WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52) supported the US House of Representatives’ passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022. The NDAA is an annual bill that approves defense-related funding levels and sets policy for the coming year. Before the NDAA is fully enacted, it must also pass the US Senate.

“This bill provides investments that keep our nation safe and support our service members and their families. Specifically, the bill increases servicemember pay by 2.7 percent, invests over $28 billion in Navy shipbuilding, much of which happens in San Diego, and directs the Navy to report to Congress on the harmful effects to Coronado of transboundary sewage flows in the Tijuana River Valley,” said Rep. Peters.

Congressman Peters successfully led and supported multiple legislative efforts included in the FY 2022 NDAA. These efforts include:

• Adoption of the bipartisan Guaranteeing Resilient Installations for Defense Act of 2021 that Rep. Peters originally co-introduced. This legislation implements a two-year pilot program to address vulnerabilities at critical defense facilities and authorizes the Department of Defense to make grants, enter into cooperative agreements, and supplement funds to support mitigating actions that address such vulnerabilities. This pilot program will help DoD facilities and local communities develop programs that mitigate the effects of climate change.
• Report language within the House FY 2022 NDAA that directs the Secretary of the Navy to brief the House Armed Services Committee no later than February 1, 2022, on the harmful effects sewage in the Tijuana River Valley have on the ability to meet joint force training requirements, the ramifications of the numerous canceled training events, and what actions may be taken to resolve the issue. This study has been long-championed by Rep. Peters.
• Adoption of language from the Digital Defense Leadership Act that Rep. Peters cosponsored. This bill requires the Department of Defense to pursue a variety of reforms that encourage adoption of emerging technologies, educating the Department’s workforce, and incorporating artificial intelligence.

The House version of the FY 2022 NDAA authorizes funding for three San Diego military construction projects Rep. Peters personally requested:

• $2 million to assess the University of California San Diego (UCSD) as a potential home for a National Laboratory for Transformational Computing. A National Laboratory for Transformational Computing will position the U.S. for leadership in the next generation of computing ahead of competitive countries like Taiwan, Korea and China. 
• $5 million for UCSD’s Mobilizing Civilian Expertise for National Security Education program on geo-economics and innovation. This project is intended to build a robust pipeline of intellectual talent and knowledge on geo-economics, innovation, and national security (GINS) to support the education of military officers and civil servants in the national security and defense community. Building an academic education infrastructure supports the national security establishment in training their workforces on GINS skills. A key goal is to produce a solid body of knowledge that supports the needs of military and civilian students and faculty on GINS in the national security establishment.  
• $20.5 million for the Special Operations Forces (SOF) Basic Training Command (P855) at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. The funding will support the selection, training, and qualifying candidates to become SEALs and Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen (SWCC). Specifically, it would construct, renovate, and demolish facilities to support the development of the Naval Special Warfare Center (NSWC) Basic Training Command Schoolhouse on the Oceanside of Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.

These projects now need to be appropriated for by Congress before they receive federal funding.

Rep. Peters continued, “This NDAA is also backed by members of both parties because our national defense and caring for our servicemembers is nonpartisan. Consistent investments in our military forces will set our servicemembers up for success, demonstrate our commitment to allies and partners, and deter aggression from malign actors.”

Other San Diego priorities authorized by this NDAA are:

• Funding for Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Coronado:
  • $21.7 million for SOF ACT Operations Support Facility
  • $12 million for SOF NSGW11 Operations Support Facility
• $4 million for an additional LFG power meter station at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar
• $50 million for the Pier 6 replacement at Naval Base San Diego (NBSD)
• Establishes a bipartisan commission to study the war and recent withdrawal from Afghanistan
• Creates an Office of Special Victim Prosecutor to prosecute sexual crimes, removes the commanding officer from these decisions and criminalizes sexual harassment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice
• Creates office of Countering Extremism and clarifies regulations for barring extremists from service
• Modifies restrictions on the land conveyance of former Navy property to UCSD to permit its use for educational activities
• Requires analysis of national security risks associated with relying on foreign fossil fuels and how to incorporate sustainable refining