On Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, Congressman Lamborn took part in the House Armed Services Committee mark-up of the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Upon passage, Congressman Doug Lamborn, Ranking Member of the Readiness Subcommittee, released the following statement:

“I was pleased to vote for the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act, and happy it passed the House Armed Service Committee in a bipartisan manner. It is not perfect, and I look forward to improving this bill on the House Floor and in Conference with the Senate. However, it will improve our national security, begin to hold the Biden administration accountable for Afghanistan, and bring hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of economic growth and investment to Colorado's Fifth Congressional District. We passed a bipartisan amendment I cosponsored with the Ranking Member to increase the Defense topline, providing our troops with the resources they need to execute the missions they've been assigned, and correcting President Biden's inadequate defense budget. This bill solidifies our community's place as the epicenter of America's national security space enterprise and puts our country on the right foot to compete with and deter China.”

After a marathon 16-and-a-half-hour markup, filled with debate and negotiation reviewing over 700 submitted amendments, the House Armed Services Committee passed the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization by a vote of 57-2.

Congressman Lamborn secured many significant amendments, initiatives and debates, including:

• Prohibition of USSPACECOM moving locations until the GAO and DoD IG reviews are complete;

• Creation of a Space National Guard with Congressman Jason Crow (Colorado has more National Guardsmen conducting space missions than any other state in the nation);

• Funding for a new fitness center at Schriever Space Force Base and a new vehicle maintenance facility for the U.S. Air Force Academy;

• Investing more than $500 million into space and missile defense missions conducted in Colorado Springs;

• Requirement for the Army to produce a plan for demilitarizing the Pueblo Chemical Depot and responsibly returning it to the community;

• Development of a plan to identify the remains of the remaining unidentified servicemen who perished on the USS Arizona;

• Leveraging commercial satellite imaging capabilities for intelligence collection and other national security capabilities;

• Directing the Chief of Space Operations to develop a long-term plan for maintaining American space dominance over the next ten years, including what new capabilities are needed to successfully compete against Russia and China in space;

• Support for many key strategic space assets built in or operated out of the Front Range;

• Development of a plan to establish propellant reserves in outer-space to dramatically enhance the capabilities of our space assets;

• Expanding and increasing the capacity of the satellite control network through public/private partnerships;

• Prohibition on labeling service men and women “extremists” for their conservative political beliefs and disciplined for their online/social media activity;

• Requiring the Secretary of Defense maintain an ongoing report on Iranian military capabilities and how removing sanctions will enhance those military capabilities;

• Establishing administrative, medical, or religious exemptions to the mandatory Covid-19 vaccine for members of the Armed Forces;

• Amending the bylaws of the Board of Visitors of each of the three military service academies to allow the members to call a meeting at any time in response to the Biden administration illegally suspending BOV meetings;

• Developing a plan to integrate U.S. anti-ship weapons into the defense of Taiwan.