Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025

Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025

This bill authorizes for FY2025 and sets policies for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, military construction, the national security programs of the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Maritime Administration. It also authorizes the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board and the Naval Petroleum Reserves. The bill authorizes appropriations but it does not provide budget authority, which is provided by appropriations legislation.

As examples, the bill includes provisions that

• authorize the procurement of various items, including aircraft, ships, and missiles; 
• authorize active duty and reserve component personnel strength levels;
• require DOD to establish a quantum computing center at a military research laboratory with requisite expertise;
• authorize the Marine Corps to carry out a pilot program in a Marine Corps unit to improve military supply chain readiness, budget efficiency, and logistics productivity through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning software;
• increase basic pay for enlisted personnel in pay grades E-1 through E-4 by an average of 15% with a smaller increase for certain enlisted personnel in pay grade E-5 (these changes are in addition to the 4.5% inflation adjustment for 2025); 
• require the Missile Defense Agency to establish a fully operational third continental United States interceptor site on the East Coast of the United States no later than December 31, 2030; and
• authorize specified military construction projects and extend the authorization of certain projects from previous fiscal years.