As the Washington Examiner previously reported, notable provisions in the annual defense spending bill include a 3.8% pay raise for the military and over $900 billion in defense spending, among other initiatives. 

The bill is 3,086 pages long and also codifies several of Trump’s executive orders issued in 2025, including the “Golden Dome” missile defense program and the prohibition of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within the Department of War. It also includes provisions to restrict men from participating in women’s sports at military academies. Service academies were also prohibited from using color, ethnicity, national origin, race, religion, or sex as a determining factor in granting admission to applicants. 

One point of contention in the bill negotiations was the matter of foreign aid. The 2026 NDAA includes $800 million in funding for Ukraine as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. The funds will be sent in two $400 million disbursements over the next two years. The NDAA also requires the War Department to keep the number of U.S. military troops in Europe at 76,000 or more.

ROGER WICKER ESCAPES TRUMP BLOWBACK DESPITE GROWING PENTAGON CRITICISM

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, touted congressional bipartisan support in passing the NDAA and sending it off to the president’s desk on Wednesday.

“This will be the 65th year in a row, the 65th consecutive year that Congress has come together across the aisle and across two chambers to send the president a bill designed to sustain and strengthen the national defense,” said Wicker. “Everyone in this Senate played a role.”