FACT SHEET: Bennet Wins in Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act 

Bennet Priorities Included in Final Annual Defense Bill Authorize Major Investments in Colorado and Strengthen U.S. Global Leadership  Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, secured the following provisions in the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act, with the attached Intelligence Authorization Act: ###

Dec 17, 2025 | Press Releases

Bennet Priorities Included in Final Annual Defense Bill Authorize Major Investments in Colorado and Strengthen U.S. Global Leadership 


Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, secured the following provisions in the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act, with the attached Intelligence Authorization Act:

  • Support for Colorado’s Military Installations – Bennet helped secure $266 million for operation and maintenance at U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command; $22 million for electronics procurement at the Cheyenne Mountain Complex; and $12 million for housing at the Buckley Space Force Base.
  • Colorado Defense and Aerospace Industry Investments – Bennet helped secure funding authorizations for critical missions to which Colorado contributes, including:
    • $60 million increase for the Tactically Responsive Space (TacRs) program supporting the rapid launch and operation of satellites; 
    • $106 million for the Rapid Resilient Command and Control program modernizing ground systems used to command and control military satellites; and 
    • $500 million for the next phase, Tranche 3, of the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a satellite network that will serve as the backbone of the military’s future communication, missile tracking, and space capabilities.
  • Indo-Pacific Multilateral Defense – Bennet authored legislation requiring the Secretary of Defense to develop and implement a strategy to strengthen U.S.-led multilateral efforts – with allies including Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines – to deter China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific. Specifically, the legislation requires the Pentagon to identify and implement activities and initiatives to acquire capabilities including long-range precision fires and integrated air defenses, improve command and control structures, bolster maritime domain awareness, leverage regional reciprocal access agreements for allied and partner militaries, and expand the scope and scale of regional military exercises and operations, among other measures.
  • National Intelligence Estimate Assessment of Western Hemisphere Partnerships – Bennet authored language requiring a National Intelligence Estimate on threats to U.S. national security interests in the Western Hemisphere – including China and Russia’s growing presence – and the extent to which greater U.S.-Western Hemisphere cooperation could address these threats. This dovetails with Bennet’s leadership of the Americas Act, the only major strategic economic plan to counter China in the Western Hemisphere. 
  • Barring U.S. Investment in China’s Military Technologies – Bennet joined Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and other colleagues on legislation protecting U.S. national security by barring American investments in certain advanced technologies with military uses – such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum technologies, and hypersonics – in China, Russia, Iran, and other countries of concern. 
  • AUKUS Improvement Act – Bennet joined Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) on legislation strengthening the AUKUS partnership between the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom by streamlining defense industrial base collaboration and co-production of Virginia-class submarines. 
  • Baltic Security Initiative – Bennet joined Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and colleagues on legislation codifying the Baltic Security Initiative to deter Russian aggression and strengthen the NATO alliance by bolstering security collaboration with our Baltic allies: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
  • Disrupting Adversarial Alignment – Bennet joined Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and colleagues to include language, based on the DISRUPT Act, requiring the Director of National Intelligence, and Secretaries of Defense, Treasury, and Commerce to establish working groups to counter the dangerous alignment of adversaries including Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran.
  • Supporting Ukraine – Bennet, who has long championed Ukraine’s fight for democracy, joined Senator Durbin to include language calling for the immediate return of Ukrainian children. The NDAA also includes legislation authorizing the Departments of Justice and State to help Ukraine secure children Russia has abducted since invading Ukraine in 2022. 
  • Countering China’s Global Basing Ambitions – Bennet joined Senators Coons and Ricketts to include language requiring the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense to draft and implement a strategy to respond to China’s efforts to open new military bases globally. 

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