Washington (DC): The US Senate approved a Pentagon budget plan worth USD770 billion for fiscal year 2022. According to a source, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the House last week and is currently on its way to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law.

"Congress has worked on a bipartisan basis for the past six years to enact an annual defense authorization legislation without fail. With so many competing priorities, I appreciate my colleagues' efforts over the last few months, both in committee and off the floor, to get the NDAA passed "Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, stated as much.

The USD768.2 billion package, which passed the Senate 89-10, includes USD740 billion for the Defense Department, USD27.8 billion for defense-related programs in the Department of Energy, and USD378 million for miscellaneous defense-related activities. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorizes a USD25 billion increase in Biden's defense budget proposal for fiscal year 2022. It also provides a 2.7 percent salary raise for military personnel and civilian employees of the Pentagon.

Along with authorizing funding for the Defense Department, this year's National Defense Authorization Act includes revisions to the military justice system to address the Pentagon's long-standing failure to prevent sexual assault in military ranks. The bill deprives military commanders of the authority to prosecute sex offenses, instead entrusting sexual assault cases to independent military lawyers.

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