BILL SUMMARY: Defense Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations Bill
Bill boosts readiness in key areas around the globe, strengthens our deterrent capabilities, and invests in our servicemembers and their families
Washington, D.C. – The Fiscal Year 2025 Defense Appropriations Act provides $852.2 billion in total funding—a $27.2 billion, or 3.3% increase over fiscal year 2024.
“As Chairman of the Senate committee that sets our military’s budget, my top priority is ensuring our armed forces have the necessary resources to keep our nation safe and maintain our position as the greatest country in the world,” said Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. “This strong, bipartisan budget will accelerate investments to allow our military to stay ahead of the threat of China, provide certainty for our servicemembers, and keep Montana and our country safe here at home. I’m glad to see my defense budget advance to the Senate floor and I will continue to work with Republicans and Democrats to get it across the finish line on time.”
“This bipartisan bill builds on our efforts in the National Security Supplemental to strengthen our defenses in key regions, deter conflict, promote stability, and ultimately, keep our nation safe—with new investments to ensure our military remains the best in the world while supporting our servicemembers and standing with our allies,” said Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I am especially glad this bill provides new resources to make sure the men and women who keep our country safe can make ends meet and take care of their families as they serve our nation.”
Key Points & Highlights
Supporting Servicemembers and Families:
Compensation: The bill fully funds the 4.5% pay raise for servicemembers requested in the President’s budget request. For junior enlisted personnel in the E1-E3 ranks, it provides funding to support a larger—5.5%—pay raise as authorized in the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 as reported out of Committee. It fully funds the basic allowance for subsistence, basic allowance for housing, and includes $251 million, equal to the budget request, for basic needs allowance for members of the military and their families with a household income that is less than 200% of federal poverty guidelines. It fully funds the President’s budget request to address ongoing recruiting challenges.
Child Care & Early Education: The bill fully funds the President’s budget request for the operation, renovation, and repair of child development centers, and it supports full-day, universal pre-K for our military families.
Suicide Prevention and Response: The bill fully funds the President’s budget request of $261.2 million for suicide prevention and response, which supports continued implementation of the recommendations of the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee. It also provides an additional $2 million for suicide prevention research focusing on rural, remote, and isolated locations outside the continental United States, and designates suicide prevention as a research area within the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs’ Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program.
Sexual Assault Prevention: The bill provides $47 million above the budget request for the Special Victims’ Counsel program to help survivors of sexual assault.
Defense Communities and Environmental Mitigation: The bill makes substantial investments in defense communities, including $110 million for the Defense Community Infrastructure Program and $202.25 million above the budget request for defense environmental mitigation activities, including: $129.6 million more for PFAS cleanup and related activities, for a total of $983 million; $50 million more for Military Munitions Response Program, for a total of $323.4 million; and $22.65 million more for the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration program, for a total of $200 million. In total, the bill provides $2 billion for environmental mitigation activities, an increase of $452 million above fiscal year 2024.
Global Readiness: The bill provides $2 billion above the President’s budget request to improve military readiness across the services. It provides $1.9 billion above the budget request to counter the influence of the Chinese government through initiatives in the INDO-PACOM area of operations and investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and hypersonic technologies. It includes $800 million above the budget request for Central Command operations, to replace combat expenditures, and increase force protection. It delivers $500 million for the Indo-Pacific Security Assistance Initiative (IPSA-I), meeting the budget request, and includes $500 million above the budget request for the adoption and implementation of AI capabilities at the Combatant Commands. It also provides $400 million above the budget request for the Commanders of USSOUTHCOM and USAFRICOM to expand cooperation and advance interoperability in the face of increased aggression by the Chinese government. Finally, the bill includes $250 million above the budget request for force protection and counter-terrorism operations in the European Command area of operations, and it provides $225 million for the Baltic Security Initiative, an increase of $7 million above the budget request, for continued security cooperation with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI): The bill sustains $300 million in funding for USAI, equal to the budget request, to continue support for Ukraine.
