FORT SILL — A recent fact-finding trip brought two members of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee to Fort Sill.
U.S. Sens. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) and Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) spoke to military leaders Aug. 18 about the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2024. The U.S. House and Senate each approved different versions of the military spending bill in July, and negotiators from both chambers will hammer out a compromise bill in the coming months.
Lawmakers are ahead of schedule where the NDAA is concerned, said Wicker, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“I hope this is an indication that we mean business this year and we’ll try to get our work done on time,” he said.
A news release from Mullin’s office said the new NDAA provides funding for several military-related projects in Oklahoma, including:
• $76.65 million for Fort Sill’s Microgrid and backup power project, a large-scale endeavor designed to add locally generated renewable energy to the power grid.
• $78 million for Tinker Air Force Base’s three-bay KC-46 depot maintenance hangar.
• $8.4 million for planning and designing Vance Air Force Base’s Consolidated Undergraduate Pilot Training Center.
• $5 million for Oklahoma State University’s Counter-UAS Center of Excellence, which is working with the Department of Defense to develop technology to counter threats from drones and other unmanned aerial systems.
• $1.19 million for planning and designing McAlester Army Ammunition Plant’s new water treatment facility.
• $400,000 for the Army National Guard Ardmore Readiness Center’s vehicle maintenance shop.
The bill also provides a 5.2% pay raise for service men and women to offset inflation.
Friday’s visit highlighted lawmakers’ work on the Armed Services Committee, said Mullin.
“It’s important for us to understand – for those who are in leadership positions on Senate Armed Services – what we’re facing here in Oklahoma,” he said. “Senator Wicker will probably be the next chairman – I’d say probably in the next Congress. So the more we can put his eyes on it, the more he can see it for himself, the easier it is for me to advocate for our needs here in Lawton.”