Reflections on US defense policy from Rep. Adam Smith

On December 6, 2022, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) and its counterpart committee in the Senate agreed on the fiscal year 2023 (FY23) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). President Biden signed it into law on December 23. The act promotes resilience, innovation, and military readiness and allots $858 billion to implement the National Defense Strategy.

Having served on the HASC since he started in Congress and as chairman from 2019 to 2023, Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.) has played a decisive role in shepherding the annual NDAA through Congress and forging bicameral and bipartisan consensus across a variety of defense policy issues amid the COVID-19 global pandemic, the ongoing rise of China, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

On January 11, 2023, the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology at Brookings hosted a conversation featuring Rep. Smith to discuss the FY23 NDAA, reflect on his chairmanship of the HASC under two different administrations, two crucial national defense strategies, and multiple DOD leadership teams, and to consider what the future holds for defense policy. The panel was followed by questions from the in-person and virtual audience.

Online viewers submitted questions by emailing events@brookings.edu or on Twitter @BrookingsFP using #DefensePolicy.