Here’s 5 Things You Probably Missed in the NDAA

Posted on by Brian Le

Congress just did something rare: It was consistent. For the 65th year in a row, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act (known as the “NDAA”) this week on a broad, bipartisan basis.

The first NDAA that passed in 1961 was half a page. This year’s NDAA is a whopping 3,086 pages, a big bill that sets policy for the entire Department of Defense, authorizing and allocating $900.6 billion, including a 3.8 percent pay raise for service members. Congress also included authorizations for the Department of State, the Coast Guard, intelligence agencies, and parts of the Department of Energy in this year’s bill.

It’s also an opportunity for organizations like With Honor Action to weigh in on a consistent, bipartisan, bicameral process on policies that affect all Americans and our place in the world. So while you’re reading the entire bill during this holiday season, here are five takeaways from our work on this year’s NDAA.

Advanced AI Security Readiness Act

Posted on by Brian Le

With Honor Action endorses S. 3202 and H.R. 3919, the Advanced AI Security Readiness Act, led by With Honor Action allies Senator Todd Young (R-IN), a Marine Corps veteran, and Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), a Navy veteran, in the Senate and by Rep. Darin LaHood in the House.

“For decades, America has been the pioneer in AI and emerging technologies. Today, this leadership is under threat from bad actors worldwide. It is critical that the United States keep its role in the vanguard of artificial intelligence so we can set the standards for responsible deployment of this technology,” said Rye Barcott, co-founder and CEO of With Honor. “With Honor is proud to endorse the bipartisan Advanced AI Security Readiness Act, and we thank our Senate allies, Sens. Todd Young and Mark Kelly, for defending American AI excellence and preserving our technological advantages.”

This legislation would require the Director of the National Security Agency, through the Artificial Intelligence Security Center, to develop an AI Security Playbook to protect covered technologies from malicious threat actors. The playbook will identify vulnerabilities in AI data centers and other AI-specific technologies, including critical components or sensitive information that, if compromised, could enhance adversaries’ capabilities. It will also establish strategies to prevent, detect, defend against, and respond to AI-related security threats.

Biomanufacturing Excellence Act

Posted on by Brian Le

With Honor Action proudly endorses H.R. 6089 and S. 3188—the Biomanufacturing Excellence Act of 2025—championed in the House by Founding For Country Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), an Air Force veteran, and former Vice Chair Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN), an Army veteran, and in the Senate by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Ted Budd (R-NC).

“American innovation is what makes our country safe and prosperous. We must prevent adversaries like China from eroding our competitive edge in biotechnology by outpacing our investments and controlling critical biopharmaceutical supply chains,” said Rye Barcott, co-founder and CEO of With Honor. “With Honor is proud to endorse the Biomanufacturing Excellence Act, and we thank For Country Caucus members Reps. Chrissy Houlahan and Jim Baird for championing this legislation and doubling down on our commitments to American leadership in this critical sector.”

This legislation would establish a public-private National Center for Biopharmaceutical Excellence to scale up production, reduce foreign reliance, and bolster workforce skills in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. This legislation would implement a key recommendation of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology.

REVOKE Act

Posted on by Brian Le

With Honor Action endorses H.R. 6105 and S. 3181, the Restricting Ex-Vetted Officials from Knowledge Exploitation (REVOKE) Act, led by For Country Caucus member Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), an Air Force reservist, and Co-Chair Rep. Don Davis (D-NC), an Air Force veteran, in the House and by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) in the Senate.

“Classified information and state secrets should never be up for sale, and that is what China is buying when they hire former government personnel as lobbyists. There should not be a profit incentive in public service,” said Rye Barcott, co-founder and CEO of With Honor. “With Honor is proud to endorse this bipartisan bill, and we thank For Country Caucus members, Reps. Pfluger and Davis, and Sen. Cornyn, for fighting back against public corruption.”

This bill would require the Secretary of Defense to revoke security clearances from former Department of Defense military personnel or civilian employees who lobby on behalf of China.

National Security Biotechnology Workforce Training Act

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With Honor Action endorses H.R. 5770, the National Security Biotechnology Workforce Training Act, led by Founding For Country Caucus Vice Chair Rep. Chrissy Houlahan and Founding Co-Chair Rep. Don Bacon, both Air Force veterans.

“As the U.S., allies, and adversaries develop new biotechnology for the battlefield, we must ensure that those on the frontlines receive the protection and training they need,” said Rye Barcott, co-founder and CEO of With Honor. “With Honor is proud to endorse this bipartisan legislation that puts the safety of our defense workforce first and enables them to continue to innovate the technology of the future. We thank For Country Caucus members Reps. Chrissy Houalahan and Don Bacon for introducing this bill and protecting those on the frontier of biotechnology.”

This legislation directs the Department of Defense to establish and carry out a training program for members of the Armed Forces (excluding Coast Guard), civilian employees, and contractors whose duties include creating or deploying novel technologies; analyzing, preparing for, or responding to biological threats; planning, research and development, engineering or testing and evaluation of systems regarding biotechnology; on biotechnology and other relevant critical and emerging technologies.

