Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
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Would set policies and authorize appropriations for the Department of Defense, Department of Energy national security programs, and the Coast Guard for fiscal year 2026, covering everything from weapons procurement and military personnel strengths to health care benefits and acquisition reform.
Among its most significant provisions, the bill would establish the Golden Dome national missile defense program, create automatic Selective Service registration for young men, extend TRICARE fertility coverage to active-duty members, ban diversity-equity-inclusion programs at DOD, and overhaul how the Pentagon buys weapons under a new 'SPEED Act' framework — making it one of the most sweeping NDAAs in recent years.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, military construction, and defense activities of the Department of Energy. It sets active-duty end strengths — Army at 454,000, Navy at 344,600, Marine Corps at 172,300, Air Force at 321,500, and Space Force at 10,400 — along with comparable floors for reserve components. It would authorize multiyear procurement contracts for Ford-class aircraft carriers, Columbia-class submarines, Virginia-class submarines, UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, and other major systems; direct a new Golden Dome national missile defense architecture; prohibit all DOD diversity-equity-inclusion programs; overhaul the defense acquisition system through a new "Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery" framework; and make the Commandant of the Coast Guard a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
It would also extend TRICARE coverage to fertility treatment and up to a year's supply of contraception for active-duty members and dependents; prohibit TRICARE coverage of gender-related medical treatment; amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice to create a standalone child-pornography article and authorize the death penalty for rape of a child; require automatic Selective Service registration; reform Service Academy admissions to weight standardized test scores at a minimum of 45 percent of a composite score; and impose sweeping new prohibitions on procuring information technology, batteries, and other goods from Chinese-linked entities. The bill does not itself appropriate funds — it authorizes them, subject to subsequent appropriations action.
Key provisions
- 1Sets active-duty end strengths for FY2026: Army 454,000; Navy 344,600; Marine Corps 172,300; Air Force 321,500; Space Force 10,400.
- 2Would authorize multiyear procurement contracts for Ford-class carriers (up to two), Columbia-class submarines (up to five), and Virginia-class submarine components, with incremental funding authority.
- 3Would establish a Golden Dome for America national missile defense system and modify national missile defense policy to reflect the administration's Golden Dome initiative.
- 4Would amend the Military Selective Service Act to require automatic registration of male citizens and residents ages 18–26 by the Selective Service Director, effective one year after enactment.
- 5Would extend TRICARE Prime and Select coverage to fertility treatment, including in vitro fertilization with up to three oocyte retrievals per year, for active-duty members and dependents; effective October 1, 2027.
- 6Would prohibit all DOD diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, offices, training, employee resource groups, and related positions; repeals the Chief Diversity Officer position in law.
- 7Would overhaul the defense acquisition system through the SPEED Act framework, aligning program executive officers with warfighter needs, reforming the requirements process, adjusting acquisition thresholds, and creating new commercial-innovation pathways.
Who would be affected
Active-duty service members and their families (health benefits, pay, leave, child care), reserve and National Guard members, military retirees and veterans using TRICARE, young men subject to Selective Service, defense contractors and acquisition professionals, DOD civilian employees, institutions of higher education receiving DOD funding, allies receiving U.S. security cooperation, communities affected by PFAS contamination from military installations, and the defense industrial base broadly.
Why it matters
If enacted, the bill would reshape how the Pentagon buys weapons, who can serve and under what conditions, which health benefits military families receive, and how adversaries — especially China — are excluded from defense supply chains. Changes like automatic Selective Service registration, TRICARE fertility coverage, and a ban on DEI programs would directly affect millions of Americans beyond the defense establishment, while the Golden Dome missile defense mandate would redirect billions in future investment.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. 3802) (Sec. 534)
Replaces voluntary registration with automatic registration of eligible male citizens and residents ages 18–26 by the Selective Service Director, effective one year after enactment.
Creates Uniform Code of Military Justice, Art. 117b (new) (Sec. 553)
Adds a standalone punitive article criminalizing possession, distribution, and production of child pornography, with maximum sentences up to 30 years for production.
Amends Uniform Code of Military Justice, Art. 120b (10 U.S.C. § 920b) (Sec. 554)
Authorizes imposition of the death penalty for the offense of rape of a child under the UCMJ.
Amends Berry Amendment (10 U.S.C. § 4862) (Sec. 851)
Repeals the small-purchase exception to the domestic-sourcing requirement for food, clothing, and textiles purchased for DOD.
Amends 10 U.S.C. § 4872 (prohibition on sensitive materials from non-allied foreign nations) (Sec. 865)
Adds molybdenum to the list of materials DOD may not procure from non-allied foreign nations.
