Jackson, Ronny RSS Articles

Rep. Jackson Now Accepting Applications for Nomination to U.S. Service Academies

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMT

AMARILLO, TX — Today, the Office of Congressman Ronny Jackson (TX-13) announced that United States Service Academy nomination applications for the Class of 2031 are now open. To be considered for a nomination, candidates must submit all required materials by October 2, 2026.

“One of the most rewarding opportunities I have as a Member of Congress is helping exceptional young Texans take the first step toward a life of service by nominating them to our nation’s prestigious service academies,” said Rep. Jackson. “If nominated, these young men and women will develop the character, discipline, and selflessness required to serve our country, and I look forward to supporting them as they pursue this opportunity. I encourage every qualified student in Texas’ 13th Congressional District who is passionate about leadership and service to apply.”

As a Member of Congress, Jackson can nominate students from TX-13 for appointments to the United States Air Force, Naval, Military (West Point), and Merchant Marine Academies.

More information on Service Academy Nominations can be found here.

The U.S. Service Academy Application for Nomination can be found here.

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Rep. Ronny Jackson Leads Legislation to Strengthen America’s Defense Industrial Base and Support Trump’s America First Arms Transfer Strategy

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON — Today, Representative Ronny Jackson (TX-13) introduced the Defense Export Modeling Alignment for National Defense Act (DEMAND Act), legislation that will advance President Trump’s Executive Order 14383, “Establishing an America First Arms Transfer Strategy.” Specifically, the bill will help expand America’s defense industrial base by ensuring foreign military sales are fully incorporated into the Department of War’s industrial base planning and production-capacity decisions.

“A strong national defense depends on leveraging opportunities to build the resilience of our defense industrial base,” said Rep. Jackson. “The DEMAND Act will harness foreign arms purchases to drive capital investment, expand American defense production capacity, and strengthen the resilience of critical domestic suppliers. By executing on President Trump’s America First Arms Transfer Strategy, we will ensure the U.S. has the capabilities to maintain our military dominance and technological superiority while supporting our warfighters and our allies and partners."

The bill’s original cosponsors include Reps. Rich McCormick (R-GA), Mark Messmer (R-IN), Darrell Issa (R-CA), and Derrick Van Orden (R-WI).

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Rep. Ronny Jackson, Members of Texas Delegation Urge Senate to Advance House Budget Resolution to Deliver on President Trump's Agenda

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON — Today, Representative Ronny Jackson (TX-13) alongside Representative John Carter (TX-31) and House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19), led 20 additional members of the Texas Republican delegation in sending a letter to President Trump expressing their unified support for advancing the House-passed budget resolution to unlock Reconciliation 3.0 and urging the Senate to pass the measure without delay.

The letter highlights the importance of adopting the House-passed budget resolution to enact policies that strengthen our national security, provide much needed support for our agricultural producers, and implement commonsense measures to safeguard American elections.

"The American people elected President Trump and a Republican Congress to secure our elections, strengthen our military, support our farmers and ranchers, and put America First," said Rep. Jackson. "The House has done its job by passing a budget framework that advances those priorities. Now it's time for the Senate to act so we can deliver on the critical defense funding, agricultural assistance, and SAVE America Act policies that Texans and Americans are counting on."

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Rep. Ronny Jackson Co-Leads Legislation Targeting Iranian Proxy, Polisario Front

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON — Today, Representatives Ronny Jackson (TX-13) and Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05) introduced the Polisario Front Terrorist Designation Act. The legislation would strengthen U.S. national security and protect American interests by directing the Secretary of State to designate the Polisario Front as a Foreign Terrorist Organization following a comprehensive evaluation of the group’s involvement with Iran and Iranian-backed terrorist organizations to coordinate military training, weapons deliveries, and intelligence sharing.

"For too long, Iran and its terrorist proxies, like Hezbollah, have used the Polisario Front to project instability across West Africa," said Rep. Jackson. "This bill ensures the Trump administration is equipped to fully investigate the Polisario Front and take decisive action to counter threats to the national security of the U.S. and our allies. We must use every available tool to combat terrorism, dismantle the networks that enable it, and protect the American people."

