The initial House version of the Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015, H.R. A Senate version, S. 2410 (113 th Congress), was introduced in the Senate on June 2, 2014, and reported by the Senate Committee on Armed Services ( S.Rept. However, the Senate did not consider this bill. 3979 . Some issues were addressed in the FY2014 National Defense Authorization Act, and discussed in CRS Report R43184, FY2014 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues , coordinated by [author name scrubbed], or earlier versions of reports on this act. Those issues that were considered previously are designated with a " * " in the relevant section titles of this report. Some are concerned that the use of the term "equitable," used above, does not mean the same as "equal." Discussion: The proposed final version seeks to protect the custodial arrangements of parents who are members of the armed forces by limiting the duration of a temporary custody order, based solely on the deployment of a servicemember parent, to the period justified by the deployment of the servicemember. Reference(s) : Previously discussed in CRS Report R43184, FY2014 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues , coordinated by [author name scrubbed]; CRS Report R42651, FY2013 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Policy Issues , coordinated by [author name scrubbed]; CRS Report R41874, FY2012 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Policy Issues , coordinated by [author name scrubbed]; CRS Report R40711, FY2010 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Policy Issues , coordinated by [author name scrubbed]; and CRS Report RL34590, FY2009 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Policy Issues , coordinated by [author name scrubbed]. Section 702 of H.R. 4435.
Military personnel issues typically generate significant interest from many Members of Congress and their staffs. Ongoing operations in Afghanistan, along with the regular use of the reserve component personnel for operational missions, further heighten interest in a wide range of military personnel policies and issues.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has selected a number of the military personnel issues considered in deliberations on H.R. 4435, the initial House-passed version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2015; S. 2410, the version of the NDAA reported by the Senate Committee on Armed Services (S.Rept. 113-176) but not considered by the full Senate; and H.R. 3979, the proposed final version. This report provides a brief synopsis of sections in each bill that pertain to selected personnel policy. These include end strengths, compensation, health care, and sexual assault, as well as less prominent issues that nonetheless generate significant public interest.
This report focuses exclusively on the annual defense authorization process. It does not include language concerning appropriations, veterans' affairs, tax implications of policy choices, or any discussion of separately introduced legislation, topics which are addressed in other CRS products. Some issues were addressed in the FY2014 National Defense Authorization Act and discussed in CRS Report R43184, FY2014 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues coordinated by [author name scrubbed]. Those issues that were considered previously are designated with a "*" in the relevant section titles of this report.