WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement following Committee passage of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act:
Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.): “This year’s NDAA strengthens Indiana’s role in our national defense and helps ensure our troops have what they need to keep America safe. Indiana is helping build the future of American military power and I’m proud to have fought for these investments.”
Provisions secured by Senator Banks in the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee:
$56.5 Million in Military Construction Projects for Indiana
- $27M for ammunition storage at Crane Army Ammunition Activity (CAAA).
- $25M to construct a high energy test and abuse facility at Crane.
- $2.7M in design funding for an Aircrew Readiness Facility at Grissom Air Reserve Base.
- $1.8M in design funding for a F-16 mission training facility at the Fort Wayne Air National Guard Station.
Nuclear Sea-Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM-N)
- $250M increase for the SLCM-N program, tested and developed at NWS Crane.
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV)
- $60M increase for the Army Reserve’s HMMWV fleet, made in Mishawaka.
- $140M increase for the Army National Guard’s HMMWV fleet, made in Mishawaka.
Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA)
- $127M increase for FLRAA, whose engines are made in Indianapolis.
Sonobuoys
- $100M increase for Navy sonobuoys, made in Columbia City.
Trusted and Assured Microelectronics
- $500M increase for secure Department of War microelectronics, work heavily tied to NWS Crane.
F-35 Program
- $332M program increase for F-35, supported by more than a dozen Indiana suppliers.
Advanced Medium Mobile Power Generators
- $79M for Advanced Medium Mobile Power Generators, whose engineers are in Columbus.
Hypersonic Ground Test Infrastructure
- $15M increase for hypersonic ground test infrastructure, work tied to Crane.
Notre Dame
- $5M for Notre Dame’s tip-extending robot collaboration project in partnership with the Army.
Military Infrastructure and Supply Chain Hardening
- $20M increase for NORTHCOM to remediate foreign adversary-owned or controlled equipment and computational facilities within the U.S. electric grid.
National Guard Military Technicians
- Modernizes the National Guard’s full-time workforce by converting over a 10-year period dual-status military technician (DST) positions into Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) and Title 5 civilian positions.
River Ridge Land Conveyance
- Facilitates an important land swap between the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and River Ridge.
Golden Dome Satellites
- Encourages the Space Development Agency to accelerate the deployment of the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS), made in Fort Wayne, and acquire, at minimum, an additional 45 space vehicles equipped with proven HBTSS sensors.
Domestic Hard Alloy Aluminum Tubes
- Encourages the Pentagon to accelerate efforts to address gaps in domestic hard alloy aluminum extrusion production, including those in Indiana, to ensure a secure defense industrial base.
Navy Shipbuilding Software
- Encourages the further adoption of shipbuilding software and AI applications across shipbuilders, shipyards, and critical suppliers across the Midwest and Indiana.
Weather Satellites
- Directs the Pentagon to provide a briefing on steps the Space Force is taking to ensure it is not solely reliant on non-military entities for future military weather requirements.
New Munitions Programs
- Directs the Pentagon to expand and diversify the domestic solid rocket motor industrial base by qualifying multiple U.S. suppliers, including suppliers in the Midwest.
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