Senate to vote on 2023 US national defense budget

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the $858 billion 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with 350 votes in favor and 80 votes in favor. The bill is expected to be debated and approved in the Senate this week. The bill, which includes $10 billion in military aid to Taiwan through 2027 and $800 million in military support to Ukraine, is described as the most expensive budget in American history. The comprehensive bill, which also includes a 4.6 percent raise in salaries for American soldiers and a requirement that the Pentagon convert its non-tactical vehicle fleets to zero-emission vehicles, increases the senior authorization level for the U.S. President by $45 billion. Likewise, the law, which authorizes $816.7 billion for the U.S. Department of Defense, also decided to allocate $30.3 billion to the Department of Energy for national security programs. It is stated that there are serious negotiations between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, especially for the removal of mandatory Covid vaccination in the American army, and these negotiations are expected to continue in the Senate. The US will continue to support the YPG-PKK in 2023. In the National Defense Authorization Bill, a total of 487 billion dollars has been allocated for Iraq and Syria as a resource for the fight against ISIS, from which the PKK/YPG will also benefit. While 322 million dollars of this resource was approved for Iraq and 165 billion dollars for the groups fighting ISIS in Syria, it is seen that the US is providing financial support to its ally the YPG-PKK in Syria, especially under the train and equip category. However, it did not go unnoticed that 35 million 811 thousand dollars were deducted from the Iraqi part and 18 million 368 thousand dollars from the Syrian part. There is no unfavorable Turkey clause The process that began with the proposal to give Turkey F16s with 2 conditions and its acceptance in the lower house with the initiative of 18 members of the House of Representatives last July ended last week. The conference committee did not accept the inclusion of such a condition against Turkey in the bill and it was expressed as a great success for Turkish diplomacy.