Indy Standard

U.S. Senator Todd Young expressed approval following the Senate's passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024, which passed with an 87-13 vote. The bill is set to establish policies for the Department of Defense (DoD), outline national security priorities, and provide a pay raise for U.S. servicemembers.

“The National Defense Authorization Act is one of the most important pieces of legislation Congress considers each year. I’m pleased the final bill includes several critical priorities I’ve worked on, including greater DoD transparency, ensuring our warfighters are equipped with the world’s best capabilities, and supporting Indiana’s defense industrial base and workforce,” said Senator Young.

Senator Young played a role in securing several provisions within the NDAA:

The DoD Audit Deadline provision mandates that the DoD complete a full audit within five years. This amendment aims to ensure transparency in budgetary priorities as the department undergoes modernization.

Provisions related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) were introduced by Senator Young and colleagues to enhance transparency and promote scientific research. The NDAA directs government offices to identify records for inclusion in a UAP Records Collection managed by the National Archives.

The Combatting Global Corruption Act, co-authored by Senators Young and Ben Cardin, requires annual reports from the State Department listing countries making progress against corruption. It also provides tools to combat international corruption by holding those in power accountable.

Support for Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonics Test Bed (MACH-TB) Infrastructure was included through language authored by Senator Young. This supports hypersonic weapons development led by Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane Division in Indiana.

Improvements related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) at DoD were addressed through an amendment stemming from bipartisan efforts involving Senators Schumer, Rounds, Heinrich, and Young. It includes a study on AI system vulnerabilities and establishes a "bug bounty" program for identifying flaws in military AI systems.