H.R. 4016 — Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026

This section waives, for the current fiscal year, prohibitions on paying compensation to or employing non-U.S. citizens for Department of Defense (DOD) personnel. Salary increases for direct- and indirect-hire foreign national employees funded by this Act are limited to the higher of (1) the percentage increase authorized for DOD civilian employees paid under the General Schedule (5 U.S.C. 5332) or (2) the percentage increase provided by the host nation to its own employees. The waiver does not apply to DOD foreign service national employees at U.S. diplomatic missions paid by the Department of State under the Foreign Service Act of 1980, and the salary increase limitations do not apply to DOD foreign national employees in Turkey.

This section limits obligations of appropriations in this Act that are available for obligation during the current fiscal year to no more than 20% during the last two months of the fiscal year. The limitation does not apply to obligations for support of active duty training of reserve components or summer camp training of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Defense, upon determining it is necessary in the national interest and with the approval of the Office of Management and Budget Director, to transfer up to $6 billion of Department of Defense working capital funds or funds available for military functions (excluding military construction) between appropriations or subdivisions thereof for the same purposes and time period. Transfers are permitted only for higher-priority items based on unforeseen military requirements not previously denied by Congress; the Secretary must notify Congress promptly of all transfers; no funds may be used to prepare or present reprogramming requests except under the same conditions; multiple reprogramming requests using this authority must be submitted before June 30, 2026; and transfers among military personnel appropriations do not count toward the $6 billion limit.

This section requires obligations and expenditures of amounts appropriated by the Act for specified programs, projects, and activities to follow the dollar amounts and adjustments in the "Explanation of Project Level Adjustments" tables of the explanatory statement and tables in the classified annex, as if included in the Act text. It specifies that such amounts are not subdivisions of appropriations for purposes of section 8005 transfer authority but permits section 8005 to apply to transfers between appropriation accounts (subject to subsection (c)); section 8005 transfer limits do not apply to transfers necessary for proper execution of such amounts. For amounts in titles III and IV, it prohibits transfers under section 8005 except as necessary for proper execution.

This section requires the Department of Defense (DOD), not later than 60 days after enactment, to submit to the congressional defense committees a report establishing the baseline for reprogramming and transfer authorities for FY2026, including (1) tables for each appropriation displaying the President's budget request, congressional adjustments, enacted rescission adjustments (if applicable), and the enacted level; (2) delineations by budget activity and program, project, and activity as detailed in the Budget Appendix; and (3) items of special congressional interest. Notwithstanding section 8005 of this Act, the section prohibits reprogramming or transfer of funds provided in this Act until the report is submitted, unless the Secretary of Defense certifies in writing that it is necessary as an emergency requirement (with exceptions for transfers from specified environmental restoration accounts and "Drug Interdiction and Counter-drug Activities, Defense").

This section limits cash balances in Department of Defense working capital funds (established under 10 U.S.C. 2208 to finance inventories and reimbursable industrial or commercial activities) to amounts necessary for disbursements during the current fiscal year. It further authorizes (1) transfers between such funds; (2) transfers between such funds and the Foreign Currency Fluctuations, Defense or Operation and Maintenance appropriations, as determined by the Secretary of Defense with Office of Management and Budget approval and congressional notification; and (3) obligations against such funds to procure or increase war reserve material inventory only up to amounts appropriated to the funds in this Act, unless the Secretary notifies Congress beforehand.

This section prohibits the use of funds provided by this Act to initiate (1) a multiyear contract that employs economic order quantity procurement in excess of $20 million in any one year or that includes an unfunded contingent liability in excess of $20 million, or (2) a contract for advance procurement leading to such a multiyear contract, unless the congressional defense committees are notified at least 30 days in advance. It further (1) bars funding for any multiyear contract unless economic order quantity advance procurement is funded at least to the limits of the government's liability; (2) prohibits multiyear procurement contracts for any systems or components exceeding $500 million unless specifically authorized elsewhere in this Act; (3) requires 30-day prior notification to the congressional defense committees before terminating any such contract; (4) mandates a present value analysis to confirm lowest cost compared to annual procurement; and (5) for contracts executed after enactment, requires (a) a budget request with full funding of units to be procured (including, for aircraft, full procurement funding beyond advance activities in the covered fiscal year), (b) cancellation provisions excluding contractor recurring manufacturing costs for unfunded units, (c) payments only for incurred costs on funded units, and (d) no price adjustment based on failure to award a follow-on contract.

This section makes funds appropriated for operation and maintenance of the Armed Forces available for humanitarian and civic assistance costs under 10 U.S.C. §401 and ch. 20 of title 10, United States Code, including such costs incidental to authorized operations (with obligations reported as required by 10 U.S.C. §401(d)). The section further makes such funds available for (1) humanitarian assistance using Civic Action Teams in the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands and freely associated states of Micronesia pursuant to the Compact of Free Association (P.L. 99-239); and (2) medical services and transportation, on a nonreimbursable basis, at Army medical facilities in Hawaii for civilian patients from American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and Guam, upon a determination by the Secretary of the Army that such action benefits graduate medical education programs at those facilities.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act, directly or indirectly, to influence congressional action on any legislation or appropriation matters pending before Congress.

This section prohibits the use of Department of Defense funds provided in this Act, other than for necessary or routine refurbishments, upgrades, or maintenance activities, to reduce or prepare to reduce the number of deployed and non-deployed strategic delivery vehicles and launchers below the levels specified in the report required by section 1042 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012. (Thus, the provision maintains floors on certain U.S. strategic nuclear delivery systems, such as Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles and B-52H bombers, as detailed in that report.)

This section authorizes the transfer of funds appropriated in title III of this Act for the Department of Defense Pilot Mentor-Protégé Program to any other appropriation in this Act solely to implement developmental assistance agreements under the Mentor-Protégé Program (i.e., a program that incentivizes major DOD contractors—known as mentor firms—to assist disadvantaged small business concerns—known as protégé firms—in enhancing their capabilities as subcontractors and suppliers). It further requires the Secretary of Defense to describe, in budget justification documents submitted with the FY2026 budget request, each such transfer that occurred in the prior fiscal year.

This section prohibits the Department of Defense from using appropriated funds to purchase welded shipboard anchor and mooring chain unless manufactured in the United States from components substantially manufactured in the United States. (For this section, manufactured includes cutting, heat treating, quality control, testing of chain, and welding—including forging and shot blasting; and substantially all components means the aggregate cost of U.S.-manufactured components exceeds the aggregate cost of foreign components.) The relevant service secretary may waive this restriction on a case-by-case basis if adequate domestic supplies are unavailable to meet DOD requirements on a timely basis, by certifying in writing to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees that the acquisition is needed for national security purposes.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to support any Department of Defense nonappropriated funds activity (i.e., morale, welfare, and recreation programs) that procures malt beverages and wine with nonappropriated funds for resale (including by the drink) on a U.S. military installation unless procured within the state, or District of Columbia, where the installation is located. For installations located in multiple states, procurement may occur in any such state. The local procurement requirement for malt beverages and wine applies to all alcoholic beverages only on installations in non-contiguous states (i.e., Alaska and Hawaii); other alcoholic beverages on installations in contiguous states and the District of Columbia must be procured from the most competitive source, price and other factors considered.

This section prohibits the Department of Defense from using appropriated funds to demilitarize or dispose of M–1 Carbines, M–1 Garand rifles, M–14 rifles, .22 caliber rifles, .30 caliber rifles, or M–1911 pistols, or to demilitarize or destroy small arms ammunition or ammunition components that are not otherwise prohibited from commercial sale under federal law, unless the ammunition or components are certified by the Secretary of the Army (or designee) as unserviceable or unsafe for further use.

This section limits to $500,000 (per fiscal year) the amount of funds appropriated by this Act that may be used for any single relocation of a Department of Defense organization, unit, activity, or function into or within the National Capital Region. The Secretary of Defense may waive this limitation on a case-by-case basis by certifying in writing to the congressional defense committees that such a relocation is required in the best interest of the government.

