Senate Passes National Defense Authorization Act Containing Key Hirono-led Provisions for Hawaii and Indo-Pacific

~ Within the FY26 NDAA, Hirono secured over $1.1 billion for infrastructure in Hawaii and $10 billion for projects, capabilities, and exercises to support the Indo-Pacific region ~

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, voted to pass the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in the U.S. Senate, securing several key provisions for Hawaii and the Indo-Pacific region, U.S. military servicemembers, and the maintenance and modernization of Department of Defense (DOD) infrastructure. Senator Hirono's provisions include over $1.1 billion for infrastructure projects in Hawaii, $10 billion to support our allies and strengthen deterrence throughout the Indo-Pacific region, and authorizes funding to support a 3.8% pay raise for military servicemembers and DOD civilian employees. The NDAA also secures an additional $25 million for DOD's Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program to avoid land use conflicts near military installations, address environmental restrictions that would limit military activities, and increase resilience of military installations.

The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 77-20 and now heads to President Trump's desk to be signed into law.

"Investments in DOD infrastructure, military readiness, and support for our servicemembers are all crucial to bolstering our national security," said Senator Hirono. "This year's NDAA makes those critical investments, including funding to facilitate the permanent closure of Red Hill, as well as over $1.1 billion to support infrastructure projects in Hawaii. Additionally, I am proud of the fact that this bill does not provide DOD with any additional authority to condemn state land, despite a last-minute push by the Army. Instead, it includes language encouraging the Army to fully develop and communicate its plans for the leased training lands to all stakeholders and work in good faith with the state of Hawaii and Congress going forward. While it's unfortunate Republicans chose to force through partisan provisions that will undermine national security just to advance their far-right agenda, I will continue working with my colleagues to ensure the DOD continues to support its servicemembers and their families, while holding this regime accountable for its decisions that may threaten our international partnerships or hinder our national security."

As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, Senator Hirono has made modernizing DOD infrastructure in Hawaii and across the country a top priority. This year's NDAA includes numerous provisions secured by Senator Hirono focused on infrastructure; delivering for communities in Hawaii; supporting servicemembers and their families; and prioritizing sustainability within the DOD.

The FY 2026 NDAA includes several of Senator Hirono's key priorities including:

Delivers for Hawaii

• Continues the Hawaii delegation's work to safely and expeditiously close the Red Hill Fuel Facility by adding $10 million to support additional environmental restoration and remediation efforts and $4.5 million to continue ongoing community engagement as the Navy works to close the facility permanently by 2028.

• Provides $141.6 million for the next increment of funding for the new water treatment plant at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
• Does NOT provide DOD with any additional authority to condemn state late. Instead, the bill contains report language encouraging the Department of Defense to develop and communicate a coordinated, whole-of-government plan for Pohakuloa Training Area land lease negotiations and advancing good-faith negotiations over any condemnation. The report language affirms that the Army does not have the authority to acquire such lands and that attempting to do so would be contrary to congressional intent. Furthermore, the report language calls for continued coordination with the State of Hawaii, the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, and the other Services to pursue an equitable, appropriately valued solution that meets joint training requirements before seeking any additional legislative authority.

• Adds $5 million above the President's budget for the Pacific Intelligence and Innovation Initiative (P3I), which creates a local skilled workforce to meet DOD demand for intelligence, IT, and cyber professionals in Hawaii.

• $2 million increase for the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC), which mitigates the large program cuts from the President's Budget.

• $241.855 million for the High-Performance Computing Modernization program and for additional infrastructure capability to support increased AI demand.

• Prevents the Navy from retiring or decommissioning oceanographic research vessels, including the KILO MOANA, a 186-foot multi-purpose oceanographic research vessel owned by the Navy and operated by the University of Hawaii.

• Modifies the national missile defense policy to reflect Golden Dome for America by requiring the deployment and maintenance of a next-generation missile defense shield to deter and defend the United States, including Hawaii, against the threat of foreign attack by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial threats.

• Establishes a new authority to fund ordnance disposal through intergovernmental support agreements, allowing state and local governments in Hawaii and nationally to assist in the demining of formerly used defense lands.

• Requires the Secretary of Defense to develop a report and brief the Armed Services Committees on the Department's plan to increase accessibility and affordability for small businesses seeking to comply with the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program.

• Requires an annual briefing and report to Congress on how the Special Advisor to Commandant of the Coast Guard for Tribal and Native Hawaiian affairs will be incorporated into Coast Guard governance and structure, including a timeline for the incorporation.

