Updated February 22, 2024
Defense Primer: Navigating the NDAA
The annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
Funding Tables
has a history of regular passage. FY2024 marked the 63rd
Division D provides funding tables that specify dollar
consecutive fiscal year for which an annual defense
amounts authorized to be appropriated. The tables are
authorization was enacted. Many policymakers and officials
organized by appropriation account and correspond to the
view the bill as a potential legislative vehicle for a range of
associated legislative provisions.
policy matters.
What’s in a Committee Report?
The FY2024 NDAA (P.L. 118-31) included 973 pages of
In addition to providing the legislative text and funding
policy provisions and discretionary authorizations totaling
tables that comprise the NDAA, the House Committee on
$874.2 billion. Unlike an appropriations bill, the NDAA
Armed Services (also known as the House Armed Services
does not provide budget authority for defense-related
Committee, or HASC) and the Senate Committee on Armed
activities. Instead, the NDAA establishes or continues
Services (also known as the Senate Armed Services
defense programs, policies, projects, or activities at the
Committee, or SASC) each typically produce a committee
Department of Defense and other federal agencies, and
report to accompany its version of the bill. The reports
provides guidance on how the appropriated funds are to be
provide rationales for the committee bill, explain committee
used in carrying out those authorized activities. This primer
actions, and provide further guidance and directives to
provides an overview of the structure and organization of
government agencies. The committees may also prepare a
the NDAA.
classified annex to the report. Unlike the bill text,
committee reports are not considered or amended during
Organization of the NDAA
floor proceedings.
The NDAA establishes policy and authorizes appropriations
for the DOD, nuclear weapons programs of the Department
In practice, the HASC and SASC reports mirror the
of Energy, and other defense-related activities. Typically,
organization of the bills, providing a section-by-section
there is a House legislative vehicle (e.g., H.R. 2670, 118th
description of the bill text (by division, title, subtitle, and
Congress) as well as a separate Senate vehicle (e.g., S.
section). They also include the results of committee roll call
2226, 118th Congress). The Senate committee alternative is
votes, additional views of members of the committee, items
often proposed as an amendment to the House bill (or vice
of special interest (ISIs), cost estimates, and other relevant
versa). The bills typically include four divisions related to
information, such as a comparison to current law.
defense authorizations:
Section-by-Section Summaries
• Division A. Department of Defense Authorizations;
The HASC and SASC reports each provide summaries of
what each section of the proposed bill would do. Such
• Division B. Military Construction Authorizations;
summaries may provide additional context for the provision
and may also express committee concerns or rationales
• Division C. Department of Energy National Security
behind inclusion of the provision.
Authorizations and Other Authorizations; and
Items of Special Interest
• Division D. Funding Tables.
There are generally two types of items of special interest:
(1) ISIs that are directive; and (2) Those that are not
Partly because the NDAA is consistently enacted, the bill is
directive. Directive ISIs, often referred to as directive
frequently used as a vehicle for legislation under the
report language, direct an individual (such as a senior DOD
jurisdiction of committees other than the House and Senate
official) to take a specified action by a date certain.
Committees on Armed Services (sometimes attached as
Although directive report language is not legally binding,
other divisions).
agency officials generally regard it as a congressional
mandate and respond accordingly.
Legislative Provisions
Divisions A, B, and C are organized by title, subtitle, and
Nondirective ISIs are statements of the committee’s views,
section. For example, Division A, Title I covers
concerns, opinions, or rationales for acting. For example, a
Procurement; Title II Research, Development, Test, and
nondirective ISI may explain why the committee
Evaluation (RDT&E); Title III Operation and Maintenance
recommends an increase in funding for a particular project,
(O&M); Title IV Military Personnel Authorizations, and so
or may note the committee’s support for (or concern over)
forth. Individual legislative provisions are assigned section
actions taken by the DOD or military services.
numbers according to title and subtitle. A detailed table of
contents (organized by division, title, subtitle, and section
number) provides a complete list of items in the bill.
https://crsreports.congress.gov

