The Senate on Wednesday advanced its annual defense policy bill after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) dropped efforts to merge it with legislation to boost U.S. technology competitiveness with China and semiconductor manufacturing. Late on Wednesday, the Senate voted 84–15 to advance debate on the National Defense Authorization Act, which could begin as soon as Thursday. It comes months after the House passed its version of the of a $768 billion defense policy bill for the 2022 fiscal year. The National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, sets policy for the Pentagon on a number of areas including how many rifles and ships it should purchase, soldiers’ salaries, and to how best to approach geopolitical threats. The House’s version directs defense and intelligence officials to detail how to protect Afghanistan against potential terrorist threats, now that the United States no longer has a presence in the country. The Senate’s version …