National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024
Long title
An Act to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2024 for military activities of the Department of Defense and for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.
Passed the Senate on July 27, 2023 (with an amendment by unanimous consent)
Reported by the joint conference committee on December 6, 2023; agreed to by the Senate on December 13, 2023 (
87-13) and by the House on December 14, 2023 (
310-118)
Signed into law by President
Joe Biden on December 22, 2023
The House passed their version on July 14, 2023 by a vote of
219–210. Led by
Chuck Schumer and
Mike Rounds, the Senate passed theirs on July 27, 2023 by a vote of
86–11. The Senate then replaced H.R. 2670 with the text of S. 2226 and passed it by unanimous consent, and indefinitely postponed S. 2226.[4][5] The House disagreed to the Senate amendment and asked to hold conference on September 19,[6] with the Senate insisting on its amendment and agreeing to conference on November 15.[7] The subsequent
conference report was filed on December 6 (
H. Rept. 118-301).[8] The bill was approved by the Senate and House and sent to President
Joe Biden on December 14.[9] Biden signed it into law on December 22.[1][10] In his
signing statement, Biden expressed reservations about provisions that restrict the executive branch's discretion in Guantanamo detainee transfers and raised constitutional concerns regarding congressional oversight and foreign policy authority.[11]
Provisions
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(December 2023)
Unidentified flying objects (UFOs)
Sections 1841 et seq. outline the creation and management of a comprehensive collection of government records on
UFOs or unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) at the
National Archives (NARA), detailing the processes for assembling, preserving, and providing public access to these records, along with specific protocols for their review, disclosure, and secure handling. NARA subsequently directed and provided guidance to federal agencies to identify, organize, and disclose UAP records for the new collection.[12]
Sections 1687 and
7343 disallow use of funds or
independent research and development (IRAD) indirect expenses for
UFOs or UAP unless such material and information is made available the appropriate congressional committees and congressional leadership.
The
Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA) enables US authorities to prosecute foreign officials who demand or accept bribes from a US citizen, US company, or within a US jurisdiction. Analysts stated that FEPA addresses a longstanding gap in US anti-bribery legislation by tackling the "demand" side of bribery. At the same time, the
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) focuses on the "supply" side of bribery.[13][14]
Original proposals
The original House bill contained provisions to:
Space Force Personnel Management Act: Disestablish the regular
Space Force in order to integrate both active duty and reserve personnel into one Space Force entity. This is to allow for better flexibility for the Space Force by replacing "active duty" with "sustained duty" or "full-time" status, and replacing "reserve" with "part-time" status.[15] This change would only pertain to the Space Force and not to the other
armed services.[15]
Authorize the sale and transfer of defense articles and services relating to the implementation of the
AUKUS partnership, including:
Up to three Virginia-class submarines, one year after this act is passed, however the Navy doesn't intend implement this until 2032.[21][22]
The Senate amendment contained:
UAP Disclosure Act:[23] The Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act of 2023 would direct the
National Archives and Records Administration to collect and disclose records on
unidentified flying objects (UFOs) or unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) no later than 25 years after enactment with a presumption of immediate disclosure. The U.S. president can certify that continued postponement can be made necessary by an identifiable harm to
military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement or conduct of
foreign relations. The federal government would have
eminent domain over recovered technologies of unknown origin (TUO) and biological evidence of
non-human intelligence (NHI) that may be controlled by private persons or entities, such as
aerospace companies. Legislation was necessary in part because UAP records had not been subject to
mandatory declassification review due to exemptions under the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954 as well as an over-broad interpretation of "transclassified foreign nuclear information".[24]
The
Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) requires people currently or formerly under contract with the federal government to make all UFO/UAP material and information and a comprehensive list of all extraterrestrial or exotic UAP material available to the
All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).[25]
A provision that prevents the President of the United States from withdrawing the U.S. from NATO without approval of a two-thirds Senate super-majority or an act of Congress.[26]