Text of US SB 2296 (2025)

II Calendar No. 115 119TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 2296 [Report No. 119–39] To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JULY 15, 2025 Mr. WICKER, from the Committee on Armed Services, reported the following original bill; which was read twice and placed on the calendar A BILL To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Depart- ment of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Defense Au- 4 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:39 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 2 •S 2296 RS SEC. 2. ORGANIZATION OF ACT INTO DIVISIONS; TABLE OF 1 CONTENTS. 2 (a) DIVISIONS.—This Act is organized into four divi- 3 sions as follows: 4 (1) Division A—Department of Defense Au- 5 thorizations. 6 (2) Division B—Military Construction Author- 7 izations. 8 (3) Division C—Department of Energy Na- 9 tional Security Authorizations and Other Authoriza- 10 tions. 11 (4) Division D—Funding Tables. 12 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 13 this Act is as follows: 14 Sec. 1. Short title. Sec. 2. Organization of Act into divisions; table of contents. Sec. 3. Congressional defense committees. Sec. 4. Budgetary effects of this Act. DIVISION A—DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATIONS TITLE I—PROCUREMENT Subtitle A—Authorization of Appropriations Sec. 101. Authorization of appropriations. Subtitle B—Army Programs Sec. 111. Strategy for Army tactical wheeled vehicle program. Subtitle C—Navy Programs Sec. 121. Procurement authority for Columbia-class submarine program. Sec. 122. Procurement authorities for Medium Landing Ships. Sec. 123. Recapitalization of Navy waterborne security barriers; modification of prohibition on availability of funds for legacy waterborne secu- rity barriers. Sec. 124. Modification to limitations on Navy medium and large unmanned sur- face vessels. Sec. 125. Limitation on availability of funds for TAGOS ship program. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 3 •S 2296 RS Sec. 126. Limitation on availability of funds relating to amphibious warfare ship requirement. Sec. 127. Temporary unavailability of amphibious warfare ships. Subtitle D—Air Force Programs Sec. 131. B–21 bomber aircraft program accountability matrices. Sec. 132. Bomber aircraft force structure and transition roadmap. Sec. 133. Requirement for an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance roadmap for the Air Force. Sec. 134. Annual report on Department of Defense unified datalink strategy. Sec. 135. Plan for open mission systems of F–35 aircraft. Sec. 136. Modification of prohibition on retirement of F–15E aircraft. Sec. 137. Prohibition on retirement of A–10 aircraft. Sec. 138. Extension of limitations and minimum inventory requirement relating to RQ–4 aircraft. Sec. 139. Expansion of air refueler fleet. Sec. 140. Requirements relating to C–130 aircraft. Sec. 141. Information on future large and oversized air cargo transportation services. TITLE II—RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, TEST, AND EVALUATION Subtitle A—Authorization of Appropriations Sec. 201. Authorization of appropriations. Subtitle B—Program Requirements, Restrictions, and Limitations Sec. 211. Modifications to defense research capacity building program. Sec. 212. Program for the enhancement of the research, development, test, and evaluation centers of the Department of Defense. Sec. 213. Extension of authority for assignment to Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of private sector personnel with critical re- search and development expertise. Sec. 214. Limitation on use of funds for certain Navy software. Sec. 215. Limitation on availability of funds for Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Sec. 216. Prohibition on contracts between certain foreign entities and institu- tions of higher education conducting Department of Defense- funded research. Sec. 217. Western regional range complex demonstration. Sec. 218. Modification of requirement for Department of Defense policies for management and certification of Link 16 military tactical data link network. Sec. 219. Advanced robotic automation for munitions manufacturing. Sec. 220. Dual-use and defense advanced manufacturing innovation hubs. Sec. 220A. Advanced manufacturing and additive manufacturing programs. Sec. 220B. Improvements relating to advanced manufacturing. Sec. 220C. Limitation on availability of funds for fundamental research collabo- ration with certain academic institutions. Subtitle C—Plans, Reports, and Other Matters Sec. 221. Catalyst Pathfinder Program. Sec. 222. Extension of period for annual reports on critical technology areas supportive of the National Defense Strategy. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 4 •S 2296 RS Sec. 223. Evaluation of additional test corridors for hypersonic and long-range weapons. Sec. 224. Technical correction. Sec. 225. Congressionally directed programs for test and evaluation oversight. Sec. 226. Prohibition on modification of indirect cost rates for institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations. Sec. 227. Enhance international coordination for advanced manufacturing tech- niques, technologies, and adoption. Subtitle D—Biotechnology Sec. 231. Biotechnology Management Office. Sec. 232. Department of Defense biotechnology strategy. Sec. 233. Defining guidelines and policies on the use of biotechnology for the Armed Forces. Sec. 234. Enhancement of international biodefense capacity. TITLE III—OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE Subtitle A—Authorization of Appropriations Sec. 301. Authorization of appropriations. Subtitle B—Energy and Environment Sec. 311. Department of Defense guidelines regarding implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Sec. 312. Requirement to support training on wildfire prevention and response. Sec. 313. Use of solid waste disposal systems by Department of Defense. Sec. 314. Modification of availability and use of energy cost savings. Sec. 315. Authority of Department of Defense to destroy or dispose of perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances. Sec. 316. Modification to restriction on procurement or purchasing of personal protective equipment for firefighters containing perfluoroalkyl substances or polyfluoroalkyl substances. Sec. 317. Provision of bottled water to communities with private drinking water contaminated with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl sub- stances from activities of Department of Defense. Sec. 318. Repeal of prohibition on procurement by Department of Defense of certain items containing perfluorooctane sulfonate or perfluorooctanoic acid. Sec. 319. Repeal of temporary moratorium on incineration by Department of Defense of perfluoroalkyl substances, polyfluoroalkyl sub- stances, and aqueous film forming foam. Sec. 320. Interim responses to address releases or threatened releases of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Subtitle C—Logistics and Sustainment Sec. 321. Surface ship sustainment and readiness. Sec. 322. Technology enhancement for surface ship maintenance. Sec. 323. Delegation to United States Transportation Command of mitigating vulnerabilities and risks associated with contested logistics for Department of Defense. Sec. 324. Requirements for Department of Defense aircraft operations near commercial airports. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 5 •S 2296 RS Sec. 325. Extension and modification of semiannual briefings on operational status of amphibious warship fleet. Sec. 326. Prohibition on closure of Army organic industrial base sites. Sec. 327. Establishment of Defense Personal Property Management Office under Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. Sec. 328. Integration of commercially available artificial intelligence capabilities into logistics operations. Sec. 329. Pilot program on arsenal workload sustainment. Subtitle D—Reports Sec. 331. Modification of report on improved oversight for implementation of Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program of the Navy. Sec. 332. Modification of readiness report to include summary count of certain mishaps. Sec. 333. Annual report on funding and status of interim remedial actions of Department of Defense relating to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Subtitle E—Other Matters Sec. 341. Provision of sports foods and third-party certified dietary supple- ments to members of the United States Special Operations Command. Sec. 342. Limitation on use of funds to establish or expand Space Force Spe- cial Operations Component Command. Sec. 343. Requirements for contracts relating to permanent change of station moving process. Sec. 344. Limitation on transformation by the Army of primary helicopter training program at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Sec. 345. Conveyance of certain aircraft from Air Force to Arizona Aviation Historical Group, Phoenix, Arizona. Sec. 346. Limitation on use of funds by the Army until submittal of plan to integrate Joint Munitions Command and Army Sustainment Command. Sec. 347. Limitation on use of certain funds of the Air Force until acquisition strategy submitted to maintain Airborne Command Post capa- bility. Sec. 348. Pilot program for contracted amphibious air resources for the area of responsibility of the United States Indo-Pacific Command. Sec. 349. Naming of certain assets of the Department of Defense in the Com- monwealth of Virginia. TITLE IV—MILITARY PERSONNEL AUTHORIZATIONS Subtitle A—Active Forces Sec. 401. End strengths for active forces. Subtitle B—Reserve Forces Sec. 411. End strengths for selected reserve. Sec. 412. End strengths for reserves on active duty in support of the reserves. Sec. 413. End strengths for military technicians (dual status). Sec. 414. Maximum number of reserve personnel authorized to be on active duty for operational support. