The House Armed Services Committee has introduced a bill that would allocate $621.5 billion in defense base budget and $75 billion in overseas contingency operations funds for fiscal year 2018, The Hill reported Monday.HASC’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2018 reflects a $28.5 billion increase from President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2018 budget request.
The bill would equip the U.S. Army with additional 17,000 troops, authorize a 2.4 percent increase in service personnel’s pay, add $2.5 billion in funds for missile defense programs and procure five more ships for the U.S. Navy.
Those ships include two Littoral Combat Ships, one destroyer, one expeditionary support base ship and one amphibious dock landing vessel, the report added.
Reuters also reported that that measure would authorize the Defense Department to procure a total of 87 aircraft in 2018, including 17 additional Lockheed Martin-built F-35Â jets and 22 Boeing-made F-18s.
The 2018 NDAA includes proposed changes to DoD’s acquisition practices and seeks to allow the military to procure commercial-off-the-shelf goods from e-commerce markets.
Members of the House committee are scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss the bill, the report added.
