Tuberville Celebrates Senate’s Passage of Annual Defense Bill, Pledges to Keep Fighting Every Day for Alabama’s Troops

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) released the following statement after the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the Senate. The bill is now headed to President Trump's desk.

As Alabama's representative on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), Sen. Tuberville fought hard to secure key wins for Alabama's troops and military installations in this year's funding bill. Sen. Tuberville issued the below statement:

"The United States military is the most lethal fighting force in the world. Under Joe Biden, the Pentagon was nearly taken over by the woke mind virus. Thankfully, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have worked tirelessly to right the ship by refocusing the Department on its core mission: protecting our national security. This year's NDAA includes several conservative wins I fought for, including banning woke DEI programs at the Pentagon, protecting women's sports at U.S.service academies, and prohibiting military resources from being used to censor conservative outlets.

I am also proud of the wins I was able to secure for Alabama's troops and military installations. In addition to a 3.8% pay raise for our troops, the bill also improves housing for our military families. The bill supports Alabama's defense industrial base by directing the Department of War to fully support the development of all quantum computing technologies. It also makes key investments in surface ship sustainment and readiness that will boost Alabama shipbuilding. Importantly, the NDAA provides funding for the Golden Dome, which Alabama will play a critical role in building and supporting. Alabama is second to none when it comes to defense technology and national security-and I will keep fighting every day to ensure Alabama has the resources it needs to keep Americans safe."

BACKGROUND:

As Alabama's representative on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Tuberville is proud to have secured the below wins in this year's NDAA:

Conservative Wins:

• Eliminates DEI-related requirements within the U.S. Department of War (DOW).
• Prohibits males from taking roster positions that belong to females at U.S. service academies.
• Strengthens language to prohibit DOW recruiting funds from being used to censor and disadvantage conservative media sources.
• Creates fundamental reforms for the Department's civilian workforce hiring and management practices to support President Trump's civil service reforms.
• Requires that command selections in the Department be based on individual merit and demonstrated performance.
• Blocks Democrats' efforts to prevent President Trump from re-naming bases.

Alabama Wins:

• Secures 3.8% pay raise for troops.
• Improves quality-of-life and makes housing safer for our servicemembers by encouraging all military commissaries to carry at-home mold test kits.
• Supports Alabama's defense industrial base by directing the Department to fully develop the use of all quantumcomputing technologies.
• Encourages DOW to continue to leverage the benefits of the military-civilian partnership that helps further medical research initiatives for the Department.
• Directs DOW to accelerate the conversion and testing of successful air-launched weapon systems for ground employment.
• Improves servicemembers' quality of life by improving the accuracy and transparency of housing allowance calculations.
• Supports procurement of MH-139 Grey Wolf helicopters to modernize aging rotary wing aircraft fleet.
• Improves advanced weapons systems by requiring the employment of advanced technologies and material improvements.
• Continues investment in reactive target simulation and facility security enhancement to better meet evolving threats.
• Makes important investments in surface ship sustainment and readiness, as well as shipyard optimization.

Additional Wins:

• Enhances the authority for the military to protect our troops, facilities, and large events against small drone threats across the country.
• Extends provisions to keep Guantanamo Bay open to detain Law of War terrorists and keep them from being brought to the United States.
• Includes no restrictions on supporting ICE with deportations, including the use of military air transport.
• Allows Governors to leverage Active Guard and Reserve personnel for disaster response, preserving critical military capacity for national-level crises and contingencies.
• Bans cell phones in DOW schools.
• Improves transparency and understanding of military compensation by requiring clear explanations on pay statements and an education campaign for servicemembers and families on military compensation.
• Requires DOW and the VA to establish action plans to improve access for veterans to be seen in Military Treatment Facilities, the sharing of resources and to improve graduate medical and health education collaborations.
• Ensures families receive notification about military sex offenders living on base.
• Improves military recruiter access to secondary schools and timely directory information sharing.
• Expands Navy fleet and funds wage improvements for conventional surface shipbuilders (destroyers, amphibious ships, and more).
• Includes BioSecure Act, preventing U.S. support for Chinese biotechnology companies who steal American intellectual property and engage in dangerous research.
• Provides needed reforms to the AUKUS defense trade partnership by ensuring that reexports and retransfers between the allies are exempt from licensing requirements and eliminates the need for Congressional Notification for items covered by the AUKUS International Traffic in Arms Regulations exemption.
• Requires the Department of War to expand the existing critical mineral recycling programs to increase supply and decrease reliance on China.

Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans' Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

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