WASHINGTON — The Senate Armed Services Committee has authorized $1.14 trillion in spending in its fiscal 2027 defense policy bill, which would create a new combatant command for autonomous systems and prohibit defense contractor share buybacks and dividends.
The committee’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act is in line with the $1.15 trillion in discretionary funding requested by the Trump administration for FY27, with $1 trillion authorized for the Defense Department and $41 billion for defense-related activities within the Energy Department. About $12 billion of defense funding is outside the jurisdiction of the NDAA.
SASC members voted the bill through committee in a 18-9 vote on Wednesday, a larger ratio of ‘no’ votes than is typical for the usually bipartisan measure. Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., disclosed today that they voted against the bill.
While the committee didn’t make big moves in terms of topline funding, it made several policy changes that would have major implications for both the Defense Department and the wider defense industrial base.
One key change would establish the Robotic and Autonomous Systems Combatant Command, which would oversee the integration of drones in operations. One staffer said the new command materialized after years of debate about how to centralize drone operations.