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 6 •S 2296 RS Subtitle C—Authorization of Appropriations Sec. 421. Military personnel. TITLE V—MILITARY PERSONNEL POLICY Subtitle A—Officer Personnel Policy Sec. 501. Statutory adjustment to reflect transfer of certain general officer bil- lets from the Air Force to the Space Force. Sec. 502. Notice of removal of Judge Advocates General. Sec. 503. Qualifications for judge advocates. Sec. 504. Modification of waiver authority related to joint qualified officer re- quirement prior to promotion to general or flag grade. Sec. 505. Notification of removal of officers from selection board reports and promotion lists. Sec. 506. Space Force general officer management. Sec. 507. Temporary increase in fiscal year percentage limitation for reduction or waiver of service-in-grade requirement for general and flag officers to be retired in pay grades O-7 and O-8. Subtitle B—Reserve Component Management Sec. 511. Expansion of authority to waive limitations on release of reserves from active duty within two years of retirement eligibility. Sec. 512. Disestablishment of Navy Reserve Center system. Sec. 513. National Guard personnel authorities. Sec. 514. National Guard personnel disaster response duty. Subtitle C—General Service Authorities and Military Records Sec. 521. Chief of Naval Personnel. Sec. 522. Enhanced efficiency and service discretion for Disability Evaluation System reviews. Sec. 523. Technical correction related to convalescent leave for academy cadets and midshipmen. Sec. 524. Recognition of remotely piloted aircraft crew. Subtitle D—Military Justice and Other Legal Matters Sec. 531. Notification of military sex offenders at military installations. Sec. 532. Quarterly reports on sexual assault prevention and response efforts. Subtitle E—Member Education, Training, and Transition Sec. 541. Military service academy nominations. Sec. 542. Asynchronous instruction in distance education option for profes- sional military education. Sec. 543. Army University. Sec. 544. Integration of the Secretary of Defense Strategic Thinkers Program. Sec. 545. Improvements to information-sharing to support individuals retiring or separating from the Armed Forces. Sec. 546. Mandatory training on government ethics and national security law. Sec. 547. Prohibition on consideration of race, sex, color, ethnicity, national ori- gin, or religion in service academy admissions decisions. Sec. 548. Prohibition on participation of males in athletic programs or activities at the military service academies that are designated for women or girls. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 7 •S 2296 RS Sec. 549. Pathway for cadets and midshipmen to play professional sports. Subtitle F—Military Family Readiness and Dependents’ Education PART I—DEPENDENTS’ EDUCATION Sec. 551. Certain assistance to local educational agencies that benefit depend- ents of military and civilian personnel. Sec. 552. Management of special education in schools operated by Department of Defense Education Activity. Sec. 553. Enrollment of children of certain American Red Cross employees in defense dependents’ education system. Sec. 554. Regulations on the use of portable electronic mobile devices in De- partment of Defense Education Activity schools. Sec. 555. Administration of college admissions tests by the Department of De- fense Education Activity. Sec. 556. Support for expanding early child care options for members of the Armed Forces and their families. Sec. 557. Improved counseling and access to information relating to foster care for military families. Sec. 558. Pilot program on recruitment and retention of employees for child de- velopment programs. Sec. 559. Report on unmet need for child care in areas with significant popu- lations of members of the Armed Forces. PART II—OTHER MATTERS Sec. 561. Legal assistance for guardianship transfers. Subtitle G—Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Sec. 571. Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps instructor qualifications. Sec. 572. Temporary authority to provide bonuses to Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps instructors. Sec. 573. Number of Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps units. Subtitle H—Decorations and Other Awards, Miscellaneous Reports, and Other Matters Sec. 581. Honorary promotions on the initiative of the Department of Defense. Sec. 582. National Week of Military Recruitment. Sec. 583. Clarifying the calculation of enlistments for persons whose score on the Armed Forces Qualification Test is below a prescribed level for the future servicemember preparatory course. Sec. 584. Recruiter access to secondary schools. Sec. 585. Compliance with travel charge card deactivation requirements. TITLE VI—COMPENSATION AND OTHER PERSONNEL BENEFITS Subtitle A—Pay and Allowances Sec. 601. Modifications to calculation of basic allowance for subsistence for en- listed members. Sec. 602. Inclusion of descriptions of types of pay on pay statements. Sec. 603. Increased awareness and improved calculation of rates for basic al- lowance for housing. Sec. 604. Military compensation educational campaign. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 8 •S 2296 RS Subtitle B—Special and Incentive Pay Sec. 611. Reviews of designations of imminent danger pay areas. Sec. 612. Implementation of aviation incentive pay for members of reserve com- ponents. Sec. 613. Pilot program on improving retention of members with degrees in their fields of specialty. Subtitle C—Other Matters Sec. 621. Extension of enhanced authority for selective early retirement and early discharges. Sec. 622. Extension of temporary early retirement authority. Sec. 623. Extension of authority to provide voluntary separation pay and bene- fits. Sec. 624. Designation of United States Army Garrison Kwajalein Atoll as re- mote and isolated military installation. Sec. 625. Designation of Creech Air Force Base as a remote or isolated instal- lation. Sec. 626. Provision of counseling on housing for members of the Armed Forces. Sec. 627. Program to provide Government-funded transportation for certain members of the Armed Forces stationed overseas. Sec. 628. Prohibition on procurement and commissary sales of seafood origi- nating or processed in the People’s Republic of China. TITLE VII—HEALTH CARE PROVISIONS Subtitle A—TRICARE, Brain Health, and Other Health Care Benefits Sec. 701. Inclusion of additional requirements in notifications to modify scope of services provided at military medical treatment facilities. Sec. 702. Expansion of eligibility for hearing aids to include children of retired members of the Uniformed Services enrolled in family coverage under TRICARE Select. Sec. 703. Assessment of behavioral health and social health conditions of mili- tary personnel and their families assigned to Creech Air Force Base, Nevada. Sec. 704. Authority to provide sexual assault medical forensic examinations on a nonreimbursable basis to certain otherwise ineligible individ- uals. Sec. 705. Fertility treatment for certain members of the uniformed services and dependents. Sec. 706. Restriction on performance of sex change surgeries. Subtitle B—Health Care Administration Sec. 711. Codification of position of Director of the Defense Health Agency. Sec. 712. Establishment of policies for priority assignment of medical personnel of Department of Defense. Sec. 713. Graduate medical education partnership demonstration program. Sec. 714. Modification of administration of medical malpractice claims by mem- bers of the uniformed services. Sec. 715. Improvement of transition of medics in the Armed Forces to the civil- ian workforce in health care occupations. Sec. 716. Improvement of provider directory accuracy for specialty care pro- viders under the TRICARE program. