Great Lakes Wire

DETROIT, MI – As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) recently helped advance the bipartisan Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act out of committee. Peters successfully authored and supported provisions in the bill to bolster U.S. national security, including to invest in Michigan’s military facilities, strengthen long-term strategic efforts to combat aggression by adversaries like China and Russia, and give our servicemembers a pay raise. The bill now advances to the full U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives is working on their own defense bill. Once both the Senate and House pass their bills, they will need to reconcile them and pass a final bill to send to the President to be signed into law.

“With our robust industrial capabilities, unique physical environments and world-class military and workforce, Michigan is absolutely critical to protecting U.S. national security,” said Senator Peters. “I fought to secure provisions in this bill that will ensure Michigan remains a key leader in national defense and can continue growing our defense capabilities, including investments in our state’s top-notch military installations.”

“I also worked to ensure the bill will help bolster our competitiveness and preparedness against emerging threats from foreign adversaries like China and Russia, including drone and cyber-attacks, and strengthen support for our allies abroad,” Peters continued.  

The National Defense Authorization Act sets annual policy for the Department of Defense (DOD) and has been signed into law for more than 60 straight years.

The following provisions Peters led or supported, including the authorization of $96 million in funding for Michigan’s military facilities:

Investing in Michigan Military Facilities:

• $72 Million for a Ground Transport Equipment Building at the Detroit Arsenal: Peters secured an authorization of $72 million toward the construction of a new research and development laboratory to support the arsenal’s advanced tactical and combat system mission functions. On Thursday, as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Peters helped the Appropriations Committee advance to the full Senate this funding for the Detroit Arsenal. This builds on Peters’ work to secure $2.5 million last year to help advance and complete the Detroit Arsenal Connector Project on Mound Road, a corridor that is home not only to the Detroit Arsenal but General Motors Tech Center, BAE Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems, as well as Stellantis and Ford Plants.
• $24 Million for Supply Facilities at Battle Creek Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center (MCRC): Peters secured an authorization of approximately $24 million to construct two new buildings and a vehicle wash platform to support the active duty personnel and drilling reserve personnel assigned to the Battle Creek MCRC. On Thursday, as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Peters helped the Appropriations Committee advance to the full Senate this funding for Battle Creek MCRC.

Addressing PFAS Contamination:

• Tackling PFAS Contamination: Peters has led the charge in the Senate to address toxic PFAS contamination. Peters supported provisions included in the national defense bill to require the Department of Defense to report to Congress on the proposed schedule and cost estimates of the completion of PFAS remediation activities, and publish the current status of those activities.

Supporting Michigan’s Defense Sector and Advanced Technology:

• Developing a Comprehensive Air Force Strategy to Protect Fighter Fleets: Peters supported a provision in the bill requiring the Air Force to create a plan for the future of the Air Force’s fighter fleet that includes the number of fighter squadrons in the Air Guard, as well as specific plans for modernizing each of the Air Guard fighter units including Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County. Through his role on the Senate Armed Services and Senate Appropriations Committees, Peters is pushing for a long-term fighter jet mission at Selfridge.
• Bolstering Support for Ground Combat Vehicles: Peters helped secure robust funding for ground combat vehicles – including the Abrams tanks, Stryker vehicle upgrades, and Paladin Integrated Management (PIM) systems. These ground vehicle platforms support thousands of good-paying jobs across Michigan. Peters also authored a provision requiring the Army to inform Congress on how they plan to build the necessary lab facilities to test, evaluate, and integrate advanced, and oftentimes sensitive, technologies that are currently being developed onto future ground combat vehicle platforms.
• Improving Ground Autonomous Mobility: Peters authored a provision included in the bill requiring the Army to clarify how they are managing autonomous mobility solutions across ground vehicle platforms. Michigan is leading the way on civilian autonomous vehicle development and Peters is fighting to ensure that the Army makes Michigan their home for all autonomous vehicle development moving forward.
• Advancing US Strategy for Tactical Wheeled Vehicles: Michigan is home to a number of manufacturers of tactical defense vehicles. Peters secured a provision in the bill that would require the Army to deliver a strategy for its entire tactical wheeled vehicle fleet, which will support Michigan’s industrial defense sector while saving taxpayer dollars.
• Strengthening US Counter Defenses Against Drones: Peters authored and secured a provision in the bill that would extend the Department of Defense’s authorities to defend against threats posed by Unmanned Aerials Systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, that are being used by malicious actors.
• Encouraging the Adoption of Dual-Use Technologies: Peters authored a provision included in the bill that encourages the Army to continue using innovative dual-use commercial technologies when developing next generation ground combat systems. Utilizing these technologies is cost-effective and will help keep our military at the cutting edge.
• Encouraging Increased Use of Modeling & Simulation Tools: Peters authored a provision included in the bill to encourage the Department of Defense to continue to adopt and develop modeling and simulation tools, which can increase cost-efficiency by allowing engineers to test and design vehicles before “bending metal.”
• Identifying Backups for Critical GPS Technologies: Peters secured a provision requiring the Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of the National Guard Bureau to submit a report to Congress evaluating alternative systems to the Global Positioning System (GPS) for providing Position Navigation, and Timing (PNT). Continuous, reliable access to PNT is essential to the operations of the military, emergency responders, critical infrastructure, and other essential functions in society. In the event of a disruption to GPS, contingency PNT systems, such as the Nationwide Integration of Time Resiliency for Operations (NITRO) program, will be necessary to ensure continuity of our nation’s economy.
• Boosting US Proficiency in Digital Content Provenance: Peters secured the inclusion of his bipartisan bill, the Digital Defense Content Provenance Act. This bill would require the Department of Defense (DOD) to create a course at the Defense Information School to teach DOD personnel about the threats posed by synthetic media such as deep fakes, as well as emerging technologies for- and key concepts of digital content provenance. The bill would also create a pilot program at DOD to assess the feasibility of establishing content standard technologies on DOD-produced and owned media content.
• Bolstering Microelectronics Standards: Peters supported a provision that would require the National Security Agency to establish a program to develop and continuously update the standards, best practices, and requirements for the designing, manufacturing, packaging, testing and distribution of microelectronics acquired by the Department.