This section provides $35,169,000 from funds appropriated under the "Procurement, Defense-Wide" heading for incentive payments authorized by section 504 of the Indian Financing Act of 1974 (25 U.S.C. 1544). (As background, those payments allow a federal contractor an additional 5% compensation equal to the amount paid to a qualifying subcontractor or supplier, which includes an Indian organization or Indian-owned economic enterprise.) The section expands eligibility for the payments to any prime contractor or subcontractor at any tier that awards a subcontract over $500,000 using DoD appropriated funds to such a qualifying subcontractor or supplier or to a small business owned and controlled by an individual or individuals defined under 25 U.S.C. 4221(9); applies the payments to all DoD acquisitions of supplies or services, including contracts and subcontracts at any tier for commercial items; and makes these provisions applicable notwithstanding 41 U.S.C. 1906.

This section authorizes the Secretary of the Air Force to convey, at no cost and without consideration, excess relocatable military housing units from Grand Forks Air Force Base, Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Ellsworth Air Force Base, and Minot Air Force Base to federally recognized Indian tribes (i.e., those on the current list published by the Secretary of the Interior under 25 U.S.C. 5131) located in Nevada, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Oregon, Minnesota, and Washington. Conveyances must be in accordance with requests submitted by the Operation Walking Shield Program on behalf of such tribes—which resolves conflicts among tribal requests—and subject to the condition that the units be removed within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the Secretary.

This section directs the Department of Defense to make available not less than $19,861,000 from funds appropriated under the "Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide" heading solely for mitigating environmental impacts on Indian lands resulting from DOD activities, including training and technical assistance to tribes, related administrative support, gathering information, documenting environmental damage, and developing a system for prioritizing mitigation and cost-to-complete estimates.

This section provides not less than $79 million for the Civil Air Patrol Corporation (CAP)—the official civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force—from specified Air Force accounts, of which (1) $57.9 million is from Operation and Maintenance, Air Force, for CAP operation and maintenance, readiness, counterdrug activities, and youth drug demand reduction programs; (2) $17.8 million is from Aircraft Procurement, Air Force; and (3) $3.3 million is from Other Procurement, Air Force, for vehicle procurement. This section further states that the Secretary of the Air Force should waive reimbursement for any CAP funds used for counterdrug activities in support of federal, state, and local government agencies.

This section restricts the use of funds appropriated by this Act for Department of Defense (DoD) federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs)—nonprofit entities that perform research and analysis for DoD—in four respects: (1) prohibits establishing any new FFRDC, whether as a new entity, a separate entity under an existing FFRDC manager, or a nonprofit consortium of FFRDCs and other nonprofits; (2) bars compensation from appropriated funds for members of FFRDC governing boards or similar entities (except travel and per diem under federal regulations) and limits paid consultants to compensation from only one FFRDC per calendar year; (3) prohibits FFRDCs from using any DoD funds (from any source in the current fiscal year) for off-installation building construction, government grant cost-sharing, contract overrun absorption, or certain charitable contributions (excluding employee community service); and (4) caps professional technical staff-related costs at $2,886,300,000 total ($461,300,000 for defense studies and analysis FFRDCs), excluding staff years in the National Intelligence Program and Military Intelligence Program, and requires the Secretary of Defense to report planned staff years and budgets for each FFRDC by program with the FY2027 budget request.

This section defines the term "congressional defense committees" for purposes of the Act to mean the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense.

This section defines the term "congressional intelligence committees" for purposes of this Act to mean (1) the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives, (2) the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate, (3) the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, and (4) the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.

This section authorizes the Department of Defense, during the current fiscal year, to acquire the modification, depot maintenance, and repair of aircraft, vehicles, and vessels, as well as the production of components and other defense-related articles, through competitions between Department of Defense depot maintenance activities (i.e., public facilities) and private firms. The Senior Acquisition Executive of the relevant military department or Defense Agency must certify that successful bids include comparable estimates of all direct and indirect costs for both public and private bids, and such competitions are exempt from Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 (i.e., the federal policy directing public-private competitions for commercial activities).

This section (1) prohibits any Department of Defense (DoD) entity from expending funds appropriated by this Act unless the entity complies with the Buy American Act (chapter 83 of title 41, U.S. Code); (2) requires the Secretary of Defense, if determining that a person has been convicted of intentionally affixing a "Made in America" label to any product sold in or shipped to the United States that is not made in America, to determine in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 4658 whether the person should be debarred from DoD contracting; and (3) expresses the sense of Congress that DoD entities, when purchasing equipment or products with funds appropriated by this Act, prioritize only American-made equipment and products that are cost-competitive, quality-competitive, and available in a timely fashion.

This section prohibits the use of appropriated funds to procure carbon, alloy, or armor steel plate that was not melted and rolled in the United States or Canada for use in any Department of Defense-owned facility or property. The restriction applies to Federal Supply Class 9515 and any American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) or American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) specifications; authorizes the relevant military department secretary to waive it on a case-by-case basis by certifying in writing to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees that adequate domestic supplies are unavailable on a timely basis and the acquisition is needed for national security purposes; and exempts contracts in effect on the date of enactment.

This section requires the Secretary of Defense, after consultation with the U.S. Trade Representative, to rescind any blanket waiver of the Buy American Act (i.e., chapter 83 of title 41, U.S. Code, which generally requires federal agencies to prefer U.S.-made goods for procurement) with respect to certain products from a foreign country that violates a reciprocal defense procurement memorandum of understanding (MOU) by discriminating against those U.S. products. The section also directs the Secretary to submit to Congress a report on the dollar value of Department of Defense purchases from foreign entities in FY2026, separately identifying amounts for which the Buy American Act was waived pursuant to such MOUs, the Trade Agreements Act of 1979, or other international agreements to which the United States is a party.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act for procuring ball and roller bearings other than those produced by a domestic source and of domestic origin. The Secretary of the responsible military department may waive this restriction on a case-by-case basis by certifying in writing to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees that adequate domestic supplies are unavailable to meet Department of Defense requirements on a timely basis and that the acquisition is necessary for national security purposes. The restriction does not apply to commercial products, except that it applies to ball or roller bearings purchased as end items.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to purchase supercomputers not manufactured in the United States, unless the Secretary of Defense certifies to the congressional defense committees that such purchase is necessary to acquire national security capabilities unavailable from U.S. manufacturers.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Defense to waive, on a case-by-case basis, any statutory limitation on procuring defense items from foreign sources if the Secretary determines that applying the limitation would invalidate Department of Defense cooperative programs or reciprocal trade agreements under 10 U.S.C. §4851 with that country and the country does not discriminate against the same or similar U.S.-produced defense items. The waiver applies to contracts and subcontracts entered into on or after the date of enactment and to options exercised after that date under pre-enactment contracts if the option prices are adjusted for any reason other than the waiver itself. The waiver does not apply to limitations regarding (1) construction of public vessels, (2) ball and roller bearings, (3) food, (4) clothing or textile materials as defined by section XI (chapters 50–65) of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, or (5) products classified under Harmonized Tariff Schedule headings 4010, 4202, 4203, 6401 through 6406, 6505, 7019, 7218 through 7229, 7304.41 through 7304.49, 7306.40, 7502 through 7508, 8105, 8108, 8109, 8211, 8215, and 9404.

This section prohibits the Department of Defense from using funds appropriated by this Act or subsequent DoD appropriations Acts to purchase or manufacture U.S. flags unless such flags are treated as covered items under 10 U.S.C. § 4862(b) (i.e., domestically sourced under the Berry Amendment's restrictions on textiles).

This section makes amounts in the Department of Defense Overseas Military Facility Investment Recovery Account available until expended during the current fiscal year for payments specified by 10 U.S.C. §2687a(b)(2). (As background, the account holds proceeds from transfers of overseas DoD real property to foreign governments, and those payments support military construction and facility enhancement agreements with host nations.)

