Defense Sector Stays Vigilant as House and Senate Move Divergent Military Bills Forward
## Current Status of the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
The **National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026** has progressed significantly, with both the **Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC)** and the **House Armed Services Committee (HASC)** approving their respective versions of the bill. The Senate approved the bill on July 11 with a 26-1 vote, while the House followed suit on July 15 with a 55-2 vote [1][2]. The bills are now set to undergo full floor consideration in their respective chambers, marking a key step towards a reconciled version that can be sent to the President.
### Major Themes and Priorities
The FY2026 NDAA highlights several key areas of focus, including modernization, readiness, and support for servicemembers. The bill aims to modernize the Pentagon's budgeting and acquisition systems with the goal of "reindustrializing" the defense industrial base and maintaining deterrence in a complex global security environment [1]. The legislation enjoys strong bipartisan backing, reflecting concerns about rising threats in the Indo-Pacific, Russia’s aggression, terrorism, and cyberattacks [1].
### Specific Issues: Workhorse Planes, E-7 Wedgetail, and Fighter Fleet
While the search results do not contain explicit details about the retirement of specific "workhorse planes," funding provisions for the E-7 Wedgetail fleet, or detailed language on the Air Force fighter fleet, here's what can be inferred based on the broader context and typical NDAA processes:
- **Committee Reports and Executive Summaries:** The Senate and House Armed Services Committees usually release detailed documents (reports, executive summaries) that outline key provisions, including aircraft retirements, procurement, and platform upgrades. These are not included in the current search results but are traditionally available on the committees’ websites or via congressional resources. - **Floor Consideration:** Until the bills are debated and amended on the Senate and House floors—and until conference committees reconcile differences—specific provisions (e.g., E-7 funding, fighter fleet size, retirement of legacy aircraft) may change or be clarified. - **Advocacy Tracking:** Organizations like MOAA are closely monitoring the NDAA’s progress and urging stakeholders to contact their representatives to shape final provisions, indicating that many detailed platform decisions are still in flux as the legislative process continues [2]. - **Bill Text:** The full text of S.2296—the Senate’s version—is available and organized into divisions covering Department of Defense authorizations, military construction, energy security, and funding tables [3]. However, the search snippet does not mention specific aircraft retirements or the E-7, and a thorough review of the full text would be necessary for definitive answers on these points.
### Next Steps
- **Floor Debate:** The House and Senate will each debate and potentially amend their versions of the NDAA. - **Conference Committee:** After both chambers pass their versions, a conference committee will reconcile differences. - **Final Passage:** The reconciled bill must pass both chambers before being sent to the President for signature.
## Summary Table: FY2026 NDAA Process (as of July 2025)
| Stage | Senate | House | |--------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------| | Committee Approval | July 11 (26-1 vote) | July 15 (55-2 vote) | | Next Step | Full Senate consideration | Full House consideration | | Specific Aircraft Issues | Not detailed in results | Not detailed in results |
## Key Takeaway
**As of late July 2025, the FY2026 NDAA has cleared committee in both chambers with strong bipartisan support but has not yet been finalized. The current public summaries and press releases emphasize modernization, readiness, and support for servicemembers, but do not provide explicit details on the retirement of legacy aircraft, funding for the E-7 Wedgetail, or specific plans for the Air Force fighter fleet [1][2].** For precise information on these issues, consult the full committee reports, executive summaries, or track amendments during floor debate. The legislative process is ongoing, and platform-specific provisions may be added, removed, or modified as the bill advances [2].
The Senate bill authorizes another $500 million for F-47 development, bringing its budget to $3.1 billion next year. The Senate bill withholds a quarter of the Department of the Air Force's 2026 funding until the Secretary of the Air Force reverses changes to the Louisiana-based command. The Senate bill adds $678 million to the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, designing drone wingmen to accompany fighter pilots into war. The Air Force and Space Force are seeking $211 billion through the typical annual funding process, a 17% increase over the previous year's budget. The legislation proposes a total budget of $915 billion for the next fiscal year, with at least $221 billion allocated for the Department of the Air Force. The Senate bill includes $700 million for E-7 Wedgetail prototyping, more than four times as much as the Air Force projected it would need in 2026. The Senate's proposed budget for the Air Force and Space Force is $46 billion higher when accounting for troop pay and other personnel funding that isn't broken out in the legislation. Senators are pushing the Air Force to buy 34 F-35A Lightning II jets in 2026, instead of the 24 the service requested. The Air Force's Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile procurement could total $650 million next year under the Senate bill, an increase of $322 million over its request. The Senate bill provides $1 billion for replenishing weapons used in recent U.S. military operations in the Middle East, including those used against Iranian nuclear facilities and Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Senate bill adds $149 million to accelerate the design of the Air Force's new nuclear-tipped Long-Range Standoff Weapon, as well as to create a conventional version of the missile. The Senate bill dictates that Sentinel missiles must be operational by October 2033, and that the Air Force should have no fewer than 400 ICBMs on alert at any given time except when transitioning between the current Minuteman III missiles and the new Sentinel fleet. The Senate bill authorizes an additional $2 billion, for $4.6 billion in total, for the troubled Sentinel program. The Senate bill slashes $1.5 billion that the Pentagon sought to purchase more Navy E-2D Hawkeye planes. The Senate bill requires that the B-21 Raider can employ nuclear gravity bombs within 180 days after the fleet is declared ready for initial operations, and the Long-Range Standoff Weapon within two years after the B-21 or the missile achieves initial operations. The Senate bill endorses the new B-21 Raider's $5.7 billion base budget request for 2026, on top of the $4.5 billion the program received earlier this month to speed up production.
- The Senate bill authorizes another $500 million for F-47 development, bringing its budget to $3.1 billion next year.
- The Senate bill withholds a quarter of the Department of the Air Force's 2026 funding until the Secretary of the Air Force reverses changes to the Louisiana-based command.
- The Senate bill adds $678 million to the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, designing drone wingmen to accompany fighter pilots into war.
- The Air Force and Space Force are seeking $211 billion through the typical annual funding process, a 17% increase over the previous year’s budget.
- The legislation proposes a total budget of $915 billion for the next fiscal year, with at least $221 billion allocated for the Department of the Air Force.
- The Senate bill includes $700 million for E-7 Wedgetail prototyping, more than four times as much as the Air Force projected it would need in 2026.
- The Senate's proposed budget for the Air Force and Space Force is $46 billion higher when accounting for troop pay and other personnel funding that isn't broken out in the legislation.
- Senators are pushing the Air Force to buy 34 F-35A Lightning II jets in 2026, instead of the 24 the service requested, demonstrating the military's focus on the air force and aircraft in the NDAA.