National Guard and Reserves: The bill includes $1 billion above the budget request, to be divided proportionately among the military services and the National Guard and Reserve, to improve readiness, including providing for increased training and maintenance activities. It also includes $1.05 billion above the budget request for C-130Js for one Air National Guard squadron to continue modernization of the Air National Guard’s tactical lift capabilities.
Medical Research: The bill provides $2.33 billion for defense medical research, an increase of $1.07 billion for defense medical research.
Army Modernization: The bill supports Army signature modernization across all eight cross-functional teams and fully funds the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program; precision fires; and next-generation counter-small unmanned aerial system (UAS) missile development. It includes additional funding flexibility for the Army to address the constantly evolving small UAS threat. It includes $50 million above the budget request for development efforts for the modernization of the Black Hawk helicopters; $41 million above the budget request for hypersonics test infrastructure and research; and $63 million above the budget request to maintain development of the next generation helicopter engine.
Aviation Modernization: To increase military capacity, sustain ongoing production lines, and provide stability to the industrial base, the bill includes $600 million above the budget request to procure six additional F-15EX aircraft, $1.05 billion for eight additional C-130J aircraft for the Air National Guard, $200 million for additional Combat Rescue Helicopters, and fully funds UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
Air Force Modernization: The bill fully supports the continued development of the Air Force’s programs in support of the nuclear triad: B-21 Raider and Sentinel. It includes $280 million above the budget request for Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion; $200 million for industrial base risk reduction and prototyping for the Air Force’s Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (Sentinel) program; and $42 million for quantum and AI-related research.
Navy Modernization: The bill provides $252 million above the budget request for SLCM-N; and includes $95.7 million for two additional Conventional Prompt Strike missiles, an increase of $25.7 million above the budget request. It also includes $500 million above the budget request for the Next Generation Fighter; and $75 million to integrate the PAC-3 missile onto Destroyers.
Shipbuilding: The bill includes $37 billion, $3.4 billion above the budget request, for the construction of seven new battle force ships, including 1 Columbia-class submarine, 1 Virginia-class submarine, 3 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, 1 Constellation-class frigate, 1 LPD amphibious warship, and 1 medium landing ship. This includes an additional $1.5 billion for a third DDG-51 Destroyer; $417 million for three ship-to-shore connectors; and $695 million in advance procurement for LPD Flight IIs and LHA amphibious ships in support of the Navy’s recently negotiated multi-ship buy for amphibious ships. To support the shipbuilding industrial base and workforce, the bill includes an additional $357 million for a second Virginia-class submarine shipset and an additional $100 million to support the frigate industrial base and workforce. The bill also supports ongoing ship construction programs by providing $1.8 billion above the budget request for prior year ships to include Virginia-class submarines, Constellation-class frigates, and Towing, Salvage, and Rescue Ships.
Space Modernization: The bill adds over $1 billion to address classified Space Force unfunded requirements identified by the Chief of Space Operations, including for space control capabilities, nuclear electric propulsion, and commercial sensing.
Weapons: The bill continues to support multi-year procurement of ongoing munitions programs. It provides nearly $1 billion above the budget request for critical missile and torpedo procurement; and increases counter-UAS funding by $394.8 million. It provides $472 million above the budget request to sustain production of the SM-3 Block IB missile and $1.2 billion above the budget request for important modernization and expansion efforts across the government-owned ammunition production facilities.
Defense Industrial Base: The bill provides $500 million above the budget request for Defense Production Act investments in the defense industrial base, including microelectronics, critical chemicals, and hypersonics. It also includes $600 million above the budget request for the National Defense Stockpile Transaction Fund to purchase raw materials key to U.S. weapons manufacturing and $400 million above the budget request for the Manufacturing Technology Program to expand advanced manufacturing efforts.
Infrastructure: The bill provides $2 billion above the budget request for general facility, sustainment, and modernization shortfalls at military installations. It includes $1.3 billion above the budget request for critical facility upgrades, including $600 million for Guam, and $466 million to fully fund the Marine Corps’ Barracks 2030 initiative and facilities modernization efforts.
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