Strengthening Cybersecurity:

• Increase Understanding of Domestic Cyber Vulnerabilities: Peters authored a provision included in the bill that would require the Department of Defense to provide a report on potential threats to domestic military installations that are presented by critical infrastructure vulnerabilities in the surrounding communities. Improving our understanding of these threats will help installation commanders better work with local communities to shore up their defenses and prevent adversaries from exploiting these weaknesses to attack our country.
• Bolstering Response to Significant Cyber Incidents: Peters secured the inclusion of his bill, the Defense Support for Cyber Emergencies Response Act, which would allow the Secretary of Defense to call up Reservists to active duty to support a Department of Defense response to a significant cyber incident, including for potential requests by the Department of Homeland Security for cyber assistance.
• Defending Allies Against Cyber-Attacks: Peters authored a provision in the bill mandating that the Department of Defense develop a “Foreign Cyber Incident Response Plan.” This effort comes in the wake of the devastating Iranian cyber-attacks against our North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally Albania. Peters recently traveled to the Western Balkans and met with senior Albanian and U.S. officials to discuss the cyber incident. This provision would help the Department respond to future cyber-attacks against our allies.

Supporting Our Troops, Their Families, and Their Communities:

• Pay Raise for Troops: Peters supported a 5.2 percent pay raise for both military servicemembers and the Department of Defense civilian workforce.
• Supporting Veterans with Invisible Wounds of War: Peters authored and secured his bipartisan bill the Discharge Review Board Accountability Act, that would direct the Government Accountability Office to study and report back to Congress on the compliance of Discharge Review Boards with the Fairness for Veterans Act that Peters authored into law in 2016, as well as several other Department of Defense Memoranda in the years since.
• Elevating the Position of the Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau: Peters authored and secured his bill, the Vice Chiefs Parity Act, to elevate the position of the Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau from a three to a four star position. Elevating this position will give the National Guard Bureau a stronger voice in the Pentagon to advocate for Guard missions and equipment, as well as efforts to address quality of life issues affecting Guardsmen and their families.
• Supporting Coast Guard Communities: Peters supported a provision that would allow U.S. Coast Guard facilities to be eligible for the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP) aimed at bridging the gap between defense installations and the communities they serve by investing in projects to improve access to-and-from military facilities, build more resilient infrastructure, or enhance the quality of life of servicemembers and their families.

Investing in Defense Operations and Supporting U.S. Security Interests:

• Bolstering Support for Ukraine and NATO: The bill would take a number of steps to reinforce U.S. support of Ukraine and our NATO allies abroad. It would extend the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) through fiscal year 2027 and authorize the full budget request of $300 million in fiscal year 2024. The bill also includes language expressing that the United States’ commitment to NATO is ironclad and that emphasizes the importance of maintaining a unified response to the Russian Federation’s unjust war in Ukraine.
• Strengthening Defense Relationship Between US and Israel: Peters included a provision in the bill that would direct the Department of Defense’s Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate to continue collaborating with strategic partners like Israel on the development of emerging technologies that will guide the future of warfare. Peters secured an additional $25 million in funding to bolster this cooperation.
• Boosting Defense Cooperation Between US and Kosovo: Peters secured his bill, the Kosovo Defense Cooperation Enhancement Act, that would allow U.S. and Kosovo forces to train more closely and create new opportunities for the Kosovo military to participate in multi-national exercises. Giving Kosovo these opportunities would increase their defense capabilities and strengthen ties between our nations. This builds on Peters’ recent trip to Kosovo, Albania and the Western Balkans.
• Working to End the War in Yemen: Peters supported a provision to extend the U.S.’s prohibition on providing in-flight refueling that would support offensive operations conducted by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Peters has repeatedly spoken out against the war in Yemen and the resulting humanitarian crisis, including most recently on the Senate floor in March following the eighth anniversary of the war.
• Promoting the Military’s Critical Mineral Independence: Peters helped secure a provision, based on his bipartisan bill, that would direct DOD to identify ways to reduce our nation’s reliance on China, Russia, and other adversarial nations for critical minerals. China controls a significant portion of the world’s critical mineral mining and processing, making the U.S. reliant on China for key minerals to manufacture military equipment and other products needed to protect national security. This has created serious national security risks and economic implications. Peters’ bill would strengthen our national security and promote U.S. independence from China and other adversarial nations by ensuring DOD has a strategy to onshore the critical mineral supply chain and expand our domestic processing capabilities.

Original source can be found here