Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) made an announcement in which "key priorities" were included in an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to allow for funding to operations related to the armed forces.
These included funding to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery and to historically black colleges or HBCUs, also known as minority serving institutions or MSIs.
“As a proud member of the House Armed Services Committee and the representative for critical military installations in Alabama, I take very seriously my responsibility to ensure that our service members get the tools and support they need to keep our nation safe,” said Sewell in an announcement.
“I’m thrilled to report that this year’s NDAA includes my provisions to continue modernizing Alabama’s Air National Guard facilities and support leadership training at Maxwell Air Force Base.”
Funding at Maxwell will go to Air University to train Air Force leaders, the announcement said.
$20 million in research funding will go to HBCUs and MSIs. The announcement noted that the NDAA allowed a "record" $120 million to support these institutions.
The amendment also expands the Department of Defense with HBCUs by directing the Air Force to speak with the committee on how to use the expertise by HBCUs in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and Additive Manufacturing.
“I was also proud to help secure numerous provisions to support our nation’s HBCUs in this year’s NDAA,” Sewell said. “Our HBCUs perform critical research and help train a talented and diverse group of students whose skills are an asset to our national security."
"We must ensure that their potential does not go untapped. Thanks to a series of amendments and requests that we submitted, this NDAA strengthens the partnership between our military and our HBCUs, creates a workforce pipeline for minority students, and includes a record $125 million to invest in cutting-edge research at HBCUs.”
See the full announcement here.
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