Thread by @supbrow

1/ #FY23NDAA Senate SASC draft #S4543:
James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (NDAA)

Some of my favorite sections, starting with IndoPacific issues:

2/ #FY23NDAA #S4543:
Sec 1072
SecDef "shall develop a Joint Concept for Competing" to "define the role of the US Armed Forces in long-term strategic competition with specific adversaries"

Good to get this concept less squishy.

@BDHerzinger @DEricSayers

3/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1252:
Sense of Congress on US defense alliances and partnerships in the IndoPacific region.

First part highlights previous statements by leadership.

@SEA_NFAO

4/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1252:
Next part lists the allies & partners:
🇯🇵🇰🇷🇦🇺🇵🇭🇹🇭
ASEAN
🇮🇳 🇸🇬🇹🇼
🇫🇲🇲🇭🇵🇼 & other Pacific Island Countries
🇨🇦🇬🇧🇪🇺& NATO
And finally investments in posture& partnerships across @INDOPACOM

@graham_euan

5/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1246
The Senate, like the House, wants enhanced defense cooperation with India 🇮🇳

@JeffreyPayneFP @abhijit227 @FathomsOne @nmfindia @nilanthis

6/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1250:
Congress wants a report on the "adequacy of existing bilateral agreements between the US & foreign governments that support the existing and planned military posture"

It's good to take stock of this.
It's all about ACCESS.

@zach_ota
@SEA_NFAO

7/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1241
Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) is extended and additional reporting requirements added.

@DEricSayers

8/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1243
The Maritime Security Initiative (MSI) and Title 10 Section 333, is modified to enable more funding for Coast Guard.

8/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1251
Sense of the Senate:
(A) the People’s Republic of China as the Department’s pacing challenge;
(B) the Indo-Pacific as the Department’s
priority theater; and
(C) a Taiwan contingency as the Department’s pacing scenario;

@DEricSayers

10/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1244
Defense of Taiwan🇹🇼
"it shall be the policy of the US to maintain the ability of the US Armed Forces to deny a fait accompli against Taiwan in order to deter the PRC from using military force to unilaterally change the status quo with Taiwan."

11/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1245
Congress wants a "multi-year plan to provide for the acquisition of appropriate defensive capabilities by Taiwan and to engage with Taiwan in a series of combined trainings, exercises, and planning activities"

@DEricSayers

12/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1247
Congress wants a program to "increase warning time of potential aggression by adversary nation states, focusing especially on INDOPACOM & EUCOM"

13/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1044

But Senate also wants control over "Collective Self Defense" and who can promise it.

14/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1275

The Senate wants an "independent assessment of resourcing, policy, and process challenges to implementing #AUKUS"
🇦🇺🇬🇧🇺🇸

@graham_euan @ashleytownshend @Rory_Medcalf @limdarrenj

15/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1061

Tying the main strategic elements of the NDAA all together, the Senate, like the House, also wants the National Defense Strategy (NDS) submitted as an unclassified document.

11.1/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1245 on Planning for Defense of Taiwan:
The plan should include:
📝 assessment of Capability Gaps
💰Identifying resources available
⚔️US Security Assistance available

@DEricSayers @BDHerzinger

11.2/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1245 on Planning for Defense of Taiwan:
Identifying opportunities for interoperability:
🎮Table Top Exercises
🎲Wargames
🏃‍♀️Joint, Combined & Service Exercises
🚢Logistics exercises

@naval_gazing
@mercoglianos

16/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1021
Annual Naval Vessel Construction Plan

Congress continues to tell the Navy exactly what it wants reported. They don't seem to like what they have been getting.

@cdrsalamander @ConsWahoo @cgberube

17/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1022
Amphibious Warship Force Structure

Some more very detailed instructions to the Navy.
No less that 31 operational amphibs.

@zach_ota

@zach_ota 18/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1023
Limitations on Decommissioning

Some very specific guidance (and restrictions) on how the Navy can plan to decommission ships.

