• Taiwan Cybersecurity Resiliency Act [Sec. 1518: Military cybersecurity cooperation with Taiwan]
  In 2019, the Taiwanese government estimated that it faces 20 to 40 million cyberattacks monthly, with its National Security Bureau alone facing roughly 100,000 hacking attempts each month. This bill, led by Senators Jacky Rosen and Mike Rounds and For Country Caucus members Representatives Mike Gallagher and Chrissy Houlahan, requires the Department of Defense to expand cybersecurity cooperation with Taiwan, including conducting combined cybersecurity training activities and exercises and leveraging United States commercial and military cybersecurity technology to harden Taiwan’s critical national networks, infrastructure, and systems.
• Intellectual Property Strategy [Sec. 808: Pilot program for the use of innovative intellectual property strategies]
  Led by For Country Caucus member Representative Jimmy Panetta, this provision directs the Department of Defense to establish a pilot program for the use of innovative intellectual property strategies to acquire the necessary data rights required for swift acquisition and sustainment of fieldable technologies.
• Military Spouse Employment Act [Sec. 1112]
  Led by Senators Maggie Hassan and James Lankford and For Country Caucus member Representative Chrissy Houlahan, this bill allows executive agencies to appoint military spouses to remote work positions where current appointment authority does not specifically extend to remote positions.
• Sec. 1536: Authority to conduct pilot program on Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve
  Building upon previous work, this provision led by Senators Jacky Rosen and Marsha Blackburn authorizes the Department of the Army to establish a Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve to leverage non-military cybersecurity expertise in a reserve capacity to bolster America’s cyber defense capabilities and to strengthen our cyber infrastructure.
• Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act [Sec. 601: Parental leave parity for members of certain reserve components of the Armed Forces]
  Led by Senators Maggie Hassan and Lisa Murkowski and For Country Caucus members Representatives Zach Nunn and Jeff Jackson, this bill expands parental leave eligibility for Reserve and National Guard members to cover all new parents, not just birthing mothers. In November, With Honor Action led a letter signed by Blue Star Families, the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS), and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in support of this bill.
• Codification & Elevation of the Defense Innovation Unit [Sec. 913]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Mike Gallagher, would codify the Defense Innovation Unit, an organization in the Department of Defense that specializes in identifying, investing in, and adopting commercial dual-use technology at speed and scale and clarifies its Director as the principal staff assistant to the Secretary of Defense on the issues under its jurisdiction.
• Organization & Management of the Defense Innovation Unit [Sec. 913: Support for Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships]
  This subsection authorizes the Defense Innovation Unit to identify and support multi-stakeholder research and innovation across the whole of society, including institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, for-profit commercial enterprises, and departments or agencies of the federal government.
• Including military service in determining Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) eligibility for Federal employees [Sec. 1114]
  Allows military service time to count towards the one year employment requirement for eligibility to use FMLA for veterans who are now Federal employees.
• Oversight of Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act [Sec. 1308]
  Strengthens oversight of the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act by adding reporting requirements on the actions taken to establish or expand comprehensive military training programs with Taiwan, consultative mechanisms with appropriate Taiwanese government officials, and multi-year plans to provide for the acquisition of defensive capabilities.
• Report on Department of Defense roles and responsibilities in support of National Strategy for the Arctic Region [Conference Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Jimmy Panetta, directs the Secretary of Defense to submit a report detailing the Department’s lines of efforts in support of the National Strategy for the Arctic Region, which includes implementation plans for each military department and the Office of Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. This follows With Honor Action’s previous work on the passage of the Arctic Security Initiative Act.
• Report on National Service Information Sharing for Recruitment [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Chrissy Houlahan, directs the Secretary of Defense to work with AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps, the Selective Service system, and the Office of Personnel Management to provide a report which would include strategies to share applicant information with other federal agencies when an applicant either chooses not to join or is ineligible to participate and to explore mutually beneficial ways to promote each agency’s service opportunities. This follows With Honor Action’s previous work on the Inspire to Serve Act and broader national service priorities.
• Annual report regarding overdoses by certain members of the Armed Forces [Sec. 724]
  In response to a September 2022 letter, the Department of Defense reported 322 fatal overdoses among active duty servicemembers between 2017 and 2021 and as many as 14,961 non-fatal overdoses from 2017 to the present. Led by Senators Lisa Murkowski and Ed Markey as well as For Country Caucus member Representative Seth Moulton, this provision requires the Secretary of Defense to provide to Congress a report on the number of annual overdoses among servicemembers and their families, and annually for four years after that.
• Establishment of the Military Family Readiness Working Group for Military Housing [Sec. 2821]
  This provision establishes a Working Group for Military Housing within the Department of Defense’s Military Family Readiness Council, a crucial step towards addressing the shortcomings in oversight of privatized military housing, composed of officers and enlisted servicemembers from across the Armed Services, military spouses, and senior Department and branch officials. The Working Group will meet no less than twice a year and make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense on policies for covered military housing.
• Study on the occupational resiliency of the Cyber Mission Force [Sec. 1538]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus members Representatives Mike Gallagher and Chrissy Houlahan, directs the Department of Defense to conduct a study on the ability of Cyber Mission Force personnel to mitigate unique psychological factors that degrade mental health and jojb performance, including the accessibility of available resources and a determination regarding the adequacy and accessibility of such resources and programs.
• DOD PFAS Cleanup Transparency Act [Sec. 321: Report on schedule and cost estimates for completion of testing and remediation of contaminated sites; publication of cleanup information]
