Policy Recommendations for Finalizing the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act

5359 | September 5, 2024 DOUGLAS AND SArAH ALLISON CeNter FOr NAtIONAL SeCUrItY Policy Recommendations for Finalizing the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act Wilson Beaver There are two competing versions of the Fiscal KEY TAKEAWAYS Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act the House version of the FY 2025 (FY 2025 NDAA), one in the Senate and one NDAA contains far better protec- in the Hou. [...] The provision in the Senate version of the Senate version of the FY 2025 NDAA the bill that would require all women aged 18–26 to reg- contains far better provisions for the ister for the draft is both highly contentious and the one procurement of ships and funding of that is most likely to sink the entire bill if not removed. [...] 5359 September 5, 2024 | 2 heritage.org in The Heritage Foundation’s “Conservative Defense Budget for Fiscal Year 2025” Special Report.2 Once Members of the Senate and the House meet to finalize the FY 2025 NDAA, they should consider the following recommendations to produce the military budget our nation needs to carry out the missions demanded by its national security and defense strategies. [...] The House version contains far more provisions aimed at preventing Chinese espionage against the United States than the Senate version does, and the Senate would do well to emulate the tough approach against Chinese malign foreign influence that the House has taken. [...] This new consensus recognizes that the American nuclear triad has atrophied and is in desperate need of revitalization if it is to meet the rapid nuclear buildup currently underway in China.6 Critically, both the House and Senate bills would authorize funding for the nucle- ar-armed sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N), which will fill a tactical capability gap in the Indo-Pacific vis-à-vis the Ch.