This section increases the maximum unit cost of investment items purchasable with Department of Defense operation and maintenance appropriations to $350,000 (from $250,000) during the current fiscal year. Upon determination by the Secretary of Defense that such purchases are necessary to meet operational requirements of a combatant command in a named contingency operation overseas, the maximum unit cost remains $500,000.

This section makes available up to $8,132,000 from funds appropriated for Operation and Maintenance, Navy, for the Asia Pacific Regional Initiative Program (APRIP) to enable U.S. Indo-Pacific Command to conduct theater security cooperation activities, including humanitarian assistance and payment of incremental and personnel costs for training and exercising with foreign security forces. Funds may be used notwithstanding other authorities for humanitarian assistance, security assistance, or combined exercise expenses but may not be obligated for assistance to any foreign country otherwise prohibited from receiving such aid under other law.

This section directs the Secretary of Defense to issue regulations prohibiting the sale of tobacco or tobacco-related products in military resale outlets in the United States, its territories, and possessions below the most competitive price in the local community and requiring prices in overseas military retail outlets to be within the range of prices in U.S. military retail system stores.

This section prohibits the Department of Defense (DOD) from using Working Capital Funds (WCF) during the current fiscal year to purchase investment items as new inventory for sale to WCF customers if such items would not have been chargeable to the DOD Business Operations Fund in FY1994 and would be chargeable to DOD procurement appropriations in the current fiscal year. (Thus, procurement-cost items cannot be shifted to WCF.) It further requires the FY2026 DOD budget request, including all supporting materials, to budget any equipment classified as an end item and funded in procurement appropriations in this Act within proposed FY2026 procurement appropriations rather than WCF supply management or other WCF categories.

This section limits the availability for obligation of funds appropriated by the act for Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) programs to the current fiscal year, with exceptions for (1) the Reserve for Contingencies, available until September 30, 2027; (2) the CIA Central Services Working Capital Fund, available until expended; (3) advanced research and development acquisition, agent operations, and covert action programs authorized by the President under 50 U.S.C. 3093 (i.e., presidential findings required for covert actions necessary to U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives), available until September 30, 2027; and (4) construction, improvement, or alteration of facilities, including leased facilities, used primarily by intelligence community personnel, available until September 30, 2028.

This section prohibits the use of funds to (1) establish a field operating agency (FOA)—i.e., a decentralized Department of Defense (DoD) entity that performs field-level functions—or (2) pay the basic pay of an Armed Forces member or DoD civilian employee transferred or reassigned from a headquarters activity if the member's or employee's place of duty remains at that headquarters location. The Secretary of Defense or a military department secretary may waive these prohibitions on a case-by-case basis after certifying to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees that the waiver will reduce DoD personnel or financial requirements. The prohibitions do not apply to (1) FOAs funded within the National Intelligence Program, (2) an Army FOA established to counter improvised explosive devices and similar threats, (3) an Army FOA established to improve biometrics effectiveness and integration, or (4) an Air Force FOA established to administer the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Program and DoD mortuary operations.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to convert to contractor performance any Department of Defense (DoD) activity or function performed by civilian employees on or after enactment unless (1) the conversion results from a public-private competition including a most efficient organization plan developed by the activity; (2) the Competitive Sourcing Official determines contractor costs would be less than DoD costs by the lesser of 10% of the most efficient organization's personnel-related costs or $10 million over all performance periods in the solicitation; and (3) the contractor receives no cost advantage from not offering employer-sponsored health insurance or offering coverage requiring less than DoD contributions for Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) under 5 U.S.C. ch. 89. This section authorizes DoD to contract for any commercial or industrial-type function without regard to the above prohibition or 10 U.S.C. §2461(a)-(c)—notwithstanding contrary regulations—(1) if included on the procurement list under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (41 U.S.C. §8503) or planned for performance by qualified nonprofits for the blind or other severely disabled persons under that Act; or (2) if planned for performance by a qualified firm with at least 51% ownership by an Indian tribe (as defined in 25 U.S.C. §450b(e)) or Native Hawaiian Organization (as defined in 15 U.S.C. §637(a)(15)). This authority excludes depot contracts or depot maintenance under 10 U.S.C. §§2469, 2474. This section provides that conversions under these authorities count toward any statutory, regulatory, or policy competitive sourcing goals and are deemed awarded in compliance with 10 U.S.C. §2304(h).

This section prohibits the use of funds provided by this Act to reduce authorized positions for military technicians (dual status)—civilian personnel who must maintain membership in the Selected Reserve—in the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, Army Reserve, and Air Force Reserve due to any administratively imposed civilian personnel ceiling, freeze, or reduction, unless the reductions result directly from a reduction in military force structure.

This section prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act for assistance to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) unless specifically appropriated for that purpose. The restriction does not apply to activities incidental to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) mission to recover and identify remains of U.S. Armed Forces personnel from the DPRK.

This section authorizes funds appropriated for operation and maintenance of the Military Departments, Combatant Commands, and Defense Agencies to reimburse pay, allowances, and other expenses of National Guard and Reserve members providing intelligence or counterintelligence support to those entities and Joint Intelligence Activities (including the National Intelligence Program and Military Intelligence Program). Such authority applies in the current fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, without authorizing deviation from established Reserve and National Guard personnel and training procedures.

This section prohibits the Department of Defense and Central Intelligence Agency from transferring funds available for any fiscal year for drug interdiction or counter-drug activities to any other federal department or agency, except as specifically provided in an appropriations law.

This section appropriates $49 million to the Department of Defense for grants to the United Service Organizations ($24 million) and the Red Cross ($25 million), upon a determination by the Secretary of Defense that such grants serve the national interest.

This section requires Department of Defense (DoD) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program set-asides—statutory percentages of extramural research, development, test, and evaluation budgets reserved for small business awards (SBIR) or small business-university/research institution partnerships (STTR)—to be taken proportionally from all programs, projects, or activities contributing to the extramural budget, notwithstanding other provisions of the Act. The section further requires the Secretary of each military department, the Director of each defense agency, and the head of each other relevant DoD component to submit to the congressional defense committees, concurrent with budget justification documents under 31 U.S.C. 1105, a report detailing SBIR and STTR set-asides taken from programs, projects, or activities within their department, agency, or component during the most recently completed fiscal year.

This section prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds available to the Department of Defense under this Act to reimburse a contractor for costs of any employee bonus or payment in excess of normal salary if the bonus is part of restructuring costs associated with a business combination.

This section authorizes the transfer of up to $30 million of Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide appropriations to military personnel pay accounts during the current fiscal year. The transferred funds support personnel providing assistance to eligible non-Department of Defense organizations and activities under 10 U.S.C. § 2012 (authorizing such support if authorized by law or incidental to military training, subject to requirements including a specific request from the recipient organization, training benefits, and no adverse impact on military readiness).

This section authorizes the Chief of the National Guard Bureau to permit any person or entity to use equipment of the National Guard Distance Learning Project—used for online training of National Guard personnel—on a space-available, reimbursable basis, with reimbursement amounts set case-by-case. Amounts collected are credited to project funds without fiscal year limitation to defray associated costs.

This section prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds appropriated by this or prior Acts to retire, prepare to retire, place in storage, or place on backup aircraft inventory status any C-40 aircraft (i.e., military variants of the Boeing 737 used for transporting Members of Congress, Cabinet officials, and other VIPs). The prohibition does not apply to an individual C-40 aircraft that the Secretary of the Air Force determines, on a case-by-case basis, to be no longer mission capable due to a Class A mishap, as certified in writing to the congressional defense committees. The section further directs the Secretary of Defense to submit to the congressional defense committees, not later than 90 days after enactment, a report on Department of Defense steps to meet travel requirements for official or representational duties of Members of Congress and Cabinet members in FY2026 and FY2027.

