The 81-13 vote by the Senate easily exceeded the 67-member majority needed for the chamber to override a presidential veto and follows a similarly overwhelming vote by the House of Representatives. 

The fiscal 2021 defense policy bill veto override vote has been delayed in the Senate because it is instead focused on passing additional COVID-19 relief for individuals.

The House voted 322-87 on Dec. 28 to override President Donald Trump’s veto of the $740.5 billion fiscal 2021 defense policy legislation, and the Senate plans to vote on the measure Dec. 29.

All Defense Department offices have been ordered to comb through five years of internal costs related to FMS cases, according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency memo.

The House plans to reconvene Dec. 28 for a vote to override the decision, while the Senate is scheduled to return for business Dec. 29.

Japan approved its fiscal 2021 defense budget of ¥5.34 trillion ($51.6 billion) on Dec. 21 with a sliver of an increase at 0.5% over the fiscal 2020 amount.

NATO is hoping to declare an initial operating capability for its Alliance Ground Surveillance fleet of Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawks in early 2021 after plans were delayed by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Lawmakers are becoming more stringent with how the Pentagon can spend future funding, included on the services’ unfunded requirements list, according to a joint explanatory statement accompanying the fiscal 2021 defense appropriations compromise bill.