program. This program helps provide a second chance to thousands of disadvantaged young adults who take the initiative to better their lives. Programs are led by National Guard cadre, who help foster discipline, leadership, and physical and educational skills, and provide cadets with mentorship and assistance in earning their high school diploma or GED. The program has graduated nearly 200,000 young people who dropped out of high school, with 62 percent of program participants going on to earn their high school diploma or GED. The funding Peters secured will help the program accept more applicants each year.

Advanced Manufacturing Centers: Peters helped secure $5 million for research and development of critical materials processing to bolster the commercialization of ceramic-related technology. This vital research is done by LIFT, a Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institute based in Detroit that Peters helped establish.?

Supporting Autonomous Vehicle Research: The bill includes $5 million to support Michigan State University's (MSU) collaboration with the U.S. Army to build a prototype of a lightweight autonomous vehicle platform to fuse different technologies into a unified system. This ongoing research project will support Michigan's leadership in the global automotive marketplace. ?

Accelerating Development of Defense Technologies in Southfield: Peters secured $6 million in the bill to support ongoing operations at the Centrepolis Accelerator, which is located at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield. Through its Defense Hardtech Accelerator Program, the Centrepolis Accelerator develops innovate solutions to rapidly advance and update technologies for military applications.

Connecting Small Businesses to Defense Contracts: The bill includes an additional $38.2 million to support the Small Business Administration's APEX Accelerator program, which provides technical assistance to small businesses interested in competing for defense and general government procurement contracts. The program aims to increase the number of locally owned qualified vendors, which will help support local economies and support job growth.

Strengthening our National Security, Supporting Allies Around the World?

Strengthen Efforts to Combat Anti-Tunneling Activity: The bill includes $80 million in funding to strengthen current collaborative efforts between the U.S. and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to combat Hamas and strengthen anti-tunneling activity in the Gaza Strip. As part of DOD's collaboration with the IDF, Israel shares its counter-tunnel technology with DOD and the Department of Homeland Security to combat growing threats at our borders, as well as similar threats faced on the Korean Peninsula and in multiple locations in the Middle East. This provision is based on Peters'?United States-Israel Anti-Tunnel Cooperation Act.?

National Guard and Reserves: The bill includes $73.8 million for the State Partnership Program (SPP), which funds training and exercises with U.S. allies. The program connects state National Guards with U.S. partner nations to bolster defense capabilities, increase readiness, and foster enduring institutional relationships with our partners around the world. Michigan is partnered with the nations of Latvia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone through the SPP.

Supporting Taiwan and Indo-Pacific Partners: The bill provides robust support for Taiwan, including $1 billion to support key U.S. allies like Taiwan, the Philippines, and allies across the Indo-Pacific. The bill also strengthens U.S. research and military collaboration through the AUKUS partnership with our Australian and U.K. allies.

Strengthening Partnerships in Europe: The bill rejects President Trump's proposal to eliminate support for Ukraine and instead provides $400 million, the same funding amount authorized last month in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill also rejects President Trump's proposal to eliminate funding for the Baltic Security Initiative, which invests in security cooperation with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and instead provides $200 million to support the initiative. The bill adds $48.47 million for European Command unfunded priorities to enhance collective defense, and it rejects President Trump's request to cut funding for the George C. Marshall Center for Security Studies.

Keeping Civilians and Troops Safe from Landmines: Peters helped secure additional funding for the Humanitarian Demining Research and Development program. This program allows for the research and development of technologies used to detect and clear landmines, unexploded ordnance, and improvised explosive devices. These technologies increase the effectiveness, efficiency, and safety of demining operations for military and humanitarian use - saving lives and taxpayer dollars.

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