National Defense Authorization Act: Looking Inside The $662 Billion Bill

A look at the $662 billion defense bill that would authorize funds for military personnel, weapons systems, national security programs in the Energy Department and the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan:

_$530 billion for the base Defense Department budget.

_$116 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

_$17 billion for defense programs in the Energy Department.

_A 1.6 percent across-the-board pay raise for all members of the uniformed services.

_Expands the Joint Chiefs of Staff to make the head of the National Guard Bureau a member. The chairman and service chiefs had opposed this change.

_Slight increase in enrollment fees for TRICARE, the military's health care system.

_Allows a military chaplain to decline to perform a marriage as a matter of conscience or moral principle. The military allows gays to serve openly.

_Freezes $700 million for Pakistan until the defense secretary provides Congress a report on how Islamabad is countering the threat of improvised explosive devices.

_Requires Lockheed Martin to assume full responsibility for cost overruns on the next batch and future purchases of the troubled F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. The program for the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy has been plagued by delays and extra expenses, with estimates that it could become the most expensive in Pentagon history – $ 1 trillion for 2,443 planes.

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[MacTheCat]

07:53 PM on 12/14/2011

Indefinite Detention

Military acting as police in a civilian society.

Both Unconstitutional.

[MarleyIsaLovelyDog]

05:55 PM on 12/14/2011

If I was elected as the president in 2012 I'd detain the congress and practically every politician. And hold them indefinitely. I mean if I had a suspicion it must be enough and no lawyers and all that old-fashioned stuff would be needed. After all I am the President. And if you doubt me you are very Anti-American. And I will detain you too.

[chuck wasserman]

05:21 PM on 12/14/2011

im going to find a nice Amish girl !!

[seatheworld1]

12:30 AM on 12/15/2011

lol

[girlalive1]

04:58 PM on 12/14/2011

$530 billion for the base Defense Department budget.
$116 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
$17 billion for defense programs in the Energy Department.

Effectively eliminating American citizens' constitutional rights: Priceless.

“Beating people up in little rooms … he knew where that led. And if you did it for a good reason, you’d do it for a bad one. You couldn’t say ‘we’re the good guys’ and do bad guy things.” -Terry Pratchett, Thud!

[Marshall Getto]

03:25 PM on 12/14/2011

You forgot the part about taking away habeas corpus (and centuries of law precedent) by allowing the President to decide to classify anyone an enemy combatant and anywhere a battle field, totally independently of any other body, enabling the military to act effectively as domestic police. American citizens could be held without charges indefinitely! This is a horrible treason-laden piece of legislation (and this article is extremely wrong not to mention it)! Veto!

[getoffmedz]

12:33 PM on 12/14/2011

This weasel-worded AP piece omits this very important piece of information!

H.R.1540 or S. 1867

Please review these bills and decide for yourself.

[CSKAP]

12:12 PM on 12/14/2011

"Expands the Joint Chiefs of Staff to make the head of the National Guard Bureau a member. The chairman and service chiefs had opposed this change."
Ok, if they were against it, who was for it?
This is already in place. When I wanted to get married I went to the base Chaplin and was told that since I was not a regular church goer he would not perform the ceremony. I told him it was very important to my soon to be wife and family. He said “Too bad” then contacted the other 6 Chaplains on the base to make sure none of them would perform the ceremony either.
I was lucky and caught one actually coming in the door off leave and got a commitment before he was gotten to.

[getoffmedz]

12:05 PM on 12/14/2011

This is a terrible bill for manifold reasons.

• Spending! We are not in WWIII. $100B would be too much.
• Civil liberties. Still OVERREACTING to 9/11.
• All the nonsense which has been attached.

VETO this thing!