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Washington D.C. - , Jun 17, 2009 - Congressman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) voted in support of H.R. 2647, the fiscal year 2010 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes appropriations for essential U.S. national security efforts. As chairman of the Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee, Smith also played a primary role in crafting this legislation. The bill was reported out of the House Armed Services Committee by a vote of 61-0.

“This is a critically important bill, which ensures our brave men and women in harms way have the resources they need,” said Congressman Adam Smith. “It supports our troops and their families, ensures our military readiness, and focuses on our strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This bill is vitally important to our national security and I am proud of the support it provides to our troops and their efforts to keep us safe.”

The bill authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 2010 military activities including the Department of Defense, the national security programs of the Department of Energy (DoE), military construction projects, and other defense and military personnel activities related to U.S. national security efforts.

Congressman Smith played a central role in shaping the portion of NDAA which relates to his work as Chair of the Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee. This includes some of the Defense Department’s most important challenges:  the fight against violent extremists, their allies and their ideology; development and deployment of innovative technology in new battlefields; and defending the homeland from catastrophic unconventional attacks.

Some of the key provisions within Smith jurisdiction include:

• Authorization of $8.958 billion for Special Operations Command, including $308.4 million to cover all unfunded requirements;
• Authorization of up to $30 million, an increase of $10 million over the President’s budget request, to improve the capacity and capabilities of the NATO Special Operations Coordination Center;
• Directs the Secretary of Defense to submit a report on the planning for and execution of public diplomacy, including a description of all of the activities, metrics, and an analysis of how these activities are coordinated.
• Directs the Secretary of Defense to have the military departments and defense agencies establish a process for addressing hardware or software vulnerabilities to defense IT systems identified during an information assurance vulnerability assessment;
• Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a pilot demonstration of an alternative acquisition process for rapidly acquiring information technology capabilities;
• Encourages the Department to continue to invest in developing and demonstrating core technologies for hybrid air vehicles, including closer coordination and cooperation with the Air Force and Transportation Command.