The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (NDAA 2026) is a United States federal law which specifies the budget, expenditures, and policies of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) for fiscal year 2026. The NDAA is an annual act of Congress that redefines the U.S. military budget.
Provisions Sanctions on Syria by the US were lifted with the repeal of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act.NDAA 2026, § 8369. The AUMF Against Iraq of 1991 and AUMF Against Iraq of 2002 were also repealed.
There are several provisions on the regulation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the US. It centralized military counter-UAS efforts under the Joint Interagency Task Force 401, which coordinates strategy, validates counter-drone systems, and oversees procurement.. NDAA 2026, § 912. It directed reviews and investments to strengthen the domestic small-UAS industrial base and broadened military authority to protect additional installations.NDAA 2026, § 914.. NDAA 2026, § 1707. And through the SAFER SKIES Act it further extended counter-drone authority to federal and, with training and oversight, state and local law-enforcement agencies, and increased penalties for drone-related crimes.SAFER SKIES Act, title 86 of the NDAA 2026, §§ 8601–8607.
For the fifth year in a row, Congress included provisions on unidentified flying objects (UFOs), also known as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). They force retroactive and ongoing disclosure to Congress of UFO intercepts by NORAD and NORTHCOM, centralize all UFO data under AARO, and expose classification rules that have previously shielded such encounters from oversight.NDAA 2026, §§ 1671–1673.
The act contains a provision which requires the Selective Service System to automatically register adult males for the draft.
The act included the Biosecure Act.
References
External links National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 as amended (PDF/details) in the GPO Statute Compilations collection National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 as enacted (PDF/details) in the US Statutes at Large on Congress.gov S. 1071 in the Rules Committee on Congress.gov H.R. 3838 in the Rules Committee on Congress.gov (IAA) on Congress.gov