[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 146 (Monday, September 8, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6396-S6397]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



        National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026

  Mrs. FISCHER. Madam President, we are living in a time of growing 
global unrest. China is accelerating its military buildup in the Indo-
Pacific. While I remain hopeful that President Trump can help broker 
peace between Presidents Putin and Zelenskyy, Russia's brutal war 
against Ukraine grinds on. That is why it is more important than ever 
that we invest in our servicemembers, protect defense spectrum, drive 
innovation, and strengthen our missile defense systems.
  As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am proud to 
report that this year's National Defense

[[Page S6397]]

Authorization Act meets this moment. It includes key provisions I 
secured to modernize our nuclear deterrent and strengthen our national 
defense.
  As chair of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, I fought to upgrade 
the National Nuclear Security Administration's infrastructure. The bill 
establishes an annual independent assessment of NNSA's progress toward 
modernization goals, ensuring our nuclear deterrent remains both 
effective and up to date.
  It requires the deployment of at least 400 intercontinental ballistic 
missiles across no fewer than 450 launch facilities, maintaining a 
force structure capable of deterring any nuclear-capable adversary.
  It authorizes more than $4 billion for the Sentinel Intercontinental 
Ballistic Missile Program, and it requires that it be fielded no later 
than September 30, 2033.
  It accelerates the sea-launched nuclear cruise missile program. And 
it expands experimentation and prototyping authority to all combatant 
commands, including U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in 
my home State of Nebraska.
  This is exactly the kind of strategic deterrence that makes our 
adversaries think twice and say: Not today.
  This year's NDAA also safeguards critical defense spectrum. Some in 
Washington have suggested that the Pentagon is sitting on spectrum 
bands that could be better used for commercial wireless. That portrayal 
is both inaccurate, and it is dangerous. The reality is these 
frequencies are not idle. They are the backbone of America's missile 
defense and intelligence systems. And we should not be allowing Federal 
Agencies to sell critical communication channels needed to carry out 
the Trump administration's priorities, including the Golden Dome 
missile defense shield. That is why this year's defense bill prohibits 
any modifications to defense systems in these spectrums bands unless 
top Pentagon leaders themselves deem it absolutely necessary.
  Earlier this summer, I led the effort to secure--for the first time 
in law--a carve-out that prevents the Federal Communications Commission 
from auctioning or reallocating these bands for the next decade. The 
NDAA provision is consistent with these protections, ensuring that we 
strike the right balance: unleashing America's wireless innovation, 
while never compromising our national security.
  We are also preparing for the threats that we cannot yet see. I 
secured provisions to assess the readiness of the National Disaster 
Medical System, to modernize our roadmaps for cloud migration and 
artificial intelligence, and to ensure that our intelligence community 
has the meteorological and environmental services that it needs.
  But all of these priorities mean little without investing in the 
brave men and women who carry them out. That is why I fought to 
authorize $19 million above the President's budget request to help 
recover and identify the remains of our fallen servicemembers from past 
wars and conflicts. The U.S. military leaves no one behind.
  And through this bill, we are directing the Pentagon to explore 
whether local communities can play a more active role in helping 
develop the Department's healthcare facilities, similar to my CHIP IN 
for Veterans Act. This is the very least we can do for the troops and 
the families who have sacrificed so much for the freedoms that we hold 
dear.
  Beyond the details, we must keep sight of the bigger picture. Our 
adversaries--nations that hate America--well, they are sharing weapons 
and resources and a common goal. They want to weaken American power and 
dismantle our influence across the globe.
  The character of war has evolved rapidly. Breakthroughs in artificial 
intelligence, unmanned systems, hypersonic weapons, next-generation 
aircraft, and space-based capabilities, they are all reshaping the 
battlefield. At the same time, we live in a political environment that 
is too often partisan and divided.
  Yet on this issue, I believe most of my colleagues agree that we must 
confront these threats head-on, and that means rebuilding the arsenal 
of democracy.
  To do so, we need serious reform at the Pentagon. This year's NDAA 
delivers: modernizing the budget process, cutting redtape, improving 
efficiency, and unleashing innovation. This is not partisan. This is 
not political. This is necessity.
  Our servicemembers must have the resources they need to carry out 
their missions and return home to their loved ones. This bill 
strengthens our military, and it sends a very clear message: America is 
prepared to meet the moment.
  I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it without 
delay.