The budget-and-policy package heads to the Senate, where a vote is expected the week of Dec. 15.
Expected investments for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base include $45 million for a new Human Performance Wing Laboratory and provisions to support long-term infrastructure improvements at the Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) Dayton, located at Wright-Patterson.
With some 38,000 employees before the Trump administration, the base is widely seen as the largest single-site employer in the state of Ohio.
“These NDAA wins are a testament to our commitment to improving the lives of our service-members and strengthening our national defense,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton.
The new Human Performance Wing Laboratory “will consolidate and modernize critical functions, directly benefiting our warfighters,” he said, adding that he expects work at NAMRU-Dayton to support “the health and well-being of our service-members.”
The bill also increases the military’s Family Separation Allowance, funds for deployed service members, according to Turner’s office.
Also slated for Wright-Patterson is $20 million authorized for research and testing on reusable hypersonic aircraft at Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
Budgeted as well is $2.5 million to fund a project at AFRL to make metals lighter, stronger, and more affordable for military applications.
The bill also sought to ensure Space Force participation among the Air Force Institute of Technology’s cadre of instructors, Turner’s office said. AFIT is located at Wright-Patterson.
The NDAA also supports the procurement of 69 F-35 aircraft a year and also aimed to improve weapons acquisition, creating an “accelerated requirements process designed to rapidly seek innovative solutions from industry rather than prescribing exquisite systems to be built,” according to Turner’s office.
“This is a strong bipartisan bill that delivers for our warfighters and deters our adversaries,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chair of the House Armed Services Committee. “It will fundamentally reform the defense acquisition enterprise. It will continue historic improvements in the quality of life for our servicemembers and their families.”
Turner is a senior member of the Armed Services Committee.
Turner’s office said the bill also invests in the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, which is overseen by teams at Wright-Patterson, while supporting the development of auto-calibrating, self-leveling LiDAR (light detection and ranging) laser scanners for the Air Force.
Further, the bill directs $120 million to the Strategic Capabilities Office’s Pele mobile micro nuclear reactor pilot program.
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