WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, applauded the Senate passage of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019. The bipartisan legislation includes more than a dozen provisions authored by Senator Tillis, including a bipartisan provision he authored with Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) that directs the Secretary of Defense to submit an assessment of the potential purchase by the Republic of Turkey of the S-400 air and missile defense system from the Russian Federation, as well as an assessment regarding Turkey’s participation in the F-35 program as long it continues to unlawfully detain Pastor Andrew Brunson, a native North Carolinian. Other provisions authored by Senator Tillis will improve the lives of our servicemembers and military families, make critical improvements to North Carolina’s military installations, and provide the largest pay raise for servicemembers in nine years.  

As Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, Senator Tillis chaired an open hearing on the markup of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. On a bipartisan basis, Senator Tillis and his subcommittee colleagues passed an across the board 2.6% pay raise, for our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. Additionally, Senator Tillis worked on a bipartisan basis to secure a number of provisions in the FY19 NDAA to reform how the United States military manages, trains, retains and recruits its officer corps. Senator Tillis’ Personnel Subcommittee mark also addressed the opioid crisis, provided Impact Aid for local school districts, supported military spouses, and established policies and procedures to end juvenile sexual assault and harassment, domestic violence, and child abuse.

“I’m proud of the bipartisan work we accomplished with the NDAA, demonstrating a commitment to our servicemembers and our national security,” said Senator Tillis. “I am pleased my bipartisan provision with Senator Shaheen to delay the sale of F-35s to Turkey so we send a clear message to President Erdogan that the United States expects Turkey to uphold its obligations as a NATO ally, including respecting the due process rights of American citizens who reside in or travel to Turkey. I’m also pleased the NDAA included $240 million to upgrade North Carolina’s military installations and a number of provisions I championed that modernizes the management of officers and establishes policies and procedures to end juvenile sexual assault and harassment, domestic violence, and child abuse.”

Senator Tillis’ Priorities in the NDAA:

• Delaying Transfer of F-35s to Turkey
  • Directs the Secretary of Defense to submit an assessment regarding Turkey’s participation in the F-35 program. This provision is a direct response to the Turkish government’s wrongful imprisonment of Pastor Andrew Brunson, and Turkey’s troubling intention to purchase the S-400 system from Russia. The legislation also contains a Sense of Congress that the Republic of Turkey continues to unlawfully and wrongfully detain United States citizens, including Andrew Brunson.
• Defense Officer Personnel Management Act (DOPMA) Reform
  • Introduces the most comprehensive reform of the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act since its inception in 1980, which includes key provisions to better align officer management with the objectives included in the National Defense Strategy. These provisions will modernize DOPMA to provide the services with the authority and flexibility to better recruit, support and retain officers.
• Addressing Opioid Abuse
  • Requires the DOD to establish and maintain a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program that will allow bi-directional information sharing for designated controlled substances.
    • This language, which was included in the Personnel Subcommittee mark of the Senate NDAA, was a result of the SASC Personnel roundtable hosted by Senator Tillis in Fayetteville, NC that examined pain management practices in the DOD, VA and Civilian health care sectors.
  • Establish a 3-year comprehensive pilot program to minimize early opioid exposure and to prevent opioid misuse and abuse. This program will maximize opioid safety across the entire continuum of care and seeks to prevent the progression to misuse or abuse of opioid medications.
• Impact Aid
  • Authorizes $40 million in supplemental Impact Aid to local educational agencies with military dependent children and $10 million in impact aid for schools with military dependent children with severe disabilities.
• Juvenile Sexual Assault and Harassment
  • Requires the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) to establish policies and procedures to extend the same Title IX protections to students at DODEA schools who are victims of sexual harassment. 
• Domestic Violence and Child Abuse
  • Includes provisions from S. 2846, the Military Family PROTECT Act, bipartisan legislation co-introduced by Senators Gillibrand and Tillis that would establish multidisciplinary teams for military installations on child abuse and domestic violence.
  • Authorizes a pilot program on the prevention of child abuse and training on safe childcare practices among military families.
  • Establishes a new punitive article in the Uniform Code of Military Justice prohibiting domestic violence.
• Military Spouses
  • Expands authority for non-competitive appointments of military spouses by federal agencies.

FY19 Military Construction Funding for North Carolina:

• Fort Bragg
  • $20.257M – Special Operations Facility; Search Evade Rescue and Evacuation (SERE) Resistance Training Lab Complex
  • $12.109M – Special Operations Facility; Replace Training Maze and Tower
  • $10M – Dining Facility
• Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
  • $55M – Flightline Utility Modernization – Maintenance upgrades to runways in support of Marine Corps and national security requirements
  • $60M - Aircraft Maintenance Hanger for the Vertical Lift Fan Test Facility
• Camp Lejeune
  • $51.3M – 2^nd Radio BN Complex, Phase 2
• New River
  • $32.58M - Ambulatory Care Center/Dental Clinic Replacement

North Carolina Total Funding:

• $241,246,000

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