WHA Letter to Chairs and Ranking Members on NDAA Priorities

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The Honorable Jack Reed                                                    The Honorable Roger Wicker
728 Hart Senate Office Building                                         425 Russell Senate Office Building
U.S. Senate                                                                              U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510                                                         Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Mike Rogers                                                The Honorable Adam Smith
2469 Rayburn House Office Building                                 2264 Rayburn House Office Building
U.S. House of Representatives                                            U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515                                                         Washington, DC 20515

To the Chairs and Ranking Members:

For more than 60 years, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has been a model of bicameral, bipartisan lawmaking. As our country faces extraordinarily complex national security challenges, from Ukraine to Taiwan and in the realms of cyberspace and artificial intelligence, the world once again looks to us for leadership. This defense bill is essential to our success in meeting those challenges, defending the homeland, and supporting our warfighters and their families.

Central to that mission, With Honor Action is advocating for the inclusion of these four priorities in the final version of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act.

  • S. 903 – Department of Defense Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve Act
    • Incorporated as Senate NDAA, Sec. 1216 – Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve pilot project
  • H.R. 2597/S. 1095 – Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act
    • Incorporated as House NDAA, Sec. 601 – Parental leave parity for members of certain reserve components of the Armed Forces
  • House NDAA, Section 1118 – Including military service in determining family and medical leave eligibility for federal employees under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993
  • S. 2678 – Outbound Investment Transparency Act of 2023
    • Incorporated as Senate NDAA, Sec. 1085 – Protection of covered sectors

As you work to finalize this bill, we appreciate your consideration of the above provisions and respectfully request they be retained in the final draft. We are grateful for your leadership, the dedication of the Members to our national security, and the diligence of your staff members.

 

Appendix: Further Information

  • S. 903 – Department of Defense Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve Act
    • Incorporated as Senate NDAA, Sec. 1216 – Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve pilot project

Modeled upon the recommendations of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission and the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service, this provision would create a pilot program to recruit qualified cybersecurity professionals to supplement the federal workforce. Led by For Country Caucus Founding Co-Chair Rep. Jimmy Panetta in the previous Congress, the provision tasks the Department of the Army to establish a pilot program where they may appoint up to 50 reservists drawn from private industry with demonstrated cybersecurity expertise.

  • H.R. 2597/S. 1095 – Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act
    • Incorporated as House NDAA, Sec. 601 – Parental leave parity for members of certain reserve components of the Armed Forces

Led by For Country Caucus members Reps. Zach Nunn and Jeff Jackson, the Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act would align National Guard and Reserve parental leave eligibility with active duty standards. Under current policy, only birthing mothers are eligible for parental leave– this provision would expand leave eligibility to include fathers and adoptive parents. 

  • House NDAA, Section 1118 – Including military service in determining family and medical leave eligibility for federal employees under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993

Led by For Country Caucus member Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, and in partnership with the Bipartisan Policy Center, this provision would allow military service time to count towards the 12-month eligibility requirement for federal employees to receive benefits under FMLA. 

  • S. 2678 – Outbound Investment Transparency Act of 2023
    • Incorporated as Senate NDAA, Sec. 1085 – Protection of covered sectors

This would require U.S. firms to notify the Treasury Department of certain investments in countries of concern while protecting confidential business information. Covered investments include joint ventures, know-how and greenfield investments in certain sectors including advanced semiconductors and microelectronics, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, satellite-based communications, dual-use network laser scanning systems and hypersonics.

Lawmakers push bill to help Afghan evacuees, allies still in Afghanistan 2 years after US withdrawal

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Lawmakers push bill to help Afghan evacuees, allies still in Afghanistan 2 years after US withdrawal
By Matthew Adams
September 14, 2023

https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2023-09-14/afghanistan-evacuees-legislation-house-withdrawal-11377146.html

WASHINGTON — Six House lawmakers said Thursday that they are still pushing for legislation that would help Afghans now in the U.S. gain citizenship and assist allies who remain in Afghanistan, two years after U.S. forces withdrew from the country.

“We have miles to go to fulfill our promise to those who fought and died with our soldiers in Afghanistan. Their bravery deserves more, so much more than legislative gridlock,” said Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, who sponsored the legislation in the House.

Miller-Meeks was joined at a news conference in front of the U.S. Capitol by Reps. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, Jeff Jackson, D-N.C., Michael Waltz, R-Fla., Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., to stress the need for legislation to be passed soon to help these Afghans.

The Afghan Adjustment Act was first introduced in the House and Senate in August 2022 but failed to pass. The bill was reintroduced in both chambers on July 13. Miller-Meeks is the sponsor for the House’s version, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is the sponsor in the Senate.

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which ended Aug. 31, 2021, concluded 20 years of war in Afghanistan for the United States. It also marked the return of Taliban rule in the country, rolling back many human rights in the past 20 months, particularly for women.

The American pullout included the evacuation of thousands of Afghan nationals who fled the country with the U.S. military. The chaotic withdrawal also led to the deaths of 13 service members who were killed at the Kabul airport by suicide attackers.

“After every major conflict, we’ve passed an adjustment act to make sure that we honor the obligation to the people who put their lives on the line to help us,” said Jackson, one of 35 co-sponsors on the bill.

Jackson, who is a major in the Army National Guard, enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2002 and served in the Kandahar province in Afghanistan. He said Thursday that his missions in Afghanistan always included an interpreter. Everyone knew if something went wrong and they found themselves in an ambush, the interpreter would be the first person shot or killed.