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 9 •S 2296 RS Sec. 717. Review of disclosure requirements under processes and forms relating to health care provider credentialing and privileging of Depart- ment of Defense. Subtitle C—Reports and Other Matters Sec. 721. Strategic infectious disease medical research plan. Sec. 722. Extension of authority for Joint Department of Defense–Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration Fund. Sec. 723. Pilot program on wastewater surveillance system of Department of Defense. TITLE VIII—ACQUISITION POLICY, ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT, AND RELATED MATTERS Subtitle A—Acquisition Policy and Management Sec. 801. Transition of program executive officer role to portfolio acquisition executive. Sec. 802. Capstone requirements. Sec. 803. Modification to acquisition strategy. Sec. 804. Modifications to modular open systems approach. Sec. 805. Alternative test and evaluation pathway for designated defense acqui- sition programs. Sec. 806. Department of Defense member of Cost Accounting Standards Board. Sec. 807. Combatant command experimentation authority. Subtitle B—Amendments to General Contracting Authorities, Procedures, and Limitations Sec. 821. Modification to nontraditional defense contractor definitions. Sec. 822. Financing for covered activities. Sec. 823. Exemptions for nontraditional defense contractors. Sec. 824. Modifications to treatment of certain products and services as com- mercial products and commercial services. Sec. 825. Modifications to commercial products and commercial services. Sec. 826. Modifications to commercial solutions openings. Sec. 827. Modifications to other transactions. Sec. 828. Modifications to procurement for experimental purposes. Sec. 829. Consumption-based solutions. Sec. 830. Modifications to prohibition on contracting with persons that have fossil fuel operations with the Government of the Russian Fed- eration or the Russian energy sector. Sec. 831. Modifications to relationship of other provisions of law to procure- ment of commercial products and commercial services. Sec. 832. Limitation on required flowdown of contract clauses to subcontractors providing commercial products or commercial services. Sec. 833. References in contracts to Department of Defense policy documents, instructions, and manuals. Sec. 834. Uninsurable risk on certain contracts. Sec. 835. Reporting of price increases. Sec. 836. Instructions for continued operational readiness. Sec. 837. Indemnification of contractors against nuclear and unusually haz- ardous risks. Sec. 838. Late submission of cost and pricing data as invalid defense to con- tract price reductions for defective cost or pricing data. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 10 •S 2296 RS Sec. 839. Modifications to submissions of cost or pricing data. Subtitle C—Industrial Base Matters Sec. 841. Repeal of limitations on certain Department of Defense Executive Agent authority. Sec. 842. Small unmanned aircraft system industrial base remediation plan. Sec. 843. Application of national security waiver for strategic materials sourcing requirement to sensitive materials. Sec. 844. Prohibition on acquisition of clothing and fabric from countries of concern under domestic-sourcing waivers. Sec. 845. Mitigation of risks related to foreign ownership, control, or influence of Department of Defense contractors or subcontractors. Sec. 846. Prohibition of procurement of molybdenum, gallium, or germanium from non-allied foreign nations and authorization for produc- tion from recovered material. Sec. 847. Sourcing options for certain critical products. Sec. 848. Prohibiting the purchase of photovoltaic modules or inverters from Foreign Entities of Concern. Sec. 849. Modernization of Army arsenals. Sec. 849A. Modifications to Defense Industrial Base Fund. Subtitle D—Small Business Matters Sec. 851. APEX Accelerators. Subtitle E—Other Matters Sec. 861. Clarification of procurement prohibition related to acquisition of ma- terials mined, refined, and separated in certain countries. Sec. 862. Independent study on the acquisition workforce of the Department of Defense. Sec. 863. Expedited acceptance program for supply chain illumination. Sec. 864. Simultaneous conflicts critical munitions report. Sec. 865. Permanent extension and modification of demonstration and proto- typing program to advance international product support capa- bilities in a contested logistics environment. Sec. 866. Estimate of ally and partner demand for United States-produced mu- nitions and specified expendables. Sec. 867. Reform of contractor performance information requirements. Sec. 868. Repeals of existing law to streamline the defense acquisition process. Sec. 869. Enhancement of defense supply chain resilience and secondary source qualification. Sec. 870. Enhanced product support management for integrated sustainment of weapon systems. Sec. 871. Modifications to current defense acquisition requirements. Sec. 872. Minimum production levels for munitions. Sec. 873. Processes for incentivizing contractor expansion of sources of supply. Sec. 874. Duty-free entry of supplies procured by Department of Defense. Sec. 875. Other transaction authority reporting. Sec. 876. Assessment of competitive effects of defense contractor transactions. Sec. 877. Evaluation of TP-Link telecommunications equipment for designation as covered telecommunications equipment or services. Sec. 878. Country-of-origin disclosure requirements for generic drugs purchased by the Department of Defense. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 11 •S 2296 RS Sec. 879. Phase-out of computer and printer acquisitions involving entities owned or controlled by China. Sec. 880. Prohibition on operation, procurement, and contracting related to for- eign-made additive manufacturing machines. TITLE IX—DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT Subtitle A—Office of the Secretary of Defense and Related Matters Sec. 901. Economic Defense Unit. Sec. 902. Additional authorities for Office of Strategic Capital. Sec. 903. Modifications to responsibilities of Director for Operational Test and Evaluation. Sec. 904. Directive authority for matters for which Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering has responsibility. Sec. 905. Modification of energetic materials strategic plan and investment strategy of Joint Energetics Transition Office. Sec. 906. Limitation on availability of funds pending establishment of Joint Energetics Transition Office. Sec. 907. Modification of covered technology categories for Office of Strategic Capital. Sec. 908. Modification of organization and authorities of Assistant Secretaries of Defense with duties relating to industrial base policy and readiness. Subtitle B—Other Department of Defense Organization and Management Matters Sec. 911. Modifications to Joint Requirements Oversight Council. Sec. 912. Transfer of responsibility for countering small unmanned aircraft sys- tems. Sec. 913. Study on feasibility and advisability of establishing a Joint Capabili- ties and Programming Board. Sec. 914. Briefing on restructuring of Army Futures Command and Training and Doctrine Command. Sec. 915. Designation of senior official for military-to-civilian transition. Sec. 916. Removal of members of Joint Chiefs of Staff. Sec. 917. Longer term and eligibility for appointment to rank of Admiral of Commander of Naval Sea Systems Command. Sec. 918. Delay of disestablishment of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Pacific. Sec. 919. Limitation on use of funds for consolidation, disestablishment, or elimination of geographic combatant commands. Sec. 920. Elimination of statutory provisions relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Department of Defense. Sec. 921. Defense Science Board study on optimal organizational structure for digital engineering solutions. Sec. 922. Establishment of Advanced Nuclear Transition Working Group. TITLE X—GENERAL PROVISIONS Subtitle A—Financial Matters Sec. 1001. General transfer authority. Sec. 1002. Amendments and repeals to budgetary requirements for defense ac- quisition. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 12 •S 2296 RS Sec. 1003. Briefing on beginning balance issues for audit purposes. Sec. 1004. Defense Business Audit Remediation Plan reporting. Subtitle B—Naval Vessels Sec. 1011. Requirements related to Medium Landing Ships and Light Replen- ishment Oilers. Sec. 1012. Modification of authority to purchase used vessels under the Na- tional Defense Sealift Fund. Sec. 1013. Exemption of unmanned surface vessels and unmanned underwater vehicles from certain technical authority requirements. Sec. 1014. Prohibition on retiring and decommissioning oceanographic research vessels of the Navy. Sec. 1015. Report accompanying requests for new flights or blocks of major shipbuilding programs. Sec. 1016. Report on auxiliary vessel co-production. Sec. 1017. Report on vessel leasing program. Sec. 1018. Pilot program on use of automated shipbuilding technologies and ca- pabilities. Subtitle C—Counterterrorism Sec. 1021. Extension of prohibition on use of funds for transfer or release of individuals detained at United States Naval Station, Guanta- namo Bay, Cuba, to the United States. Sec. 1022. Extension of prohibition on use of funds to construct or modify fa- cilities in the United States to house detainees transferred from United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Sec. 1023. Extension of prohibition on use of funds for transfer or release of individuals detained at United States Naval Station, Guanta- namo Bay, Cuba, to certain countries. Sec. 1024. Extension of prohibition on use of funds to close or relinquish con- trol of United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Sec. 1025. Clarification regarding definition of individual detained at