Special Operators Essential for National Strategy.

• Author: Bayer, Michael J.

As we head into a very busy fall season, please pause for a moment to turn your thoughts to our military and their families, especially those deployed around the world protecting our freedom, values and way of life.

Both directly and through our alliances and partnerships around the world, they are deterring tyranny and aggression, and your team at the National Defense Industrial Association remains awed by their committed service.

This month, Congress returns to complete a very full legislative agenda, and NDIA is focused on supporting timely completion of on-time appropriations for the entire federal government. The stakes are high for the Defense Department. Under the recently passed Fiscal Responsibility Act, colloquially referred to as the debt ceiling deal, all appropriations bills must be completed before Jan. 1, or all federal departments and agencies will lose one percent of their funding.

Budget instability, including continuing resolutions, continue to wreak havoc on warfighters and member companies working so hard to support them, and we are committed to educating government stakeholders and the public about the challenges caused by this dysfunction. Service members and their families deserve better, as do the companies in the defense industrial base that are investing and working to ensure the armed forces have the capabilities, platforms and services they need to effectively defer aggression and to protect the homeland.

The House and Senate will also start negotiating the final Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA. Among the many important provisions, the association is focused on the resolution of extending waivers for streamlined acquisition of defense stocks related to Ukraine and authorizations of additional munitions eligible for multi-year procurement contracts.

These provisions are important, because the illegal and unjust invasion of Ukraine has illuminated production limitations and supply chain challenges that prevent companies in the defense industrial base from quickly accelerating the manufacturing of weapons systems and munitions.

Since the end of the Cold War, the Defense Department has shifted--along with the rest of the U.S. economy--to a "just in time" mindset which has resulted in industrial production capacity that cannot surge quickly during a crisis.

William LaPlante, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, is focused on this very challenge. We strongly support...