This section restricts the use of funds appropriated in title IV of this Act (i.e., research, development, test, and evaluation accounts) to procure end-items for delivery to military forces for operational training, operational use, or inventory requirements. The restriction does not apply to end-items used in development, prototyping per an approved test strategy, or test activities leading to operational acceptance; programs funded by the National Intelligence Program; or cases waived by the Secretary of Defense certifying a national security interest to the Defense Appropriations Subcommittees. Additionally, if title IV funds are budgeted for more end-items than required by an approved test strategy, the Under Secretaries of Defense for Research and Engineering and Acquisition and Sustainment must jointly certify a bona fide need to the congressional defense committees upon President's budget submission for FY2027 under 31 U.S.C. §1105; and the Secretary must submit with that budget (1) a report detailing such end-item funding uses and applicable statutory authorities and (2) a certification that FY2027 RDT&E requests comply with the section.

This section prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds appropriated by this or other Department of Defense Appropriations Acts for repairs or maintenance to Department of Defense military family housing units, including areas in such units used for official Department of Defense business.

This section prohibits obligation of funds appropriated under the “Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Defense-Wide” heading for any new start demonstration project valued over $5 million in the Defense Innovation Acceleration (PE 0603838D8Z) or Rapid Prototyping Program (PE 0604331D8Z) until 15 days after the congressional defense committees receive a written report describing the project, its planned acquisition and transition strategy, and estimated annual and total costs. The Secretary of Defense may waive this restriction on a case-by-case basis by certifying to the committees that it is in the national interest.

This section directs the Secretary of Defense to continue providing a classified quarterly report to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, Subcommittees on Defense, on matters specified in the classified annex accompanying this Act.

This section authorizes members of the National Guard serving on full-time National Guard duty under 32 U.S.C. § 502(f) (i.e., federally funded duty under state control) to perform duties in support of the ground-based elements of the National Ballistic Missile Defense System, notwithstanding the restrictions of 10 U.S.C. § 12310(b).

This section prohibits the use of funds provided in this Act to transfer Department of Defense-held ammunition with a center-fire cartridge and a U.S. military nomenclature designation of “armor penetrator,” “armor piercing (AP),” “armor piercing incendiary (API),” or “armor-piercing incendiary tracer (API–T)” to any nongovernmental entity. An exception applies for transfers to entities performing demilitarization services for the Department under contract, provided the entity demonstrates to the Department's satisfaction that such projectiles are either (1) rendered incapable of reuse by the demilitarization process or (2) used to manufacture ammunition pursuant to a Department contract or for export under a License for Permanent Export of Unclassified Military Articles issued by the Department of State.

This section authorizes the Chief of the National Guard Bureau (or designee) to waive all or part of the consideration (i.e., fair market value payment required by 10 U.S.C. 2667(b)(4)) for leases of personal property for up to one year to organizations specified in 32 U.S.C. 508(d) (i.e., certain youth, educational, and community organizations eligible for National Guard support) or other youth, social, or fraternal nonprofit organizations approved on a case-by-case basis.

This section provides $194,452,598 from amounts appropriated under Operation and Maintenance, Army, to remain available until expended. The section authorizes the Secretary of Defense to transfer such funds to other federal government activities; to enter into contracts for real property acquisition, construction, personal services, and operations related to projects carrying out the purposes of this section; to include indemnification in such contracts as necessary; and requires projects to comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws to the maximum extent consistent with national security.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated in this or any other Act to implement changes to (1) the appropriations account structure for the National Intelligence Program (NIP) budget, including through creation of a new appropriation or account; or (2) the presentation of the NIP budget request in unclassified P–1, R–1, and O–1 documents supporting the Department of Defense (DoD) budget request. It permits mergers of programs or changes to the NIP budget at or below the Expenditure Center level if consistent with these prohibitions. The section directs the Director of National Intelligence and Secretary of Defense to jointly study and develop proposals for alternative budget presentations and appropriation accounts, including a comprehensive counterintelligence risk assessment. Upon completion, they must (1) provide the proposals to affected agencies; (2) obtain certifications from those agencies that the alternatives will not adversely affect counterintelligence; and (3) within 30 days of receiving all certifications, present the proposals and certifications to the congressional defense and intelligence committees.

This section authorizes each military department to transfer up to $11 million from its Operation and Maintenance appropriation under title II of this Act—specifically, for Army, Navy, and Air Force—to its central fund for Fisher Houses and Suites (10 U.S.C. §2493(d)) during the current fiscal year. (Fisher Houses and Suites provide temporary lodging for families of service members and veterans receiving medical care at military facilities.)

This section appropriates $5 million to the Department of Defense, to remain available until expended, for a grant to the Fisher House Foundation, Inc., for construction and furnishing of additional Fisher Houses upon the Secretary of Defense's determination that it serves the national interest. (Fisher Houses provide temporary lodging for families of patients receiving care at Department of Defense medical facilities.)

This section makes up to $1 million from appropriations for Operation and Maintenance, Navy, available for transfer to the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Development Trust Fund. (The trust fund, established under 2 U.S.C. 1105, supports the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Training and Development, which provides leadership training to congressional staff and other public servants.)

This section prohibits the Department of Defense from obligating funds to modify command and control relationships to give Fleet Forces Command operational and administrative control of U.S. Navy forces assigned to the Pacific Fleet. It requires command and control relationships existing on October 1, 2004, to remain in force until a written modification is proposed to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, which may be implemented 30 days after notification unless either committee objects, and stipulates that no modification may preclude the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command commander from meeting operational requirements.

This section requires notices under 10 U.S.C. 3601—concerning DoD procedures for urgent acquisition and deployment of capabilities in response to operational needs—to be submitted concurrently to the Subcommittees on Defense of the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, in addition to the full Committees on Appropriations.

This section designates $500,000,000 from amounts appropriated under the headings “Procurement, Defense-Wide” and “Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide” for Israeli cooperative missile defense programs, allocating the funds as follows: (1) $60,000,000 to the Government of Israel for procurement of the Iron Dome short-range rocket defense system, subject to the U.S.-Israel Iron Dome Procurement Agreement; (2) $127,000,000 for the Short Range Ballistic Missile Defense (SRBMD) program, including cruise missile defense research and development; (3) $40,000,000 for co-production activities of SRBMD systems in the United States and Israel, subject to the U.S.-Israel co-production agreement; (4) $100,000,000 for co-production activities of Arrow 3 Upper Tier systems—an upper-tier component of the Israeli Missile Defense Architecture—in the United States and Israel, subject to the U.S.-Israel co-production agreement; and (5) $173,000,000 for the Arrow System Improvement Program, including development of a long-range ground and airborne detection suite.

This section designates $699,210,000 from amounts appropriated under Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy, available until September 30, 2026, to fund prior-year shipbuilding cost increases.

This section deems funds appropriated by this Act for intelligence and intelligence-related activities to be specifically authorized by Congress for purposes of section 504(a)(1) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3094(a)(1))—which governs prerequisites for obligating or expending such funds—until the enactment of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.

This section prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds provided in this Act through reprogramming to create or initiate a new program, project, or activity unless it is immediately necessary in the interest of national security and the congressional defense committees receive prior written notification.

This section deems any subdivision of appropriations under the “Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy” heading in this Act to be for the same purpose as any such subdivision in prior fiscal years for purposes of the 1% reprogramming limitation under 31 U.S.C. 1553(b), with that limitation applying to the total appropriation.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to reduce or disestablish the Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (i.e., the "Hurricane Hunters") if such action would reduce the WC-130 weather reconnaissance mission below levels funded in this Act. The section further directs the Air Force to allow the squadron to perform other national defense missions during the non-hurricane season.

This section prohibits the use of funds provided in this Act for integrating foreign intelligence information unless the information has been lawfully collected and processed during authorized foreign intelligence activities. It further requires that information pertaining to U.S. persons be handled in accordance with Fourth Amendment protections as implemented through Executive Order No. 12333 (i.e., United States Intelligence Activities).

