Air Force Senior Airman Izaiah Ortiz of the 379th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron opens a panel of a C-17 Globemaster III as part of an inspection in October 2025. (Alexis Orozco/U.S. Air Force)
WASHINGTON — A defense policy bill expected to be voted on this week does not include provisions that would have ensured the military’s ability to purchase the technical data, parts and information needed to repair its own equipment.
The National Defense Authorization Act for 2026, finalized on Sunday, does not include the House and Senate versions of the Right to Repair Act that would require defense contractors to provide technical data necessary for military personnel to repair equipment in the field.
Both versions of the bill include language that would save taxpayers billions of dollars while enhancing military readiness, according to Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Warren and Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., introduced the bipartisan legislation in July.
“For decades, the Pentagon has relied on a broken acquisition system that is routinely defended by career bureaucrats and corporate interests,” Warren and Sheehy said in a joint statement. “Military right-to-repair reforms are supported by the Trump White House, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, entrepreneurs, small businesses and our brave service members. The only ones against this common-sense reform are those taking advantage of a broken status quo at the expense of our warfighters and taxpayers.”
The NDAA is an annual bill that outlines defense priorities and spending, which includes a 3.8% pay raise for troops and $400 million in military assistance to Ukraine.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last month unveiled changes to how the Pentagon purchases weapons, allowing the military to more rapidly acquire technology. Hegseth spoke to military leaders and defense contractors in Washington at the National War College, where he detailed the transformation of the Defense Acquisition System in accordance with an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in April.
The Pentagon in April directed the Army to review existing contracts and ensure future agreements guarantee repair rights.
“The military should be able to repair its own equipment,” Charlie Schuyler, U.S. Public Interest Research Group legislative associate, said in a statement. “Despite support from Republicans, Democrats, the White House and key military leaders, troops will keep waiting for repairs they could perform themselves. Taxpayers will keep paying inflated costs. And in some cases, soldiers might not get the equipment they need when they need it most.”
