SE North Carolina News

Washington, D.C. — Senator Ted Budd (R-NC), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, voted to advance the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to the Senate floor. Senator Budd secured a provision that fully prohibits the Air Force from divesting F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base through 2029.

The Air Force plans to divest 26 Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson next year, even though aircraft from North Carolina’s 335th Fighter Squadron helped defend Israel by shooting down dozens of drones and missiles from Iran in April. Additionally, these Strike Eagles have more than half their service life remaining and recently received multi-million dollar upgrades to their radars and avionics.

Several top military officials have praised the F-15E after being questioned by Senator Budd in committee hearings. Strike Eagles were called phenomenal, very capable, and critical for scenarios in the Indo-Pacific.

Senator Budd also secured several other significant wins for North Carolina, including a 4.5% pay raise for North Carolina servicemembers and their families, more than $300 million in military construction projects, accelerating production of Infantry Squad Vehicles, and investing in research and development at North Carolina companies and educational institutions.

Senator Budd said in a statement: “The Air Force’s plan to divest F-15E Strike Eagles would harm our national security and shatter the Goldsboro community. As was made clear in countless Armed Services Committee hearings this year, F-15Es are incredibly capable aircraft that are unmatched in the fleet. I am thrilled that my colleagues agreed with me that divesting these aircraft was a misguided decision by the Air Force. I’ll continue to fight to ensure that the future of Seymour Johnson is bright and our military remains strong."

“North Carolina is the proud home of eight military installations, a growing defense industry, and world-class academic and research centers contributing to our national security. I am proud to support our men and women in uniform by improving their quality of life and ensuring they have the facilities, equipment, and other tools necessary to keep America a strong nation for decades to come. The investments we are making in our state and our military are necessary to combat the growing threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and terrorists plaguing the Middle East and coming across our border."

“It’s important to recognize that this process is not over. The NDAA must still pass the Senate, conference with the House, and be passed by both chambers again in its final form before the president signs it into law. I will continue to fight for important investments to modernize the joint force and improve readiness and lethality, and oppose highly problematic provisions such as requiring women to register for Selective Service. Any effort to draft our daughters is simply wrong.”

Budd-Secured Wins for North Carolina:

Authorizes $307 million in military construction funding for North Carolina’s military installations including:

Marine Corp Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point ($135 million total):

- Authorizes a $114 million Composite Repair Facility.

- Authorizes $50 million for an F-35 Aircraft Sustainment Center.

- Authorizes $213 million Aircraft Maintenance Hangars.

Camp Lejeune ($82.4 million total):

- Authorizes $25.4 million for an SOF Armory.

- Authorizes $57 million for Information Maneuver Facilities.

Fort Liberty ($41.8 million total):

- Authorizes $11.8 million for an SOF Arms Room Addition.

- Authorizes $30 million for a Special Warfare Center.

Seymour Johnson Air Force Base ($41 million total):

- Authorizes $41 million for constructing a Combat Arms Training Complex.

North Carolina National Guard ($6.3 million total):

- Authorizes planning funds for a flight facility at Salisbury.

Additional authorizations include:

- An additional $44.1 million procurement acceleration of Infantry Squad Vehicles.

- Experimentation funds totaling $8 million.

- Research funds totaling $17.5 million.

Budd-Secured Wins for National Security:

Protecting Homeland:

Authorizes an additional $25 million countering transnational criminal organizations along southwest border.

Requires assessment on drugs causing overdoses on military installations.

Deterring China:

Authorizes an additional $12.5 billion emergency spending post-Typhoon Mawar recovery on Guam.

Requires plans establishing joint force headquarters subordinate commands in Japan/Australia.

Updates Chinese Military Companies operating list within U.S., among others measures prohibiting LiDAR technology use/contracting from China.

Support U.S.-Israel Bilateral Relationship & Counter Terrorism:

Condemns Hamas terrorist attack on Israel October 7th 2023; supports DOD assistance including missile defense cooperation worth up-to-$110M; anti-tunneling cooperation initiatives up-to-$30M expanding tech collaboration further worth up-to-$47M; hostage release efforts reporting directives among others provisions supporting Kurdish Peshmerga Forces' defense equipment assessment plan requirement & Bahrain bilateral relationship recognition under Abraham Accords framework etcetera...

Senator Budd championed additional provisions supporting various facets like pay raises/military budget enhancements/policy implementations/tech initiatives/healthcare improvements/infrastructure developments etcetera aimed towards bolstering overall national security readiness enhancing U.S.'s global strategic positioning combating emerging threats effectively maintaining peace/stability globally...