This annual, must-pass bill authorizes Defense Dept. activities and their funding, which subsequent appropriation bills would disburse. The relevant sections concern missile defense cooperation with Israel, managing relations with Iran, and the ongoing conflict in Syria. The totals below reflect the Senate Armed Services Comm.’s original draft. The NDAA for FY 2015 eventually passed as H.R. 3979 on 12/19/14.
Israeli Missile Defense
This bill would accommodate the administration’s request for $96.8 m. for cooperative U.S.-Israeli missile programs—the Arrow, Arrow 3, and the David’s Sling—and $175.9 m. for the Iron Dome missile defense program, including stipulations for coproduction in the U.S. It also authorized an additional $175 m. for Israel’s Iron Dome program, with the provision that should Israel choose, it could direct the extra funds to any of the other 3 missile defense programs.
Relations with Iran
The bill urged the U.S. to continue cooperating with Israel to improve regional missile defense capabilities in the Middle East, specifically mentioning the threat of Iran’s growing missile capabilities. In keeping with that goal, the Defense Dept. would be required to submit a new report to Congress on the status of U. S. regional missile defense capabilities of the U.S. and Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
In an unusual rebuke, the Senate Armed Services Comm. noted that the Defense Dept. failed to submit its annual report on Iran’s military power in 1/2014. The committee called for a hearing on the subject and for the delayed report to be expanded to cover all of 2013 and an update on developments in 2014.
Syrian Crisis
In order to ‘foster a negotiated settlement’ of the Syrian crisis, this bill would authorize the provision of equipment, supplies, training, and services to Syrian opposition groups that are approved from within the Free Syrian Army, the Supreme Military Council, and other ‘vetted’ organizations. In determining which groups may benefit from U.S. military support, the secretary of defense must ensure that the group in question: is not a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization; supports counterterrorism efforts; opposes sectarian violence and revenge killings; is committed to establishing a peaceful and democratic Syria; and committed to civilian rule. Once this vetting process is complete, the bill requires the secretary of state’s approval and that Congress be notified in advance.
As in previous years, the committee used the NDAA as a vehicle to pass a measure designed to manage Russian influence in the Syrian crisis. Specifically, the Dept. of Defense is instructed to terminate all existing contracts with Rosoboronexport, Russia’s arms import/export state agency and to refrain from engaging in future contracts, with the proviso that the secretary of defense may waive that restriction if Rosoboronexport and Russia fulfill a number of conditions, including halting all weapons transfers to the Syrian government. One of the few allowable exceptions to the bill’s prohibition of U.S. security cooperation with Russia is for the purpose of coordination in the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons.
Two relevant amendments were proposed.
S.A. 3782, submitted by Barbara Boxer (D-CA) on 8/1/14, 1 cosponsor.
This amendment would add the full text of *S. 2673 of 7/28/14 to the bill. It was not considered.
S.A. 3898, submitted by Marco Rubio (R-FL) on 9/18/14, no cosponsors.
This amendment would attach the full text of the Palestinian and UN Anti-Terrorism Act of 2014 to the bill (see S. 2766 of 7/31/14). Specifically, it would increase restrictions on aid to the PA and impose additional conditions on U.S. support for the UNHRC and UNRWA. Because the items Rubio hoped to alter fell under foreign operations rather than defense, this amendment was not considered. Rubio later introduced an identical amendment to the reconciled NDAA (see H.R. 3979 of 1/31/14), but it was not co