  This provision, co-led by For Country Caucus members Representatives Jack Bergman and Chrissy Houlahan, requires the Secretary of Defense to regularly update and publish on a publicly available website information on the status of the cleanup of sites for which the Secretary has obligated amounts for environmental restoration activities at military installations with respect to perfluoroalkyl substances and polyperfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
• China Defense Spending Transparency Act [Sec. 1313: Studies on defense budget transparency of the People’s Republic of China and the United States ]
  This provision, led by Senators Mitt Romney, Angus King, Joe Manchin, Dan Sullivan, and For Country Caucus member Representative Mike Gallagher, directs the Department of Defense to conduct a comparative study on the transparency of the People’s Republic of China’s public defense spending. This follows reports that China’s defense spending may be as much as double current estimates.
• Plan for an integrated and resilient satellite communications architecture for the Space Force [Sec. 1611]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Jack Bergman, tasks the Department of the Air Force with developing a plan to integrate nuclear-survivable communications satellite constellation for the United States into Space Force capabilities.
• Joint Energetics Transition Office [Sec. 241]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Mike Gallagher, directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a Joint Energetics Transition Office responsible for evaluating the current regulatory environment and acquisition processes and speeding the development and fielding of advanced energetic materials used in explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics.
• Military Spouse Career Support Act [Sec. 635: Expansion of qualifying events for which a member of the uniformed services may be reimbursed for spousal relicensing or business costs due to the member’s relocation]
  This provision, led by Senators Jon Ossoff and Eric Schmitt, expands qualifying events under which military spouses may be reimbursed for relicensing and business costs to include transfers from a regular component of a uniformed service into the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve.
• Junior Enlisted Housing Affordability Act [Sec. 622: Improved calculation of Basic Allowance for Housing for junior enlisted members]
  This provision, led by Senators Jon Ossoff and Eric Schmitt, provides the Department of Defense with more flexibility to determine housing stipends for servicemembers.
• Dual Basic Allowance for Housing for training [Sec. 624]
  This provision authorizes a dual Basic Allowance for Housing for reservists without dependents who are called or ordered to active duty to attend training for at least 140 days but fewer than 365 days.
• Comforting Our Military Families through On-Base or Remote Treatment (COMFORT) Act [Sec. Non-medical counseling services for military families]
  This provision, led by Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Dan Sullivan, increases access to counseling services on military bases by allowing Military and Family life counselors to work outside of the state they are licensed, addressing the behavioral health professionals shortage and allowing the Department of Defense to surge resources to areas in response to traumatic events, natural disasters, or deployments.
• Critical Mineral Independence Act [Sec. 1414]
  This provision, led by Senators Mitt Romney, Dan Sullivan, and Gary Peters, tasks the Department of Defense to assess vulnerabilities in its supply chain, identify and recommend changes to acquisition laws, regulations, and policies, and prioritize recommendations to achieve critical mineral supply chain independence.
• Matters pertaining to hypersonic capabilities and testing strategies [Sec. 218]
  This provision, building upon a provision led by For Country Caucus member Representative Morgan Luttrell, tasks the Department of Defense with regularly updating and providing a report to Congress on the Department’s hypersonics testing strategy to include the identification of new testing ranges and investments in testing infrastructure.
• Seaman Xavier Sandor Support for Sailors Act [Sec. 623: Basic Allowance for Housing for members assigned to vessels undergoing maintenance]
  This provision, named after Seaman Xavier Sandor, who was one of the three tragic suicide deaths in the span of two weeks aboard the USS George Washington in 2022, was incorporated in part and authorizes a Basic Allowance for Housing for sailors who are assigned to a ship undergoing extended maintenance.
• Modification of calculation of gross household income for basic needs allowance to address areas of demonstrated need [Sec. 621]
  This provision, based on efforts led by Senators Tammy Duckworth and Lisa Murkowski and For Country Caucus members Representatives Jimmy Panetta and Sanford D. Bishop, authorizes the Secretaries of the military branches to exclude from gross income, for the purposes of eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance, any portion of the Basic Allowance for Housing paid to a service member.
• Cost-of-living allowance in the continental United States: High Cost Areas
  This provision expands eligibility for the cost-of-living allowance for service members stationed in CONUS (continental United States) by lowering the threshold for “high cost areas” from 108% to 105% of the average cost of living.
• OCONUS (outside the continental United States) cost-of-living allowance: Adjustments [Sec. 627]
  This provision limits the Department of Defense’s ability to decrease the overseas cost-of-living allowance (OCOLA), a non-taxable allowance received by roughly 230,000 service members on top of their regular pay to offset cost differences while serving abroad. To combat large decreases in the OCALA, the Department may only decrease the OCALA twice per calendar year and is limited in how much the OCALA may be decreased.
• Military Families Mental Health Services Act [Sec. 701: Waiver of cost-sharing for three mental health outpatient visits for certain beneficiaries under the TRICARE program]
  This provision aims to cut costs for active duty military families and expand access to mental health care services by providing family members covered by TRICARE, the military’s health insurance provider, with three free outpatient mental health visits per year, an estimated savings of $90 per person, per year.
• Troops-to-Teachers Program: expansion; extension [Sec. 574]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Michael Waltz, expands the Troops-to-Teachers program to allow veterans to become instructors and administrators for the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and extends the program from 2025 to 2027. Between Fiscal Years 2014 and 2020, the Government Accountability Office reports that the program registered approximately 50,000 participants.
• Protection and legal preparedness for members of the Armed Forces abroad [Sec. 1229]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Nick LaLota, tasks the Department of Defense and the Department of State to review the legal protections in place for service members deployed to foreign countries with which the United States maintains a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and to review and improve training and education materials for members of the Armed Forces covered by such protections. This follows the tragic, ongoing story of Lt. Ridge Alkonis, who was involved in a fatal car crash in Fujinomiya, Japan, and was sentenced to a three-year prison term despite multiple diagnoses of “acute mountain sickness” which affected Alkonis’s motor abilities.
