NEWS RELEASE
U.S. SENATOR GARY PETERS
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The U.S. Senate has passed the annual national defense bill, which includes numerous provisions secured by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) to strengthen Michigan’s defense footprint and support our nation’s servicemembers and veterans. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Peters led and supported provisions to invest in Michigan’s military facilities, advance PFAS removal efforts, give servicemembers a pay raise, and combat aggression by U.S. foreign adversaries like the Chinese and Russian governments.
“I fought to secure policies in this bill that will help ensure Michigan’s first-rate military installations, like Selfridge, continue to play an essential role in our national defense operations,” said Senator Peters. “This bill also makes needed investments to clean up harmful PFAS contamination near military bases, get our servicemembers a well-earned pay raise, and support Michigan’s robust defense sector as our workers produce the cutting-edge technologies that keep our servicemembers safe.”
Peters continued, “I’m also proud that this bill includes my provision to establish a Northern Border Mission Center at Selfridge to support the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to train personnel and test new technologies that will protect Americans from the security threats we face along the Northern and Southern Borders, like drug and human trafficking.”
The national defense bill sets annual policy for the Department of Defense (DOD) and has become law for more than 60 consecutive years. Both the House and Senate have now passed this bill, and it heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
Below are provisions in the bill that Senator Peters successfully led or supported:
Investing in Michigan’s Military Facilities
Supporting New Fighter Mission for Selfridge: Peters secured language in the bill that encourages the Air Force to plan for replacement of the 25 Air National Guard fighter aircraft squadrons across the country with advanced fighter aircraft – including the A-10 squadron based at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.
Northern Border Mission Center: Peters secured language in the bill to expand the operations and duties of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Northern Border Mission Center to strengthen Northern Border security. Earlier this year, Peters secured $3 million to establish and operate the Center at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, where it is collocated with current DHS components. The Center, which DHS is already working to set up, will coordinate with state, local, and Tribal governments, and other key stakeholders, to ensure DHS and its operational components are able to fulfill their security mission at the Northern Border.
Report on Multi Domain Task Force and Force Structure in the National Guard: Peters secured language directing the Army to provide a report on its Multi Domain Task Force stationing plan and Force Structure in the National Guard. With China, Russia, and North Korea continuing to impact global stability, the U.S. military is adapting its capabilities to meet these rising threats. The Army’s new Multi-Domain Task Forces are the centerpiece of the Army’s efforts to respond to these global challenges in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. When forward positioned, the Multi-Domain Task Forces will enable the U.S. military to freely operate within contested environments. Peters has consistently advocated for Michigan to be selected as a location for a Multi Domain Task Force. A Michigan-based Multi-Domain Task Force will capitalize on the state’s exceptional location, force structure, training opportunities, and strategic investments, strengthening Michigan’s National Guard assets and bringing additional personnel to the state.
Supporting Our Servicemembers and Their Families
Pay Raise for Servicemembers: This bill includes pay raises of 4.5 percent for military servicemembers and 2 percent for the DOD civilian workforce. The bill also includes a 14.5 percent increase in monthly basic pay for junior enlisted servicemembers in the grades of E-1 through E-3, in addition to the force-wide pay raise.
Increase to Basic Needs Allowance: The bill expands eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance, a stipend meant to tackle food insecurity among active duty servicemembers and their families. A quarter of military families report difficulties affording enough food for their children.
Increased Child Care Access: The bill fully funds child care assistance programs and increases DOD child care staff pay to be competitive with non-DOD providers. Servicemembers move across the country and around world to keep us safe, often leaving military spouses responsible for caring for their kids. The bill will help families access affordable child care.
Addressing PFAS Contamination
PFAS Remediation at Camp Grayling: The bill includes $30 million in funding for the Army’s PFAS remedial investigation efforts at Camp Grayling in Northern Michigan. Peters has used his role as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee to advance PFAS remediation efforts in communities across Michigan. During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Peters pressed Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth to address PFAS contamination at Camp Grayling. Earlier this year, Peters applauded DOD’s announced plans to expand use of PFAS mitigation strategies pioneered in Northern Michigan at more than 30 DOD installations and National Guard facilities nationwide, including Camp Grayling.
Supporting Michigan’s Defense Sector
$37 Million for Manned/Unmanned Tactical Vehicle Lab in Southeast Michigan: The bill includes $37 million for the construction of a manned/unmanned tactical vehicle lab in Macomb County. This builds on funding Senator Peters previously secured for the planning and design of this lab. The work of this new center will be critical to the Army’s efforts to develop the next generation of unmanned ground vehicle technologies. Specifically, this funding would provide the necessary facility space to allow engineers and scientists to develop and integrate hardware and software technologies onto advanced unmanned and autonomous ground combat and tactical vehicle systems. This space will also allow the ability to test these systems more efficiently and effectively in a System Integration Lab, located on Macomb County’s Defense Industrial Corridor. This will improve the product and enhance rapid improvement and collaboration with private sector partners.
