WASHINGTON - Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) released the following statement after voting to pass the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which now heads to the president for his signature.

As part of the legislation, Husted secured $60 million to support Ohio military installations, growing the state's leadership in supporting national security.

"Ohio makes the things that keep America safe. From Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton and NASA Glenn in Cleveland to the Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky and the new Anduril facility at the Rickenbacker Air National Guard Installation, this bill supports and creates Ohio jobs and further strengthens the leadership role our state plays in national defense," said Husted.

"The investments in this bill will help build the next generation of American defense, strengthening the safety and security of our nation,"Husted continued. "The men and women who serve our country and sacrifice every day for our freedoms deserve the very best, innovative, Made-in-America technology."

"The men and women of our Armed Forces, along with their families, give of their time, talent and treasure for our safety, and this bill also delivers a much-needed pay raise for active-duty personnel," said Husted.

"Ohioans can always count on me to put Ohio first and stand fully behind our troops. Peace is preserved through strength, and this bill keeps America in a position to deter our adversaries. I will always fight to make sure our servicemembers have the tools they need to succeed and return home safely," concluded Husted.

Background:

The NDAA is the annual law that authorizes the budget and sets policies for the Pentagon and other defense-related activities.

The FY 2026 NDAA includes a 3.8% pay raise for military members, ensuring their pay remains ahead of inflation.

The inclusion of the below provisions in the NDAA builds on Husted's support for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), NASA Glenn Research Center and other key defense-related assets in the state of Ohio.

Ohio in the NDAA:

Ohio's leadership position in supporting national defense is strengthened by including:

• $45 million to build the Human Performance Wing Laboratory at WPAFB.
  • This building will serve as the modernized headquarters for the Human Effectiveness Directorate of the 711^th Human Performance Wing, which advances human warfighter capabilities in training, bioeffects and bioengineering.
• $15 million in planning and design funding for a full refurbishment of WPAFB's primary runway.
  • The primary runway servicing the base has been deteriorating for many years, staying operational only through a series of costly patches and restoration work.

• Robust funding for Project Pele to build an expeditionary micronuclear reactor for the military, which will create Ohio jobs.

• Language to encourage the Pentagon to use existing hypersonic testing facilities instead of wasting taxpayer dollars on building duplicative facilities.
  • This language will ensure the Hypersonic Tunnel Facility (HTF) located at NASA's Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky will remain a critical node of the nation's development of hypersonic weapons.

• A provision requiring the Space Force to detail Guardians as instructors at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) at WPAFB.
  • This language will protect AFIT's position as a premier center of education for our nation's Airmen and Guardians.
• Language to support the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.
  • Through the CCA program, the Air Force is developing a cost-effective, autonomous "drone wingman" aircraft that will pair with manned fighters to expand their capabilities.
  • Defense tech company Anduril will build its participant in the CCA program, the Fury aircraft, at its $1 billion hyperscale manufacturing facility in Columbus.
  • This language builds off Husted's work to secure funding for the acceleration of the CCA program in the budget law.
    
    

• A provision requiring the Pentagon to develop a supply chain mapping strategy to identify critical vulnerabilities in the supply chains of weapons systems and other military equipment. The development of the Pentagon's supply chain technology is supported by work done in Dayton. Husted fought for the inclusion of this language.

• A provision encouraging the Army and the Air Force to require head and hearing protection for aircraft maintenance workers.
  • Currently, the Navy and Marine Corps mandate head impact and hearing protection for maintenance personnel working on or near military aircraft.
  • However, the Army and Air Force have no such requirement, leaving their aircraft maintainers at risk for head injuries and acute hearing loss.
  • A portion of the head and hearing equipment procured by the Pentagon is made in Cleveland.

• A provision requiring the Pentagon to report to Congress on its cyber workforce. This report will include an assessment of the Pentagon's efforts to track cyber workforce qualification and certification, which is currently supported by work completed in Akron.

The NDAA also includes provisions that:

• Protect women's sports at the military service academies by prohibiting men from participating in women's athletic programs.

• Curtail cell phone use by students in Department of Defense schools.
  • This builds on Husted's support to restore focus in schools. Earlier this year, he cosponsored the REFOCUS DODEA Act, a bipartisan bill that would prohibit the use of phones during the school day in Department of Defense Education Activity schools.

• Expands the Pentagon's critical mineral recycling programs to increase supply and decrease reliance on China.

The full text of the bill is available here.