House lawmakers passed their version of the National Defense Authorization Act in a 363-70 vote on Dec. 7, axing provisions that would have expanded the draft to women and ended U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. The $768 billion military budgeting bill sent to the Senate is above and beyond the $733 billion spent this year and the $753 billion sought by the Biden administration. Many national security officials are advocating for an indefinite 5-percent increase in military spending to both maintain the global war on terror and confront China and Russia. To those ends, the House NDAA provides $7.1 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI), devoting more resources to building up forces in the Indo-Pacific region—in keeping with Pentagon plans to upgrade bases in Australia and throughout the Pacific as part of its strategy to confront China’s growing influence in the region. The House NDAA also …