Heinrich Secures Major Investments In N.M. Military Installations, National Labs, and Service Members In Senate Defense Bill
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) secured major wins in the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) that support New Mexico's men and women in uniform, military installations, national labs, and job-creating initiatives throughout the state. The Senate took its first procedural vote to open up consideration of the NDAA yesterday with final passage expected next week.
"The Senate is delivering a strong and bipartisan defense bill that invests in the success of New Mexico's military installations and the dedicated service members defending our freedom at home and abroad," said Heinrich. "I'm proud that this bill includes a number of forward-looking investments that I fought for to cement the position of New Mexico's military installations and national labs as leaders in national security and innovation for years to come. I will keep working to steer all of these important investments for our military and national security missions toward full Senate passage, through a conference with our counterparts in the House, and on to President Biden's desk."
The NDAA sets the Department of Defense (DOD) spending levels and policies for the upcoming fiscal year and authorizes funding for the U.S. Department of Energy's nuclear weapons programs at Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories, as well as the Department of Energy's environmental cleanup programs including the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).
Senator Heinrich has long championed provisions that benefit New Mexico's men and women in uniform, national laboratories, and defense missions as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee from 2013 to 2020. Beginning in the last Congress, Senator Heinrich became a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, where he serves on the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
Below is a list of many of the programs and provisions that Senator Heinrich advocated for during the bill writing process that were included in the FY24 NDAA bill that the Senate is voting on this week. In addition, Senator Heinrich is also welcoming the inclusion of language to address the fentanyl epidemic, and looks forward to welcoming additional provisions in the final Senate NDAA related to artificial intelligence, records of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, gravestones at the Santa Fe National Cemetery, and granting a federal charter to the National American Indian Veterans, Inc.
New Mexico Military Installations and Programs
Wyoming Gate Project at Kirtland Air Force Base
The NDAA includes $24.4 million to enhance the defense perimeter at Kirtland Air Force Base. The Wyoming Gate project was included in the Air Force's unfunded priorities list because it is a necessary element of the base's defense perimeter. This authorization corresponds with a request that Senator Heinrich championed to secure $24.4 million for the Wyoming Gate Project in the FY24 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.
Joint Directed Energy Test Center Directed Energy Facility at White Sands Missile Range
The NDAA includes $5.5 million to construct a full-service Laboratory enclosure and an Operations and Administration Facility on the Campus of the High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility at White Sands Missile Range.
Laser Lethality Testing of Hypersonic Targets
The NDAA includes $5 million to support acquiring hypersonic targets to be utilized for the advancement of high energy laser capabilities. Testing for these systems is done out of the Solid-State Laser Testbed at White Sands Missile Range.
Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program
The NDAA authorizes $179.7 million for the Department of Defense's Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program. Cannon Air Force Base, Melrose Air Force Range, and White Sands Missile Range utilize the REPI to prevent encroachment and preserve their testing and training missions. The program as a whole is critical to assisting military installations and ranges as they are increasingly impacted by extreme weather, flooding, wildfires, drought, and other threats to resilience.
Space Force Modeling, Simulation & Analysis Hub
The NDAA includes $15.5 million to create a U.S. Space Force modeling and simulation hub.
Fire Station at Cannon Air Force Base
The NDAA authorizes $5 million for a new satellite fire station at Cannon Air Force Base.
New Mexico Army National Guard Rio Rancho Vehicle Maintenance Shop
The NDAA authorizes $11 million for the New Mexico Army National Guard to construct a new vehicle maintenance shop in Rio Rancho.
New Mexico's National Laboratories and Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
Environmental Cleanup
The NDAA authorizes $276 million for environmental cleanup efforts at Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories.
Los Alamos National Laboratory
The NDAA authorizes $1.76 billion for LANL's ongoing research and development programs. The funding supports personnel, equipment, and other activities at LANL.
Sandia National Laboratories
Within the FY24 NDAA's $24.1 billion funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Sandia's funding supports and sustains its system integration, engineering, and science programs. Sandia is supporting the NNSA's program of record modernizing the stockpile, conducting ongoing assessments of the stockpile, and continuing important stockpile science research.
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
The NDAA authorizes full funding of $464 million to operate the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, including $44.4 million to continue construction of additional ventilation for the mine and $50 million to continue work on a new utility shaft.
Advanced Simulation and Computing for Nuclear Stockpile Stewardship
The NDAA authorizes $792.5 million in funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration's Stockpile Stewardship Program. This Program ensures continued reliability of the stockpile and allows realistic simulations on supercomputers to understand how they would behave without explosive testing.
Los Alamos National Laboratory Transportation Infrastructure
To address difficulties addressing workforce transportation needs at LANL, Senator Heinrich authored report language included in the NDAA that directs the National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator to report to Congress on measures to implement alternative transportation approaches and ensure transportation challenges at LANL will not impede national security activities.
Additional NDAA Provisions Sponsored By Senator Heinrich
Department of Defense Adoption of Ground Source Heat Pumps
The NDAA includes report language that Senator Heinrich authored directing the Department of Defense to ensure that all new building construction and retrofits to existing HVAC systems consider the full lifecycle cost and resiliency benefits of installing ground source heat pumps, including their consideration when utilizing energy savings performance contracts. It also requests that the DOD brief the Senate and House Armed Services Committees on their use.
Department of Defense Biomanufacturing
The NDAA authorizes $44.4 million to expand the network of biomanufacturing facilities that would support defense needs and assist in scaling commercial capacity in the sector.