U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) announced he helped secure nearly $2.5 billion for Alabama military installations in the Fiscal Year 2027 NDAA, along with an amendment renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War.
The Senate Armed Services Committee reported the NDAA out of committee with multiple Tuberville amendments attached, delivering what amounts to the largest single-year defense investment in Alabama in recent history.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is the annual defense policy bill that sets funding levels and priorities for the Pentagon.
“The United States was constantly on our heels and playing defense under the Biden administration. Those days are over thanks to President Trump and Secretary Hegseth,” Tuberville said. “The U.S. military is not interested in appeasement, but in winning wars and keeping Americans safe.”
“The U.S. military is not interested in appeasement, but in winning wars and keeping Americans safe. That’s why I introduced an amendment to this year’s NDAA that officially returns the Department of Defense to its original name given by President George Washington, the Department of War.”
The Alabama funding anchors the bill. Tuberville authorized roughly $2 billion for the new U.S. Space Command headquarters at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, a fight the Alabama delegation has waged for years against Biden-era efforts to keep the command in Colorado.
An additional $250 million goes to a Space Force operational facility at Redstone, $90 million to upgrade the arsenal’s power generation and microgrid, $53 million to complete the Anniston Army Depot access control point, $44 million for a Maxwell Air Force Base school addition, and $33 million for parking apron improvements at Sumpter Smith Air National Guard Base.
The Department of War renaming returns the Pentagon to the title George Washington originally gave the institution. Tuberville said the change aligns with the Trump administration’s “Peace through Strength” posture and sends a clear signal to adversaries.
The NDAA also authorizes a 3.6% pay raise for all service members, expands Title IX protections for women’s sports across all department education activities, codifies merit-based promotion standards to prevent a return to DEI policies, and designates the southwest border mission as a named operation with a new Joint Interagency Task Force to counter cartels.
“As chairman of the SASC Subcommittee on Personnel, I was also proud to secure several amendments that will make a real difference in the lives of our troops,” Tuberville added.
“During last year’s NDAA process, I introduced an amendment protecting women’s sports at our service academies. This year, we expanded those protections to more education activities at the DoW. I also fought hard for an amendment increasing the number of cadets who are eligible to play professional sports. This new policy will help with both recruiting and personnel development at our service academies.”
Sawyer Knowles is a state and political reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
