*WASHINGTON: US House of Representatives lawmakers released details onFriday of a $717 billion annual defense policy bill, including efforts tocompete with Russia and China and a measure to temporarily halt weaponssales to Turkey. *
The House Armed Services Committee is due to debate next week the annualNational Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes the level ofdefense spending and sets policies controlling how the funding is used.
One of the few pieces of major legislation passed by Congress every year,the NDAA is used as a vehicle for a broad range of policy measures, as wellas determining everything from military pay levels and benefits to whichships or aircraft will be modernized, purchased or discontinued.
The committee will not release the bill itself until next week, butRepublicans, who control the panel, and the minority Democrats, eachreleased summaries.
On Russia, the proposed NDAA for fiscal year 2019 includes provisions suchas imposing new sanctions on Russia´s arms industry in response to treatyviolations, prohibiting military-to-military cooperation and providing morefunding for cyber warfare.
But it also includes a rule, backed by President Donald Trump´s fellowRepublicans, that would allow Trump to end some sanctions imposed on Russiain legislation Congress passed overwhelmingly last summer despite thepresident´s objections.
On China, the proposed NDAA includes provisions including improvingTaiwan´s defense capabilities and barring any U. S. government agency fromusing “risky” technology produced by Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp,which a committee statement describes as “linked to the Chinese CommunistParty´s intelligence apparatus.
“Washington has recently made a series of moves aimed at stopping orreducing access by Huawei and ZTE to the US economy amid allegations thetelecommunications equipment companies could be using their technology tospy on Americans. The legislation would also ask the Defense Department toprovide Congress with a report on the relationship between the UnitedStates and Turkey, and would block the sale of major defense equipmentuntil the report was complete.
Although Turkey is a NATO ally, relations between Ankara and Washingtonrecently have deteriorated. Turkey supported the US fight against IslamicState, but has become increasingly worried about US backing for Kurdishfighters in Syria.
The NDAA is several steps from becoming law. The final version of thelegislation will be a compromise reached later this year by House andSenate negotiators between separate versions of the bill approved in thetwo chambers. – Agencies