Amends 10 U.S.C. § 151 (Joint Chiefs of Staff membership) (Sec. 911)
Adds the Commandant of the Coast Guard as a statutory member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Amends 10 U.S.C. § 152 (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs eligibility) (Sec. 919)
Adds the Chief of the National Guard Bureau to the list of officers eligible for appointment as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Automatic Selective Service registration requirement takes effect
- TRICARE fertility treatment coverage applies to services provided on or after
- Prohibition on advanced battery acquisition from foreign entities of concern begins
- Strategy to eliminate reliance on covered nations for optical glass and computer displays must be complete by
- Upgraded grades for Reserve Component chiefs (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force) take effect
- Air refueling tanker minimum inventory rises to 485 aircraft
- Air refueling tanker minimum inventory rises to 504 aircraft
- Prohibition on blockchain equipment or services from covered foreign adversaries takes effect
Funding and costs
- $50,000,000
Quantum communications corridor linking DOD installations, national labs, and universities for Navy RDT&E
- $35,000,000
Assistance to local educational agencies with significant numbers of military-dependent students
- $20,000,000
Military-Civilian Medical Surge Program under Defense Health Program
- $35,000,000
Flight hours for Army Reserve Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigades
- up to $20,000,000
Advanced manufacturing practices and materials for hypersonics research and development
- $6,000,000,000
General transfer authority ceiling — maximum amount Secretary of Defense may transfer between FY2026 authorization accounts
- $1,000,000
Servicewomen's Commemorative Partnership reauthorization
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates the bill would increase discretionary outlays by $868.1 billion over the 2025–2035 period, with negligible effects on direct spending or revenues (less than $500,000 net over the same window).
H.R. 3838 authorizes $884.3 billion in appropriations for fiscal year 2026—$882.9 billion for defense (Department of Defense military functions and atomic energy activities) and $1.4 billion for nondefense programs—and CBO estimates those authorized amounts, if appropriated, would produce $868.1 billion in outlays over the 2025–2035 period. The bill's effects on direct spending (mandatory programs) and revenues are negligible, each falling between -$500,000 and $500,000 over the scoring window; statutory pay-as-you-go procedures nonetheless apply. Major cost drivers beyond the base authorization include a 26,100 increase in active-duty end strength (+$22.5 billion over 2026–2030), a one-year extension of military bonuses and allowances (+$13.1 billion over 2026–2030), a new TRICARE requirement to cover assisted reproductive technology beginning in 2028 (+~$1.8 billion over 2028–2030), and multiyear/block-buy procurement contracts for Black Hawk helicopters, Ford-class aircraft carriers, Columbia-class submarines, and military housing. CBO identified intergovernmental and private-sector mandates—chiefly expanded Servicemembers Civil Relief Act obligations tied to the larger active-duty force and a preemption of state insurance laws for a TRICARE supplemental pilot program—but estimates both fall below UMRA's annual cost thresholds ($103 million and $206 million, respectively).
How implementation would work
The bill operates primarily through directing agency action: DOD must issue regulations, establish programs, and submit hundreds of reports and briefings to Congress within specified deadlines. Major implementation arcs include: (1) the SPEED Act acquisition reforms, which require rulemaking on thresholds, pricing, and program office structures within 180 days; (2) automatic Selective Service registration, which requires the Selective Service Director to develop data-sharing arrangements with federal agencies to identify registrants; (3) TRICARE fertility coverage, deferred to October 2027 to allow system preparation; (4) the Golden Dome framework, which requires DOD to align missile defense architecture and policy; and (5) supply chain prohibitions on Chinese entities, many of which take effect one to two years after enactment to allow contractors to transition. Funding is authorized but must be separately appropriated; the FY2026 funding tables in Division D set line-item levels subject to appropriations action.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill sets forth policies and authorities for FY2026 for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, military construction, and the national security programs of the Department of Energy and the Maritime Administration. It also authorizes appropriations for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board and the Naval Petroleum Reserves, and modifies the defense acquisition system to expedite delivery of capabilities to the Armed Forces.
Among other elements, the bill
- authorizes the acquisition or modification of various military items (e.g., aircraft) and sets policy for certain procurement programs;
- authorizes research, development, test, and evaluation and sets policy for such activities;
- sets active component and reserve component end-strength levels;
- sets policy regarding various aspects of military health care and military compensation;
- sets policy regarding acquisitions and acquisition management, including contracting authorities and small businesses;
- sets policy for various matters related to DOD interactions with foreign nations, including matters concerning Israel;
- sets policy for various matters related to DOD cyber activities, cyber workforce and training, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence matters; and
- authorizes the activities of the National Nuclear Security Administration, defense environmental cleanup, nuclear energy, and other defense activities.
For additional information on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) see
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Committee report
H. Rept. 119-231