“The Iranian regime and its terrorist proxies are working overtime to open a new front against the United States and our allies, and the Polisario Front has become one of their instruments,” said Rep. Gottheimer. “When a group takes drones and weapons from the IRGC and coordinates with Iranian-backed terrorists, we should call it exactly what it is: a terrorist organization. This bipartisan bill makes sure that once that cooperation is confirmed, we can bring the full weight of America’s counterterrorism sanctions down on the Polisario Front and cut its leaders off from the global financial system, international travel, and the resources they use to threaten us and our allies. Standing up to Iran and its proxies isn’t a partisan issue.”

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Rep. Ronny Jackson Applauds Announcement of Contract for Critical Upgrades to USMC H-1 Fleet at Bell Helicopter in Amarillo, Texas, Made Possible by Congressional Defense Funding

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON — Today, Representative Ronny Jackson (TX-13) announced that as a result of funding he helped secure in the Fiscal Year 2026 defense appropriations bill, Bell Textron Inc. was awarded a contract to support the Structural and Power Improvements for NextGen Effects (SPINE) program, a critical modernization effort that will enhance the performance and longevity of the U.S. Marine Corps' AH-1Z and UH-1Y helicopter fleet.

Rep. Jackson has consistently championed funding for this program during his time in Congress, recognizing both its importance to our national defense and the significant economic impact it has at Bell and in the Texas Panhandle.

The funding will sustain the highly skilled workforce at Bell's Amarillo facility, support advanced manufacturing and engineering jobs, continue to strengthen the region's defense industrial base, and reinforce Amarillo's longstanding role as a premier hub for military aviation production and modernization. It also underscores the enduring partnership between Bell, the U.S. Marine Corps, and industry partners in providing next-generation capabilities to America's warfighters and ensuring the H-1 fleet will remain relevant to the Joint Force for decades to come.

This $300 million investment will tangibly increase lethality and survivability for Bell’s AH-1Z and UH-1Y platforms while delivering real results for Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle,” said Rep. Jackson. “I am proud to continue to support the SPINE program, which will help sustain highly skilled jobs at Bell, reinforce our region's critical role in supporting the U.S. Marine Corps, and ensure our servicemembers have the modernized aircraft they need to accomplish their mission. While in Congress, I will continue fighting to bring defense investments home to Texas Thirteen while ensuring our military remains the strongest and most capable fighting force in the world."

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ICYMI: Rep. Ronny Jackson Highlights the Need to Protect America’s Troops on the Digital Battlefield in New Op-ed

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON — In an opinion editorial published by Breaking Defense, Representative Ronny Jackson (TX-13) highlighted the growing national security threat posed by ubiquitous technical surveillance (UTS) and the need to better protect America's servicemembers from digital vulnerabilities. He explains how commercially available data can expose military movements and operational patterns to America's adversaries.

In case you missed it…

Protecting America’s Troops on the Digital Battlefield

Breaking Defense

Rep. Ronny Jackson

July 29, 2026

Earlier this year, a naval officer’s routine use of the app Strava revealed the location of the French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle while it was operating in the eastern Mediterranean, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. No classified system was hacked. No network was deliberately penetrated. The information came from ordinary digital behavior that most people would never think twice about.

That is the danger of ubiquitous technical surveillance, or UTS.

UTS is the constant collection and monitoring of digital information through the combination of physical and environmental sensors, cameras, smartphones and mobile devices, fitness apps, financial transactions, connected devices, and the countless other technologies that quietly record where we go, who we meet, and what we do. One data point may seem harmless, but in the aggregate, these data points can quietly reveal actionable insights, such as military movements, operational patterns, and the identities of the people behind them.

If publicly available data can expose the location of an allied aircraft carrier, we should assume sophisticated, near-peer adversaries like China are already intentionally using the same methods to track and undermine the operations of US warfighters. And with the pace of technology, that threat is only growing.

