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You are here: Home / Security Spending / Nuclear Weapons Spending / Factsheets & Analysis on Nuclear Weapons Spending / Summary: FY 2021 Senate National Defense Authorization Bill (S. 4049)

June 26, 2020

Summary: FY 2021 Senate National Defense Authorization Bill (S. 4049)

Top Line Funding Totals

  • $740.5 billion: Total funding supported in the bill: 
    • $636.4 billion: Department of Defense discretionary base
    • $  25.9 billion: Department of Energy discretionary base
    • $  69.0 billion: Overseas Contingency Operations
    • $    9.1 billion: Defense-related activities outside the bill’s jurisdiction 

Select Nuclear and Related Weapons Programs

A. Ohio Replacement Strategic Submarine (Columbia Class)

  • $2.9 billion: Procurement, the requested amount
  • $1.3 billion: Advanced procurement, an increase of $175 million
  • $317 million: Research and development, the requested amount

B. Long range strike bomber B-21 (Conventional and Nuclear) 

  • $2.8 billion: Research and development, the requested amount

C. Long Range Standoff Weapon (LRSO) 

  • $474.4 million: Research and development, the requested amount

D. Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD – ICBM replacement) 

  • $1.5 billion: Research and development, the requested amount
  • Converting Minuteman III launch facilities (Section 2802): Authorizes military construction projects to convert Minuteman III launch facilities to Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent configurations

E. Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missile

  • $1.2 billion: Procurement for modifications

F.  Preparations for resuming nuclear explosive testing (Section 3167)

  • $10 million  

G.  Deployed Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles

  • Bars reducing number of deployed ICBMs below 400 (Section 1654) 

H. Plutonium pits:National Nuclear Security Administration

  • Retains requirement to build 80 pits:
  • Los Alamos plutonium modernization       $836,599,000
  • Savannah River plutonium modernization $441,896,000
  • Enterprise Plutonium Support                  $  90,782,000
  • Total, Plutonium Modernization             $1,369,277,000

I. Missile Defense

  • Next Generation Interceptor (NGI): $354.1 million, a decrease of $310 million
  • THAAD: $951.5 million, an increase of $456.1 million

Select Conventional Programs

A. Aviation programs

  • Joint Strike Fighter (F-35): $9.1 billion total for 95 aircraft, 16 more than requested 
  • F-15EX: $1.4 billion
  • Bombers: Decries the small number of bombers today, 157, and suggests a 56% increase in the number of Air Force bomber squadrons are needed and perhaps up to 225 bombers (Section 144)   
  • Operational squadrons: Recommends no fewer than 386 available operational squadrons, or equivalent organizational units, within the Air Force, compared to 312 presently (Section 143) 

B. Shipbuilding 

  • Virginia class attack submarine 
    • Procurement: $2.3 billion, cut of $74.4 million
    • Advanced procurement:  $2.4 billion, an increase of $472 million
  • DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers:
    • Procurement: $3.0 billion, a decrease of $30 million
    • Advanced procurement: $464 million, an increase of $435 million
  • Achieving a 355 ship Navy: Recommends that between fiscal years 2021 and 2025 the Navy should start construction on not fewer than:
    • (A) 12 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers;
    • (B) 10 Virginia-class submarines;
    • (C) 2 Columbia-class submarines;
    • (D) 3 San Antonio-class amphibious ships;
    • (E) 1 LHA-class amphibious ship;
    • (F) 6 John Lewis-class fleet oilers; and
    • (G) 5 guided missile frigates.

Other Programs of Interest

  • Ukraine assistance: Provides $250 million in security assistance for Ukraine, requires a long-term plan for assistance to Ukraine, and supports NATO designation of Ukraine as an “enhanced opportunities partner” (Section 1233)
  • Afghanistan Security Forces Fund: Authorizes $4.0 billion  
  • Establishes new Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI): Authorizes $1.4 billion, an increase of $188.6 million above budget request, and $5.5 billion in Fiscal Year 2022, but asks the Pentagon how the money should be spent (Section 1251)
  • Taiwan assurances: Reiterate and strengthen U.S. support for Taiwan, including developing the capacity to block a Chinese seizure of Taiwan (Section 1258)
  • Cooperative Threat Reduction: $288.5 million, an increase of $50 million for biological threat reduction
  • Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA): $914 million in base bill and Overseas Contingency Operations
  • Long-range Ground-based anti-ship missile system: Urges consideration of co-development of a ground-based, long-range anti-ship cruise missile system with Japan (sec. 1261)

Active duty end-strength (Section 401) 

Army: 485,000

Navy: 346,730

Marines: 180,000

Air Force: 333,475

Reserves end-strength (Section 411) 

Army National Guard: 336,500

Army Reserve: 189,800

Navy Reserve: 58,800

Marine Corps Reserve: 38,500

Air National Guard: 108,100

Air Force Reserve: 70,300

Coast Guard Reserve: 7,000

Miscellaneous Provisions

  • Confederate names: Establishes a commission to remove or rename Defense Department assets that commemorate the Confederate States of America within three years (Section 377)
  • First amendment rights: Prohibit actions that infringe upon First Amendment rights of peaceable assembly (Section 10 )
  • Troops in South Korea: Bars reducing troops in South Korea below 28,500 (Section 1260)
  • Russian interference: Requires a report on Russia’s support of racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists (Section 1239)
  • Base closing: Prohibits conducting additional base realignment and closure (BRAC) round (section 2702)
  • Competition with Russia: Expresses the sense of the Senate that long-term strategic competition with Russia is a top defense priority that requires sustained investment and enhanced deterrence due to the level of threat posed (Section 1238)
  • U.S. military superiority is in decline (from committee report): “America’s military superiority is in decline or in danger of declining in many areas.  Nowhere is this more evident than in the IndoPacific”

Select votes during markup

14 GOP Senators: Senators Inhofe (OK), Wicker (MA), Fischer (NE), Cotton (AR), Rounds(SD), Ernst (IA), Tillis (NC), Sullivan (AK), Perdue (GA), Cramer (ND), McSally (AZ), Scott (FL), Blackburn (TN), and Hawley (MO)

13 Democratic Senators: Senators Reed (RI), Shaheen (NH), Gillibrand (NY), Blumenthal (CT), Hirono (HI), Kaine (VA), King (ME), Heinrich (NM), Warren(MA), Peters (MI), Manchin (WV), Duckworth (IL), and Jones (AL)

  • Approved 14-13 adding $10 million for a potential nuclear explosive test: All Republicans voted yes, all Democrats no
  • Rejected 13-14 prohibiting spending on the wall with Mexico: All Democrats voted yes, all Republicans voted no
  • Rejected 13-14 permitting transfer of Guantanamo Bay prisoners to the U.S. for medical reasons: All Democrats voted yes, all Republicans voted no
  • Rejected 13-14 a provision modifying the Insurrection Act of 1807: All Democrats voted yes, all Republicans voted no
  • The Senate Armed Services Committee approved the bill by a vote of 25-2, with Senators Warren and Gillibrand voting no.

Sources:

Bill (S. 4049)
Report
Funding tables
SASC summary

Posted in: Factsheets & Analysis on Nuclear Weapons Spending, Factsheets & Analysis on Pentagon Budget, Nuclear Weapons Spending, Pentagon Budget, Security Spending, United States

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