• Cybersecurity Risk Inventory, Assessment, and Mitigation Working Group [Sec. 3113]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus members Representatives Salud Carbajal, Don Bacon, and Mike Gallagher, is based on recommendation by the Government Accountability Office recommendation to shore up the cybersecurity resources for the National Nuclear Security Administration. It would Create a working group responsible for developing a strategy to assess and identify at-risk NNSA systems in the operational technology and nuclear weapons information technology environments and implement risk mitigation actions.
• Expansion of authority to pay a member of the Armed Forces who is absent without leave or over leave for such absence [Sec. 603]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Nick LaLota, authorizes the Secretary of Defense to continue to issue pay and allowances to certain members of the Armed Forces who are absent without leave. This follows the tragic, ongoing story of Lt. Ridge Alkonis, who was involved in a fatal car crash in Fujinomiya, Japan, and was sentenced to a three-year prison term despite multiple diagnoses of “acute mountain sickness” which affected Alkonis’s motor abilities. Alkonis’s pay and allowances had originally been revoked when military officers classified him as “absent in violation of orders,” but were restored in the federal funding bill passed at the end of 2022.
• Due date for report on efforts to prevent and respond to deaths by suicide in the Navy [Sec. 592]
  This provision extends the statutory deadline for the Department of Defense’s Inspector General’s office to conclude its report on the suicides that occurred in 2022 among servicemembers assigned to the aircraft carrier USS George Washington.
• Family Separation Allowance: Increase, Review
  The Family Separation Allowance is an additional compensation paid to servicemembers whose family members cannot live with or near them at their permanent duty station and is currently capped at $250 per month. This provision, led by For Country Caucus Co-Chair Representative Tony Gonzales, will increase this allowance by $150, totaling $400 per month.
• Insider Threat Assessment Act [Sec. 7308: Insider Threats]
  Following the leaks of highly classified Pentagon information by airman Jack Teixeira, this provision led by For Country Caucus member Representative Pat Ryan directs the Director of National Intelligence to conduct assessments and audits of compliance of each aspect of the intelligence community’s insider threat detection mechanisms, including those in the Department of Defense, and to identify gaps and shortfalls and the resources needed to address them.
• Enforcement of program requirements for the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps [Sec. 555]
  This provision, led by Senator Roger Wicker and building upon the work of For Country Caucus member Representative Michael Waltz, allows the Secretary of Defense to place on probation a unit of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps that fails to comply with program requirements to mitigate program deficiencies or to protect the safety of program participants. The Secretary will also submit to Congress a report which includes justification for the reinstatement of any unit suspended or placed on probation.
• Report on the provision of mental health services via telehealth to members of the Armed Forces and their dependents [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing on the Department’s efforts to provide telehealth mental health services, including any challenges experienced by servicemembers and their families in obtaining continuing care when moving states or to a location outside of the United States and how the Department accommodates members of the Armed Forces who benefit from continued care from a specific mental health provider.
• Service member Mental Health Support Act [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing detailing the mental health care referral policies of the Armed Forces and making any related legislative recommendations that the Secretary deems appropriate.
• Briefing on multi-year plan to fulfill defense requirements of military forces of Taiwan [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Mike Gallagher, directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing on the status of efforts to develop and implement the joint multi-year plan to fulfill the defense requirements of military forces of Taiwan that was a statutory requirement passed in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023.
• Government Accountability Office study on process for determining cost-of-living allowances for members of the uniformed services assigned to the continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska, and overseas locations [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on determining cost-of-living allowances for servicemembers which includes the fairness of equity of the determination process and whether certain out-of-pocket expenses should be included in such calculations.
• Sense of Congress on access to mental health services through TRICARE [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision expresses Congress’s support for the Department of Defense’s efforts to ensure that members of the National Guard and their covered dependents who are enrolled in TRICARE have timely access to mental health services.
• Seaplane procurement and employment [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Mike Gallagher, directs the Department of Defense to provide an analysis on the feasibility and utility of the Department procuring seaplanes and amphibious aircraft.
• Plan to expedite integration of Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles into legacy aircraft fleets [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Mike Gallagher, directs the Department of Defense to submit a plan to integrate Long-Tange Anti-Ship Missiles into legacy aircraft fleets.
• Report on plan for coverage of certain devices capable of precenting and treating migraines for military personnel [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Don Davis, directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing on whether to cover certain migraine prevention devices approved by the Food and Drug Administration capable of treating and preventing migraines for military personnel.
• Annual review and update of online information relating to suicide prevention [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision directs the Department of Defense to review and update online, publicly available information for suicide prevention efforts, including contact information, and to provide a briefing to Congress indicating the completion of this review and update.
• Study on non-clinical mental health services of the Department of Defense [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing regarding the Department’s non-clinical mental health services, including how these programs are implemented across the Department, the distribution of non-clinical mental health professionals, their effectiveness, and recommendations for the future of non-clinical mental health programs including the Military and Family Life Counseling Program.
