National Defense Authorization Act


The National Defense Authorization Act is any of a series of United States federal laws specifying the annual budget and expenditures of the U.S. Department of Defense. The first NDAA was passed in 1961. The U.S. Congress oversees the defense budget primarily through two yearly bills: the National Defense Authorization Act and defense appropriations bills. The authorization bill is the jurisdiction of the Senate [Armed Services Committee] and House Armed Services Committee and determines the agencies responsible for defense, establishes recommended funding levels, and sets the policies under which money will be spent. The appropriations bill provides funds.
Since the 1970s, NDAAs, intelligence authorization acts, and Department of Defense appropriations acts have usually included secret law in the form of classified addenda.
The passage of a Defense Authorization Act is often used by Congress to honor a senior congress member or other individual. For example, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 is known as the "Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001" in honor of Representative Floyd D. Spence of South Carolina.

Legislation from 1981 to present

YearShort or popular titlePublic lawStatute compilationDescription
1981Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1981
1982Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1982
1983Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1983
1984Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1984
1985Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1985
1986Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1986
1987National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1987
1988National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989
1989National Defense Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1989
1990National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991
1991National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991
1992National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993
1993National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993 Also named as Former Soviet Union Demilitarization Act of 1992.
1994National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994
1995National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995
1996National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 Includes the Clinger–Cohen Act, containing the Federal Acquisition Reform Act of 1996 and Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996.
1997National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997
1998National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998
1999Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999
2000National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000
2001Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001
2002National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002
2003Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003
2004National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004
2005Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005
2006National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006
2007John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 Formally named after John Warner, a U.S. war veteran, long-term Senator, Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, and Secretary of the Navy from Virginia.
2008National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008
2009Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 "Expresses the sense of Congress that the Honorable Duncan Hunter, Representative from California, has discharged his official duties with integrity and distinction, has served the House of Representatives and the American people selflessly, and deserves the sincere gratitude of Congress and the Nation". Title 8, Subtitle G: Governmentwide Acquisition Improvements, is known as the "Clean Contracting Act", and focused on improvements to government procurement such as limiting the term of non-competitive contracts to one year and prohibiting excessive use by contractors of sub-contractors or "tiers of sub-contractors".
2010National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 Contains important hate crimes legislation.
2011Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 Formally named after Ike Skelton, a long-term Congressman and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee from Missouri.
2012National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 Contains several controversial sections, the chief being §§ 1021–1022, which affirm provisions authorizing the indefinite military detention of civilians, including U.S. citizens, without habeas corpus or due process, contained in the Authorization for Use of Military Force,.
2013National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013
2014National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 A United States federal law that specified the budget and expenditures of the United States Department of Defense for Fiscal Year 2014. The law authorized the DOD to spend $607 billion in Fiscal Year 2014. On December 26, 2013, President Barack Obama signed the bill into law. This was the 53rd consecutive year that a National Defense Authorization Act has been passed.
2015Carl Levin and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 One of the proposed NDAA bills for fiscal year 2015. On May 8, 2014, the House Armed Services Committee ordered the bill reported by a vote of 61-0. The Committee spent 12 hours debating the bill and voting on hundreds of different amendments before voting to pass it.
2016National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016
2017National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017
2018National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018
2019John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 Formally named after John S. McCain III, a U.S. war veteran, prisoner of war, long-term Senator, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and 2008 Republican Presidential Nominee.
2020National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 Formally established the United States Space Force as an independent branch of the Armed Forces.
2021William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 Formally named after William McClellan "Mac" Thornberry, a long-term Congressman, and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee.
2022National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022
2023James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 Named after James M. Inhofe, a long-term Senator, and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
2024National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024
2025National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025
2026National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026