This section limits the availability for obligation of funds appropriated by this Act for Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) programs to the current fiscal year, except for research and technology funds, which remain available until September 30, 2027.

This section directs the Director of National Intelligence to submit to the congressional intelligence committees, not later than 60 days after enactment of this Act, a report establishing the baseline for reprogramming and transfer authorities for fiscal year 2026—including, for each appropriation, a table displaying the President's budget request, congressional adjustments, enacted rescissions (if applicable), and the fiscal year enacted level delineated by Expenditure Center and project, plus items of special congressional interest. The section prohibits reprogramming or transfer of National Intelligence Program funds until the report is submitted, unless the Director certifies in writing that such action is necessary as an emergency requirement.

This section subjects transfers in FY2026 from the Department of Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Account (i.e., funds 10 U.S.C. § 1705 training and development for DoD acquisition personnel) to military departments or Defense Agencies under 10 U.S.C. § 1705(e)(1) to the general transfer authority and limitations of section 8005 of this Act.

This section prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds provided for the National Intelligence Program in this Act or prior appropriations Acts through a reprogramming or transfer under section 102A(d) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3024(d)) that (1) creates a new start effort; (2) terminates a program with appropriated funding of $10 million or more; (3) transfers funds into or out of the National Intelligence Program; or (4) transfers funds between appropriations, unless the congressional intelligence committees are notified at least 30 days in advance (reducible for urgent national security requirements). The section further prohibits such reprogrammings or transfers that result in a cumulative increase or decrease of funding levels specified in the classified annex accompanying this Act, subject to the same notification requirement.

This section requires agencies receiving funds under this Act to post on their public websites reports required to be submitted to Congress in this or any other Act, upon a determination by the agency head that posting serves the national interest and subject to exceptions for national security or proprietary information and a 45-day period during which the report must first be made available to the requesting congressional committees.

This section prohibits the expenditure of appropriated funds for any federal contract exceeding $1 million unless the contractor agrees not to—(1) enter into any agreement with employees or independent contractors requiring arbitration of claims under title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or tort claims related to or arising out of sexual assault or harassment (including assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, or negligent hiring, supervision, or retention); or (2) enforce any existing such agreement. The prohibition applies to covered subcontractors (i.e., those with subcontracts exceeding $1 million on such a prime contract) through contractor certification that such subcontractors agree likewise. The Secretary of Defense may waive subsections (a) or (b) for national security reasons upon a personal determination (with alternatives considered), transmitting the determination to Congress and publicly at least 15 business days before contract or subcontract award.

This section makes up to $165 million from funds appropriated for operation and maintenance, Defense Health Program, available for transfer to the Joint Department of Defense-Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration Fund for operations of the integrated Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (i.e., the North Chicago VA Medical Center, Navy Ambulatory Care Center, and supporting facilities). Additional transfers from the same account are authorized upon written notification by the Secretary of Defense to the congressional appropriations committees.

This section prohibits the Department of Defense from using funds appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available in contravention of 10 U.S.C. §130h (repealed), which barred sharing "hit-to-kill" technology, telemetry data for missile defense interceptors or target vehicles, and other sensitive missile defense information with Russia.

This section authorizes the Department of Defense to use available appropriations for the purchase of (1) heavy and light armored vehicles for the physical security of personnel or force protection purposes up to a limit of $450,000 per vehicle and (2) passenger motor vehicles up to a limit of $75,000 per vehicle for use by military and civilian employees in the United States Central Command area of responsibility, notwithstanding applicable price or other limitations on passenger-carrying vehicles.

This section authorizes the Director of National Intelligence, with the approval of the Office of Management and Budget, to transfer up to $1,500,000,000 of funds appropriated in this Act for the National Intelligence Program to higher-priority items based on unforeseen intelligence requirements, provided the transfer is determined necessary and in the national interest and is not for any item denied by Congress. A request for multiple such transfers must be made prior to June 30, 2026.

This section provides $206,019,000 from the Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy appropriation, to remain available until September 30, 2030, for the purchase of two used sealift vessels for the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF)—a U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration fleet of vessels maintained for national defense contingencies—and for reimbursements to the Maritime Administration's Ready Reserve Force account for NDRF-related programs, projects, activities, and expenses. The section specifies that, notwithstanding 10 U.S.C. 2218 (which generally requires deposit of such funds into the National Defense Sealift Fund), none of these amounts may be transferred to that fund.

This section prohibits the National Security Agency from using funds appropriated by this Act to (1) conduct acquisitions under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA)—which authorizes warrantless electronic surveillance targeting non-U.S. persons abroad for foreign intelligence purposes—for the purpose of targeting a U.S. person; or (2) acquire, monitor, or store the contents of any electronic communication of a U.S. person from a provider of electronic communication services to the public under Section 501 of FISA—which authorizes Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court orders for the production of tangible things (e.g., business records) relevant to foreign intelligence investigations.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act (i.e., a Department of Defense Appropriations Act) to pay the salary of any officer or employee of a DoD-funded agency who approves or implements the transfer of administrative responsibilities or budgetary resources for any program, project, or activity funded by this Act to another federal agency not funded by this Act, absent express congressional authorization. This limitation does not apply to transfers of funds expressly authorized in Department of Defense Appropriations Acts or provisions of Acts providing supplemental appropriations for the Department of Defense.

This section provides $785,052,000 from the Operation and Maintenance, Navy account—to remain available until expended—for purposes related to the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF). Such funds are available for reimbursements to the Maritime Administration's Ready Reserve Force account within the Department of Transportation for NDRF-related programs, projects, activities, and expenses. (The NDRF consists of U.S. government-owned vessels maintained for national defense and sealift purposes, including the Ready Reserve Force component.)

This section prohibits the use of funds provided in this Act for the TAO Fleet Oiler program from awarding new contracts for auxiliary equipment (including pumps) for shipboard services, propulsion equipment (including engines, reduction gears, and propellers), shipboard cranes, spreaders for shipboard cranes, or anchor chains for the seventh and subsequent ships unless those components are manufactured in the United States. This section prohibits the use of funds provided in this Act for the FFG–Frigate program from awarding new contracts for air circuit breakers, gyrocompasses, electronic navigation chart systems, steering controls, pumps, propulsion and machinery control systems, totally enclosed lifeboats, auxiliary equipment pumps, shipboard cranes, auxiliary chill water systems, or propulsion propellers unless those components are manufactured in the United States. It further requires the Secretary of the Navy to incorporate U.S.-manufactured propulsion engines and propulsion reduction gears into the program beginning not later than with the eleventh ship.

This section prohibits the use of funds provided in this Act for requirements development, performance specification development, concept design and development, ship configuration development, systems engineering, naval architecture, marine engineering, operations research analysis, industry studies, preliminary design, development of the Detailed Design and Construction Request for Proposals solicitation package, or related activities for the T–ARC(X) Cable Laying and Repair Ship or the T–AGOS(X) Oceanographic Surveillance Ship unless new contracts for such activities specify that all auxiliary equipment, including pumps and propulsion shafts, is manufactured in the United States.

This section prohibits transfers of amounts from the Department of Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Account to (1) the Rapid Prototyping Fund established under section 804(d) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (10 U.S.C. 2302 note); or (2) military-department specific funds established under section 804(d)(2) of such Act.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act for Government Travel Charge Card expenses by Department of Defense military and civilian personnel for gaming or entertainment that includes topless or nude entertainers or participants, as prohibited by Department of Defense Instruction 1015.10 (enclosures 3 and 14b).

This section prohibits using funds appropriated by this Act to maintain or establish a federal computer network unless the network blocks access to pornography websites. The prohibition does not apply to networks used by federal, state, tribal, or local law enforcement for criminal investigations, prosecutions, or adjudications, or for national defense and intelligence activities.