• Report on Access to Breastfeeding Support [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Chrissy Houlahan, directs the Department of Defense to provide a report on breastfeeding support services offered by the Department including sanitary expression, appropriate storage, and safe transport of breastmilk and to provide clarity on how many servicewomen remain in need of breastfeeding support.
• Report on improving fertility support services for geographically distant service members [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Chrissy Houlahan, directs the Department of Defense to provide a report that includes the number of service members who have accessed fertility care at a military treatment facility (MTF), an analysis of commercial entities that provide fertility services and estimated cost comparisons to Department facilities, and estimates of potential savings that service members could realize if fertility services were available without the need for travel.
• Report on TRICARE coverage issues for National Guardsmen and Reservists [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Chrissy Houlahan, addresses gaps in coverage and providers in TRICARE for National Guardsmen and Reservists who switch between TRICARE Reserve Select and TRICARE Prime as they shift to active-duty service and back. Such changes result in gaps that leave Reservists and National Guardsmen responsible for paying insurance deductibles multiple times per year. In response, the Department of Defense will provide a report that outlines the costs and feasibility of extending TRICARE coverage during transition periods, extending coverage to the entirety of active duty service, and waiving deductibles and lowering the initial premium payment from s two- to one-month premium.
• Protecting Widows of Servicemembers from Financial Exploitation [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus members Representatives Nick LaLota and Jimmy Panetta, directs the Department of Defense to submit a report on what programs are available to service members and their families that provide financial advice, efforts to decrease conflicts of interest, and if these programs are duplicative of existing programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Artificial Intelligence in U.S. Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Jeff Jackson, directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing on how the Department currently incorporates AI into Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) and any plans to do so over the Future Years Defense Program.
• Cooperation Among U.S. Defense Partners [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Mike Gallagher, directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing on ways in which the Department can work with partner countries to provide advice and assistance to Taiwan including in regards to cybersecurity, reserve force management and conscription, counter-disinformation campaigns, and civil missile defense.
• Indoor Air Quality Monitoring and Remediation [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country caucus member Representative Don Davis, directs the Department of Defense to prepare a plan for a pilot program to omplement integrated air quality monitoring and remediation systems in military housing, healthcare facilities, and other facilities of the Department.
• Comptroller General Report on Perinatal Mental Health in the Military [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision directs to Comptroller General to conduct a review of related Department of Defense efforts to provide perinatal mental health services to members of the Armed Forces and their families, including a review of the specific training, certification, and resources the Defense Health Agency (DHA) makes available to obstetric and pediatric providers and an assessment of the availability of perinatal mental health care within DHA facilities.
• Extension of Troops-to-Teachers program to the Jobs Corps [Sec. 573]
  This provision allows for participants in the Troops-to-Teachers program to seek positions the in Jobs Corps, a program administered by the Department of Labor that offers free education and vocational training to over 60,000 young men and women annually.
• Expansion of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps [Sec. 551]
  This provision, led by Senator Roger Wicker, requires the Department of Defense to establish and support not less than 3,400 and not more than 4,000 units of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, an expansion from the existing 3,275 units.
• Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Administrator and Instructor Compensation [Sec. 553]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Michael Waltz, allows the Secretary of a military department to authorize an expansion of the individuals qualified to serve as administrators and instructors in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps but prohibits any reduction in pay of current instructors as a result of the implementation of this provision.
• Stop Funding JROTC at CCP-Owned Schools Act [Sec. 553: Prohibition of Establishment or Maintenance of a Unit of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at an Education Institution Owned, Operated, or Controlled by the Chinese Communist Party]
  This provision, led by Senator Ted Cruz and For Country Caucus Members Representatives Michael Waltz and Chrissy Houlahan, would bar the Department of Defense from maintaining JROTC units at educational institutions that are owned, operated, or controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese military, or a Chinese military company.
• Report on Insurance for Military Housing Projects [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Don Bacon, directs the Department of Defense to provide a report on alternative insurance options for the construction and operation of military family housing and unaccompanied housing, noting that these insurance agreements were, in some cases, established over two decades ago.
• Report on Military Enlistment with Dependents [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Chrissy Houlahan, directs the Department of Defense to provide a report on the cost and feasibility of implementing faster waiver processes for single parent enlistment and consideration of offering waivers for enlistment above currently maximum allowable dependents based on spousal income. Currently, while the services prohibit enlistment with dependents without a waiver, this prohibition ends a few months after initial training. With nearly 4% of all active duty servicemembers being single parents, this policy does not reflect the real applications of this policy and places and undue restraint on recruitment.
• Report on TRICARE Delays [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Chrissy Houlahan, directs the Department of Defense to provide a report that includes an accounting of access to care metrics for beneficiaries enrolled in TRICARE to military treatment facilities and a description of business rules for referrals to civilian providers and potential options for increasing these referrals to improve access to care.

