The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate recently passed the defense bill, paving the way for $57 million in funding for Huntsville, an online report stated. According to Rep. Dale Strong, R-Huntsville, the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) allocates $40 million for a military testing facility at Redstone Arsenal and $17 million for an Alabama National Guard base in Huntsville.
Investments in North Alabama defense infrastructure
Strong emphasized the NDAA’s importance to Redstone Arsenal and the broader North Alabama region, citing its impact on service members, civilians, contractors, and military families. He praised the bill’s $895.2 billion defense funding, which includes investments for the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons programs, and other initiatives.
Funding and modernization highlights for the 5th District
Within Alabama’s 5th congressional district, Strong highlighted $200 million designated for research, development, testing, and procurement projects. The bill also requests a report on modernizing the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, managed by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command at Redstone Arsenal.
Additional provisions benefiting service members and families
Additional provisions in the NDAA include:
A 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% raise for all others.
Support for military spouses through the Military Spouse Career Accelerator and streamlined license transfers between states.
Expansion of private-sector apprenticeships under the SkillBridge program.
A review of national defense impacts from the illegal seizure of Vulcan Materials’ quarry in Mexico.
Permanent authorization of the APFIT program, which includes district participants.
Strong described this year’s NDAA as prioritizing service members’ quality of life, military readiness, accountability, and deterring adversaries while cutting funding for controversial policies within the Defense Department.
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