Entitled the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the bill is a must-pass piece of legislation that sets policy for the Pentagon, the Reuters news agency reported.
The draft 2023 NDAA was unveiled on Tuesday night, following negotiations between lawmakers from the Republican and Democratic parties in both chambers of the US Congress, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
It is worth USD 857.9 billion, some USD 45 billion more than President Joe Biden had requested.
The draft 2023 NDAA is expected to pass both the House of Representatives and the Senate, possibly this week, and be submitted to Biden for signature, according to the PAP news agency.
Additional USD 800 mln for Ukraine in 2023
The 2023 defence policy bill authorises USD 800 million in security assistance for Ukraine, USD 500 million more than the president requested, Reuters reported.
USD 4.6 billion to boost eastern flank of NATO
The draft 2023 NDAA also foresees USD 4.6 billion for projects under the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI) designed to boost the eastern flank of NATO.
It requires the Pentagon to draw up a report within six months on the rationale and feasibility of relocating significant US forces to countries on NATO’s eastern edge, according to PAP.
Moreover, the 2023 defence policy bill authorises a further USD 11.5 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and an increase in security cooperation with Taiwan under the 2022 Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act, which foresees up to USD 10 billion in spending over the next five years, the Reuters news agency reported.
Competition with China, Russia, groundbreaking tech
Overall, the draft 2023 NDAA places a priority on strategic competition with China and Russia, and on groundbreaking technology, including hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence, 5G mobile technology and quantum computers, the PAP news agency reported.
Wednesday is day 287 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: PAP, Reuters, armed-services.senate.gov, CNN