The U.S. fiscal 2025 national defense budget includes over $300 million dedicated for Louisiana bases, programs and vessels. The budget, called the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act, received final passage from the House Dec. 11 and is now under consideration by the Senate. The biggest news from the bill for Louisiana is the money appropriated for four bases, totaling $276 million in funds for construction. The bill would allocate $33 million for the Louisiana Army National Guard’s Lafayette Readiness Center, $105 million for Fort Johnson to add a rotational unit billeting area and barracks, $116 million for a joint operations center at Fort Johnson and $22 million for a child development center at Barksdale Air Force Base. Third District U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., and member of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement the day of its approval. “The NDAA represents a major commitment to our Armed Forces and Louisiana. Congress is responsible for providing our servicemen and women with the weapons and technology to address security threats,” Higgins said in a news release. “The FY25 NDAA refocuses the Department of Defense on lethality and force readiness. In Louisiana, we’re working to prioritize our bases, protect small shipyards, and lead on the development of autonomous systems.” When it comes to providing top notch technology and force readiness, the bill would do so in the Pelican State by giving it $30 million to produce a Navy ship called a yard, repair, berthing and messing vessel that acts as a temporary floating barracks for ships under repair or maintenance. The act would also prioritize development and procurement of small unmanned surface vessels. The act includes $12 million for continued procurement of 40-foot patrol boats for the Navy by Metal Shark Boats in Jeanerette. The defense bill also includes an assessment to help all Gulf Coast states improve alternate strategic seaport operational readiness and facility standards. There are some technical requirements in the act. For example, the lifecycle of F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft will be extended, including a required study of the aircraft’s capabilities to support the Louisiana National Guard. The 159th Fighter Wing based at Joint Reserve Base New Orleans will convert from its aging F-15C and D aircraft to the newest model, the two-seat F-15EX, as soon as next year. Another requirement is for the Louisiana Maritime Administration to expedite the review of Deepwater Port Applications for Delfin LNG, which is a proposed liquefied natural gas export facility in the Gulf of Mexico that would be the first of its kind in the United States. Although the national $895 billion bill passed congress with a bipartisan overwhelming vote, the bill had some conservative actions to reverse some Biden-Harris policies. The most notable is a ban on the military health program TRICARE from covering gender-related care for the transgender children of service members. TRICARE can still provide this type of coverage to adult service members. Higgins and other GOP leaders supported this and the increase in purchases on military equipment to boost U.S. competitiveness with Russia and China. Perhaps the most universally supported portion of the bill is the authorization of a 14.5% pay increase for the lowest-ranking troops and 4.5% for the rest of the force.