Sen. Katie Britt advances $6.1 billion in funding for Alabama in defense bill

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August 1, 2024

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2025 Defense Appropriations Act on Monday, proposing to allocate $852.2 billion focused on enhancing U.S. military readiness and capabilities and supporting servicemembers and families

U.S. Senator Katie Britt, a member of the committee, announced she secured more than $6.1 billion in defense spending for the state of Alabama in the bill.

“Alabama is at the forefront of America’s defenses—building the world’s arsenal, providing invaluable intelligence, training our airmen, and so much more. When I joined the Appropriations Committee I promised I would bring home Alabamians’ hard-earned taxpayer dollars,” Britt (R-Montgomery) said.

“Today, we’re doing not only that but also making strategic investments that would make our nation safer and give our troops a deserved pay bump.”

Britt supported funding for Alabama in the FY25 DOD Appropriations Bill, which includes:

$1.42 billion for flight training at Fort Novosel, a $32 million dollar increase from last year
$605 million for The Missile Defense Agency, headquartered in Huntsville
$247 million for twelve additional Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems, which are built in Troy
$77 million for Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles (JAGMs), which are built in Troy
$825 million for Joint Air-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSMs), which are built in Troy
$896 million for Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASMs), which are built in Troy
$21 million for Hellfire missiles, which are built in Troy
$284 million for Javelin missiles, which are built in Troy
$34 million for Hydra rockets, which are built in Anniston
$198 million in programmatic requests directly supporting the Alabama defense small business industrial base
$1.509 billion for the overhaul and maintenance of Army Vehicles at the Anniston Army Depot (ANAD), including:

- - $853 million to procure 45 Abrams tanks
  - $403 million for 38 Stryker vehicles
  - $256 million for Paladin Integrated Management artillery vehicles

The DOD Appropriations Bill for FY2025 also includes a 4.5% military pay raise for most service members and a 5.5% total pay raise for the most junior enlisted service members, as well as an increased budget to improve recruitment and retention.

Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.