Joe Biden. Photo: Evan Vucci / AP
This Friday, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (NDAA), which represents the country's military budget worth $886 billion.
“The law provides the essential authority we need to build the military force needed to deter future conflicts, while supporting the service members and their spouses and families who carry out this mission every day,” the US President said in a statement from the White House.
“While I am happy to support the fundamental objectives of the NDAA, I note that certain provisions of the law raise concerns.” Biden claimed and pointed out that the bill's passage became possible after the amendments were introduced to reach a compromise between Democrats and Republicans. The US Senate approved the bill on December 13th and the House of Representatives on December 14th.
What does the military budget include?
According to the document, the allocations are intended primarily for Defense Department and military construction programs. and national security from the Department of Energy, State Department and intelligence projects.
Specifically, the more than 3,000-page law provides for strengthening military partnerships in the Indo-Pacific and Europe to counter China and Russia, as well as structural improvements to bases and barracks, salary increases for military personnel, and the purchase of new weapons and missile defense systems. The NDAA provides $11.5 billion to deter Beijing in the region and $800 million to Ukraine.
The approved version includes points that reflect the Republicans' vision, such as banning “the display of any unauthorized flag, such as the LGBTQ flag, on military installations” and capping the salary of Pentagon employees that promote diversity, equality civil servants must promote inclusion among themselves.
Additionally, despite criticism in both houses of Congress, the NDAA also includes Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA, which allows the government to monitor people's digital communications within the United States. Section 702, which was set to expire at the end of the year, remains in effect for four more months.
(With information from RT in Spanish)
See also:
The White House announced a historic military aid package for Taiwan worth $345 million