Committee Passage of FY 2027 NDAA Strengthens North Dakota’s National Security Footprint

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - After three days of debate, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a bipartisan vote of 18 to 9. The annual defense bill passed the House Armed Services Committee on June 4. Both bills are now ready for floor consideration. This is the 66th year in a row the NDAA has progressed through regular order.

Language U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), chair of the SASC Airland Subcommittee, authored to expand access to mental healthcare for servicemembers and military families was included in the bill. The committee-passed bill authorizes several priorities across the state supporting deterrence, maintaining and modernizing the nuclear triad, and strengthening America's warfighting capabilities.

The committee received over 650 amendments from senators. The subcommittees debated and adopted over 200 amendments, and the full committee debated and adopted over 150 amendments.

"North Dakota has long been on the front lines of protecting our country, which is why this year's National Defense Authorization Act is so important for our state," said Cramer, who co-chairs the Senate Space Force Caucus and the Senate Defense Modernization Caucus. "But it's also important for the whole country. The bill that we advanced out of committee strengthens our state's role in national defense, but it supports our servicemembers and their families, and advances needed reforms at the Pentagon. For over 60 consecutive years, the Armed Services Committee has completed our NDAA markup, serving as a testament to the serious, bipartisan work that goes into maintaining our military readiness. So, after months of hearings, briefings, and lots of time in [Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities] with our commanders and generals, reviewing hundreds of amendments, this work is more important than ever as we face the most dangerous global security environment since World War II.

"North Dakota remains at the center of America's defense enterprise," continued Cramer. "In fact, we're becoming a bigger part of the center of it -from Grand Forks, the hub of unmanned aviation innovation and ISR, to Minot, the cornerstone of our nation's nuclear deterrent, to the Cavalier Space Force Station, with its critical missile warning mission, to our National Guard, which serves in our state as well as around the world every single day. This bill invests in the capabilities that are needed to stay ahead of our adversaries, who are advancing very quickly, and ensure our men and women in uniform have the tools they need to defend our nation. We're reinforcing a principle that has always kept America secure for generations: peace through strength. It's not just a slogan-it's our commitment to maintaining the strongest, most capable military in the world."