Last night the House of Representatives passed the 2014 Defense Authorization bill (NDAA).
– The bill was passed Thursday evening by a vote of 350-69 and will authorize a total of $552.1B for FY2014 for the regular operations of the Department of Defense. Additionally, the bill contains $80.7B for Overseas Continuing Operations (OCO) to cover the costs of existing combat operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere throughout the world.
– Of particular note, the FY2014 NDAA prioritizes funding for Cybersecurity, Missile Defense, and Intelligence operations.
– In the area of sexual assault, the bill looks at over 30 new provisions or reforms to current procedures designed to combat sexual assault the military. The bill does not, however, remove the chain of command from the reporting process, which had been hotly debated in recent months.
The next step is for the Senate to take up the bill, which we’re hearing may happen on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. We are also hearing that while there may be some Republican opposition to the inability to offer amendments to the bill, leadership on both sides of the aisle is confident at this point that they have the votes.
Watch here for additional details, the Capstone Team will stay on top of any developments.
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