Senate Defense bill funds Fallon, Hawthorne projects

The U.S. Senate passed Thursday the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2024 which will provide funding for military projects in the Silver State to include Naval Air Station Fallon and the Hawthorne Army Depot.

Nevada’s Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen voted for the NDAA. Only 11 senators voted against the NDAA, which now must be reconciled with the House version. The act also provides for a 5.2% pay raise for both military members and Department of Defense civilian employees. Another provision of the NDAA calls for strengthening laws and helping to stop international drug traffickers from bringing fentanyl into the country.

“Supporting our service members and their families is an essential part of my work in the Senate, and I was proud to vote to fund our military and strengthen our national defense,” said Cortez Masto in a statement. “This legislation will help us crack down on international drug trafficking, stand up to China, and support our allies abroad while also increasing pay for service members and delivering vital funding to Nevada’s military bases here at home.”

Rosen said the Senate’s version of the NDAA strengthens national security.

“I was glad to secure key wins in the legislation to bolster America’s technological advantage, enhance our military competitiveness and strengthen our alliances,” Rosen said.

The NDAA authorizes $29 million for the Fallon Range Training Complex which is used by the Navy Aviation Warfighting Development Center (TOP GUN). Both senators approved the FRTC expansion in the current NDAA which was passed in December. Also included for 2024 is $32 million for Creech Air Force Base in Clark County to continue training and for military construction.

Nellis Air Force Base east of Las Vegas also receives funding for the construction of an F-32 Data Lab Support Facility and F-35 hangar.

Rosen, a member of the Armed Services Committee, championed improvements at the Hawthorne Army Depot 70 miles south of Fallon, and the NDAA encourages the Secretary of the Army to prioritize investments to upgrade the depot’s infrastructure. Earlier this year, Rosen received commitments from the Secretary of the Army to invest in the Hawthorne facility.

During summer 2022, Rosen secured a small arms training range at Hawthorne.

“When I found out our soldiers had to travel hundreds of miles out of state to train, I knew we had to do something to fix this,” Rosen said at a May 2022 hearing. “The financial cost to transport soldiers out of state far exceeds the cost of building a range in-state, and I am pleased the Army is following through on its commitment to me to do so.”

Currently, the Nevada Army National Guard must use out-of-state ranges because of recently implemented Army requirements. To meet annual weapons qualifications, soldiers and airmen must travel to bases in California, Arizona, Utah and Arizona to receive their specialized training with the M-16 and M-4 rifles and M-9 pistols.

Another provision of interest to the Nevada National Guard is improving the State Partnership Program. The NDAA would direct the Department of Defense to conduct a study to better advance the program for building relationships and security partnerships across states and the private sector in critical areas like the Pacific.

The study will build on Cortez Masto’s BLUE Pacific Act by contributing to stronger long-term diplomatic, security and economic partnerships with nations in the Indo-Pacific.

Samoa, the Kingdom of Tonga and the Republic of Fiji are Pacific Island partners with the Nevada National Guard. Nevada is one of three National Guard states with three different partner nations.

The State Partnership Program began in 1993 with 13 partners. Thirty years later, the program has grown to nearly 100 partner-nations and is a key U.S. security cooperation tool that facilitates collaboration across all aspects of civil-military affairs.

Provisions of the NDAA include:

• Updating the Joint Travel Regulations for reimbursement purposes to account for the distance traveled to child care centers and schools in addition to the distance traveled from home to base.

Rosen said this part of the bill is important for servicemembers stationed at Creech and Fallon who must rely on critical family support services far from home such as Las Vegas for Creech and the Reno area for NAS Fallon and NAWDC.

• Expanding health screenings for women veterans: Approximately $10 million will be authorized for the Veterans Affairs Office of Women’s Health to expand access to mobile mammography initiatives, advanced mammography equipment, and outreach activities. Women veterans are nearly three times more likely to develop breast cancer than the rest of the population.

• Granting a federal charter to the National American Indian veterans that federally recognizes the organization. The veterans’ organization advocates for the interests and needs of Native American veterans.