Invests in Critical Infrastructure

• Invests over $1.1 billion for military construction projects in Hawaii:
• • $492.7 million for the next increment of funding for the Dry Dock 3 replacement at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
  • $65.7 million for airfield pavement upgrades at Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands, Kauai.
  • $141.6 million for the next increment of funding for the water treatment plant at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
  • $83 million for DDG-1000 destroyer ship support infrastructure upgrades at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
  • $49.26 million for the entry gate at Marine Corps Base Hawaii
  • $15.69 million for Electrical Distribution Modernization at Marine Corps Base Hawaii
  • $37.35 million for the next increment of funding for the water reclamation facility compliance upgrade at Marine Corps Base Hawaii
  • $147.55 million for 460 Air Force housing units at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam
  • $5 million in planning and design funds for a new Air Force Operations Building at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
  • $2.1 million in planning and design funds for a new Wildland Fire Station at Schofield Barracks.

• Requires each of the Military Service Secretaries to develop and annually update a 20-Year Infrastructure Improvement Plan.

• Directs the DOD to implement the recommendations of the GAO's report on information sharing to improve oversight of military construction projects, including the documentation of after-action reviews and validation of lessons learned.

• Improves the DOD's facility management of joint bases by reassessing requirements to maintain facilities in good working order, identify workforce gaps, and require a strategy to address any gaps and funding needs.

• Requires the incorporation of Digital Infrastructure and Platforms into the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP), which expands existing reporting requirements to consider and include digital infrastructure into SIOP to improve the efficiency and throughput of Navy shipyards.

Supports People

• Authorizes funding to support a 3.8% pay raise for military servicemembers and DOD civilian employees.

• Prohibits the use of funds to carry out a hiring freeze, reduction in force, or hiring delay without cause at the four public shipyards, including Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.

• Requires the Secretary of the Navy to induct a class of not fewer than 100 apprentices at each of the Navy's shipyards, including Pearl Harbor.

• Requires each of the Military Services to re-establish Women's Initiative Teams (WITs) to identify and address barriers to the service, recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in the Armed Forces. This provision directly overturns DOD's misguided decision to disestablish the WITs at the beginning of the Trump administration.

• Requires 24-hour parental notification for suspected child abuse and neglect in DOD Child Development Centers (CDCs).

• Authorizes $50 million for DOD assistance to educational agencies affected by the enrollment of military and DOD civilian dependents, $10 million for impact aid payments for children with disabilities, and $10 million for local educational agencies determined by the Secretary of Defense to have high concentrations of military children with severe disabilities.

• Modifies the 5-year military housing requirements and market analysis process to account for the impact of DOD civilians and contractors in the nearby community.

• Improves transparency and understanding of military compensation by requiring clear explanations on pay statements, creation of a regular military compensation pay table, and an education campaign for servicemembers and families on military compensation.

• Temporarily prohibits the Navy from disestablishing the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Pacific located at Pearl Harbor, which had been proposed by the Trump administration. Requires the Secretary of the Navy to provide a briefing to Congress on: (1) the status of the decision of the Secretary with respect to the disestablishment of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Pacific; and (2) the strategic rationale, cost and benefits of such disestablishment.

Strengthens Our Ability to Protect the Indo-Pacific Region

• Authorizes the full budget request of $10 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) and requires a plan for more effectively budgeting for PDI in future years.

• Requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to Congress analyzing the critical digital infrastructure capabilities of Taiwan and how the commercial technology sector can most efficiently be leveraged to provide for and secure Taiwan's critical digital infrastructure, drawing upon lessons learned in the war in Ukraine. This provision will bolster deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.

• Authorizes $68.5 million in minor military construction projects at the discretion of the Commander of INDOPACOM.

• Requires the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with INDOPACOM, to conduct a comprehensive joint mobilization and sustainment readiness study to assess the capability of the U.S. military to respond to a high-intensity conflict in the Indo-Pacific.

• Provides INDOPACOM and other combatant commands with authority to conduct critical experimentation, prototyping, and technology demonstrations. This will support the development and in-theatre testing of innovative technologies and capability solutions to address priorities from the combatant commands.

• Modifies and simplifies the responsibilities of the Pentagon's Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) by focusing on identifying actionable gaps in force design, instead of validating complex requirements. This critical and much needed change will speed up DoD's acquisition process and deliver critical capabilities to our servicemembers.

• Establishes the role of portfolio acquisition executives, which provides the DOD workforce with reformed authorities to improve the acquisition process.

• Improves "buying things as a service" to be metered and billed based on actual usage, and has predetermined pricing based on fixed price units, saving money for the DOD and American taxpayers.

• Expands the commercial solutions openings solicitation procedure purposes to encourage more non-traditional companies and small businesses to bid for DOD programs.

