Rep. Calvert Priorities Included in National Defense Authorization Act

Today, Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-41) voted along with a majority (312 to 112) of the House of Representatives to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. The NDAA includes critical national security program authorizations and policy provisions. Rep. Calvert serves as the Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Committee, which provides funding for our national security programs through the defense appropriations bill.

“The NDAA advances critical national security policies that are essential for achieving our defense goals,” said Rep. Calvert. “The bill takes care of our most precious national security assets, our servicemembers, by giving them a 3.8% pay raise as well as authorizing funding increases to build or make upgrades to barracks, family housing, healthcare, and childcare facilities. To ensure America has the defense manufacturing capabilities necessary to win a future conflict, the bill establishes a Civil Reserve Manufacturing Network. As China continues to outpace the US in manufacturing capacity, it is past time to address this glaring capability gap.”

The following provisions were supported by Rep. Calvert and included in the FY26 NDAA:

Industrial Base & Small Business

• Civil Reserve Manufacturing Network (CRMN): Establishes a model for a broader network of dual-use manufacturing firms capable of rapidly shifting from commercial to defense production when needed. Modeled after existing programs like the Air Force’s Civil Reserve Air Fleet and the Navy’s National Defense Reserve Fleet, the CRMN aims to establish “ready-to-scale defense production” to address the crisis of offshored defense manufacturing.
• Project Spectrum: Formally establishes Project Spectrum to help small and medium businesses meet cybersecurity and acquisition requirements and stay in the defense supply chain.
• Small-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) industrial base: Creates a small-UAS industrial base working group to map capacity, fix fragile supply chains, and scale domestic drone production.

Homeland Missile Defense – Golden Dome 

• Golden Dome: Updates national missile defense policy to support a next-generation “Golden Dome” shield against ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic threats to the homeland.
• Enduring oversight: Requires recurring Golden Dome architecture reports to Congress until fully fielded.

Shipbuilding & Shipyard Modernization

• Maritime industrial base strategy: Requires the Navy to adopt a data and AI-driven strategy to fix cost and schedule problems in surface and submarine shipbuilding.
• Design & automation: Mandates standard design metrics and a pilot for automated shipbuilding technologies to shorten construction timelines.
• Authorizes $26 billion in shipbuilding funding for the construction and support of:
  • The third Columbia-class Ballistic Missile Submarine and advanced procurement for future submarines
  • One Virginia-class Submarine and advanced procurement for future submarines
  • Advanced procurement for future DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class Destroyers

Supporting Allies

• Australia, United Kingdom, United States (AUKUS) Improvement Act: Embeds the AUKUS Improvement Act of 2025 in the NDAA, easing defense trade and co-development with Australia and the U.K.