Guanta- namo. Subtitle D—Miscellaneous Authorities and Limitations Sec. 1031. Prohibition on use of funds to support entertainment projects with ties to the Government of the People’s Republic of China. Sec. 1032. Prohibition on destruction or scrapping of World War II–era air- craft. Sec. 1033. Support for counterdrug activities and activities to counter transnational organized crime. Sec. 1034. Senior leaders of the Department of Defense and other specified persons: authority to provide protection. Sec. 1035. Notification of the use of military aircraft for immigration enforce- ment operations. Sec. 1036. Modification of requirements relating to support of civil authorities by Armed Forces. Sec. 1037. Prohibition on operation of connected vehicles designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied by persons owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction of a foreign entity of concern on Department of Defense property. Subtitle E—Studies and Reports VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 13 •S 2296 RS Sec. 1041. Annual report on contract cancellations. Sec. 1042. Streamlining of total force reporting requirements. Sec. 1043. Report on National Guard sexual assault prevention and response training. Sec. 1044. Reports to Congress on Department of Defense support for immi- gration enforcement operations. Sec. 1045. Military Sealift Command. Sec. 1046. Report on aliens held at installations of Department of Defense. Sec. 1047. Briefing on expenditures or planned expenditures of funds allocated for exploration and development of existing Arctic infrastruc- ture. Subtitle F—Other Matters Sec. 1051. Modification of limitation on assistance in support of Department of Defense accounting for missing United States Government per- sonnel. Sec. 1052. Extension of admission to Guam or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands for certain H–2B nonimmigrants. Sec. 1053. Prohibiting Secretary of Defense from developing voting technology or methodology. Sec. 1054. Assessment of the feasibility and advisability of using personnel of the Department of Defense to support U.S. Customs and Bor- der Protection. Sec. 1055. Limitation on availability of funds for travel expenses of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Sec. 1056. Department of Defense sensitive activities. Sec. 1057. Irregular Warfare Exercise Laboratory. Sec. 1058. Semiannual report on Department of Defense operations at the southern land border. Sec. 1059. University-based secure innovation incubator program of Depart- ment of Defense. Sec. 1060. Priority consideration of energy projects that are likely to experience significant temporal impact due to seasonal Arctic climate con- ditions. Sec. 1061. Non-Reimbursable Support for Afghanistan War Commission. Sec. 1062. Contracting authority for Afghanistan War Commission. Sec. 1063. Commission on the National Defense Strategy. Sec. 1064. Provision by Air Force of meteorological and environmental services for intelligence community. Sec. 1065. Expansion of Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record. Sec. 1066. Classification of Nevada Test and Training Range as location where contamination occurred and members of the Armed Forces were exposed to toxic substances. Subtitle G—Defense Workforce Integration Sec. 1081. Integration of military and civilian hiring processes. Sec. 1082. Provision of information on career opportunities in the defense in- dustrial base to persons ineligible for military service. Sec. 1083. Provision to Navy personnel of information on career opportunities at Military Sealift Command. Sec. 1084. Report on defense workforce integration. TITLE XI—CIVILIAN PERSONNEL MATTERS VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 14 •S 2296 RS Sec. 1101. Educational travel authority for dependents of certain employees. Sec. 1102. One-year extension of authority to waive annual limitation on pre- mium pay and aggregate limitation on pay for Federal civilian employees working overseas. Sec. 1103. One-year extension of temporary authority to grant allowances, ben- efits, and gratuities to civilian personnel on official duty in a combat zone. Sec. 1104. Modifications to Defense Civilian Training Corps. Sec. 1105. Modifications to requirements for the President of the Defense Ac- quisition University. Sec. 1106. Modification of direct hire authority for domestic defense industrial base facilities. Sec. 1107. Cyber workforce recruitment and retention. Sec. 1108. Prohibition on use of funds to reduce the workforce at public ship- yards. TITLE XII—MATTERS RELATING TO FOREIGN NATIONS Subtitle A—Assistance and Training Sec. 1201. Modification of authorities. Sec. 1202. Modification of payment of costs for Regional Centers for Security Studies. Sec. 1203. Modification of authority for Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School. Sec. 1204. Permanent extension of acceptance and expenditure of contributions for multilateral security cooperation programs and activities. Sec. 1205. Building capacity of the armed forces of Mexico to counter transnational criminal organizations. Sec. 1206. Cybersecurity cooperation with the Government of Panama and the Panama Canal Authority. Sec. 1207. State Partnership Program selection analysis. Sec. 1208. Modification of authority to build capacity of foreign security forces. Sec. 1209. Extension and modification of pilot program to improve cyber co- operation with foreign military partners in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Subtitle B—Matters Relating to Syria, Iraq, and Iran Sec. 1211. Extension of authority for reimbursement of certain coalition na- tions for support provided to United States military operations. Sec. 1212. Extension and modification of authority to support operations and activities of the Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq. Sec. 1213. Extension of authority to provide assistance to vetted Syrian groups and individuals. Sec. 1214. Extension and modification of authority to provide assistance to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Sec. 1215. Extension and modification of authority to provide certain support. Sec. 1216. Security and oversight of al-Hol and Roj camps. Sec. 1217. Limitation on use of funds for reduction or consolidation of United States Armed Forces bases in Syria. Sec. 1218. Limitation on availability of funds for the Office of Security Co- operation in Iraq. Subtitle C—Matters Relating to Europe and the Russian Federation VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 15 •S 2296 RS Sec. 1221. Extension of prohibition on availability of funds relating to sov- ereignty of the Russian Federation over internationally recog- nized territory of Ukraine. Sec. 1222. Extension of annual report on military and security developments involving the Russian Federation. Sec. 1223. Extension and modification of Ukraine security assistance initiative. Sec. 1224. Weapons depot maintenance strategic plan for Ukraine. Sec. 1225. Oversight of United States military posture in Europe. Sec. 1226. Acceptance back into stock of equipment procured under Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Sec. 1227. Statement of policy relating to Ukraine Security Assistance Initia- tive. Sec. 1228. Intelligence support for Ukraine. Sec. 1229. International Security Cooperation Program funding for United States European Command. Sec. 1230. Promotion of the Joint Ukrainian Multinational Program—Services, Training and Articles Rapid Timeline (JUMPSTART). Sec. 1230A. Modification of United States basing and training, and exercises in North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries. Subtitle D—Matters Relating to the Indo-Pacific Region Sec. 1231. Extension of Pacific Deterrence Initiative. Sec. 1232. Extension of authority to transfer funds for Bien Hoa dioxin clean- up. Sec. 1233. Oversight of United States military posture on the Korean Penin- sula. Sec. 1234. Limitation on availability of funds for travel expenses of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Sec. 1235. Bolstering industrial resilience with allies in Indo-Pacific region. Sec. 1236. Modification of Taiwan security cooperation initiative. Sec. 1237. Joint program with Taiwan to enable fielding of uncrewed systems and counter-uncrewed systems capabilities. Sec. 1238. Report on critical digital infrastructure of Taiwan. Sec. 1239. Report on Japanese counterstrike capabilities. Sec. 1240. Report on enhanced security cooperation with the Philippines. Sec. 1241. Modification to annual report on military and security developments involving the People’s Republic of China. Sec. 1242. Strategic partnership on defense industrial priorities between the United States and Taiwan. Sec. 1243. Invitation to Taiwan to Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. Sec. 1244. Extension of Indo-Pacific extended deterrence education pilot pro- gram. Sec. 1245. Inclusion on list of Chinese military companies of entities added to certain other lists. Sec. 1246. Preventing circumvention by Chinese military companies in third- party countries. Sec. 1247. Sense of Congress on defense alliances and partnerships in the Indo- Pacific region. Subtitle E—Other Matters Sec. 1251. Middle East integrated air and missile defense architecture. Sec. 1252. Modification of program and processes relating to foreign acquisi- tion. Sec. 1253. Enhancing security partnership with Jordan and Lebanon. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 16 •S 2296 RS Sec. 1254. Joint Program Office for Non-Programs of Record to support for- eign acquisition. Sec. 1255. Extension and modification of United States-Israel anti-tunnel co- operation. Sec. 1256. Extension and modification of United States-Israel cooperation to counter unmanned aerial systems. Sec. 1257. Guidance for coordination of international arms transfers. Sec. 1258. Requirement to update the National Disclosure Policy. Sec. 1259. Improvements to security cooperation workforce and defense acquisi- tion workforce. Sec. 1260. Expansion of country prioritization. Sec. 1261. Streamlining and expediting sales of defense articles and services. Sec. 1262. Redesignation of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies as the James M. Inhofe Center for Africa Security Studies. Sec. 1263. Establishment of program to promote participation of foreign stu- dents in the Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. Sec. 1264. Modification of authority for assistance in support of Department of Defense accounting for missing United States Government personnel. TITLE XIII—COOPERATIVE THREAT REDUCTION Sec. 1301. Cooperative Threat Reduction funds. TITLE XIV—OTHER AUTHORIZATIONS Subtitle A—Military Programs Sec. 1401. Working capital funds. Sec. 1402. Chemical agents and munitions destruction, defense. Sec. 1403. Drug interdiction and counter-drug activities, defense-wide. Sec. 1404. Defense Inspector General. Sec. 1405. Defense Health Program. Subtitle B—National Defense Stockpile Sec. 1411. Modifications to Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act. Subtitle C—Other Matters Sec. 1421. Authorization of appropriations for Armed Forces Retirement Home. TITLE XV—SPACE ACTIVITIES, STRATEGIC PROGRAMS, AND INTELLIGENCE MATTERS Subtitle A—Space Activities Sec. 1501. Delay in implementation of environmental assessment for rocket cargo test and demonstration at Johnston Atoll. Sec. 1502. Study on future space launch capacity. Sec. 1503. Acquisition and operation of space systems for space warfighting and control. Sec. 1504. Blast damage assessment guide for space vehicles at Air Force launch complexes. Sec. 1505. Acquisition of space-based tactical data capability. Sec. 1506. Use of middle tier acquisition program for proliferated warfighter space architecture of the Space Development Agency. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 17 •S 2296 RS Sec. 1507. Continuation of operation of Defense Meteorological Satellite Pro- gram. Subtitle B—Nuclear Forces Sec. 1511. Matters relating to intercontinental ballistic missiles of the United States. Sec. 1512. Matters relating to Air Force Global Strike Command. Sec. 1513. Adjustment to bomber aircraft nuclear certification requirement. Sec. 1514. Limitation on availability of funds pending establishment of the As- sistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Deterrence, Chemical, and Biological Defense Policy and Programs. Sec. 1515. Adjustment to responsibilities of Nuclear Weapons Council. Sec. 1516. Limitation on availability of funds pending notification of tasking authority delegation. Sec. 1517. Modification of requirement for nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missile initial operational capability. Sec. 1518. Pilot program for unmanned aerial vehicle resupply to launch con- trol facilities. Sec. 1519. Limitation on availability of funds pending commencement of annual briefings on implementation of recommendations by the Con- gressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States. Sec. 1520. Deep cleaning of launch control centers of the Air Force Global Strike Command. Sec. 1521. Limitation on compensation caps. Subtitle C—Missile Defense Sec. 1531. Matters relating to the Golden Dome missile defense system. Sec. 1532. Inclusion of Hawaii and Alaska in plans for Iron Dome for America. Sec. 1533. Inclusion of air and missile defense in unconstrained total munitions requirements. Sec. 1534. Iron Dome short-range rocket defense system and Israeli cooperative missile defense program co-development and co-production. Sec. 1535. Requirement for Aegis Combat Systems operationally deployed under United States Indo-Pacific Command. Sec. 1536. Amendments to technical authority of Director of Missile Defense Agency regarding integrated air and missile defense activities and programs. Sec. 1537. Assessment of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site. Sec. 1538. Biennial assessments of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site. Sec. 1539. Limitation on availability of funds for Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment pending com- mencement of annual briefings on missile defense of Guam. Sec. 1540. Limitation on availability of funds for Missile Defense Agency pend- ing arrangement for independent analysis of space-based mis- sile defense capability. Sec. 1541. Limitation on authority to reduce sustainment for or halt operation of the AN/FPS–108 COBRA DANE radar. Sec. 1542. Accelerating development of autonomous agents to defend against cruise missiles and unmanned systems. Sec. 1543. Missile defense testing requirements. Sec. 1544. Improving United States missile defense capabilities. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 18 •S 2296 RS Subtitle D—Other Matters Sec. 1551. Independent assessment of the Department of Defense National In- dustrial Security Program. Sec. 1552. Reforms relating to inactive security clearances. Sec. 1553. Annual review of the Joint Electromagnetic Battle Management Software Program. Sec. 1554. Integration of electronic warfare into Tier 1 and Tier 2 joint train- ing exercises. Sec. 1555. Briefings on intercepts of unidentified anomalous phenomena by North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command. Sec. 1556. Consolidated security classification guidance matrix for programs re- lating to unidentified anomalous phenomena. Sec. 1557 Plan for increasing utility of user activity monitoring capabilities. Sec. 1558. Support by the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing to EA–37B Compass Call Aircraft. Sec. 1559. Report on the technical collection capabilities of the People’s Repub- lic of China and the Russian Federation in the Republic of Cuba. Sec. 1560. Extension of protection of certain facilities and assets from un- manned aircraft. Sec. 1561. Consolidation of reporting requirements applicable to All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office. Sec. 1562. Limitation on the divestment, consolidation, and curtailment of cer- tain electronic warfare test and evaluation activities. Sec. 1563. Modification of functions of Electromagnetic Spectrum Enterprise Operational Lead for Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Oper- ations to include dynamic spectrum sharing technologies. Sec. 1564. Limitation on modification of certain electromagnetic spectrum re- lied on by Department of Defense. TITLE XVI—CYBERSPACE-RELATED MATTERS Subtitle A—Matters Relating to Cyber Operations and Cyber Forces Sec. 1601. Comprehensive cyber workforce strategy. Sec. 1602. United States Cyber Command artificial intelligence industry col- laboration roadmap. Sec. 1603. Strategy for deterrence against cyberattacks against defense critical infrastructure of the United States. Sec. 1604. Amendment to annual assessments and reports on assignment of certain budget control responsibility to Commander of the United States Cyber Command. Sec. 1605. Report on reserve component integration into cyber mission force and cyberspace operations. Sec. 1606. Evaluation of cyber range management and funding. Sec. 1607. Modification to reporting requirements for Senior Military Advisor for Cyber Policy. Sec. 1608. Planning, programming, and budget coordination for operations of cyber mission force. Sec. 1609. Expansion of scope of affirmation of authority for cyber operations to include defense of critical infrastructure of the Department of Defense. Sec. 1610. Review of future force employment concepts and associated per- sonnel policy needs for evolving cyber forces. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 19 •S 2296 RS Sec. 1610A. Evaluation of Joint Task Force–Cyber in support of geographic combatant commands. Sec. 1610B. Prohibition on availability of funds to modify authorities of the Commander of United States Cyber Command. Sec. 1610C. Program for talent management of cyber personnel through active and reserve transitioning. Sec. 1610D. Designation of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy as principal staff assistant. Subtitle B—Matters Relating to Department of Defense Cybersecurity and Information Technology Sec. 1611. Modernization program for full content inspection. Sec. 1612. Assessment regarding real-time monitoring of defense weapons plat- forms for cyber threats. Sec. 1613. Assessment of feasibility and advisability of establishing an oper- ational technology cybersecurity training center of excellence. Sec. 1614. Framework for integration of information technology technical debt assessment into annual budget process. Sec. 1615. Mission Infrastructure Resilience Task Force. Sec. 1616. Plan for deploying private fifth generation Open Radio Access Net- works on Department of Defense bases. Sec. 1617. Limitation on funds for travel pending briefing on process for best- in-class cyber data products and services. Sec. 1618. Limitation of funds for travel expenses for the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Sec. 1619. Limitation on availability of funds for the Combined Joint All-Do- main Command and Control initiative. Sec. 1620. Review of Joint Fires Network program transition. Sec. 1620A. Prohibition on the elimination of certain cyber assessment capabili- ties for test and evaluation. Sec. 1620B. Modification to certification requirement regarding contracting for military recruiting. Sec. 1620C. Department of Defense working group, strategy, and report on en- suring the security, resiliency, and integrity of undersea cables. Subtitle C—Data and Artificial Intelligence Sec. 1621. Public-private cybersecurity partnership for highly capable artificial intelligence systems. Sec. 1622. Digital sandbox environments for artificial intelligence. Sec. 1623. Artificial intelligence model assessment and oversight. Sec. 1624. Department of Defense Ontology Governance Working Group. Sec. 1625. Modification of high-performance computing roadmap. Sec. 1626. Artificial General Intelligence Steering Committee. Sec. 1627. Physical and cybersecurity procurement requirements for artificial intelligence systems. Sec. 1628. Guidance and prohibition on use of certain artificial intelligence. Sec. 1629. Roadmap for advancing digital content provenance standards. Sec. 1630. Enhanced protection of data affecting operational security of De- partment of Defense personnel. DIVISION B—MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AUTHORIZATIONS Sec. 2001. Short title. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 20 •S 2296 RS Sec. 2002. Expiration of authorizations and amounts required to be specified by law. Sec. 2003. Effective date. TITLE XXI—ARMY MILITARY CONSTRUCTION Sec. 2101. Authorized Army construction and land acquisition projects. Sec. 2102. Family housing. Sec. 2103. Authorization of appropriations, Army. Sec. 2104. Extension of authority to carry out fiscal year 2021 project at Fort Gillem, Georgia. Sec. 2105. Extension of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2022 projects. Sec. 2106. Extension of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2023 projects. Sec. 2107. Modification of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2025 projects. TITLE XXII—NAVY MILITARY CONSTRUCTION Sec. 2201. Authorized Navy construction and land acquisition projects. Sec. 2202. Family housing. Sec. 2203. Authorization of appropriations, Navy. Sec. 2204. Extension of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2022 projects. Sec. 2205. Extension of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2023 projects. TITLE XXIII—AIR FORCE MILITARY CONSTRUCTION Sec. 2301. Authorized Air Force construction and land acquisition projects. Sec. 2302. Family housing. Sec. 2303. Authorization of appropriations, Air Force. Sec. 2304. Extension of authority to carry out fiscal year 2017 project at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. Sec. 2305. Extension of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2019 projects. Sec. 2306. Extension of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2020 projects. Sec. 2307. Extension of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2022 projects. Sec. 2308. Extension of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2023 projects. Sec. 2309. Modification of authority to carry out fiscal year 2025 project at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. TITLE XXIV—DEFENSE AGENCIES MILITARY CONSTRUCTION Sec. 2401. Authorized Defense Agencies construction and land acquisition projects. Sec. 2402. Authorized Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program projects. Sec. 2403. Authorization of appropriations, Defense Agencies. Sec. 2404. Extension of authority to carry out fiscal year 2019 project at Iwakuni, Japan. Sec. 2405. Extension of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2022 projects. Sec. 2406. Extension of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2023 projects. Sec. 2407. Modification of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2024 projects. Sec. 2408. Modification of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2025 projects. TITLE XXV—INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS Subtitle A—North Atlantic Treaty Organization Security Investment Program VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 21 •S 2296 RS Sec. 2501. Authorized NATO construction and land acquisition projects. Sec. 2502. Authorization of appropriations, NATO. Subtitle B—Host Country In-kind Contributions Sec. 2511. Republic of Korea funded construction projects. Sec. 2512. Republic of Poland funded construction projects. TITLE XXVI—GUARD AND RESERVE FORCES FACILITIES Sec. 2601. Authorized Army National Guard construction and land acquisition projects. Sec. 2602. Authorized Army Reserve construction and land acquisition projects. Sec. 2603. Authorized Navy Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve construction and land acquisition projects. Sec. 2604. Authorized Air National Guard construction and land acquisition projects. Sec. 2605. Authorized Air Force Reserve construction and land acquisition projects. Sec. 2606. Authorization of appropriations, National Guard and Reserve. Sec. 2607. Extension of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2023 projects. Sec. 2608. Modification of authority to carry out fiscal year 2023 project at Tucson International Airport, Arizona. TITLE XXVII—BASE REALIGNMENT AND CLOSURE ACTIVITIES Sec. 2701. Authorization of appropriations for base realignment and closure ac- tivities funded through Department of Defense Base Closure Account. TITLE XXVIII—MILITARY CONSTRUCTION GENERAL PROVISIONS Subtitle A—Military Construction Program Sec. 2801. Requirement for the military departments to develop and annually update a 20-year infrastructure improvement plan. Sec. 2802. Increase of maximum amount for restoration or replacement of damaged or destroyed facilities. Sec. 2803. Reauthorization and modification of special design-build authority for military construction projects. Sec. 2804. Modification of pilot program on increased use of sustainable build- ing materials in military construction to include sustainable building technologies identified by the Comptroller General of the United States. Sec. 2805. Implementation of Comptroller General recommendations relating to information sharing to improve oversight of military construc- tion. Sec. 2806. Extension of requirement for contract for obligation and execution of design funds for military construction projects. Sec. 2807. Extension of authorization of depot working capital funds for un- specified minor military construction. Sec. 2808. Extension of authority for temporary expanded land acquisition for equine welfare. Sec. 2809. Prohibition on designation of military construction projects as part of military intelligence program. Sec. 2810. Expansion of Defense Community Infrastructure Program to in- clude installations of the Coast Guard. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 22 •S 2296 RS Subtitle B—Military Housing Sec. 2821. Improvements to annual reports of Department of Defense on waiv- ers of privacy and configuration standards for covered military unaccompanied housing. Sec. 2822. Modification of Housing Requirements and Market Analysis to ac- count for impact of civilians and contractors. Sec. 2823. Authority for unaccompanied housing project under pilot authority for use of other transactions for installation or facility proto- typing. Sec. 2824. Elimination of indoor residential mold in housing of Department of Defense. Sec. 2825. Requirement for disclosure of information relating to liability insur- ance and dispute resolutions relating to privatized military housing. Sec. 2826. Treatment of nondisclosure agreements with respect to privatized military housing. Subtitle C—Land Conveyances Sec. 2831. Authorization to acquire through exchange or lease certain land used by the Armed Forces in Hawaii. Sec. 2832. Report on land withdrawals. Subtitle D—Other Matters Sec. 2841. Modifications to Defense Community Infrastructure Program. Sec. 2842. Designation of Ronald Reagan Space and Missile Test Range at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Sec. 2843. Joint base facility management of Department of Defense. Sec. 2844. Limitation on use of amounts for travel based on compliance with requirements related to minimum capital investment. Sec. 2845. Extension of prohibition on joint use of Homestead Air Reserve Base with civil aviation. Sec. 2846. Pilot program on procurement of utility services for installations of the Department of Defense through areawide contracts. Sec. 2847. Authorization for monetary contributions to the conveyees of utility systems for infrastructure improvements. Sec. 2848. Prohibition on use of funds for development of Greenbury Point Conservation Area at Naval Support Activity Annapolis, Mary- land. Sec. 2849. Application of certain authorities and standards to historic military housing and associated historic properties of the Department of the Navy and the Department of the Air Force. DIVISION C—DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY NATIONAL SECURITY AUTHORIZATIONS AND OTHER AUTHORIZATIONS TITLE XXXI—DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY NATIONAL SECURITY PROGRAMS Subtitle A—National Security Programs and Authorizations Sec. 3101. National Nuclear Security Administration. Sec. 3102. Defense environmental cleanup. Sec. 3103. Other defense activities. Sec. 3104. Nuclear energy. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 23 •S 2296 RS Subtitle B—Program Authorizations, Restrictions, and Limitations Sec. 3111. Organization and codification of provisions of law relating to atomic energy defense activities. Sec. 3112. Adjustment to plutonium pit production capacity. Sec. 3113. National Nuclear Security Administration Rapid Capabilities Devel- opment Office. Sec. 3114. Review and assessment of the National Nuclear Security Adminis- tration Enterprise Blueprint. Sec. 3115. Notification of cost overruns for certain Department of Energy projects. Sec. 3116. Protection of certain nuclear facilities and assets from unmanned aircraft. Sec. 3117. Extension of authority for appointment of certain scientific, engi- neering, and technical personnel. Sec. 3118. Appropriate scoping of artificial intelligence research within the Na- tional Nuclear Security Administration. Subtitle C—Other Matters Sec. 3121. National security positions within the Department of Energy. Sec. 3122. Office of Environmental Management program-wide performance metrics for reducing risk. Sec. 3123. Office of Environmental Management integrated radioactive waste disposal planning and optimization. Sec. 3124. Report on future activities and resources for the delivery of special- ized infrastructure. TITLE XXXII—DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD Sec. 3201. Authorization. DIVISION D—FUNDING TABLES Sec. 4001. Authorization of amounts in funding tables. SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL DEFENSE COMMITTEES. 1 In this Act, the term ‘‘congressional defense commit- 2 tees’’ has the meaning given that term in section 3 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code. 4 SEC. 4. BUDGETARY EFFECTS OF THIS ACT. 5 The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purposes 6 of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 7 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest state- 8 ment titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ 9 for this Act, jointly submitted for printing in the Congres- 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 24 •S 2296 RS sional Record by the Chairmen of the House and Senate 1 Budget Committees, provided that such statement has 2 been submitted prior to the vote on passage in the House 3 acting first on the conference report or amendment be- 4 tween the Houses. 5 DIVISION A—DEPARTMENT OF 6 DEFENSE AUTHORIZATIONS 7 TITLE I—PROCUREMENT 8 Subtitle A—Authorization of 9 Appropriations 10 SEC. 101. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 11 Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated for 12 fiscal year 2026 for procurement for the Army, the Navy 13 and the Marine Corps, the Air Force and the Space Force, 14 and Defense-wide activities, as specified in the funding 15 table in section 4101. 16 Subtitle B—Army Programs 17 SEC. 111. STRATEGY FOR ARMY TACTICAL WHEELED VEHI- 18 CLE PROGRAM. 19 Section 112(a) of the National Defense Authorization 20 Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (10 U.S.C. 7013 note; Public 21 Law 118–31) is amended by inserting ‘‘2027,’’ after ‘‘fis- 22 cal years 2025,’’. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 25 •S 2296 RS Subtitle C—Navy Programs 1 SEC. 121. PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY FOR COLUMBIA- 2 CLASS SUBMARINE PROGRAM. 3 (a) PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY.—Beginning in fiscal 4 year 2026, the Secretary of the Navy may enter into one 5 or more contracts for the procurement of not more than 6 five Columbia-class submarines. 7 (b) CONDITION FOR OUT-YEAR CONTRACT PAY- 8 MENTS.—A contract entered into under subsection (a) 9 shall provide that any obligation of the United States to 10 make a payment under the contract for a fiscal year after 11 fiscal year 2026 is subject to the availability of appropria- 12 tions or funds for that purpose for such later fiscal year. 13 (c) LIMITATION ON TERMINATION LIABILITY.—A 14 contract for the construction of Columbia-class sub- 15 marines entered into under subsection (a) shall include a 16 clause that limits the liability of the United States to the 17 contractor for any termination of the contract. The max- 18 imum liability of the United States under the clause shall 19 be limited to the total amount of funding obligated to the 20 contract at the time of termination. 21 SEC. 122. PROCUREMENT AUTHORITIES FOR MEDIUM 22 LANDING SHIPS. 23 (a) CONTRACT AUTHORITY.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 26 •S 2296 RS (1) IN GENERAL.—During fiscal years 2026 1 and 2027, the Secretary of the Navy may enter into 2 one or more contracts for the procurement of not 3 more than 15 Medium Landing Ships. 4 (2) PROCUREMENT IN CONJUNCTION WITH EX- 5 ISTING CONTRACTS.—The ships authorized to be 6 procured under paragraph (1) may be procured as 7 additions to existing contracts covering the Medium 8 Landing Ship program. 9 (b) CERTIFICATION REQUIRED.—A contract may not 10 be entered into under subsection (a) unless the Secretary 11 of the Navy certifies to the congressional defense commit- 12 tees, in writing, not later than 30 days before entry into 13 the contract, each of the following, which shall be prepared 14 by the milestone decision authority (as defined in section 15 4251(e) of title 10, United States Code) for the Medium 16 Landing Ship program: 17 (1) The use of such a contract is consistent 18 with the Department of the Navy’s projected force 19 structure requirements for such ships. 20 (2) The use of such a contract will result in sig- 21 nificant savings compared to the total anticipated 22 costs of carrying out the program through annual 23 contracts. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 27 •S 2296 RS (3) There is a reasonable expectation that 1 throughout the contemplated contract period the 2 Secretary of the Navy will request funding for the 3 contract at the level required to avoid contract can- 4 cellation. 5 (4) There is a stable design for the property to 6 be acquired and the technical risks associated with 7 such property are not excessive. 8 (5) The estimates of the cost of the contract 9 and the anticipated cost avoidance through the use 10 of the contract are realistic. 11 (6) During the fiscal year in which the contract 12 is to be awarded— 13 (A) sufficient funds will be available to 14 perform the contract in such fiscal year; and 15 (B) the future-years defense program sub- 16 mitted to Congress under section 221 of title 17 10, United States Code, for such fiscal year will 18 include the funding required to execute the pro- 19 gram without cancellation. 20 (c) AUTHORITY FOR ADVANCE PROCUREMENT.—The 21 Secretary of the Navy may enter into one or more con- 22 tracts for advance procurement associated with the ships 23 for which authorization to enter into a contract is provided 24 under subsection (a), and for systems and subsystems as- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 28 •S 2296 RS sociated with such ships in economic order quantities when 1 cost savings are achievable. 2 (d) CONDITION FOR OUT-YEAR CONTRACT PAY- 3 MENTS.—A contract entered into under subsection (a) 4 shall provide that any obligation of the United States to 5 make a payment under the contract for a fiscal year is 6 subject to the availability of appropriations for that pur- 7 pose for such fiscal year. 8 SEC. 123. RECAPITALIZATION OF NAVY WATERBORNE SE- 9 CURITY BARRIERS; MODIFICATION OF PROHI- 10 BITION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 11 LEGACY WATERBORNE SECURITY BARRIERS. 12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 130 of the John S. 13 McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 14 Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 132 Stat. 1665), as 15 most recently amended by section 123 of the Servicemem- 16 ber Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense 17 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118– 18 159), is further amended— 19 (1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘; RE- 20 CAPITALIZATION’’ after ‘‘BARRIERS’’; 21 (2) in subsection (a)— 22 (A) by striking ‘‘subsections (b) and (c)’’ 23 and inserting ‘‘subsection (b)’’; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 29 •S 2296 RS (B) by striking ‘‘through 2025’’ and in- 1 serting ‘‘through 2026’’; 2 (3) by striking subsection (b); 3 (4) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 4 subsections (b) and (c), respectively; 5 (5) in subsection (c), as so redesignated, by 6 striking ‘‘subsection (c)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub- 7 section (b)(2)’’; and 8 (6) by adding at the end the following new sub- 9 section (d): 10 ‘‘(d) RECAPITALIZATION.