This section prohibits the Secretary of Defense from obligating or expending funds to provide motorized vehicles, aviation platforms, munitions other than small arms and munitions appropriate for customary ceremonial honors, operational military units, or operational military platforms if the Secretary determines that doing so would undermine the readiness of such units, platforms, or equipment.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this or any other Act to enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding, cooperative agreement, grant, loan, or loan guarantee with any corporation that has an assessed unpaid federal tax liability for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or lapsed, that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the responsible tax collection authority, and of which the applicable federal agency is aware. The prohibition does not apply if the agency has considered suspending or debarring the corporation and determined that such action is not necessary to protect the interests of the federal government.

This section permits amounts appropriated under title IV (RDT&E) of this Act in budget activity 8, as detailed in specified tables, to be used for agile research, development, test and evaluation, procurement, production, modification, and operation and maintenance only for the following six Software and Digital Technology Pilot programs—(1) Defensive CYBER (PE 0608041A); (2) Risk Management Information (PE 0608013N); (3) Maritime Tactical Command and Control (PE 0608231N); (4) Space Domain Awareness/Planning/Tasking SW (PE 1208248SF); (5) Global Command and Control System (PE 0303150K); and (6) Acquisition Visibility (PE 0608648D8Z)—and prohibits obligating or expending funds appropriated by this or prior DoD Appropriations Acts to initiate additional such programs in FY2026.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to transfer the National Reconnaissance Office—which develops, acquires, launches, and operates overhead reconnaissance systems primarily for the intelligence community—to the U.S. Space Force. It specifies that nothing in this Act limits or prohibits cooperation, collaboration, or coordination between the National Reconnaissance Office and the Space Force or other Department of Defense elements.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to contravene laws and regulations implementing the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The specified laws and regulations are (1) the criminal prohibition on torture (18 U.S.C. 2340A); (2) restrictions under section 2242 of the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (8 U.S.C. 1231 note) barring return of aliens to countries where they more likely than not would be tortured, and related regulations (8 C.F.R. pt. 208 and 22 C.F.R. pt. 95); and (3) sections 1002 and 1003 of the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-148), which prohibit cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment of detainees and require adherence to the Army Field Manual interrogation standards.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act to provide arms, training, intelligence, or other assistance to the Azov Battalion, the Third Separate Assault Brigade, or any successor organization.

This section authorizes the Department of Defense to incur obligations of not more than $350 million during the current fiscal year for purposes specified in 10 U.S.C. §2350j(c)—providing logistic support, supplies, and services to allied forces under acquisition and cross-servicing agreements (ACSA)—in anticipation of contributions solely from the government of Kuwait. Upon receipt, such contributions are credited to the appropriations or fund that incurred the obligations.

This section provides $1,274,174,000, to remain available until September 30, 2027, to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency from amounts appropriated under Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide for International Security Cooperation Programs and other programs supporting foreign security forces or groups in counterterrorism, crisis response, or building partner capacity activities. The section requires the Secretary of Defense to notify congressional defense committees at least 15 days prior to obligating such funds and to submit quarterly reports on their use and status to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.

This section makes available $267,298,000 from funds appropriated under the Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide heading for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency to reimburse countries other than Pakistan under section 1226 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (22 U.S.C. 2151 note)—which authorizes such reimbursements for costs incurred in support of U.S. counterterrorism efforts (e.g., against ISIS)—with not less than $150 million for Jordan and funds remaining available until September 30, 2027. The section also requires the Secretary of Defense to notify the congressional defense committees at least 15 days prior to any obligation of funds and to submit quarterly reports to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations on the use and status of the funds.

This section provides $500 million, to remain available until September 30, 2027, from amounts appropriated under Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The funds are available to the Secretary of Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, to provide assistance to Taiwan, including procurement of defense articles, services, and military education and training. The Secretary of Defense must submit quarterly reports to the congressional defense committees on the use and status of the funds.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act for excess defense articles, assistance under 10 U.S.C. §333 (i.e., Department of Defense programs to train and equip foreign national security forces for counterterrorism and related operations), or peacekeeping operations from supporting military training or operations that include child soldiers, as defined by the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008 (CSPA), in countries annually designated by the State Department as violating CSPA standards—unless such assistance is permitted under CSPA section 404 (i.e., national interest waiver authority).

This section requires transfers of funds appropriated by this Act for support to friendly foreign countries in connection with operations in which the United States is not participating, pursuant to 10 U.S.C. §331(d), to comply with the general transfer provisions of section 8005 of this Act.

This section prohibits the Department of Defense (DoD) from using appropriated funds to enter into contracts, memoranda of understanding, cooperative agreements, grants, loans, or loan guarantees with Rosoboronexport (Russia's state-owned arms exporter) or its subsidiaries. It authorizes the Secretary of Defense to waive this prohibition, in consultation with the Secretary of State and Director of National Intelligence, if determined to be in the vital national security interest of the U.S. and certified in writing to the congressional defense committees that (1) Rosoboronexport has ceased transferring lethal military equipment to or maintaining such equipment for the Syrian Arab Republic; (2) Russian armed forces have withdrawn from Ukraine; and (3) Russian agents have ceased active measures to destabilize Ukraine's government control over eastern Ukraine. It further requires the DoD Inspector General to review any waiver-related actions involving Rosoboronexport and submit a report with results to the congressional defense committees within 90 days of the waiver.

This section requires the Secretary of Defense to notify the congressional defense committees in writing within 30 days after receiving any funds contributed by a foreign government for purposes relating to the stationing or operations of U.S. Armed Forces, including the amount, purpose, and authority under which the contribution was accepted. The section further requires the Secretary to notify the committees at least 15 days prior to obligating such funds, specifying the planned use and whether the contributions would support existing or new stationing or operations.

This section requires the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in coordination with the Secretaries of the military departments and the Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, to submit to the congressional defense committees, not later than 30 days after the last day of each fiscal year quarter, a report on the use of operation and maintenance funds for activities or exercises exceeding $5,000,000 designated by the Secretary of Defense as unplanned for FY2026. Each report must include (1) the title, date, and location of each such activity or exercise; (2) identification of the participating military department and units, including an estimate of participants; (3) total cost by budget line item, with a breakdown by cost elements such as transportation; and (4) a short explanation of the objective of each activity or exercise. The report must be submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex.

This section requires the Secretary of Defense, concurrent with any exercise of the drawdown authority under Section 506(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2318)—which permits the President to provide up to $100 million in defense articles, services, and military education and training from Department of Defense stocks per fiscal year for unforeseen emergencies, and up to an additional $200 million aggregate for specified national interest purposes (e.g., international narcotics control, disaster assistance)—to submit a written report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. The report must describe the defense articles and services to be furnished, including their quantity, approximate value, delivery timeline, and estimated replacement cost.

This section requires the Secretary of Defense to notify the congressional defense committees in writing, not later than 15 days after the opening or closing of any foreign base involving the stationing or operations of the U.S. Armed Forces—including temporary bases, permanent bases, or bases owned and operated by a foreign country. The notification must include information on associated personnel changes, costs, and savings.

This section prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds appropriated by this or any other Act by the U.S. government (1) to establish any military installation or base for the permanent stationing of U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq, and (2) to exercise U.S. control over any oil resource of Iraq or Syria.

This section authorizes up to $500 million of funds appropriated under Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency to support the armed forces of Jordan.

This section prohibits, beginning 180 days after enactment, the use of funds appropriated for or otherwise available to the United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM) for activities with respect to Mexico, except those directly related to planning and operational requirements under Executive Order 14167 (relating to clarifying the military's role in protecting U.S. territorial integrity) or a successor directive. It further directs that any such unobligated NORTHCOM funds previously available for non-excepted Mexico activities be made available instead to the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) for Mexico activities consistent with applicable law and subject to presidential approval of a revised Unified Command Plan. (Thus, the provision effectively reassigns Mexico from NORTHCOM's to SOUTHCOM's area of responsibility unless the President determines such reassignment unnecessary or inappropriate and the Secretary of Defense submits a report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees within 30 days detailing the operational, strategic, and diplomatic rationale.) The provision does not limit the President's authority as Commander in Chief to assign command responsibilities or direct military operations.