• Prohibits removal of any integrated air and missile defense system or capability from Guam unless the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs submits notice at least 10 days prior.

• Requires the Navy to expedite the investigation, qualification, and integration of specific advanced technologies and processes into Navy surface ship maintenance to improve readiness, reduce costs, and address delays.

• Continues the requirement for semiannual briefings on the operational status of the amphibious warship fleet including a plan to meet the statutory mandate for the Navy to have at least 31 operational amphibious ships.

• Directs the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to conduct an analysis, define, and program the requirements in order to meet a 3.0 deployed Amphibious Readiness Group / Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) presence.

• Requires a briefing from the Air Force, which has been designated by DOD as the military service program lead for the Joint Fires Network (JFN), and an independent assessment and briefing from INDOPACOM on meeting the operational requirements of INDOPACOM when making acquisition and budgeting decisions in the execution of the JFN program of record.

• Requires the Department of the Navy to develop a report to streamline authorities for the establishment of the Navy Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO), which will advance critical capabilities for the Navy.

• Directs an initiative to strengthen security cooperation across the respective defense industrial bases of U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific.

• Directs the Department to establish a new advanced manufacturing guidance and technical manual that will allow DOD to adopt and integrate advanced manufacturing capabilities (i.e. 3D printing) for current and future platforms across the joint force.

Prioritizes Sustainability and the Environment

• Secures an additional $25 million in funding for DOD's REPI Program to avoid land use conflicts near military installations, address environmental restrictions that limit military activities, and increase military installation resilience.

• Encourages DOD to establish and resource additional staff to increase REPI capability and implementation.

• Requires DOD to include information about PFAS investigation and remediation in annual reports on defense environmental programs.

• Requires DOD to develop a strategy to accelerate remediation of contamination from PFAS substances.

• Requires the Army and Air Force, in consultation with the National Guard Bureau, to provide support for the training of appropriate National Guard personnel on wildfire prevention and response.

• Directs the DOD to provide a briefing on best practices from existing recycling efforts of the Strategic Material Recovery and Reuse Program (SMRRP) to expand the scale to recycle, reuse, or recover additional materials.

• Requires DOD to consider the ability of batteries to operate and recharge at temperatures as low as -75°F as the DOD standardizes its battery procurement strategy.

• Modifies and extends the sustainable building materials pilot program by four years and requires each military department to build at least two military construction projects with at least three of the materials identified by the GAO: low carbon cement, electric heat pumps, generator and battery storage, solar panels, reflective white roof, landscaped green roof, energy efficient wall/roof insulation, energy efficient windows/doors, water catch basins, water storage tanks, and geothermal loops.

• Amends the ability of operational energy program savings to be reinvested into operational energy programs on tighter timelines, rather than just before the end of the fiscal year.

• Directs the Navy to conduct an assessment and provide a briefing on locations where modular composite utility poles will improve grid resilience from extreme weather events.

• Directs DOD, in coordination with the Department of State and Department of Transportation, to assess the feasibility and advisability of removing oil from sunken World War II tankers in the waters near the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau and then brief Congress on the results of the assessment to safeguard the environment.

Holds this Administration Accountable

• Requires DOD to promptly notify and provide extensive details to Congress when the Department uses military aircraft to support Department of Homeland Security missions, including deportation operations.

• Prohibits the expenditure of funds to reduce the total number of servicemembers permanently stationed in or deployed to South Korea below the current 28,500.

• Prohibits the reduction in U.S. military force posture in Europe or relinquishment of U.S. command of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe position until the Secretary of Defense provides more impact on U.S. and NATO interests to Congress.

• Requires the President to notify Congress within five days of removal of a Service Judge Advocate General (JAG), along with a substantive rationale for the removal.

• Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide a briefing on the status of DOD developing and maintaining a system to retain records of law of war violations.

• Affirms the value of independent legal advice of judge advocates.

• Requires the Director of Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) to put specified programs, including Golden Dome and the Joint Fires Network, on its oversight list to ensure timely, safe, and responsible delivery programs for our military while safeguarding taxpayer dollars.

• Withholds a quarter of Defense Secretary Hegseth's travel budget until the DOD provides the unedited video of strikes conducted in the area of responsibility of the United States Southern Command to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

• Ensures that servicemembers supporting civilian law enforcement agencies identify themselves properly to avoid public misunderstanding about who is providing logistical support versus conducting arrests or law enforcement duties.

• Requires the Pentagon to deliver all overdue reports before releasing the Secretary of Defense's full travel budget.

• Repeals the 1991 Gulf War and 2002 Iraq War Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMFs).

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