We have already seen how digital carelessness becomes battlefield vulnerability. During the early stages of the war in Ukraine, the Russian military acknowledged that a Ukrainian strike killed scores of its soldiers and blamed the losses on cellphone use that exposed the soldiers’ position. The lesson is clear: digital discipline is now force protection.

During my 25 years of service in the United States Navy, including deployments to Iraq during the height of the insurgency, force protection meant physical barriers, guards, patrols, and hardened perimeters. Today, the threat is broader and more dangerous. Every smartphone, every app, every connected device, and every camera can become another sensor to be exploited by our adversaries.

As Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee, I have the opportunity to focus Congressional oversight on the growing risks of the modern information environment. During a hearing in our subcommittee in March, Adm. Frank Bradley, head of US Special Operations Command, specifically called out the UTS threat, labeling the information we expose in the digital domain a “boon for our adversaries.” Just a few weeks later, Bradley Hansell, the Under Secretary of War for Intelligence and Security, testified that the Defense Intelligence Enterprise is actively investing to “transform the human enterprise to Watch experts discuss foreign influence risks, evolving DoD policy, and strategies for balancing security with scientific collaboration.

It’s encouraging to see Department of War leaders clear-eyed about this threat. However, responsibility for countering UTS remains fractured; today, no single office has been given clear ownership of the responsibility to confront it at a department-wide level.

That changes with Section 1098 in this year’s House National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). I was proud to lead this provision to help ensure the Department treats UTS as the persistent national security threat it is and institutionalize accountability across the entire enterprise.

For the first time, federal law would require the Department of War to designate a single head of an organization within the department as being responsible for identifying UTS vulnerabilities across the force. It would direct the department to develop a comprehensive strategy for the research, development, and procurement of secure communications and obfuscation technologies, develop UTS training and techniques to enhance force protection, and produce a plan for a long-term program of record to meet counter-UTS needs.

President Donald Trump has made rebuilding the world’s most lethal fighting force a top priority. But military strength is not just measured in platforms. It also depends on whether we can protect our servicemembers from the invisible threats that they are exposed to each and every day.

As Congress works to conference the House and Senate versions of this Fiscal Year 2027 NDAA, this critical provision should be preserved in any final package and signed into law. We would never send American troops into combat without body armor. We should not send them onto today’s digital battlefield without the appropriate protection either.

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ICYMI: Rep. Ronny Jackson Introduces Legislation to Strengthen America's Military UAS Testing and Training Capabilities

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON — Today, Representative Ronny Jackson (TX-13) introduced the Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operational Test, Evaluation, and Training Corridor Act. This legislation will help accelerate the development, testing, evaluation, and deployment of next-generation small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) and counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) by ensuring America's warfighters have access to the training environments needed to maintain battlefield dominance.

As unmanned aircraft systems continue to reshape modern warfare, the United States must move faster to develop, test, and field advanced capabilities that keep pace with rapidly evolving threats from near-peer adversaries. Rep. Jackson’s legislation ensures the Department of War can establish dedicated corridors to conduct integrated, operationally realistic testing and training for emerging UAS and C-UAS technologies. The legislation will also help streamline the path from development to deployment by identifying regulatory barriers and improving coordination across government agencies.

“To ensure America is ready for the battlefield of the future, we must modernize and strengthen our testing infrastructure,” said. Rep. Jackson. “This legislation accelerates innovation, streamlines interagency coordination, and creates the realistic testing and training environments needed to rapidly develop, evaluate, and field next-generation unmanned aerial systems. By establishing dedicated training spaces and reducing the fielding time for these advanced capabilities, we're enabling our warfighters with the technology and operational edge they will need to compete and win."

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ICYMI: House Natural Resources Committee Holds Legislative Hearing on Rep. Ronny Jackson’s SAFE CATTLE Act

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, the House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries held a legislative hearing on Representative Ronny Jackson's Supporting Agriculture, Forests, and Ecosystems (SAFE) CATTLE Act, legislation aimed at supporting the federal government’s response to the New World screwworm and protecting America's livestock industry.

