JACKSON, MISS. – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today released a new video highlighting his work on the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which recently passed the U.S. Senate. The video features the senator’s visit to the Mississippi Air National Guard’s 172nd Airlift Wing, which is based in Jackson.

During his visit, the senator highlighted a 5.2% pay raise for service members and funding for the tools and capabilities necessary to support the military.

The senator has been a strong advocate for increased military funding in his role as ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

See below for a full transcript of the video. Soundtrack-free video and B-roll is also available for download here. For more information on this year’s National Defense Authorization Act and its expected impact on Mississippi, click here.

TRANSCRIPT:

NEWS ANCHOR: The National Defense Authorization Act passed in the Senate. The NDAA authorizes ten new Navy ships and provides a 5.2% pay hike for military personnel.

SENATOR WICKER: This is my first meeting with actual servicemen and women since the passage in the Senate the other day of the National Defense Authorization Act.

It's a great chance for me to be back in Mississippi and to talk to the actual people who step forward to join the military and our all-volunteer force and agree to put themselves in harm's way.

This is the sort of thing that we need more of and the sort of thing that we try to provide funds for.

It is part of our peace through strength effort worldwide. We have more support for the Air National Guard in the NDAA bill. Those of us on my side of the aisle are making the case that we're really not where we need to be in terms of aircraft, ships, amphibious ships, submarines.

So we need to build on what we've been able to do in this NDAA bill and support that flag, make sure that our troops have the very best, and that we can be so strong as a nation that we'll have the sort of peace that we had following Reagan's peace through strength.