@JerryHendrixII @cdrsalamander

@zach_ota @JerryHendrixII @cdrsalamander 19/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1025
And specific guidance on the submitted plans for decommissioning certain ships.
The Senate says: Nope.

Seems the Senate thinks, unlike some others, that Quantity has a certain quality.

@cdrsalamander

@zach_ota @JerryHendrixII @cdrsalamander 20/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 121-125
Covers Navy Surface Ship procurements, and has been commented on by enough, though I'd highlight:
⚓️10 Ship-to-Shore Connector class craft
⚓️8 John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oiler ships.

@mercoglianos @zach_ota

21/ #FY23NDAA #S4543
Speaking of Ship-to-Shore connectors, while not mentioned in the text, the funding tables do show an increase in:
Army Watercraft for Modernization Service Life Extension funding & support for
Maneuver Support Vessels

@mercoglianos @WDMills1992 @zach_ota

@mercoglianos @WDMills1992 @zach_ota 22/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 126
Navy Shipbuilding Workforce Development Initiative

This looks like a good new initiative. Hope it is actually effective.

Thoughts? @mercoglianos & @johnkonrad @JerryHendrixII

@mercoglianos @WDMills1992 @zach_ota @johnkonrad @JerryHendrixII 23/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 351:
Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan of the Navy

Senate wants Navy to "obtain an independent cost estimate for the shipyard optimization program before starting the prioritization of projects under such program"

@mercoglianos @johnkonrad

@mercoglianos @WDMills1992 @zach_ota @johnkonrad @JerryHendrixII 24/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 352:

Senate wants a study on "the capacity & capability of private shipyards in the United States to repair, maintain, and modernize surface combatants & support ships of the Navy to ensure fleet readiness."

@johnkonrad @NavMechEng

@mercoglianos @WDMills1992 @zach_ota @johnkonrad @JerryHendrixII @NavMechEng 25/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1046:
Joint all domain command and control.

If anyone can explain this 9-page section to me using plain English, I'm all ears.

For example this is just one tidbit:

@BDHerzinger

@mercoglianos @WDMills1992 @zach_ota @johnkonrad @JerryHendrixII @NavMechEng @BDHerzinger 26/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1261
A report on "capabilities upgrades necessary to enable the 5th Fleet to address emerging threats in its area of responsibility"

This is the biggest headscratcher section for me.🤔
What about 7th Flt?

@BDHerzinger @DEricSayers @Jeremydcf

@mercoglianos @WDMills1992 @zach_ota @johnkonrad @JerryHendrixII @NavMechEng @BDHerzinger @DEricSayers @Jeremydcf 27/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1542:
Congress wants a Strategy for an "integrated air and missile defense capability" for the Middle East partners, to protect them from "from cruise and ballistic missiles, manned & unmanned aerial systems, & rocket attacks from Iran"
💰💰💰

@mercoglianos @WDMills1992 @zach_ota @johnkonrad @JerryHendrixII @NavMechEng @BDHerzinger @DEricSayers @Jeremydcf 28/ #FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 1543:

Senate wants SecDef to "designate a senior DoD individual responsible for the missile defense of Guam."

Whoever it is should read @BDHerzinger & @mgerrydoyle's new book.

@mercoglianos @WDMills1992 @zach_ota @johnkonrad @JerryHendrixII @NavMechEng @BDHerzinger @DEricSayers @Jeremydcf @mgerrydoyle 29/ The final section I will mention:
#FY23NDAA #S4543 Sec 3501:
The Maritime Administration.
Looks like a total update to the Title 49 on
@DOTMARAD

Look fwd to @mercoglianos & @johnkonrad comments on this section.

30/ And that's a wrap on my review of #FY23NDAA #S4543 and the sections that interest me.

Hope this was useful.

Thx @NavMechEng for the motivation.