Washington, D.C.- After the Senate voted to go to conference with the House of Representatives, With Honor Action sent a letter to Senators Jack Reed and Roger Wicker, the leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), urging them to maintain four bipartisan provisions championed by members of the For Country Caucus in the final version of the FY 2024 NDAA that would greatly contribute to US military readiness. These provisions are already included in the House-passed version of the bill and would help modernize the Department of Defense, and support military families and veterans. 

With Honor Action’s endorsed provisions for the 2024 NDAA:

• The Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act (HR 2597 / S. 1095; Section 601 in H.R. 2670)
  • Extends the same active duty parental leave policy to National Guard and Reserve service members by expanding eligibility beyond birthing mothers to include fathers, adoptive parents, and foster parents.

• Military Service in Determining Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Eligibility for Federal Employees (H.R. 2670, Sec. 1118)
  • Allows a federal employee’s military service to count towards the 12 month eligibility requirement for receiving benefits under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
• Expands DoD’s Troops to Teachers program to include JROTC instructors and administrators and reauthorizes the program for an additional two years (HR 2670, Section 574)
  • Provides a pathway for veterans to become JROTC instructors under the DOD’s Troops to Teachers program and extends the life of the program for an additional two years.
    
• Organization and Management of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Codification and Elevation of the Defense Innovation Unit (HR 2670, Section 925)
  • Codifies the DIU, establishing and identifying units in each service branch to acquire and field scalable technology, and clarifies and elevates principal DIU leaders to report directly to the Secretary of Defense.

“It is critical to our national security that we pass the National Defense Authorization Act every fiscal year. With Honor Action urges SASC leadership to support and include these critical provisions spearheaded by members of the For Country Caucus,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “These pieces of legislation are common sense ideas that would strengthen national security and national competitiveness, improve military readiness, and better support military families and veterans.”