This section appropriates $1.5 billion to the Department of Defense, in addition to other appropriations, for transfer to operation and maintenance accounts of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force—including National Guard and Reserve—for improving military readiness. The transfer authority is in addition to any other authorities in the Act, and none of the funds may be obligated until 30 days after the Secretary of Defense submits a detailed execution plan to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.

This section reduces appropriations in title II of this Act by a total of $750 million to reflect excess cash balances in Department of Defense Working Capital Funds (i.e., revolving funds for DoD business-like activities such as depot maintenance and supply management), as follows: (1) $100 million from Operation and Maintenance, Army; (2) $450 million from Operation and Maintenance, Navy; and (3) $200 million from Operation and Maintenance, Air Force.

This section directs the Secretary of Defense to allocate funds from the CHIPS for America Defense Fund—established by the CHIPS Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-167) to support Department of Defense (DOD) microelectronics and semiconductor capabilities—as follows: (1) Within 45 days of enactment, allocate FY2026 funds pursuant to the transfer authority in sec. 102(b)(1) of the CHIPS Act to the accounts, amounts, projects, and activities specified in the table titled “Department of Defense Allocation of Funds: CHIPS and Science Act Fiscal Year 2026” in the explanatory statement accompanying this Act. (2) Prohibits the President or designee from allocating funds pursuant to sec. 102(b)(2) of the CHIPS Act during any period in which an appropriations act is in effect for DOD (with an exception allowing allocations for continuing administration of programs funded under (1), not to exceed amounts specified therein). (3) Authorizes reallocation of funds allocated under (1), subject to provisos in sec. 8005 of this Act and solely for requirements under sec. 9903(b) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (P.L. 116-283). (4) Requires submission, concurrent with the FY2027 budget request, of proposed allocations by account, program, project, or activity— with detailed justifications—for FY2027 funds under sec. 102(b)(2) of the CHIPS Act. (5) Requires quarterly reports to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on the status of balances (uncommitted, committed, and unobligated) for projects and activities funded under (1).

This section modifies Department of Defense policy for assisted reproductive services—issued April 3, 2012, to preserve fertility for Category II or III (seriously or severely ill/injured) active duty service members—by removing limitations on embryo cryopreservation and storage periods set forth in parts III(G) and IV(H) of the memorandum. It further expands the definition of assisted reproductive technology to explicitly include embryo cryopreservation and storage without any duration limit.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Defense to obligate funds made available by this Act for procurement or research, development, test, and evaluation to modify not fewer than nine F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft—including at least three aircraft of each variant (i.e., F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C)—for any test configuration. The Secretary must notify the congressional defense committees at least 30 days prior to obligating such funds, with the concurrence of the Secretaries of the Air Force and Navy, and any fund transfers must comply with section 8005 of this Act.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Defense to use up to $650 million of amounts appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act to the Department of Defense for rapid acquisition and deployment of supplies and associated support services under 10 U.S.C. §3601 (i.e., procedures for urgent acquisition of capabilities, including replenishing U.S. stockpiles of defense articles provided to allies or partners responding to armed attacks by countries of concern), but only for purposes specified in clauses (i) through (iv) of 10 U.S.C. §3601(c)(3)(B) subject to the limits in clauses (i) through (iii) of that subsection and a $50 million limit for clause (iv), or for purposes specified in sec. 229 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 subject to a $100 million limit. The Secretary of Defense must notify the congressional defense committees promptly of all uses of this authority.

This section appropriates $97,770,000, to remain available until expended, to the Department of Defense Credit Program Account for a pilot program authorized by 10 U.S.C. 149(e) providing capital assistance (i.e., loans and loan guarantees) to support defense investments in the industrial base (i.e., loans to private entities for facilities, equipment, or modernization to increase defense production capacity). Of the amount appropriated, up to $32,566,000 may be used for administrative expenses and project-specific transaction costs, with the funds available to subsidize gross obligations for the principal amount of loans and loan guarantees not to exceed $4,390,000,000 (with costs as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974).

This section authorizes specified funds appropriated for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide—detailed in budget activity 8 of the tables titled Explanation of Project Level Adjustments accompanying the Act for Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Fielding line 294A—to be used for agile research, development, test and evaluation; procurement; production; modification; and operation and maintenance, including initial acquisition of end-items for operational use, notwithstanding section 8053 of the Act. (Thus, these funds may support rapid fielding of commercial technologies by the DIU.) Funds may not be obligated or expended until 15 days after the Secretary of Defense submits a detailed execution plan to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.

This section authorizes amounts appropriated under the Procurement, Defense-Wide heading for Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT)—specifically, Major Equipment, OSD line 2, in excess of the budget request—to be used, in addition to other authorized purposes, for procurement of software (including software-only solutions), research, development, test, and evaluation of software (including software-only solutions), and operation and maintenance of software (including software-only solutions). It further directs the Secretary of Defense to provide the congressional defense committees with briefings not less frequently than biannually through September 30, 2028, on transition outcomes for APFIT acquisition awards using funds appropriated in this Act and prior Acts.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available from supporting, directly or indirectly, the Wuhan Institute of Virology or any laboratory owned or controlled by the governments of the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Cuba, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela under the Maduro regime, or any other country determined by the Secretary of Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, to be a foreign adversary.

This section prohibits the use of appropriated funds to transfer, release, or assist in the transfer or release to or within the United States, its territories, or possessions of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or any other detainee who (1) is not a U.S. citizen or member of the U.S. Armed Forces and (2) is or was held on or after June 24, 2009, at Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by the Department of Defense.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to transfer any individual detained at U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the custody or control of the individual's country of origin, any other foreign country, or any other foreign entity, except in accordance with section 1034 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (P.L. 114-92) and section 1035 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (P.L. 115-232). (Thus, transfers require certifications regarding risks to U.S. national security and humane treatment.)

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this or any other Act to construct, acquire, or modify any facility in the United States, its territories, or possessions to house, detain, or imprison individuals held at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on or after June 24, 2009, who are not U.S. citizens or members of the U.S. Armed Forces and are in the custody or under the effective control of the Department of Defense (DoD) or otherwise detained at Guantanamo. The prohibition does not apply to modifications of facilities at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act to require members of the Armed Forces or Department of Defense civilian employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to require COVID-19 vaccination as a prerequisite for student attendance at a Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) school.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act, with respect to a member of the Armed Forces whose minor dependent child is enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)—(1) to provide gender transition procedures, including surgery or medication, to such child through EFMP; (2) to provide a referral for such procedures through EFMP; or (3) to approve a change of duty station for such member through EFMP to provide the child access to such procedures. (As background, EFMP identifies and supports families of service members with special medical, educational, or behavioral needs, including through assignment considerations.)

