On Friday, Montana's sole U.S. House Representative Greg Gianforte voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act, in order to begin rebuilding America's military, according to a press release from Gianforte's staff.

"“As threats to the United States continue to grow, we have too many aircraft that cannot fly, too many ships that cannot go to sea, and a force size that has diminished too much," Gianforte said. "We must ensure our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to get the job done and come home safely. The National Defense Authorization Act begins the process of rebuilding and restoring our military by increasing the size of our forces and modernizing our defense. It also provides our troops, including nearly 8,000 service members in Montana, with a well-deserved raise – the largest in eight years.”

The pay raise, 2.4 percent, further extends special pay and benefits for U.S. Armed Service members.

The NDAA also enhances America's defense by modernizing the nuclear weapons stockpile, missile defense, and military vehicles. As cyber threats grow, NDAA also supports defensive and offensive cyberspace strategies.

The NDAA funding extends through fiscal year 2018.

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