During the hearing, Texas Farm Bureau State Director, District 1, Jared Blankenship testified in support of the legislation, emphasizing that the SAFE CATTLE Act builds on the unified response of the Trump administration, state animal health officials, and industry partners to eradicate the New World screwworm from the U.S.

"I commend the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) for their ongoing efforts to eradicate this pest and protect our livestock and wildlife sectors, and my SAFE CATTLE Act will expand on that work by strengthening coordination between federal agencies, state officials, and producers on the front lines," said Rep. Jackson. "This bill will help improve surveillance and eradication efforts, and ensure Congress provides critical resources to this fight. I appreciate Jared Blankenship and the Texas Farm Bureau for lending their strong support to this legislation and for their continued leadership in protecting Texas’ livestock producers and our nation's food supply."

"The New World screwworm poses a serious threat to American agriculture, and eradicating this devastating pest from the United States will take a coordinated effort from everyone involved—from ranchers and veterinarians to state officials and our federal partners at USDA and DOI,” said Jared Blankenship, Texas Farm Bureau State Director for District 1. “We appreciate the Trump administration’s continued leadership on this effort, and the SAFE CATTLE Act will help make sure those partnerships are stronger and that we have the resources in place to stop this threat before it spreads any further."

Click here or above to watch Director Blankenship's full testimony.

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ICYMI: Rep. Ronny Jackson Speaks on the House Floor in Support of FY27 NDAA

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON — Yesterday, Representative Ronny Jackson (TX-13) spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027.

Click here or above to watch Rep. Jackson’s full remarks.

Rep. Ronny Jackson’s remarks as prepared:

I rise today in support of H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027.

I would like to begin by thanking Chairman Rogers for his leadership in bringing the NDAA to the Floor for the 66th consecutive year.

As Chairman of the Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee, I am especially proud that this bill provides our Special Operations Forces, the Defense Intelligence Enterprise, and the security cooperation enterprise with the tools and resources needed to execute the Department’s National Defense Strategy and counter an ever-changing threat landscape.

Crucially, this bill provides an approximately $1.3 billion increase in funding for U.S. Special Operations Command to address critical needs within its programs. This bill also invests in a wide range of intelligence capabilities and disciplines, including my provision to develop a periodic ISR strategy to make better threat-informed decisions.

We continue to ask more of our Special Operations Forces, uniform and civilian intelligence professionals, and security cooperation personnel, and this year’s NDAA ensures they are equipped with the capabilities necessary to maintain their operational edge over any adversary.

I’d also like to highlight that this bill advances critical reforms to revitalize our Defense Industrial Base, restore lethality, and deliver on President Trump’s “Peace Through Strength” agenda. I was proud to lead efforts to support test and training space for unmanned aerial systems, incorporate foreign military sales demand into domestic industrial base assessments, and to officially restore the name of the Department of War.

Finally, I want to recognize the tremendous work of the professional staff from the ISO Subcommittee and my personal office staff to develop this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 8800, and with that, I yield back.

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Rep. Ronny Jackson Celebrates House Passage of the FY27 NDAA

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON — Today, Representative Ronny Jackson (TX-13), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee, celebrated the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (FY27 NDAA). This year’s NDAA strengthens America's military, advances the quality of life of our servicemembers, and delivers key national security provisions for Sheppard Air Force Base, Bell Helicopter, the Pantex Plant, and the broader defense industrial base in Texas’ Thirteenth Congressional District.

"I'm proud to support House passage of the FY27 NDAA," said Rep. Jackson. "This legislation bolsters our Special Operations Forces and intelligence community, revitalizes the Defense Industrial Base, and makes historic investments in the capabilities we need to maintain the edge over America’s adversaries. This year’s bill delivers on President Trump’s commitment to peace through strength by ensuring our warfighters have the resources, training, and technology necessary to confront the threats of today and tomorrow. Today’s passage is a major victory for our national security and for our men and women in uniform, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in the U.S. Senate and Trump administration to swiftly get this important legislation signed into law.”

Read about the wins secured by Rep. Jackson here.

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