This section prohibits, notwithstanding 1 U.S.C. 7 (which recognizes same-sex marriages valid in the place entered into for federal law purposes), 28 U.S.C. 1738C, or any other provision of law, the use of funds appropriated by this Act or prior appropriations Acts to take discriminatory action against any person based on a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as a union of one man and one woman. Discriminatory action includes (1) altering federal tax treatment or denying tax-exempt status under IRC §501(a); (2) disallowing deductions for charitable contributions; (3) withholding or denying federal grants, contracts, loans, employment, or similar benefits; (4) denying entitlements or benefits under federal programs; or (5) denying access to federal property, facilities, or fundraising campaigns. This section further requires the federal government to deem accredited, licensed, or certified for federal law purposes any person who would be so absent a determination based wholly or partially on such a belief.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act from (1) classifying or facilitating the classification of any communications by a United States person as mis-, dis-, or mal-information; or (2) partnering with or funding nonprofit or other organizations that pressure or recommend private companies to censor lawful and constitutionally protected speech of United States persons, including recommending the censoring or removal of content on social media platforms.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act to carry out any program, project, or activity that promotes or advances Critical Race Theory or associated concepts, or teaches or trains ideas or concepts that (1) condone discrimination against or adverse or beneficial treatment of an individual based on race or sex; (2) condone psychological distress on account of an individual's race or sex; (3) regard one race as inherently superior to another; (4) view the United States or its institutions as systemically racist or sexist; (5) deem an individual inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive by virtue of race or sex; (6) determine an individual's moral character by race or sex; (7) hold an individual responsible for past actions by other members of the same race or sex; or (8) consider meritocracy racist, sexist, or created by a particular race to oppress another.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act to implement, administer, or carry out the Department of Defense memorandum dated October 20, 2022, or any successor to such memorandum, or to propose, promulgate, or implement any substantially similar rule or policy.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act, or transferred to another federal agency, board, or commission, to recruit, hire, or promote any person convicted of a federal or state child pornography charge, convicted of any other federal or state sexual assault charge, or formally disciplined for using federal resources to access, use, or sell child pornography.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act to promote, host, facilitate, or support events on U.S. military installations or as part of military recruiting programs that violate the Department of Defense Joint Ethics Regulation or bring discredit upon the military, such as drag queen story hours for children or the use of drag queens as military recruiters.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act to carry out (1) 10 U.S.C. 147, which establishes the position of Chief Diversity Officer of the Department of Defense to provide advice and oversight on diversity and inclusion policies, strategic planning, metrics, training, outreach, and recruiting; or (2) sec. 554(a) or 913(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (P.L. 116-283).

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to implement, administer, apply, enforce, or carry out the Department of Defense's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Strategic Plan or Executive Orders 13985 (advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities), 14035 (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the federal workforce), or 14091 (further advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities). The section further prohibits such funds from being used to execute activities that promote or perpetuate divisive concepts related to race or sex, such as the concepts that one race or sex is inherently superior to another or that an individual's moral character or worth is determined by their race or sex.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act in contravention of Department of Defense Instruction 3216.01, “Use of Animals in DoD Conducted and Supported Research and Training,” dated March 20, 2019.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to divest or prepare to divest any F-15 aircraft unless the Secretary of Defense certifies to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations that such aircraft will be replaced in a manner that maintains the current total aircraft assigned to the unit and the unit's readiness.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Defense to transfer up to $40 million from any available Department of the Navy appropriation (except military construction) to any available Navy ship construction appropriation to liquidate changes from inflation, market fluctuations, or rate adjustments in ship construction programs appropriated by law. Transfers require at least 30 days prior written notice to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, retain the original funds' period of availability, and are in addition to other transfer authorities in the Act.

This section reduces by $3 billion the total amount appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act to reflect savings and efficiencies attributable to proposed appropriations in title II of H.R. 1 (as engrossed by the House on May 22, 2025). Such reduction may not be derived from amounts appropriated for the National Intelligence Program or Military Intelligence Program.

This section reduces by $1 billion the total amount appropriated or otherwise made available in title II of this Act to reflect savings due to favorable bulk fuel rates. Such reduction may not be derived from amounts appropriated for the National Intelligence Program or the Military Intelligence Program.

This section reduces the total amount appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act by $3,750,000,000 to reflect savings from Department of Defense cooperation with the Department of Government Efficiency. Such reduction may not be derived from amounts appropriated by this Act for the National Intelligence Program or the Military Intelligence Program.

This section reduces by $1 billion the total amount appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act to reflect savings from efficiencies, streamlining of functions, and management improvements in the Department of Defense. Such reduction may not be derived from amounts appropriated by this Act for the National Intelligence Program or the Military Intelligence Program.

This section directs the Secretary of Defense, if a law affecting the Department of Defense budget is enacted through reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14 (FY2025 budget resolution), to submit to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, within 45 days of enactment and with the President's FY2027 budget submission and each year thereafter, (1) proposed allocations by account and by program, project, or activity with justifications; (2) P-1 procurement and R-1 research, development, test, and evaluation budget justification documents identifying allocations by program, project, and activity; and (3) P-1 and O-1 budget justification documents identifying allocations by budget activity, activity group, and subactivity group. The section further requires quarterly reports to those committees on the status of balances for projects and activities funded by such law, including uncommitted, committed, and unobligated funds.

This section limits the use of amounts appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act to salaries and expenses for no more than 75 full-time equivalent personnel, including government employees and federal contractors, for the Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) within the Department of Defense. Such limitation does not apply to personnel performing (1) cost assessment functions or (2) capability-enabling functions, including defense industrial base, economic, and manpower analysis.

This section directs the Secretary of Defense to obligate funds made available by this Act and prior appropriations Acts under Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Navy, for the Next Generation Fighter program in a manner that achieves accelerated initial operational capability for the Next Generation Fighter aircraft. It further requires the Secretary to submit to the congressional defense committees reports on the program's status, not later than 30 days after enactment of this Act and quarterly thereafter.

This section makes amounts appropriated under Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Defense-Wide, for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) available until September 30, 2027, as detailed in the explanatory statement's tables titled Explanation of Project Level Adjustments. It requires the Secretary of Defense to submit quarterly reports on the execution of such funds, detailed at the project level, to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.

This section appropriates $90 million to the National Defense Stockpile Transaction Fund—to remain available until September 30, 2028—for activities under the Strategic and Critical Materials Stockpiling Act (i.e., acquiring, maintaining, upgrading, and disposing of strategic and critical materials for national defense needs). Of the total, $10 million is for titanium requirements, and none of the funds may be obligated or expended until 30 days after the Secretary of Defense submits a detailed execution plan to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.

This section directs the allocation of not less than $80 million from Operation and Maintenance, Navy funds to establish a Platform Supply Vessel Pilot Program to validate Navy requirements for at-sea and in-shore logistics operations. The program must evaluate time charter options for no fewer than six vessels and enter contracts for no fewer than two, prioritizing existing U.S.-built platform supply vessels documented under U.S. law and owned by U.S. citizens (per 46 U.S.C. 50501) that can carry nearly 500,000 gallons of fuel, provide up to 10,000 square feet of deck space for military equipment and personnel, and operate in shallow-draft ports in the Indo-Pacific region. The Secretary of the Navy must brief the House and Senate Appropriations Committees within 180 days of enactment on the program's status and the effectiveness of such vessels.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act to transfer the headquarters functions of the United States Southern Command from Miami, Florida, to another location, or, in the event of a merger with another combatant command, to transfer such pre-merger headquarters functions from Miami, Florida, to another location.

This section prohibits the reprogramming or transfer of funds appropriated for the UH-60 Blackhawk aircraft program under the headings "Aircraft Procurement, Army" and "Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army" in this Act and prior appropriations Acts. The section further prohibits the use of any funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act or prior appropriations Acts to pause, cancel, terminate, or prepare to pause, cancel, or terminate the UH-60 Blackhawk aircraft program.

This section prohibits the reprogramming or transfer of funds appropriated for the E–7 Wedgetail aircraft program (i.e., an airborne early warning and control aircraft) under Air Force aircraft procurement and research, development, test, and evaluation accounts and bars the use of any appropriated funds to pause, cancel, terminate, or prepare to pause, cancel, or terminate the program.

This section directs the Secretary of Defense to publish on the Department of Defense public website, not later than 180 days after enactment, a report itemizing all expenses and contracts associated with the planning and execution of the military parade in Washington, D.C., for the Army’s 250th birthday, including post-event cleaning and repairs.

This section allocates $12 million from amounts appropriated under Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency to the Irregular Warfare Center.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to close (1) the Rock Island Arsenal Museum in Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois; (2) the Fort Sill National Historic Landmark and Museum in Lawton, Oklahoma; or (3) the United States Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, Virginia.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act to create, procure, or display any map that depicts Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou, Green Island, or Orchid Island as part of the territory of the People's Republic of China.