Press Releases

Today, Rep. French Hill (AR-02) voted for H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2027, which passed the House by a vote of 216-212. The bipartisan bill supports our military personnel and families, strengthens our national defense, modernizes our military capabilities, and includes four amendments introduced by or cosponsored by Rep. Hill, three of which will directly benefit the Arkansas National Guard.

Rep. Hill said, “It is critical that Beijing, Moscow, and Tehran have no doubt about the lethality of the United States military or our ability to project power anywhere in the world. This NDAA advances peace through strength by restocking critical munitions, strengthening defense supply chains, and accelerating weapons production. It also raises pay for the men and women who wear the uniform and invests in the technologies that will define tomorrow's battlefield. It redirects billions from lower-priority spending to our warfighting mission and eliminates distractions that have nothing to do with winning wars. This bill ensures our military has what it needs to deter our adversaries and defend American interests around the globe.

“I am also proud that several of my priorities were included in this year’s NDAA to support our Guardsmen in central Arkansas.”

Background:

H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027, authorizes $1.15 trillion in national defense discretionary spending. The bill revitalizes the defense industrial base, revives the organic industrial base, provides the certainty industry needs to expand capacity, and grows and develops the defense industrial workforce. It advances small business participation in the defense industrial base, secures our supply chains, furthers acquisition reform, and improves collaboration on data rights. The legislation also raises pay for all servicemembers by 5 to 7 percent and improves housing, education, and childcare access for military families.

Rep. Hill’s Amendments and Priorities:

• Sharing of Cyber Intelligence: This amendment directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a review of the health of the Department of Defense’s cyber intelligence sharing with state, local, Tribal, territorial, and private-sector partners. This amendment was developed with the Arkansas National Guard to ensure we analyze cyber information sharing to learn how to stop and mitigate cyber threats for homeland defense.
  
  
• Camp Pike Conveyance: Codifies a no-cost land exchange between the Arkansas National Guard and the United States Army Reserve. The land exchange will include a two-star division headquarters at Camp Pike, currently occupied by a drilling unit with minimal full-time staff, a unit whose needs would be far better served by an armory. The second is the Chappell Armory in Arkansas, which was built for traditional drilling units but currently operates as a full-time headquarters. This would result in a mutually beneficial outcome and ensure better stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
  
  
• F-35 Research, Development, Test and Evaluation: This amendment seeks to maximize taxpayer value by directing the Department of Defense to conduct and publish a cost comparison study for future F-35 basing locations for aircraft receiving first delivery between Fiscal Year 2030 and Fiscal Year 2035. The Arkansas National Guard believes that this study is critical to ensuring a complete understanding of the current mission and personnel before future F-35 basing decisions are made.