国会研究服务部-《国防拨款法》：背景与国会议题选择（英文）-2021.6-56页_1mb

FY2021 Defense Appropriations Act: Summary

Core Content

The FY2021 Defense Appropriations Act (P.L. 116-260) was signed into law on December 27, 2020, and provided $688.06 billion in budget authority for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) for fiscal year 2021. This amount was $10.28 billion (1.5%) less than the FY2020 enacted amount and $2.11 billion (0.3%) less than the Trump administration's FY2021 budget request. The act funds most DOD activities except for military construction and family housing, which are covered under separate legislation.

The bill was part of a larger Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (H.R. 133), which included six appropriations acts. It was passed after extensive negotiations between the House and Senate, with the House approving its version on July 31, 2020, and the Senate approving an amended version on December 21, 2020.

Key Funding Figures

• Military Personnel: End-strength of 2.15 million active and reserve components, an increase of 10,300 from FY2020.
• Military Pay Raise: A 3% raise for military personnel.
• OCO Funding: $68.65 billion was allocated for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), which is exempt from the statutory spending cap.

Major Components of the Act

Military Programs

• Funding Increases: Included support for the Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, F-35 Lightning II strike fighter aircraft, and the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) missile defense system.
• Funding Reductions: Cut funding for the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund, the Navy's Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic weapons program, and upgrades to the M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle.

New Appropriation Accounts

• Established new accounts for the Space Force, including Procurement, Space Force and Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E).

New Budget Activities

• Created Budget Activity 6.8 for software and digital technology pilot programs.

Policy Matters Addressed

COVID-19

• Congress included emergency funding for the DOD's response to the pandemic in the FY2020 enacted amount, but the FY2021 bill did not include additional funding for this purpose.

Border Wall and Related Matters

• The bill did not include a prohibition on border wall construction, as debated in earlier stages.

Transfer Authorities

• The legislation reduced the dollar-amount limits on general and special transfer authorities, which are used to fund military operations and programs outside the regular budget.

Confederate Names

• The bill included provisions to rename certain Army installations, facilities, roads, and streets named for leaders of the Confederacy.

Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMFs)

• The bill did not include provisions to repeal AUMFs, which were addressed in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY2021.

Strategic and Budgetary Context

The FY2021 budget request, submitted by President Trump on February 10, 2020, was $753.5 billion, including $690.17 billion for DOD activities (excluding OCO). The request aligned with the Budget Control Act (BCA) spending cap, with $69 billion designated for OCO.

The enacted amount of $688.06 billion was $10.28 billion less than the FY2020 enacted amount, which included emergency funding for natural disasters and the COVID-19 response.

The 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) emphasized strategic competition with China and Russia, calling for sustained investment in modernization, including nuclear, space, and cyber capabilities. The NDS also highlighted the importance of integrating new technologies into the military.

The National Defense Strategy Commission recommended increasing defense spending by 3% to 5% annually in real terms to support the strategy, though some members of Congress argued that the DOD could execute the strategy with less funding.

Budgetary Trends

• The FY2021 enacted amount represented a 0.3% decrease from the FY2021 request and a 1.5% decrease from the FY2020 enacted amount.
• The enacted amount was $688.06 billion, with the base budget at $619.41 billion and OCO at $68.65 billion.
• The enacted amount was $10.28 billion less than the FY2020 enacted amount, which included $12.36 billion in emergency funding for natural disasters and the pandemic response.

Outlook

The FY2021 Defense Appropriations Act reflects a shift in strategic priorities, focusing on great power competition with China and Russia, and military modernization. It also highlights ongoing debates over defense spending levels, border security, and historical naming practices.

The act was enacted 87 days after the start of the FY2021 fiscal year, which is notable due to the delays in the legislative process. This report serves as a reference for understanding the funding and policy implications of the legislation, with additional analysis available in other CRS reports.