National Defense Authorization Act

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is a United States federal law specifying the budget and expenditures of the United States Department of Defense. Each year's act also includes other provisions. The U.S. Congress oversees the defense budget primarily through two yearly bills: the National Defense Authorization Act and defense appropriations bills. The authorization bill determines the agencies responsible for defense, establishes funding levels, and sets the policies under which money will be spent.^[1]

Recent legislation

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 (H.R. 3304; NDAA 2014) was a United States federal law that specified the budget and expenditures of the United States Department of Defense (DOD) for Fiscal Year 2014. The law authorized the DOD to spend $607 billion in Fiscal Year 2014.^[2] On December 26, 2013, President Barack Obama signed the bill into law.^[3] This was the 53rd consecutive year that a National Defense Authorization Act has been passed.^[2]

The Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (H.R. 4435; 113th Congress) was one of the proposed NDAA bills for fiscal year 2015. On May 8, 2014, the House Armed Services Committee ordered the bill reported (amended) by a vote of 61-0.^[4] The Committee spent 12 hours debating the bill and voting on hundreds of different amendments before voting to pass it.^[5]

Notable or controversial NDAA legislation

• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007, Pub.L. 109–364. This NDAA is formally named after John Warner, a U.S. war veteran and former long-term Senator and Senate Armed Services Committee chairman and U.S. Secretary of the Navy from Virginia.
• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, Pub.L. 110–181. This NDAA is notable for including a signing statement, one of many that President George W. Bush controversially (see articles) used in attempting to project a "strong" unitary executive theory — one that he hoped would consolidate and expand Executive Branch power.
• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, Pub.L. 111–84. This NDAA contains important (see article) hate crimes legislation.
• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011, Pub.L. 111–383. This NDAA is formally named after Ike Skelton, a former long-term Congressman and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee from Missouri.
• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, Pub.L. 112–81. This NDAA contains several controversial sections (see article), the chief being §§ 1021-1022, which affirm provisions authorizing the indefinite military detention of civilians, including U.S. citizens, without habeas corpus or due process, contained in the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), Pub.L. 107–40.^[6]
• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013
• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014
• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015

See also

• Internal Security Act of 1950
• Clinger–Cohen Act, part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996

References

1. "www.crs.gov/pages/Reports". Retrieved May 27, 2012.
2. Bennett, John T. (20 December 2013). "With Just Days to Spare, Senate Extends NDAA Streak". DefenseNews. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
3. "Statement by the President on H.R. 3304". White House Office of the Press Secretary. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
4. "H.R. 4435 - All Actions". United States Congress. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
5. Medici, Andy (15 May 2014). "11 things you probably didn't know were in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015". Federal Times. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
6. Zachary Bell (December 19, 2012). "NDAA’s indefinite detention without trial returns". Salon.

Further reading

• Christophe Paulussen, The US NDAA and its Controversial Counter-Terrorism Provisions (International Centre for Counter-Terrorism - The Hague, 2012)

External links

• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989, from GovTrack.us
• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005, from the Congressional Budget Office
• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007, from GovTrack.us
• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, from GovTrack.us
• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, from GovTrack.us
• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010: H.R. 2647 and S. 1391
• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011, from GovTrack.us
• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, from GovTracks.us
• S. 1867 : AN ACT To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2012 for military activities of the Department of Defense
• from Reuters.com
• pdf of the 112-page ruling from UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK