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On Monday, United States President Donald Trump signed the massive National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019, authorizing $716 billion for national defense.
The defense bill includes $250 million in security assistance to Ukraine.
Some $50 million of that will go toward lethal weapons. A significant portion of the money will also go toward countering cyber threats from Russia.The NDAA includes the following steps to counter Russia’s aggression:
- provides flexibility for strategic partners and allies to move away from the use of Russian military equipment to American equipment
- ensures that U.S. defense and security interests remain protected, through a modified waiver under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act
- prohibits military-to-military cooperation with Russia
- bolsters international partnerships
- provides additional funding to counter cyber warfare, Russian aggression and information warfare
- authorizes and strengthens Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction programs and activities
- Funds research and development to counter weapons being deployed by Russia that are in contravention of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces treaty
- Prohibits U.S. government recognition of the absorption of Crimea into the Russian Federation
- Provides $6.3 billion for the European Deterrence Initiative to further increase number of U.S. troops in Europe
- Authorizes U.S. Special Operations Command programs and activities, including ongoing efforts in Eastern Europe
Earlier, the U.S. Department of State approved the decision to sell Javelin anti-tank missile systems to Ukraine.
As reported by CNBC, the $716 billion act also adds 15,600 new US troops across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, the report says. The act includes $616.9 billion for the Pentagon’s base budget, $69 billion for overseas contingency operations funding and $21.9 billion for nuclear weapons programs under the Energy Department.