Representative Houlahan, Co-Chair of the House BIOTech Caucus, spoke about the importance of developing the biotechnology workforce at our Strength in Democracy Forum. Watch the full panel here.

With Honor Action Urges Inclusion of Key Reforms in Final FY26 Defense Bill

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On November 3, 2025, With Honor Action sent the following letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees as they negotiate over the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.

Dear Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, Chairman Rogers, and Ranking Member Smith,

We at With Honor Action thank you for your leadership on the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). As an organization that promotes principled veteran leadership, your bipartisan collaboration on this critical legislation is a model for leading with integrity and civility.

With Honor works with the 37 members of the For Country Caucus and our 11 Senate Allies to help enact impactful, commonsense policies that promote our national security, expand pathways for national service, and support our veterans. As you enter the conference process and negotiations, we would like to advocate for a few of our bipartisan priorities for inclusion in the final version of the bill. We understand that the priorities below may face challenges, but we are committed to supporting you with our coalition, advocacy, and communications resources.

  • Ensuring Operational Readiness: The Department of Defense spends roughly 70% of its budget every year on sustainment. Sections 863 and 836 of the House and Senate bills, respectively, would decrease unnecessary military spending by avoiding high repair and maintenance fees charged by contractors and increase preparedness by reducing obstacles to servicemembers’ ability to repair equipment in theater. It would also enhance servicemembers’ skills by providing them with the necessary tools and information to repair equipment. These provisions are aligned with the With Honor-endorsed Warrior Right to Repair Act of 2025, H.R. 5155 / S. 2209, led in the House by Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and For Country Caucus members Jen Kiggans and Maggie Goodlander, and in the Senate by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tim Sheehy. With Honor supports the inclusion of the right-to-repair language in the final FY26 NDAA.
  • Bolstering Biosecurity: Biotechnology innovation and utilization are a critical component of U.S. national security and the next frontier of great power competition between the U.S. and adversaries like China. In 2021, Congress established the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) to assess the impact of biotechnology advancements on the future of U.S. defense capabilities. In April of this year, the Commission released its final report, which includes 49 recommendations to the Executive Branch and Congress to ensure America’s continued and future dominance in this sector. With Honor supports the inclusion of all of the NSCEB recommendations that were incorporated in whole or in part in both the House (Sections 216, 220, 221, 222, 241, 242, 868 & 877, 893, 1521) and Senate (Sections 231, 232, 233, & 881) bills.
  • Expanding Veteran Home Ownership: In 2024, there were $28 billion of unused VA Loan funds meant to help secure housing for service members and veterans. The VA Loan Informed Disclosure (VALID) Act, included as Section 5602 in the Senate’s FY26 NDAA, would combat the veteran homelessness epidemic by requiring a side-by-side comparison of conventional, FHA, and VA home loans, allowing borrowers to fully understand their options and the resources at their disposal. It also ensures that the military service question on the Uniform Residential Loan Application form is required to be filled out, so borrowers understand from the start what benefits they are entitled to. These provisions are included in the standalone VALID Act, H.R. 3694 / S.1932, sponsored by Reps. Brittany Petterson and Harriet Hageman in the House and Sens. Chris Van Hollen and John Boozeman in the Senate. With Honor supports the inclusion of the VALID Act in the final FY26 NDAA.
  • Strengthening Global Alliances: Ukraine’s success against Russia’s illegal war of aggression will only be achieved through our continued support. The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) is extended until 2028 via Sections 1302 and 1223 in the House and Senate NDAAs, respectively. The Senate provision not only underscores our resolve in supporting Ukraine by extending the program, but it also demonstrates our commitment to the cause by increasing our contributions by $200 million, compared to the House authorization. With Honor supports the increased authorization and extension of the USAI for inclusion in the final FY26 NDAA.
  • Promoting National Service: Instilling civic-mindedness and nurturing the patriotic desire to serve starts with youth national service programs. The Senate FY26 NDAA authorizes funding for several youth national service programs, including the Civil Air Patrol and the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps at or above the requested level. However, specific line-item authorizations for the National Guard STARBASE program, which provides STEM education and mentorship to elementary school children, and the United States Naval Sea Cadets, which were included in the House bill, were not provided for in the Senate version. With Honor supports the inclusion of these authorizations for each program at the requested level in the final FY26 NDAA.
  • Modernizing Defense Acquisition: Streamlining the defense procurement and acquisition process is paramount to creating an innovative, cutting-edge military. The Senate FY26 NDAA includes key provisions that transition the Program Executive Officer (PEO) role to that of the portfolio acquisition executive and update determinations regarding commercial products and services, as Sections 801 and 825, respectively. With Honor supports the inclusion of the above provisions, as well as the more than 100 provisions that aim to streamline the defense acquisition process, reduce administrative complexity, and eliminate outdated requirements, limitations, and other matters in the final FY26 NDAA.

Please feel free to contact me directly or Sean McClintock, Vice President of Government Affairs, at mcclintock@withhonor.org, if you have any questions. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Very Respectfully,

Rye Barcott

Co-Founder & CEO, With Honor

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