Senate Panel Advances Defense Bill With $6.9 Billion Funding to Confront China

The Royal Australian Navy guided-missile frigate HMAS Parramatta (L) is underway with the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS America, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill and the Arleigh-Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry on the South China Sea on April 18, 2020. U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicholas Huynh

The Senate Armed Services Committee approved its version of the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on June 11, which includes a $6.9 billion defense initiative to counter China in the Pacific, along with a boost to hypersonic missile defense.

The measure, which passed on a bipartisan vote of 25–2, also seeks to derail the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) approval of L-band spectrum use for 5G wireless, a move that has the potential to disrupt commercial and military GPS signals, and raises concerns that the technology will affect U.S. national security.