Defense bill provides funding for military facilities in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration Executive Director Gabriella Boffelli

By THE STAR STAFF

The leadership of the United States Congress has released the text of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2026, whose provisions include funding for military installations in Puerto Rico.

The measure, expected to be voted on this week, follows a bicameral agreement between the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA) said.

The bill authorizes $901 billion for national defense, representing an increase of $8 billion over the previous year’s levels. The NDAA codifies 15 executive orders issued by President Donald Trump, secures U.S. borders -- including $1 billion authorized to combat drug trafficking -- and includes provisions to counter adversaries such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. Additionally, the measure reforms defense procurement to streamline the process, reduce bureaucracy, and refocus on its core mission: providing service members with the resources they need, when they need them. It also supports the Trump administration’s budget request for a 3.8% pay raise for all military personnel and improves housing, education, and access to care for military families.

Among the military construction projects in Puerto Rico, the authorization of $66.519 million for the replacement of the Ramey Unit School in Punta Borinquen, Aguadilla, stands out.

“As we previously announced, Congress had already allocated funds for this project through military construction appropriations measures, which were signed into law by President Trump as part of the Act that reopened the federal government,” PRFAA Executive Director Gabriella Boffelli stated. “We continue to support and build upon the efforts of Governor [Jenniffer] González Colón, who championed this military construction project throughout her time in Congress, initially securing its authorization in the Fiscal Year 2018 NDAA and an extension in the Fiscal Year 2024 NDAA.”

The measure also extends the authorization for the construction of the Engineering and Maintenance Workshops at the Camp Santiago Joint Maneuver Training Center until Oct. 1, 2026, or until the enactment of the FY 2027 NDAA, whichever comes later. The military construction project was authorized for $14.5 million in the FY 2023 NDAA and funded through the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, both with the support of González Colón.

The FY 2026 NDAA includes the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, which reauthorizes funding and programs for the U.S. Coast Guard and its operations for FYs 2026 and 2027. The legislation includes provisions drafted by González Colón during her tenure in Congress that will directly impact and enhance maritime border security in Puerto Rico. Key provisions include:

* Section 7119, which requires the Coast Guard Commandant to develop, in collaboration with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, an annual plan to support Coast Guard operations in the Caribbean region. This includes assessing personnel, infrastructure, administrative, logistical and technological needs. The provision aims to ensure that the Coast Guard has the necessary capabilities to conduct national security and maritime border security operations in the Caribbean.

* Section 7202 seeks to improve transparency by requiring the Coast Guard to publish the number of drug and migrant interdictions it conducts monthly. In the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022, Congress included a provision mandating the publication of monthly migrant interdiction statistics. This section expands that requirement to also include data on drug seizures, as well as additional information such as the number of migrants intercepted, the types and quantities of drugs seized, and the geographic locations of those interdictions.

* Section 7218 authorizes the secretary of homeland security to acquire advanced technology, such as tactical maritime surveillance systems, for use by the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection in the operational areas of Sector San Diego in California, Sector Key West in Florida, and Sector San Juan in Puerto Rico.

The provision was initially included in the Senate version of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, which passed in March 2025. In a statement following the bill’s passage, González Colón celebrated the inclusion of the provision, arguing that it would “enhance” maritime security efforts.