As the conference committee goes over what will be included in the final version of the annual defense bill, With Honor Action calls on Senate Armed Services Committee leadership to include these provisions and maintain our military readiness and national security, and support our nation’s heroes and their families. The full version of the letter outlines each provision in detail and can be found below:

The Honorable Jack Reed                  The Honorable Roger Wicker
U.S. Senate                                            U.S. Senate
728 Hart Senate Office Building       425 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510                      Washington, D.C. 20510

RE: FY24 NDAA Provisions in Support of Modernizing the DoD, Military Families, and Veterans

Dear Chairman Reed and Ranking Member Wicker:
As the conference committee begins to consider the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24 NDAA), With Honor Action respectfully requests you include the provisions discussed below, which are all included in the House-passed version of the bill. These provisions substantially contribute to military family readiness, improving the lives of our veterans and modernizing our military force.

Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act (HR 2597 / S. 1095; Section 601 in H.R. 2670)

This provision would put parental leave eligibility for members of the National Guard and Reserves on par with active-duty servicemembers. Currently, only birthing mothers are authorized to take parental leave for three drilling periods. This would extend that same leave to fathers, adoptive parents, and long-term foster care parents. To be clear, this provision only extends the same benefits to Reserve and National Guard parents that active-duty parents are already entitled to.

Military Service in Determining Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Eligibility for Federal Employees (H.R. 2670, Sec. 1118)

This legislation allows a federal employee’s military service to count towards the 12-month eligibility requirement for receiving benefits under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This would put FMLA eligibility on par with other federal benefits, such as retirement and vacation days, which already credit military service for eligibility. As you know, approximately 500,000 veterans have chosen to continue serving our nation as civil servants, comprising about 25% of the
federal workforce.

Expands DoD’s Troops to Teachers program to include JROTC instructors and administrators and reauthorizes the program for an additional two years (HR 2670, Section 574)

The Troops-to-Teachers program not only provides veterans with the path to a career as an educator but also provides kids with positive role models who served in the military. Given the ongoing recruiting crisis, such a program is a significant force multiplier for our overworked military recruiters. Failing to include this legislation will sunset this program.

Organization and Management of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Codification and Elevation of the Defense Innovation Unit (HR 2670, Section 925)

This provision codifies the DIU, establishing and identifying units in each service branch to acquire and field scalable technology, and clarifies and elevates principal DIU leaders to report directly to SECDEF. As our military seeks to modernize itself in an era of great power competition in a global environment of proliferating technology, this provision ensures that we can field new, innovative equipment that may be the difference between deterrence and war or victory and defeat.

Respectfully,
Rye Barcott, Co-founder and CEO
With Honor Action

Washington, D.C.- With Honor Action is proud to announce our endorsement of the Jax Act (H.R. 1753) sponsored by Rep. Darrell Issa, which would amend the records of female combat veterans who were never formally recognized for their service.

This legislation is named after Jaclyn “Jax” Scott, who served on a Cultural Support Team (CST) in Afghanistan. CSTs were units made up of female service members who deployed to combat zones alongside Special Operations Forces, before women were technically allowed to serve in combat roles. Because of this, they were never recognized for their combat service and missed out on rank, benefits, and health services.

“This is long overdue. These women served with courage and commitment alongside our Navy SEALS and Army Rangers,” said With Honor Action Co-Founder and CEO Rye Barcott. “Hundreds of women put their lives on the line without hesitation to fight with and support our military and should be treated as such.”

Annie Kleiman, a former With Honor Action Inaugural board member, and Rebekah Edmondson were members of a CST and trained Afghan women to serve as special operators in the Afghan National Army. They went on multiple deployments to Afghanistan and their service would finally be recognized with passage of the Jax Act.

“My CST sisters and I joined the program because we wanted to be part of something bigger than ourselves. But as women serving with Special Operation Forces units before the ground combat ban was lifted, we are also used to having our service questioned and minimized,” said Annie Kleiman. “The JAX act is an important step in validating our service, and I am grateful to the members of Congress and organizations supporting this legislation.”

“None of us served as CSTs for recognition, but truth be told, we were out there dodging the same rounds as our male counterparts. Passing the Jax Act would be a step in the right direction to acknowledge the ultimate sacrifices made and honor our colleagues, 1st Lt. Ashley White and Capt. Jennifer Moreno, who was killed in action while deployed as CSTs,” said Rebekah Edmondson.

