This weekend, lawmakers released the text of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is about $8 billion higher than what President Donald Trump requested last May. The bill is set to be voted on this week, and it comes after weeks of bipartisan talks were concluded between the U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives, and the White House.
“This year’s National Defense Authorization Act helps advance President Trump and Republicans’ Peace Through Strength Agenda by codifying 15 of President Trump’s executive orders, ending woke ideology at the Pentagon, securing the border, revitalizing the defense industrial base, and restoring the warrior ethos,” explained House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La).
DoD Name Change and Troop Pay
The NDAA didn’t include any language to officially rename the Department of Defense (DoD) to the Department of War, even as President Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth continue to employ the alternate name. A formal change is made with Congressional approval.
What will change, however, is the troops’ salary. The NDAA supports a 3.8% to 4% pay raise for enlisted personnel.
The bill further calls for revitalizing U.S. shipbuilding and funds research and development (R&D) for emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), hypersonics, autonomous systems, and nuclear technologies such as portable reactors. It will cut around $20 billion from obsolete programs and reduce bureaucracy within the Pentagon, while further abolishing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices, staff, and programs.
The NDAA will prohibit the retirement of some U.S. Air Force aircraft, notably additional A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and F-22 Raptors.
The U.S. Will Stand With Its Allies
Among the key points in the 2026 NDAA is strong support for Europe, including a prohibition on the Department of Defense (DoD) from reducing U.S. forces in Europe below a certain level (e.g., 76,000 troops) without consultation with Congressional lawmakers and NATO allies.
Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) broke with the Trump administration on the issue of U.S. force reductions in Europe, warning that they would lead to greater aggression from Russia.
The NDAA would also support NATO’s collective security and encourage alliance members to meet their respective spending pledges. It would also block the transfer of significant U.S. military equipment from Europe without justification, and further provide significant military assistance to Ukraine.
Ukraine is set to receive $400 million in aid in 2026, with an additional $400 million pledged for 2027, as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). The funds will go toward the production of U.S.-made military hardware to be provided to Kyiv.
It has been seen as an assurance that the Trump administration won’t completely end U.S. support, even as it is seen as a relatively small contribution to Ukraine’s military needs, especially if a lasting peace can’t be reached.
The NDAA will also prevent the U.S. European Commander from relinquishing the title of “NATO Supreme Commander.”
End of Middle East War Powers
The 2026 NDAA would repeal the decades-old Middle East war powers, which Politico noted would be a “small win for lawmakers who’ve been fighting to reclaim a slice of Congress’s war-declaring prerogatives.”
A significant focus of the 2025 NDAA had been a bipartisan effort to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs) for the Gulf and Iraq wars, as these were seen as outdated and overly broad justifications for modern conflicts.
Syrian Sanctions Lifted
The tough U.S. “Caesar sanctions” imposed on Syria under its former leader, Bashar al-Assad, could also be lifted in the coming weeks.
However, it would require the administration to certify at least every six months that the interim Syrian government that took power a year ago is continuing to combat terrorism, notably the Islamic State, as well as drug trafficking. Moreover, Damascus must continue to respect minority rights and seek peaceful relations with its neighbors.
Should Syria fail, the president will have an opportunity to consider imposing new sanctions on Syrian individuals.
Greater Restrictions on China
The NDAA also includes legislation that would restrict U.S. investment in “adversarial nations” that could benefit from developing technologies to modernize their militaries, increase surveillance, or engage in human rights abuses.
It would also require U.S. companies and investors to alert the Treasury Department when they back certain high-risk technologies in China or other “countries of concern.” Treasury would be able to block deals outright and sanction foreign firms tied to China’s military or intelligence agencies.
Other Points
The NDAA will also provide support for the following:
- The Golden Dome for America
- Deployment of National Guard and active-duty military personnel to the southwest border to intercept illegal crossings and to counter the flow of drugs into the country
- Bolstering the defenses of Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific allies
“The FY26 NDAA delivers on President Trump’s promise of peace through strength and ensures America can deter our adversaries and protect our homeland,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) said in a statement. “This legislation builds on the wins from the Working Families Tax Cut, revitalizing our defense industrial base, improving our servicemembers’ quality of life, and building out critical warfighting capabilities.”
