The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is an opportunity to ensure America remains committed to a strong national defense and to the restoration of American military might. The Trump Administration is rightly ending the "war on warriors" through an emphasis on lethality to prioritize the security of the American people over the woke decay under the past administration.
The following resource highlights policies that Heritage Action recommends be added, kept, or removed from the final NDAA Conference Report for FY26.
Provisions to Keep / Add
1) Securing the INDOPACOM Theater & Deterring China
Heritage Action supports these critical provisions that strengthen America’s warfighting edge and directly advance POTUS and SecWar priorities to pivot from Europe to deterrence in INDOPACOM: Replenishing munitions, expanding counter-UAS authorities, funding shipbuilding and space assets, and blocking adversary influence in research, technology, and finance. These measures ensure U.S. forces are postured for lethality and readiness—ultimately deterring China and securing the broader INDOPACOM theater.
- Sec. 350, the COUNTER Act (Cotton/Gillibrand) — Expands base authority to detect, track, neutralize unauthorized drones; expands “covered facility” status; improves coordination (Senate)
SA 3154 (R. Scott) — Requires national security review of drones, software, and comms linked to adversaries; bans Chinese drones; expands counter-UAS; integrates with manned aviation (Add)
Sec. 1204 – Expand definition of Chinese military companies (House)
Sec. 1723 – Ban adversary communications equipment/software (House)
Sec. 216 – Ban adversary partnerships in DoW research (Senate)
Sec. 845 – Mitigate risks of foreign-controlled contractors (Senate)
Sec. 1031 – Ban China-linked entertainment projects (Senate)
Army
Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) – $324M (Add)
Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) line – missile defense (Add)
Navy
Mk-48 Heavy-Weight Torpedo – $94M (Add)
2 Constellation-class frigates – preserve shipbuilding base (Add)
Air Wing of the Future – $1.4B (Add)
Targeted Munitions Procurement – $841M (Add)
Navy Reserve KC-130J Aircraft – $871M (Add)
Sec. 321 – Navy ship sustainment/readiness reforms (Senate)
Air Force/Space Force
MILNET satellite constellation – $3.53B (Add; Space Force)
LRASM/JASSM – $800M (Add; Air Force)
AMRAAM – $738M (Add; Air Force)
Theater campaigning & construction funding for INDOPACOM & SOUTHCOM (supports ACE and border mission)
2) Promoting American Sovereignty
Heritage Action strongly supports prohibiting a Central Bank Digital Currency, which would expand federal control over Americans’ financial lives and threaten privacy and freedom. A CBDC ban ensures monetary policy remains accountable while protecting individual liberty and financial independence.
- Title 51 – “Prohibitions Relating To Central Bank Digital Currency” — Prohibit the Federal Reserve from creating, testing, or issuing a Central Bank Digital Currency (House)
3) Promoting Merit and Readiness
Heritage Action strongly supports these provisions, which protect taxpayer dollars from being diverted to sex-rejecting procedures, DEI bureaucracies, and CRT training, while ensuring military standards are rooted in merit, readiness, and fairness. By restoring common-sense policies on promotions, admissions, facilities, and health care, these reforms refocus the Pentagon on warfighting and strengthen unit cohesion.
- End funding for sex-rejecting procedures (H.R. 3838 pp. 163–164)
Prohibit provision of gender transition services through the Exceptional Family Member Program (House)
Prohibit coverage of sex-rejecting medical treatment under TRICARE (House)
Prohibit men from participating in women’s sports at service academies (House & Senate § 548)
Prohibit gender questions on ID forms and surveys (House)
Prohibit the opposite sex from using single-sex facilities (House)
Restrict base commanders’ ability to fly unauthorized flags (House)
Sec. 524 – Merit-only promotions (House)
Sec. 525 – Ban DEI funds (House)
Sec. 526 – Prohibit new COVID mandates (House)
Sec. 549A – Ban CRT in training & education (House)
Sec. 901 – Eliminate DoW DEI offices (House)
Sec. 547 – Merit-only admissions to service academies (Senate)
Sec. 706 – Restrict sex-rejecting surgeries in DoW healthcare (Senate)
Sec. 920 – Eliminate statutory DEI mandates (Senate)
4) Strengthening Academic Standards and Ensuring Accountability of Research Funding
Heritage Action supports these commonsense education and research reforms, which promote discipline in DoW schools, expand fairness in admissions through broader exam options like the Classical Learning Test (CLT), and prevent taxpayer dollars from flowing to universities with problematic partnerships. Together, these measures safeguard military families, strengthen academic standards, and ensure accountability in defense research funding.
- Sec. 554 – Regulates use of cell phones in DoW schools (Senate)
Sec. 555 – Expands choice in college admission exams at DoW schools, including CLT (Senate)
Sec. 220(c) – Limits DoW funding for collaboration with certain universities (Senate)
5) Strengthening Cooperation to Secure America's Borders
Heritage Action supports these commonsense border security provisions, which authorize the Department of War to provide contracting support for securing the southern border and build Mexico’s military capacity to counter cartels. Together, they recognize border security as a national security issue and strengthen cooperation to combat trafficking, smuggling, and cartel-driven instability.
- Sec. 1043 – DoW authority for border security contracts (House)
Sec. 1205 – Build Mexican military capacity vs. cartels (Senate – with accountability)
Provisions to Remove
Heritage Action urges the removal of these provisions, which keep America entangled in endless wars, expand costly elective health benefits unrelated to readiness, enshrine race-based preferences in defense research and training, and strip the Service Surgeon Generals of authority by allowing the Defense Health Agency to override service assignments. This bureaucratic overreach undermines combat medical readiness, pulls personnel from operational units, and weakens accountability needed for Indo-Pacific warfighting. We also support ending all security assistance to Syrian militias and oppose attempts to tie the President’s hands on troop levels in Europe or Korea or dictate intelligence support for Ukraine. Eliminating these measures keeps resources aligned with core priorities and strengthens military effectiveness.
House (H.R. 3838):
Sec. 1232 – Coalition reimbursement for foreign nations in endless wars
Sec. 1233 – Syrian militias assistance extension
Sec. 701 – IVF treatment for Armed Forces members and dependents
Senate (S. 2296):
Sec. 211 – Race-based HBCU/Tribal/MSI set-asides for R&D
Sec. 705 – unlimited IVF benefits — elective, not readiness-related
Sec. 712 – Establishment of priority assignment of medical personnel of the Department of War
Title 63 – International Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025; doesn’t address the root issue
Sec. 1224 – Ukraine depot maintenance plan
Sec. 1228 – Ukraine intelligence support
Sec. 1263 – Foreign students in ROTC