WASHINGTON — The House Thursday passed a $577.1 billion measure rejecting Defense Department efforts to cut military costs.

The legislation would let the A-10 aircraft of the Cold War era keep flying and continue purchases of radar-jamming jets made by Boeing Co.

The bill passed the House 300-119, without any changes. The Senate probably will follow suit next week. The annual defense policy bill sets military policy and spending targets for fiscal 2015, which started Oct. 1.

While laws covering many other parts of the government routinely are allowed to lapse because of disagreements or disinterest, a defense authorization has been enacted for 52 consecutive years, a record lawmakers cite as a sign of bipartisan support for the military.

“Right now, they are walking patrol in the mountains of Afghanistan,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard “Buck” McKeon said in a floor speech.

“They are at sea within missile range of Iran. They are flying wingtip-to-wingtip against Russia bombers over the North Sea. They are nose-to-nose with the North Koreans. They are sweating in the equatorial heat of Africa, fighting a horrible disease.”

The legislation would authorize $577.1 billion in budget authority for national defense programs, down from $625.1 billion in the previous year, reflecting continued reductions in core defense spending and a decline in funds dedicated to the war in Afghanistan.

On issues related to U.S. foreign policy, the measure would authorize the training of moderate Syrian rebels to fight Islamic State terrorists, extend a ban on closing the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and bar the purchase of Russian rocket engines not already under contract for national-security space launches.

The bill would keep the A-10 aircraft flying in 2015. The Air Force pressured Congress to retire the “Warthog” fleet to save more than $4 billion over five years, a move opposed by several generations of combat veterans who say it provides close-air protection more advanced aircraft can’t duplicate.