December 17, 2025

Warren Secures Wins on Service Member Safety, Transparency at Defense Department in FY 2026 Defense Policy Bill

Executive Summary of Final FY26 NDAA (Website)

Washington, D.C. — Following the passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (FY26 NDAA), U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee, announced she secured key wins, including on troop health and safety, transparency from Secretary Hegseth on major cuts at the Pentagon, boosting competition among defense contractors, improved housing conditions for American troops, and education.

Senator Warren secured the following provisions in the FY26 NDAA:

Service Member Health and Safety

  • A provision providing an additional $3.5 million for blast overpressure analysis and mitigation beyond the Trump administration’s request;
  • A provision requiring DoD to provide a Congressional briefing on the feasibility of conducting a study on the long-term effects of blast overpressure exposure in partnership with a non-profit academic medical center specializing in Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and with experience working with Special Operators; and
  • A provision requiring the Government Accountability Office to study DoD’s compliance with blast overpressure reforms passed in last year’s NDAA, as well as DoD’s efforts to use cognitive assessments to track brain health, to document service member exposure, and to address the potential link between exposure and risks of suicide.

“We owe it to our service members to do everything we can to stop the devastating effects of blast overpressures. For years, I’ve led the charge on bipartisan reforms to keep our service members safe and will continue to fight to get them the care they deserve,” said Senator Warren.

For over seven years, Senator Warren has led efforts to measure blast exposure and develop protocols that protect our military. She’s introduced bipartisan legislation to track service members’ exposure to and mitigate the effects of blast overpressure. She’s also hosted a hearing and a forum to highlight service members’ and veterans’ experiences with getting care for these injuries. In last year’s NDAA, Senator Warren secured historic reforms to improve access to care after exposure to blast overpressure and mitigate exposure risks.

  • A provision requiring the Joint Safety Council to provide Congress the executive summaries of Safety Investigation Boards (SIBs) conducted for the past three years and any corrective actions that were taken.

“The best way I can honor Jake’s legacy is by fighting for transparency and accountability from the Pentagon,” said Senator Warren. “I'll keep fighting to make sure the V-22's safety defects are addressed so no more military families lose their loved ones in preventable accidents.”

Senator Warren has also highlighted the need for transparency around military accidents, the crash that killed Staff Sergeant Jacob Galliher– a young father from Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

  • A provision expanding the statutory authority for the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), as well as mandating oversight of critical programs.

“Secretary Hegseth’s cuts to the independent weapons testing office put service members’ lives in danger and threatens our national security. We need strong oversight to ensure our weapons don’t unnecessarily risk lives and that these programs are not a waste of taxpayer funds,” said Senator Warren.

Senator Warren has long warned that Secretary Hegseth’s massive cuts to the weapons testing office would have devastating effects on service member safety. She also demanded accountability from the Secretary and asked the incoming Director of the office to commit to more transparency about weapons programs.

Promoting Accountability

  • A provision requiring DoD to notify Congress no later than five days after the removal of a Judge Advocate General (JAG), top legal officers for the military services, and provide a justification;
  • A provision recognizing the importance of judge advocates providing independent and candid legal advice;
  • A provision requiring the President to notify and provide a justification to Congress no later than five days after the removal or transfer of a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and
  • A provision requiring DoD to submit regular reports to Congress on the number of noncitizens detained at DoD installations and the total cost that could be incurred by DoD for those detentions during the report’s time period.

“The Trump administration’s politicization of the military undermines our national security and erodes trust in our armed forces. Our service members deserve better. These changes will help ensure transparency and rein in abuse from the Trump administration,” said Senator Warren.

Senator Warren, along with several of her SASC colleagues, sent a letter to Secretary Hegseth earlier this year raising concerns about how his firings of these top military lawyers would damage public trust and the apolitical foundation of the military legal system. In a March 2025 hearing, Senator Warren also highlighted, and a Trump defense nominee agreed with, the importance of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, whom American troops rely on for legal advice and Senator Lindsey Graham has praised as “the conscience of the military.”

Increasing Competition

  • Provisions from Senator Warren’s bipartisan Protecting AI and Cloud Competition Act, which requires DoD to produce a report on competition dynamics between AI and commercial cloud providers, the impacts of competition on overall innovation in AI, barriers to entry for small and new performers, and the impact of potential or perceived concentrations of market power or market share on competition;
  • A provision that will help promote cost-effective acquisitions, reduce vendor-lock, and spur innovation by requiring the Secretary of Defense to ensure that major system interfaces are adequately designated and defined to achieve a modular open system approach (MOSA) and that contractors of a major system interface are delivering documentation necessary to enable third parties to integrate their modules and components;
  • A study to investigate defense contractor price gouging by directing the Acquisition Innovation Research Center to assess whether the late submission of cost or pricing data, a practice called “sweeping” used by contractors to release themselves from liability while potentially hiding data that might give DoD a better price on a deal, is widespread and make recommendations to address it;
  • A provision requiring the DoD Inspector General to review sole source cloud computing contracts awarded under the Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability program, including justifications, approvals, and systemic challenges to competition;
  • A provision that will help increase supply chain transparency and opportunities for competition by requiring DoD to brief Congress on its supply chain mapping strategy, including its progress on its implementation of the Supply Chain Risk Evaluation Environment (SCREEn) and its ability to use existing tools to determine countries of origin for materials and single points of failure; and
  • A provision requiring the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (ASD IBP) to report to Congress on the steps it has taken to address shortfalls identified in a GAO report on risks from mergers and acquisitions. IBP must also report on how it will adequately monitor and mitigate the risks from mergers and acquisitions of major defense suppliers, including through ensuring it is adequately staffed.

