Congresswoman Nancy Mace announced on June 3 that she has secured significant funding and provisions for South Carolina’s military installations, servicemembers, and research institutions in the base text of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act.
Mace said, “South Carolina’s military installations are the backbone of our national defense, and this NDAA reflects our commitment to keeping them strong. We secured hundreds of millions for Joint Base Charleston, extended critical funding for MCRD Parris Island, restored services at Naval Hospital Beaufort, and directed more than $35 million to the University of South Carolina for cutting-edge defense research. No one will work harder for our servicemembers, their families, and the entire state of South Carolina.”
The legislation includes a $161.7 million authorization for a Nuclear Power Training Facility Simulation Expansion at Joint Base Charleston. It also extends previously authorized funds totaling over $166 million for recruit barracks at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. The act restores inpatient, operating room, chiropractic, and emergency room services at Naval Hospital Beaufort.
More than $35 million is allocated to South Carolina institutions for defense research across several areas: $15 million for neuromusculoskeletal anabolism research; $10 million for advanced composites in hypersonics; $5 million toward standardized Army battery performance; and additional investments in Navy power systems technology and unmanned logistics.
Additional provisions include funding such as $5 million to support Special Operations Command lessons learned programs and $3 million toward missile defense satellite power sources. The bill also contains measures related to skills-based hiring within the Department of Defense (DoD), modifications under military justice codes regarding wrongful distribution of images, pilot programs on health records and Tricare Select enrollment criteria related to pregnancy events, procurement authority advances for ship-to-shore connectors, an aluminum sector assessment report requirement, as well as directive report language concerning large surface combatant propulsion architecture and V-22 safety investments.
Nancy Mace is currently serving in Congress representing South Carolina’s 1st district after replacing Joe Cunningham in 2021, according to the U.S. House of Representatives. She previously served in the state legislature from 2018 through 2020.
