2026 National Defense Authorization Act released: Here’s what’s in it.

The final language of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was released on Sunday, revealing the most dramatic shift in U.S. military planning since the end of the post-9/11 wars.

It frames China as the central strategic threat and directs resources toward advanced technologies, including manufacturing, designed to counter Beijing’s rapid military modernization. 

The bill sets a $900.6 billion defense topline, higher than last year and above the administration’s request. 

Last year’s defense authorization totaled roughly $886 billion, while President Trump requested $892.6 billion for 2026, according to estimates of the president’s plan provided by The Hill.   

The budget represents an increase of 1.6% year-over-year, well below standard measures of inflation, especially for defense procurement. 

“This year’s National Defense Authorization Act helps advance President Trump and Republicans’ ‘Peace Through Strength Agenda by codifying 15 of President Trump’s executive orders, ending woke ideology at the Pentagon, securing the border, revitalizing the defense industrial base, and restoring the warrior ethos,” said Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson in a statement. 

In addition to changing the U.S. military’s strategic posture, the NDAA provides U.S. servicemembers with a 3.8% pay raise in 2026. The increase would apply across all ranks and branches beginning Jan. 1. 

The legislation also shows lawmakers are moving to speed efforts in the Indo-Pacific to counter China. 

China has developed a low-tech anti-access/area denial strategy (A2/AD) that seeks to isolate potential battlefields, such as Taiwan, to U.S. force projection measures, a strength of America’s post-Vietnam military. 

The GOP version of the defense bill suggests China’s A2/AD can be countered by even higher tech deployed by the U.S. 

The bill also mandates new reporting and oversight requirements aimed at tracking Chinese military, commercial and intelligence efforts, called the “China Economics and Intelligence Cell.” 

To support the shift to China as main adversary, the NDAA prioritizes emerging technologies. 

The bill includes new reporting and governance requirements for artificial intelligence (AI), directing the Pentagon to develop department AI oversight standards and human safeguards for autonomous systems. 

It directs the Pentagon to expand the use of advanced robotic automation in munitions manufacturing to increase output and reduce bottlenecks. 

It also creates a pilot program to test automated technologies in U.S. shipyards. The goal is to accelerate shipbuilding, lower costs and reduce delays by incorporating robotics and advanced manufacturing tools into the construction process. 

The bill would establish new dual-use and defense-focused advanced-manufacturing innovation hubs to accelerate technology development. 

The Trump administration views these initiatives as part of a broader effort to revive U.S. manufacturing. 

Beyond China and technology, the bill locks in a long-term U.S. commitment to Ukraine and to containing Russian power in Europe but transfers the bulk of the effort and cost to Europe itself. 

It extends the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative at a cost of $400 million. 

The NDAA also requires the Pentagon to provide intelligence support to Ukraine, including imagery, for operations “specifically intended or reasonably expected to defend and retake the territory of Ukraine.” 

The bill urges European partner states to do more to support Ukraine against Russia, using the JUMPSTART framework, a U.S.-led effort that forces Europe to make more weapons transfers, expand training programs and provide greater logistical support for the Ukraine war. 

The language also includes a provision requiring the Department of Defense (DOD) to submit periodic reviews of force posture in Europe, to guarantee European deployment “is in the national security interest of the United States.” 

After China, the Middle East takes center stage, with Iran and Syria both mentioned dozens of times in the defense bill. 

The NDAA extends authority for operations in Syria and Iraq, while repealing the remaining authorizations that once justified the larger U.S. war and peaceful occupation in Iraq. 

Iran shows up in provisions on Syria and in a broader warning about an emerging Russia-China-Iran-North Korea alignment, which it labels as “foreign malign … nation-state adversaries.” 

The bill says the Secretary of State, “in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, may designate a foreign country as a State Sponsor of Unlawful or Wrongful Detention.” 

Early contenders for such a designation include Afghanistan, Iran, China, Russia, Venezuela and Belarus, according to the legislation. 

The NDAA would require the U.S. government to warn any American person or entity targeted by an Iranian plot to kill them. It also directs federal agencies to create procedures to quickly identify such threats and report them to Congress. 

The bill highlights the GOP’s determination not to allow the new government in Syria to fall back into the orbit of either Russia or Iran. 

Also under the bill, the DOD would emphasize warfighting, not social engineering. 

The proposal would eliminate statutory provisions in the DOD relating to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. 

Specifically, it repeals the Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusion of 2020, eliminates diversity boards and the use of preferred personal pronouns. 

“This legislation includes important House-passed provisions to ensure our military forces remain the most lethal in the world and can deter any adversary,” Speaker Johnson said. “It roots out Biden-era wokeism in our military and restores merit-based promotions and admissions to service academies, prohibits contracts with partisan firms, counters antisemitism, and halts harmful, unnecessary programs like CRT, DEI, and climate initiatives.”