WASHINGTON — The House on Dec. 10 passed S. 1017, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, advancing several provisions affecting Louisiana’s military installations, including Barksdale Air Force Base, Fort Polk and Camp Minden.
Speaker Mike Johnson said the legislation supports military readiness and includes policy changes backed by House Republicans. “This year’s National Defense Authorization Act helps advance President Trump and Republicans’ Peace Through Strength Agenda by codifying 15 of President Trump’s executive orders, ending woke ideology at the Pentagon, securing the border, revitalizing the defense industrial base, and restoring the warrior ethos,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the measure “includes important House-passed provisions to ensure our military forces remain the most lethal in the world and can deter any adversary.” He added that it “roots out Biden-era wokeism in our military and restores merit-based promotions and admissions to service academies, prohibits contracts with partisan firms, counters antisemitism, and halts harmful, unnecessary programs like CRT, DEI, and climate initiatives.”
The bill maintains restrictions on U.S. support for Chinese military and industrial development. Johnson said “the past few decades of investments propping up Communist China’s aggression must come to an end,” and described the NDAA as adding “important guardrails to protect America’s long-term investments, economic interests, and sensitive data.”
The legislation authorizes a 3.8 percent pay increase for servicemembers and continues funding for major defense platforms, including bomber modernization and shipbuilding programs.
Louisiana provisions
The bill includes several construction and modernization items tied to installations in Louisiana’s Fourth Congressional District:
Barksdale Air Force Base
• $18 million for a dormitory to support the $275 million Weapons Generation Facility under construction.
• $2.2 million to design an expansion of the base’s Child Development Center to address capacity and facility concerns.
Air Force B-52 Program
• $931 million for modernization efforts that will keep the B-52 as a core element of the bomber fleet.
Long Range Standoff Weapon
• $607 million to continue development of the Long Range Standoff Weapon, which is set to replace air launched cruise missiles fielded since the 1980s.
Air Force Global Strike Command
The NDAA formally designates Global Strike Command as a Major Command. The commander will continue to serve as the single point of contact for nuclear and long-range strike missions.
The bill requires the Air Force to submit a force structure and transition roadmap for its bomber fleet through fiscal 2040, including updates on B-52 modernization and B-21 basing plans.
Military community
The legislation authorizes a Military-Civilian Medical Surge Program that can use the LSU Health Shreveport campus to support military medical facilities and broader defense health system needs.
Prior funding
Since joining the House Armed Services Committee in 2021, Johnson has backed funding that includes nearly $787 million in military construction projects for Louisiana, including $377.7 million for Barksdale, $311.8 million for Fort Polk and $13.8 million for Camp Minden. The state has also seen more than $4.1 billion for the B-52 program and more than $3.6 billion for the Long Range Standoff Weapon program.
Johnson said the FY26 bill reflects the administration’s broader national security posture. “Under President Trump, the U.S. is rebuilding strength, restoring deterrence, and proving America will not back down. President Trump and Republicans promised peace through strength. The FY26 NDAA delivers it,” he said.