The Jax Act has strong bipartisan support in the House from For Country Caucus members Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, Rep. Jason Crow, Rep. Pat Ryan, Rep. Seth Moulton. Rep. Zach Nunn, and Rep. Chris Deluzio as well as in the Senate with Sen. Jacky Rosen, Sen. Joni Ernst, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, and Sen. Dan Sullivan.  The American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and the Special Operations Associations of America (SOAA) have also all supported the bill. Congress must pass this legislation and formally recognize Cultural Support Teams as combat veterans.

Washington, DC — With Honor Action is calling on Congress to pass H.R. 5641, the Pay Our Troops Act immediately, to protect military pay in the instance of a possible government shutdown.

While previous shutdowns have not impacted military pay, currently Congress has not passed legislation ensuring that soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, cadets and guardians are protected. We can never let our service men and women go without pay, putting their financial security at risk and weakening our national defense.

The Pay Our Troops Act, co-sponsored by numerous members of the bipartisan For Country Caucus, will protect members of the military, including the Coast Guard, as well as certain U.S. Department of Defense civilian employees should Congress fail to provide temporary or full-year federal funding by September 30, 2023.

WASHINGTON, DC — With Honor Action, along with members of the bipartisan For Country Caucus, held a press conference earlier today, calling for support for our wartime Afghan allies.

August marked two years since the fall of Kabul, and much work remains to be done to support our Afghan allies, both at home and abroad. With Honor Action, along with members of the For Country Caucus, is committed to fulfilling America’s promises to those who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us for more than two decades in our nation’s longest war.

“America gave her word to our wartime allies: stand with us and we will stand with you,” said Rye Barcott, With Honor Action CEO & Co-Founder. “It’s time we keep our word. Leaving our allies behind is unacceptable and damaging to our national security.”

L-R: Rep. Fitzpatrick, Rep. Miller-Meeks, Rye Barcott, Rep. Nunn (at podium), Rep. Waltz, and Rep. Jackson

Press conference attendees included:

• Rep. Zach Nunn (IA-03)
• Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks (IA-01)
• Rep. Jeff Jackson (NC-14)
• Rep. Michael Waltz (FL-06)
• Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01)
• Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06)

Currently, there are two pieces of bipartisan legislation under consideration in the U.S. House focused on supporting our Afghan allies. The Afghan Adjustment Act, led by For Country Caucus Vice Chair Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, would provide Afghan refugees the opportunity to apply for permanent residence rather than being subject to traumatizing and complex asylum processes, expand eligibility in the special immigrant visa (SIV) program, and provide additional vetting to address any security concerns. The Afghan Allies Protection Act, led by For Country Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Jason Crow and For Country Caucus member Rep. Brad Wenstrup, would extend the life of the Afghan SIV program, provide an eligibility exemption for those injured or killed in the line of duty, and authorize an additional 20,000 special immigrant visas.

These two pieces of legislation address our commitments to our wartime allies by: 1) granting them the ability to settle in the United States permanently through the Afghan Adjustment Act and 2) providing more special immigrant visas to those who have been left behind, through the Afghan Allies Protection Act.

Check out this recent letter that With Honor Action and 23 other Veteran Service Organizations signed on to urging Congressional leadership to help our Afghan allies in their time of need.

August 15, 2023

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer                                 Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
322 Hart Senate Office Building                                 317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510                                                 Washington, DC 20510

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy                       Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries
2468 Rayburn House Office Building                         2433 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515                                                  Washington, DC 20515

Dear Senator Schumer, Speaker McCarthy, Leader McConnell, and Leader Jeffries,

We represent 24 unique veterans groups and write in support of protecting our Afghan allies. Tens of thousands of Afghans were left to the mercy of the Taliban when Kabul fell in 2021, unable to escape when coalition forces evacuated. They are interpreters who served in American units, members of the Afghan Air Force and Special Forces, female Afghan Security Forces members, judges, prosecutors, civil servants, journalists, teachers and more – they were our partners and friends, and they are fierce opponents of the Taliban. Today they are pursued by a murderous and radical regime set on revenge.

America gave these important allies and partners her word: stand with us and we’ll stand by you. To betray the trust that they placed in the United States would represent an intolerable moral failure and a stain on America’s conscience that would last generations. The compromise of our credibility and leadership on the world stage would be profound.

For two years, thousands of Afghans have been ruthlessly pursued by the Taliban and left in American bureaucratic limbo. The moral imperative is clear and the time to act is now.

We respectfully urge you to come to an appropriate legislative solution by the end of the calendar year 2023, whether it be in the National Defense Authorization Act, a consolidated appropriations bill (omnibus), or through regular order.

We ask that you prioritize the visa backlog for all at-risk Afghan allies and swift implementation of adequate vetting protocols in this agreement to protect our national security while keeping our promises.

