Disinterment of Remains of Fernando V. Cota From Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas

Floor Speech

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Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 1071, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026. I thank my friend, colleague, and ranking member, Don Norcross, for all of his great work on this effort.

This year, the NDAA placed an extraordinary emphasis on overhauling the acquisition process, shifting focus from compliance to quickly fielding new capabilities at speed and scale.

It slashes red tape by creating a new requirement process to enable the Pentagon to actively seek existing technology solutions from industry, rather than prescribing overly exquisite, gold-plated systems with burdensome requirements.

This year's bill also fully funds the President's request for counter-drone systems, improves force protection from drones at home and abroad, and codifies the Joint Interagency Task Force 401, which is responsible for coordinating all Department efforts to counter drones now and in the future.

Among the NDAA's most important achievements this year is the authorization of $38 billion for development, procurement, and modification of aircraft. This includes full funding for the Air Force's F-47 and the Navy's F/A-XX sixth-generation aircraft programs, as well as 47 additional F-35 aircraft. These investments will guarantee America's air superiority around the globe.

The legislation also supports shipbuilding. It supports the construction of a third Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine and an additional Virginia-class submarine.

Additionally, the bill contains block buy authorization that allows the Navy to purchase two Ford-class aircraft carriers under the same contract.

This bill is the product of a long, thoughtful, and deliberative process aimed at rapidly arming our American warfighters with the most innovative and productive technology available. It delivers on this in an astounding fashion.

I thank Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith for their thoughtful leadership on this essential piece of legislation.

I thank my subcommittee staff: Michael Kirlin, Heath Bope, Caroline Kehrli, Brooke Alred, and Andrew Smith.

In my office, I thank my lead Military Legislative Assistant, Andrew Maloney; in the Department of War, United States Marine Corps Captain Alex Feldman.

Mr. Speaker, with that, I urge my colleagues to support this year's NDAA.

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