Congress approved an $886 billion defense bill Thursday and sent it to President Biden for his signature. The measure calls for more than $200 million in funding for construction projects at Alaska military installations, and a pay raise for service members.
The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act calls for planning and design work on future construction projects at Alaska military installations that Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office says will provide military personnel serving in Alaska with “state-of-the-art facilities.”
The legislation authorizes funding for military construction projects already under way in the state or about to begin. Murkowski’s office said the biggest of those line items include $107.5 million for extending a runway at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, $34 million for completing a Fort Wainwright housing project, $9.5 million for a new dormitory at Eielson Air Force Base, and $6.1 million for a precision guided-missile complex at JBER.
The NDAA also calls for nearly $30 billion in missile defense funding in fiscal year 2024, including about $11 billion for the Missile Defense Agency, which operates a base at Fort Greely. The funding will enable the agency to complete work needed to field 64 Ground-Based Interceptor missiles, most of which will be at Greely.
A Defense Department document says the agency expects to complete testing of an advanced missile defense radar facility at Clear Space Force Station in the coming year. The document says the Long-Range Discrimination Radar will then be handed over to the Space Force.
The NDAA also includes funding for a 5.2% pay raise for service members and other quality-of-life measures — like improvements to the Basic Needs Allowance that helps offset the cost of food and other necessities for military families.
According to Murkowski’s office, the legislation also calls for improving relationships with local Alaska Native and American Indian organizations by appointing tribal liaisons to consult and coordinate with those groups.
Tim Ellis is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