“As we modernize our military’s AI and cloud computing programs, we need to protect these programs from Silicon Valley monopolies. I fought hard to ensure we’re implementing strong guardrails that save money and protect our national security,” said Senator Warren. “This provision is going to ensure our military can access cutting-edge tools while keeping our markets strong and our information secure.”

Senator Warren has urged the Defense Department to ensure its AI contracting processes will protect government data, save taxpayer funds, and promote competition. She’s also introduced bipartisan legislation to help rein in Big Tech companies and prevent them from cutting out competitors in the AI and cloud computing markets when it comes to defense contracting.

Drug Supply Chains

  • A provision requiring DoD to report on how shortages and supply challenges for drugs and medical countermeasures have affected military readiness and the ability for DoD to obtain the pharmaceuticals it needs for its personnel.

“The DoD's overreliance on overseas manufacturers gives our adversaries the power to restrict our access to drugs we need to treat our men and women in uniform,” said Senator Warren. “Requiring the Pentagon to provide this crucial information is a step in the right direction that’ll help Congress develop the tools we need to protect Americans and strengthen our domestic pharmaceutical supply chain.”

Senator Warren has long sounded the alarm on the danger of overly relying on foreign pharmaceutical manufacturers, for both the military and civilians. She has led bipartisan oversight and urged the Defense Department to reform acquisition rules to give preference to American-made products. She has also filed legislation to end the country’s dependence on foreign countries for critical drugs and to study the effects of foreign investment on the U.S. pharmaceutical industry.

Military Health Care

  • A provision requiring DoD to provide a confidential briefing to the Armed Services Committee every six months on the differences in reimbursement rates or practices, direct and indirect remuneration fees or other price concessions, and clawbacks between pharmacies that are affiliates of TRICARE’s contracted Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) and pharmacies that are not affiliates of TRICARE’s contracted PBM.

“One of the nation's biggest drug middlemen may be ripping off our military to boost its profits--and trying to hide this information from Congress. I’m glad my colleagues agree we need to investigate these abuses to prevent price-gouging at the expense of our servicemembers,” said Senator Warren.

Senator Warren has also called for auditing TRICARE’s pharmacy contractors and raised concerns about practices that may price gouge the military. Military leaders and experts have also testified before Congress on the need for more transparency to improve access and lower health care costs for the military.

Military Housing

  • A provision requiring DoD to provide a report and briefing to SASC on the extent to which privatized military housing companies are using algorithmic software, including RealPage, to set housing rents for service members paid through federal basic allowance for housing (BAH);
  • A provision increasing the transparency of landlord financial practices by requiring privatized military housing companies to report their liability insurance coverage and the amounts of payments made to tenants to resolve dispute resolutions.

“Military families deserve safe, affordable housing. Congress must investigate the potential use of rent-setting algorithms used to price gouge military families and the federal government,” said Senator Warren.

Senator Warren has led efforts to improve the conditions in privatized military housing and increase protections for military families. She has long led the effort to look into landlords’ use of algorithmic pricing tools like RealPage to illegally inflate rents on servicemembers. She has also introduced legislation to ban the use of NDAs by private military housing landlords and address unsafe housing conditions. At an April 2025 hearing, Senator Warren secured a commitment from a Trump defense nominee to hold military housing contractors accountable.

Education

  • A provision requiring DoD to issue a report on the status of a data match to ensure service members can automatically receive Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF); and
  • A provision directing GAO to issue a report on challenges service members face in student loan repayment, including scams, repayment procedures, and servicer misconduct.

“Service members put their lives on the line for this country, so there’s no excuse for our government to fall short of its promises to them. Helping service members afford quality education is how our country recruits and maintains a fighting force,” said Senator Warren.

Senator Warren has been a leading voice in fighting for strong education benefits for service members and families, fighting to restore benefits to veterans cheated by for-profit colleges, and pushing the Defense Department to release data on the Postsecondary Education Complaint System (PECS), a centralized database to track complaints against schools who participate in tuition assistance programs. At an April 2025 hearing, she pressed military leaders on the impact of the Defense Department’s shortcomings on education benefits.

Supporting Massachusetts

  • A provision authorizing $55 million for a fire station for Hanscom Air Force Base;
  • A provision extending a $66 million authorization for a NC3 Acquisitions Management Facility at Hanscom Air Force Base;
  • A provision authorizing $124 million for energy resilience and conservation investment program projects at Cape Cod Space Force Station;
  • A provision authorizing $15 million above the Trump administration’s request for the Lincoln Laboratory Research Program; and
  • A provision authorizing $31 million for dining facilities and Expeditionary MEDical Support (EMEDS) for Otis Air National Guard Base.

“Massachusetts has long led the way in innovative research for national security. I fought hard to ensure our Commonwealth can continue to be a leader in cutting edge research, as well as securing funding for upgrading our bases and facilities,” said Senator Warren.

Since joining the committee, Senator Warren has secured hundreds of millions in funding for family housing, safety upgrades, and other critical military construction at military bases in Massachusetts.

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