Senate NDAA adds protections for ‘political speech’ by military retirees amid Hegseth-Kelly battle

The Senate’s defense authorization bill includes language that would better protect retired service members who speak out against the government in the midst of a battle between Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the lawmaker’s criticism of the Trump administration.

The provision — included in the Senate Armed Service Committee’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed out of committee earlier this month — would update the Uniform Code of Military Justice “to exempt certain types of speech by a retiree from being subject to punishment,” according to the draft bill.

Specifically, retired service members couldn’t be punished for “political speech” or “expressions pertaining to the actions, character, motivation, qualifications, or other attributes of government officials.”

Committee members unanimously approved the language in a closed-door debate, with no Republican senators raising objections, Politico reported.

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