WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), spoke on the U.S. Senate floor to celebrate the final U.S. Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

In his remarks, Senator Wicker praised the efforts of his many Senate colleagues and SASC staff to achieve a 64th straight year of the NDAA’s passage. Senator Wicker spoke about many of the positive qualities in this year’s bill which include boosting recruitment, modernizing major defense programs, and improving deterrence. Senator Wicker also noted the defense spending topline debate should carry through into next year.

Read Senator Wicker’s remarks as delivered below or watch them here.

Thank you very much, Mr. President.

The Senate will soon consider the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025.

The NDAA is among the most important bills Congress considers each year. It’s our primary way of fulfilling our most solemn obligation: our constitutional duty to provide for the common defense. Congress has come together to pass the NDAA each year for more than six decades – 63 years, to be precise.

Today, we continue our streak of earned success. In our best moments, we've worked out the NDAA in an open and above-board process.

Here, I must say that I am frustrated with the Majority Leader's decision to thwart that regular order this year. He did not bring the bill to the floor, thus denying Americans the opportunity to witness their elected representatives make decisions in the open on critical national security issues. Still, we continued in the spirit of honesty and collegiality.

The numbers bear that out.

The Armed Services Committee considered nearly 3,000 requests submitted by all Senators.

We considered 618 amendments at markup, adopting 327 of those amendments.

We then processed over 90 amendments during the informal conference process.

These statistics tell the story of the hard work and professionalism that characterized the construction of this bill.

Mr. President, we are currently experiencing the most dangerous national security moment since World War II. One need only scroll through the headlines summarizing this year's world events.

Congress needed to respond in kind at every possible opportunity. We should be sending a signal of peace through strength, of strong deterrence.

Accordingly, the Senate Armed Services Committee took an honest look at growing capability and aggression by our adversaries. We decided that this year was the time to change our course and move our military toward the generational defense investment it deserves.

That vital committee action included an upgrade of $25 billion for our missile defense, shipbuilding, and counter-drone technology, among other modernization programs – $25 billion. This should have been part of the bill – today.

Regrettably, we missed an opportunity to strengthen the President-elect's hand as he takes office in a precarious world situation. I hope and expect we will see bipartisan support for much needed investment early in 2025.

And yet as I note what's missing from the bill, I'm happy to recognize the immense accomplishments that members have included in the the NDAA.

We secured a significant 14.5 percent pay raise for our junior enlisted servicemembers as, well as a 4.5 percent increase for all other servicemembers.

We made investments in junior ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) and recruitment capabilities, both of which will help solve the military's manpower crisis.

This bill stops the Department of Defense (DOD) from paying for puberty blockers and hormone therapies for children.

We blocked the teaching of critical race theory in military programming, and we froze diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring at the DOD. In fact, we defunded DEI.

The NDAA authorizes critical investments across the board.

We accelerated ongoing nuclear deterrence efforts.

We moved forward in shipbuilding programs for our destroyers and submarines.

Finally, we learned from the wars going on around us today. Using real world experience, we found ways to strengthen security assistance for frontline allies in the Pacific, the Middle East, and in Europe.

So, let me say again, this is a good bill. It's a piece of legislation in which I take pride. As always, I'm grateful to have the opportunity to advance our national security.

And as I speak of gratitude, I want to extend special thanks to my friend, Chairman Jack Reed. I also want to thank his team on the Armed Services Committee, ably led by Staff Director Liz King.

I thank my Republican and Democratic colleagues on the committee as well. Each made important contributions to the bill. This is especially true of our subcommittee chairs and ranking members, and I will recognize those on my side of the aisle:

Senator Tom Cotton, ranking member of Airland.

Senator Deb Fischer, ranking member of Strategic Forces.

Senator Mike Rounds, ranking member of Cybersecurity.

Senator Joni Ernst, ranking member of Emerging threats and Capabilities.

Senator Rick Scott, ranking member of Personnel.

Senator Kevin Cramer, ranking member of Seapower.

And Senator Dan Sullivan, ranking member of Readiness.

I also want to thank my Armed Services Committee staff. These patriotic individuals burned the midnight oil for months, literally. They delivered a product that this body can be proud of – one that does much to advance American interests. The American people would be astounded to see how hard and how long these staff members work.

And I can hardly mention my staff without thanking my intrepid staff director, John Keast. John and his superb team know how to get the job done.

And I want to recognize John Keast and his staff by name. They are:

Rick Berger, Brendan Gavin, James Mazol, Greg Lilly, Adam Barker, Zach Barnett, Kristina Belcourt, Jack Beyrer, Cody Emerson, Isaac Jalkanen, Kevin Kim, Eric Lofgren, Katie Magnus, Jonathan Moore, Sean O’Keefe, Brad Patout, Katie Romaine, Eric Trager, Adam Trull, and Olivia Trusty.

This year's NDAA will further the cause of our national defense, but it cannot do all that we need. This will be the final vote on this bill. It has passed the House, we have invoked cloture, and this vote will send this bill to the President.

Let this piece of legislation be an exhortation that Congress can no longer leave the job of national defense half-finished. We have no choice but to move ahead – and to move ahead early next year – with a generational investment in our military.

Thank you, Mr. President.