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Defense Primer: Navigating the NDAA
Cost Estimates
What Are the Different Versions of the
House and Senate rules require that a report on a measure
Bill?
that provides new budget authority must contain a statement
As the NDAA bills move through the legislative process,
from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projecting the
various versions of each bill may be available. In a typical
cost of the bill for the first fiscal year affected and the four
legislative cycle, the NDAA may exist in several forms,
subsequent fiscal years.
including the following:
Committee Roll Call Votes
• Introduced Version. Typically contains only the
In accordance with House and Senate rules, HASC and
legislative proposals requested by the Administration. In
SASC reports include an accounting of most roll call votes
the House, it is assigned a bill number and referred to
taken during consideration of the bill in committee. These
the HASC for consideration. In the Senate, the
voting records are generally found in the back of the
President’s proposal is often introduced and referred to
reports.
SASC but is not the vehicle the committee acts on.
Additional or Dissenting Views
• Reported Version (in the House). Includes the HASC
Also in accordance with House and Senate rules, committee
proposal, incorporating the amendments agreed to in the
reports accompanying the NDAA include any additional or
committee markup.
dissenting views submitted by a member of the committee
in accordance with the time specified in the rules.
• Engrossed Version (in the House or Senate). Reflects
changes made via amendments during floor
Communications from Other Committees
consideration in the respective chamber.
The HASC report also typically includes a record of
correspondence from other House committees that state any
• Placed on the Calendar in the Senate. (1) For the
willingness to forgo a sequential referral of the reported
House bill, its engrossed version, including all technical
NDAA, notwithstanding any matters contained therein that
and conforming changes; (2) For the Senate bill, the
fall outside of HASC’s jurisdiction.
SASC-reported original bill (with text reflecting
amendments agreed to in markup).
What’s in a Conference Report?
The House and Senate commonly establish a conference
• Engrossed Amendment Senate. If the Senate has taken
committee—typically comprised of members of the HASC
up and considered the House bill, this is the proposed
and SASC—to resolve differences between the chambers’
alternative reflecting changes made during floor
positions on the NDAA and provide the compromise
consideration, including the text of the alternative
agreement in the form of a conference report. The
proposed by SASC.
conference report contains the legislative language the
conference committee proposes that the two houses
• Enrolled Bill. Final official copy of the bill passed by
approve.
both the House and the Senate in identical form and sent
to the President for signature.
In addition to the final bill text, included with the
conference report is a Joint Explanatory Statement (JES)—
• Public Law. The enacted version of the bill.
sometimes referred to as the statement of managers—that
explains the various elements of the conferees’ agreement.
CRS Products
The conference report is generally organized in the same
CRS In Focus IF10515, Defense Primer: The NDAA Process
manner as each House and Senate proposal—by division,
CRS In Focus IF10514, Defense Primer: Defense Appropriations
title, subtitle, and section. However, as a result of
Process
conference negotiations, provisions from the House and
CRS Report 98-169, House Committee Reports: Required
Senate, sections may be renumbered or moved from one
Contents
title to another. The JES reflects both the original section
number assigned to the provision(s) upon passage in the
CRS Report 98-305, Senate Committee Reports: Required
House or Senate, along with the section number assigned to
Contents
any provision included in the conference agreement.
CRS Report 98-382, Conference Reports and Joint Explanatory
Statements
If the conference agreement does not include a provision
that was carried by the House or the Senate, the JES will
note that outcome in a section titled, “Legislative
Note: For questions on the NDAA, contact Brendan W.
Provisions Not Adopted.”
McGarry. For questions on the legislative process, contact

Valerie Heitshusen. Acknowledgement: This primer was
originally co-authored by Lynn M. Williams, former CRS
In practice, the JES for the NDAA also includes a detailed
Specialist in Defense Readiness and Infrastructure.
set of tables. Unlike the tables provided in the legislative
text, which depict the requested amount and the conference-
Brendan W. McGarry, Analyst in US Defense Budget
authorized amount, the JES tables also provide the House-
Valerie Heitshusen, Specialist on Congress and the
and Senate-recommended amounts.
Legislative Process
https://crsreports.congress.gov

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Defense Primer: Navigating the NDAA

IF10516


Disclaimer
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congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
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reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10516 · VERSION 12 · UPDATED

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