On Base previously reported on some of the items included in House Armed Services Committee Chair Adam Smith’s (D-Wash.) draft National Defense Authorization Act. Here are some of the provisions the committee added during its markup of the bill Wednesday, before advancing the bill early Thursday:

As passed by the committee, the House NDAA draft:

• Establishes a Space National Guard comprised of the National Guard forces of the eight states and territories currently conducting space missions.
• Requests a briefing from DOD on how to leverage local communities and resources to help provide mental health care for service members.
• Requires a DOD report on military installation grid resiliency.
• Authorizes an extension of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.
• Temporarily suspends the mandate that all DOD contractor personnel be vaccinated against COVID-19 until the Government Accountability Office reports on the mandate’s impact.
• Requires that a state’s governor – or the mayor of Washington, D.C. – approve of any action by the federal government to activate that jurisdiction’s National Guard.
• Gives parents of DOD Education Activity schools the rights to review the school’s curriculum, book lists, budgets and other materials.
• Requires a study on expanding opportunities for employment of military spouses.

Army photo by Sirena Clark