“[The interpreter] also knew that when he decided to help us, he put his entire family at risk … and he was willing to do that because he felt it was the right thing for his country — helping us,” Jackson said. “The reason he was confident in doing that was because we told him that we would have his back. Having his back means not just what happens when you’re out there on a mission, [it] means what happens after the fight is over.”

There are more than 80,000 Afghan allies now in the U.S., said Rye Barcott of With Honor Action, the co-founder and CEO of the nonprofit that looks to promote and advance veteran leadership in public service.

Miller-Meeks said lawmakers are open to getting this bill in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, the annual Pentagon policy and spending priorities bill, or possibly adding it to another bill to get it passed. She said the bill is gaining momentum and hopes that the more exposure it gets, the more pressure it puts on members of Congress to act.

“We have to separate the people who came over in the airlift … and separate that from the botched withdrawal,” the congresswoman said. “These are people in the United States who we need to help, and we still have Afghan interpreters and allies who are in the Middle East … who we need to extract.”

ICYMI: Improving military quality of life starts in the home

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Check out this recent news piece about the Military Quality of Life panel, being spearheaded by For Country Caucus founding Chair Rep. Don Bacon and Caucus member Rep. Chrissy Houlahan.

The Military Quality of Life Panel is focusing on issues that impact U.S. service members and their families, including compensation, child care, housing, support programs for spouses, and access to health care.

This panel comes at a critical time as military families are under increasing financial strain from the higher cost of living and are especially vulnerable to rising home prices. Previously, the basic allowance for housing (BAH) covered 100% of estimated costs, but in FY2015, BAH coverage was slashed, severely hampering service members’ ability to afford family housing.

With Honor Action supports a number of bills focused on improving military quality of life, including the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) Restoration Act. This bill would raise the BAH coverage back to 100% and provide servicemembers and their families a monthly housing stipend based on the costs in their local market, thereby ensuring our men and women in uniform can secure safe and adequate housing.

“Service members and their families are struggling. Their quality of life is decreasing while they continue to be burdened with skyrocketing expenses. This is unacceptable. The BAH Restoration Act is a critical step to improving the quality of life for our military and With Honor Action appreciates Rep. Strickland and Rep. Bacon’s leadership on this issue.” – Rye, Barcott, With Honor Action Co-Founder & CEO

The Secretaries of Defense Series

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About the Series

With Honor Action, in partnership with the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), was pleased to host a series of enlightening interviews with all the living, post 9/11, Secretaries of Defense. Both With Honor and SCSP consider elevating civil discourse a key imperative of public education. “Providing for the common defense,” as outlined in the Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, is a nonpartisan endeavor and as such, the duties of Secretary of Defense demand an apolitical leader.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense is responsible for policy development, planning, resource management, and program evaluation. The featured Secretaries served their country in both Republican and Democratic administrations and today act as living examples of the highest ideals of civil and public service. This series highlighted all living post-9/11 Secretaries of Defense. Unfortunately, the Honorable Ashton B. Carter passed just one week prior to his interview. The final event in the series was a tribute to his life and service, including remarks delivered by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

Lessons Learned

All the secretaries reflected fondly on their time in service. Dr. Mark Esper called his time in uniformed service “the best times of my life.” Secretary Panetta talked of how his first boss in politics, California Republican Senator Tom Kuchel, imprinted on him the virtue of “service to country.” The 22nd Secretary of Defense, Bob Gates, who sits on With Honor’s Advisory Board, spoke to his decades in national service working for 5 Republican and 3 Democratic Administrations.

As seasoned public servants, all the secretaries offered policy advice to the 118th Congress.

Secretary Gates underscored the importance of stability and predictability in U.S. national security and praised congressional bodies like the Armed Services committees for their longstanding commitment to bipartisanship.

Dr. Esper focused on innovation, rejecting claims that America can’t innovate, while cautioning that the Pentagon’s “risk averse culture” often prohibits the military from adapting swiftly to new threats.

Secretary and former Senator Chuck Hagel reminded bipartisan lawmakers of the oath they took to their country, not to a party or a president. “You have to be strong enough to know that the title isn’t as big as you. You are bigger than any title. I’ve had a lot of titles in my life… but the title wasn’t me.”

Secretary Jim Mattis reflected on the importance of principled post 9-11 veterans who are committing their lives to service, and the value of the For Country Caucus in Congress to pass legislation such as the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Act.

Honoring Ash Carter

Sadly, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter passed away during the filming of this series. The 56th Secretary of State and WWII Army veteran, Dr. Henry Kissinger, offered a moving tribute to Dr. Carter and his decades of service to his country. “I saw Ash for the last time two weeks before he died,” said Dr. Kissinger. He was “a great patriot, and greatly dedicated to the ideas of freedom.”

Bob Work, a career Marine artillery officer who rose to the post of Deputy Secretary of Defense under Secretary Carter, also spoke fondly of his former boss. “You’re not going to find too many [Secretaries] who served in every level of the department. And in the particular jobs that he held, he was a brilliant lifelong scholar and teacher.”

Secretary Carter, who earned a PhD in Theoretical Physics, was passionate about science and ensuring that our Armed Forces retains its technologic advantage over America’s adversaries. Many of the interviewed Secretaries spoke to that unique theme, noting with frustration the Department’s inability to rapidly adapt to new innovations and technological progress.

Organizations

With Honor is a cross-partisan organization. Our mission is to strengthen democracy by fighting polarization in the United States Congress with principled veteran leaders. The Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) is a non-partisan, non-profit initiative with a clear mission: to make recommendations to strengthen America’s long-term competitiveness as artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies reshape our national security, economy, and society.

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