We served and shed blood alongside many of these brave Afghans, whose only sin was to pursue a better democratic future for their country. Please do not allow them to be ignored and unprotected for another legislative calendar year. Their lives could well depend on whether America keeps her promise.

With respect and gratitude,

With Honor Action
No One Left Behind
POLARIS National Security
Moral Compass Federation
REACT DC
Operation Pineapple Express Relief
Task Force Argo
Blackfeather Foundation
1208 Foundation
Save Our Allies
Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches
Afghan Free
Flanders Fields Limited
Project Exodus Relief
Special Operations Association of America
Heart of an ACE
Operation Recovery
Operation Sacred Promise
NATO Afghanistan Justice Sector Project
UNCN
Operation Allies Refuge Foundation
Badger Six
Lifeline Foundation
Freedom Bird

MEMORANDUM

To: All Interested Parties
From: With Honor Action
Re: Assistance for our Afghan Allies
Date: 8/17/23

Current State:
As we mark two years since the fall of Kabul, there is still work to be done to safeguard our Afghan allies. With Honor Action is committed to fulfilling America’s promises to those who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us for over two decades. That means passing the Afghan Adjustment Act and giving our wartime allies a safe and legal way to build their lives in America, free from the threat of the Taliban.

What With Honor Action is Doing:
Over the last few months, With Honor Action has met with numerous members of Congress, highlighting the desperate pleas of our Afghan allies who are currently living in limbo, facing the threat of getting sent back into danger and chaos, and the need for the passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act.

We also partnered with an all-female Afghan tactical Platoon, to push this legislation forward. Hear their story here on their work with the U.S. military, the pain of leaving their families behind, and their fight for a safe future.

What is the Afghan Adjustment Act?
The Afghan Adjustment Act is a first step toward keeping our word as a nation and honoring the debt owed to our Afghan allies. This bipartisan and bicameral legislation would provide a pathway to lawful permanent residence for Afghans already in America, offering them a way out of legal limbo and the looming threat of deportation. Congress has historically passed similar legislation for other displaced populations on humanitarian grounds, including Vietnamese and Korean refugees.

The Afghan Adjustment Act would improve and expand the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program by broadening SIV eligibility to include groups that worked and fought alongside U.S. forces, like the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command and the Afghan Female Tactical Teams.

What Would the Bill Do?
Allow Afghans who are on humanitarian status and submit to additional vetting — including an in-person interview — to apply for permanent legal status in the United States . For these Afghans, the primary options under current law to gain permanent status are through our broken asylum system or the burdensome SIV process, which has a current backlog of over 140,000 applications

Expands the SIV program to include previously omitted groups, including the Female Tactical Teams of Afghanistan, the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command, the Afghan Air Force, and the Special Mission Wing of Afghanistan

Establish a US task force to develop and implement a strategy for supporting Afghans outside of the United States who are eligible for SIV status

Require the Department of State to respond to congressional inquiries about SIV applications

Current Sponsors of the Afghan Adjustment Act:

H.R. 4627:
Lead Sponsors: Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) & Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)
Co-sponsors: 31 (15 Republicans, 16 Democrats)

S. 2327:
Lead Sponsors: Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN) and Senator Lindsey Graham (SC)
Co-sponsors: 12 (6 Republicans, 6 Democrats)

Support Overview

H.R. 4627 has significant bipartisan support as the bill is co-sponsored by 32 members, 9 of whom are members of the cross-partisan For Country Caucus.

The Senate companion bill, S. 2327, is also being led with bipartisan leadership in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees this issue, and other leaders on key Senate committees.

What They Are Saying:

Fox News: Army veteran seeks to save Afghan commando from Taliban

Fox News: Army vet seeks to save Afghan commando stuck in Turkey, living in fear of Taliban

The Hill: Afghan Adjustment Act will allow families like mine to find stability, opportunity in America

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Applauds Reintroduction of Afghan Adjustment Act

Washington Post: She was lucky to escape Afghanistan. Two years later, she’s stuck in limbo.

ABC: Refugee resettlement leaders in Kansas call for passage of Afghan Adjustment Act

Human Rights First: Former Military Commanders Support Afghan Adjustment Act

CBS19: Bill reintroduced to help Afghan refugees seeking legal residency in U.S.

CBS: Tens of thousands of Afghans in U.S. could lose deportation protections unless Congress acts

The Soapbox: Time Is Running Out for Congress to Help Our Afghan Allies

Fox News: We cannot forget our Afghan heroes and our promise to help them

Vox: An act of Congress could grant legal status to thousands of Afghan allies. What’s the holdup?