William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 - H.R. 6395 / S.4049

Overview
Purpose
"To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for military activities of the Department of Defense and for military construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes."
Primary Sponsors
Reps. Adam Smith (D-WA) and Mac Thornberry (R-TX) / Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and Jack Reed (D-RI)
Actions
Actions on the House bill
House passed amended bill on a vote of 295 to 125
07/21/2020
House Armed Services Committee reported out amended bill
07/09/2020
Bill introduced
03/26/2020
Actions on the Senate bill
Senate passed amended bill on a vote of 86 to 14
07/23/2020
Senate Armed Services Committee reported out amended bill
06/23/2020
Bill introduced
06/23/2020
Actions on the conference bill
Senate overrode veto on a vote of 81 to 13
1/1/2021
Bill enacted
House overrode veto on a vote of 322 to 87
12/28/2020
President vetoed conference bill
12/23/2020
Senate passed conference bill on a vote of 84 to 13
12/11/2020
House passed conference bill on a vote of 335 to 78
12/8/2020
Relevant FYI Bulletins

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 authorizes major new initiatives in advanced technologies and makes an array of policy updates aimed at bolstering U.S. private-sector innovation, the defense STEM workforce, and the environmental resilience of military infrastructure and operations.

The House and Senate versions of the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act continue multi-year efforts to address national security risks related to climate change, bolster and diversify the defense STEM workforce, and increase defense labs’ ability to collaborate and innovate.

The House and Senate versions of the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act make significant policy proposals for the National Nuclear Security Administration as well as for the Defense Department’s missile defense and space technology development efforts.

The House and Senate versions of the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act propose numerous provisions aimed at increasing U.S. competitiveness in commercial technologies that have important national security applications, including microelectronics, artificial intelligence, 5G telecommunications, and advanced nuclear reactors.

This bulletin reviews provisions proposed for inclusion in Congress’ annual defense policy update that are focused on bolstering the “national security innovation base” and protecting federally funded research from exploitation by rival governments.