Modernizing High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs): Peters helped secure language in the bill, based on his bipartisan legislation, to encourage the Army to upgrade Humvees with anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control systems that will help prevent rollovers, which have claimed the lives of far too many servicemembers. These kits are made in Troy, Michigan and the provision Peters secured would help support more than 150 jobs.
Accelerate Infantry Squad Vehicle Production at GM Defense: Peters led and secured a provision that would provide increased funding to accelerate fielding of the Infantry Squad Vehicle produced by General Motors Defense. Peters has championed this program including highlighting the importance of the Infantry Squad Vehicle during an Airland Senate Armed Services Subcommittee hearing in May.
Identifying DOD’s Reliance on Foreign Critical Drug Supply Chains: Peters secured language in the bill that would require DOD to expand its analyses into DOD’s reliance on high-risk suppliers for critical drug supply chains. The provision directs DOD to identify the key materials, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and drug products manufactured in high-risk foreign countries and update its plan to address this overreliance on foreign suppliers that present a national security risk. Last year, as Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Peters released a report detailing the results of his investigation into continued shortages of critical medications. The report found our nation’s continued overreliance on foreign suppliers for many of the key materials used to manufacture critical drugs presents national security risks.
Supporting Autonomous Vehicle Research: The bill authorizes $9 million to support collaboration between Michigan universities and the U.S. Army to build a prototype of a lightweight autonomous vehicle platform to fuse different technologies into a unified system. This ongoing research project will support Michigan’s global leadership in automotive manufacturing.
Strengthening Cybersecurity and Advanced Technology Capabilities
Developing American Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Capabilities: The bill would provide increased funding for the development of new and innovative design, and production of, low-cost, uncrewed systems. The bill would also require a strategy to develop a secure domestic supply chain of critical components for small UAS systems.
Advancing Counter-UAS Technologies: The bill would authorize increased funding for various counter-UAS activities, and require a strategy for countering drone technologies and assessing resources or authorities needed for drone incursion response to ensure we are equipped for the future of warfare.
Supporting U.S. Security Interests at Home and Abroad
Rip and Replace Funding: The bill provides robust funding to protect the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, otherwise known as the “Rip and Replace” program. This federal program helps American broadband companies remove and replace any telecommunications equipment that was produced by the Chinese-owned Huawei Technologies Company (Huawei) and ZTE Corporation (ZTE), which poses a serious threat to U.S. national security. The funding secured in this bill will deliver more than $35 million in total to Michigan, where more than 300 sites have been found to be compromised by Chinese equipment and require new technologies. Northern Michigan University will receive $27 million of this funding to upgrade their equipment, enabling them to expand their broadband network beyond the roughly 7,000 students and 16,000 families they serve in the Upper Peninsula.
Securing Federal Buildings from Unauthorized Access: Peters successfully secured language in the bill requiring the federal government to assess whether property located near federally leased space could provide opportunities for espionage attempts, cyber-attacks, or unauthorized access. This provision would establish a security assessment process that would ensure adjacent federal property is screened for potential risks and will help secure sensitive office space.
Streamlining Law Enforcement Threat Information Sharing: The bill includes a provision Peters led to improve the system DHS uses to share information about potential security threats with its law enforcement, government, private sector, and nonprofit partners to better protect our communities.
Support Israel’s Defense Against Emerging Threats: Peters secured $47.5 million in the bill to help increase U.S. collaboration with Israel to develop emerging defense technologies to meet the warfare challenges of the future. Peters introduced bipartisan legislation last year to bolster collaboration between the United States and Israel on emerging technologies by creating the U.S.-Israel Future of Warfare Research and Development Fund, authorized at $50 million annually through Fiscal Year 2028, to enable the U.S. and Israel to scale up cooperation efforts in these fields.
Strengthen Efforts to Combat Anti-Tunneling Activity: The bill authorizes additional funding to strengthen current collaborative efforts between the U.S. and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to combat Hamas and strengthen anti-tunneling activity in the Gaza strip. As part of the DOD’s collaboration with the IDF, Israel shares its counter-tunnel technology with the DOD and Department of Homeland Security to combat growing threats at our borders, as well as similar threats faced on the Korean Peninsula and in multiple locations in the Middle East. This provision is based on Peters’ United States-Israel Anti-Tunnel Cooperation Act.
Support for Taiwan: This bill would help ensure that Taiwan is aligned with the U.S. national defense industrial strategy to increase global defense production, strengthen our supply chain resilience, and support Taiwanese defense needs.
Counter Chinese Communist Party Aggression: The bill includes numerous provisions to counter aggression from the Chinese government, including a provision requiring a report on the military cooperation between the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, Iran, and North Korea, and the implications of such cooperation on U.S. national security.
Enhance Security Cooperation with the Republic of Armenia: The bill includes a provision Peters led encouraging DOD to strengthen engagement with Armenia, including through bilateral training opportunities and other security cooperation activities. Michigan is home to a large and active Armenia diaspora community. Peters visited the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in September 2023 and viewed firsthand the blockade of the Lachin corridor. In response to his visit, he introduced the Armenian Protection Act, which unanimously passed in the Senate in November 2023.
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