— 11 ‘‘(1) PLAN SUBMISSION.— 12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than April 13 1, 2026, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit 14 to the congressional defense committees a re- 15 capitalization plan to replace legacy waterborne 16 security barriers for Navy ports. 17 ‘‘(B) ELEMENTS.—The plan required by 18 subparagraph (A) shall include the following: 19 ‘‘(i) A Navy requirements document 20 that specifies key performance parameters 21 and key system attributes for new water- 22 borne security barriers for Navy ports. 23 ‘‘(ii) A certification that the level of 24 capability specified under clause (i) will ex- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 30 •S 2296 RS ceed that of legacy waterborne security 1 barriers for Navy ports. 2 ‘‘(iii) The acquisition strategy for the 3 recapitalization of waterborne security bar- 4 riers for Navy ports, which shall meet or 5 exceed the requirements specified under 6 clause (i). 7 ‘‘(iv) A certification that any contract 8 for new waterborne security barriers for a 9 Navy port will be awarded in accordance 10 with the requirements for full and open 11 competition set forth in sections 3201 12 through 3205 of title 10, United States 13 Code. 14 ‘‘(2) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary of the 15 Navy shall implement the plan required by para- 16 graph (1) by not later than September 30, 2027.’’. 17 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 18 in section 2(b) of the John S. McCain National Defense 19 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, and at the begin- 20 ning of title I of division A of such Act, are each amended 21 by striking the item relating to section 130 and inserting 22 the following new item: 23 ‘‘Sec. 130. Prohibition on availability of funds for Navy port waterborne secu- rity barriers; recapitalization.’’. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 31 •S 2296 RS SEC. 124. MODIFICATION TO LIMITATIONS ON NAVY ME- 1 DIUM AND LARGE UNMANNED SURFACE VES- 2 SELS. 3 (a) REPEAL.—Section 122 of the William M. (Mac) 4 Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 5 Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283; 134 Stat. 3425) is re- 6 pealed. 7 (b) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of the Navy may 8 not award a detail design or construction contract or other 9 agreement, or obligate funds from a procurement account, 10 for a covered program unless such contract or other agree- 11 ment includes a requirement for an operational dem- 12 onstration of not less than 720 continuous hours without 13 preventative maintenance, corrective maintenance, emer- 14 gent repair, or any other form of repair or maintenance, 15 on any of the following: 16 (1) The main propulsion system, including the 17 fuel and lube oil systems. 18 (2) The electrical generation and distribution 19 system. 20 (c) CERTIFICATION.—The Secretary of the Navy may 21 not accept delivery of articles constructed under a contract 22 or other agreement for a covered program until the Sec- 23 retary certifies to the congressional defense committees 24 that the operational demonstration described in subsection 25 (b) has been successfully completed. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 32 •S 2296 RS (d) LIMITATION.—The Secretary of the Navy may 1 not make contract financing payments for a contract or 2 other agreement entered into for a covered program great- 3 er than 90 percent for small businesses and 80 percent 4 for all other businesses until the certification described in 5 subsection (c) is submitted. 6 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 7 (1) COVERED PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘covered 8 program’’ means a program for— 9 (A) medium unmanned surface vessels; or 10 (B) large unmanned surface vessels. 11 (2) OPERATIONAL DEMONSTRATION.—The term 12 ‘‘operational demonstration’’ means a land-based or 13 sea-based test of the systems concerned in vessel- 14 representative form, fit, and function. 15 SEC. 125. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 16 TAGOS SHIP PROGRAM. 17 (a) LIMITATION.—None of the funds authorized to 18 be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available 19 for fiscal year 2026 for the Navy may be obligated or ex- 20 pended for the scope of work, including priced or unpriced 21 options, for the construction, advance procurement, or 22 long-lead material of any ships in the TAGOS surveillance 23 towed-array sensor system ship program unless the Sec- 24 retary of the Navy submits the report described in sub- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 33 •S 2296 RS section (b) to the Committee on Armed Service of the Sen- 1 ate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House 2 of Representatives not later than 90 days after the date 3 of the enactment of this Act. 4 (b) REPORT.—The Secretary of the Navy shall sub- 5 mit to the Committee on Armed Service of the Senate and 6 the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Rep- 7 resentatives a report on the following: 8 (1) Progress made on basic and functional de- 9 sign completion for TAGOS surveillance towed-array 10 sensor system ships and how compliance with section 11 8669c of title 10, United States Code, will be main- 12 tained. 13 (2) The accuracy, timeliness, and completeness 14 of the Navy’s provisioning of contract baseline de- 15 sign, general arrangement drawings, and other gov- 16 ernment-furnished information to the prime con- 17 tractor for such ships. 18 (3) The ability of the functional design of such 19 ships to meet program requirements, including speed 20 requirements. 21 (4) The adherence of the Navy to performance- 22 based requirements and the ability of the prime con- 23 tractor for such ships to make design choices to 24 meet those requirements, commensurate with its re- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 34 •S 2296 RS sponsibility for cost and schedule in the contract 1 structure. 2 (5) Alternative solutions to meeting the general 3 set of Navy requirements for anti-submarine warfare 4 covered by such ships, including unmanned solu- 5 tions. 6 SEC. 126. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS RELAT- 7 ING TO AMPHIBIOUS WARFARE SHIP RE- 8 QUIREMENT. 9 (a) PLAN REQUIRED.—The Secretary of the Navy 10 shall submit with the defense budget materials for fiscal 11 year 2027 (as submitted to Congress in support of the 12 budget of the President under section 1105(a) of title 31, 13 United States Code) a 30-year shipbuilding plan that 14 meets the requirement under section 8062(b) of title 10, 15 United States Code, to maintain 31 amphibious warfare 16 ships. 17 (b) CERTIFICATION REQUIRED.—The Secretary of 18 Defense shall submit with the defense budget materials 19 for fiscal year 2027 (as submitted to Congress in support 20 of the budget of the President under section 1105(a) of 21 title 31, United States Code) a certification as to whether 22 such materials support the requirement under section 23 8062(b) of title 10, United States Code, to maintain 31 24 amphibious warfare ships. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 35 •S 2296 RS (c) LIMITATION.— 1 (1) PLAN.—If the Secretary of the Navy does 2 not submit the 30-year shipbuilding plan described 3 in subsection (a) as required by such subsection, not 4 more than 75 percent of the funds authorized to be 5 appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available 6 for fiscal year 2026 for Administration and Service- 7 Wide Activities, Operation and Maintenance, Navy, 8 may be obligated or expended until the date on 9 which the Secretary of the Navy submits to the con- 10 gressional defense committees such plan. 11 (2) CERTIFICATION.—If the Secretary of De- 12 fense does not submit the certification described in 13 subsection (a) as required by such subsection, or 14 certifies that the materials described in such sub- 15 section do not support the requirement described in 16 such subsection, not more than 75 percent of the 17 funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or 18 otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for Of- 19 fice of the Secretary of Defense, Operation and 20 Maintenance, Defense-Wide, may be obligated or ex- 21 pended until the date on which the Secretary of De- 22 fense submits to the congressional defense commit- 23 tees defense budget materials that support the re- 24 quirement under section 8062(b) of title 10, United 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 36 •S 2296 RS States Code, to maintain 31 amphibious warfare 1 ships. 2 (d) AMPHIBIOUS WARFARE SHIP DEFINED.—In this 3 section, the term ‘‘amphibious warfare ship’’ has the 4 meaning given that term in section 8062(h) of title 10, 5 United States Code. 6 SEC. 127. TEMPORARY UNAVAILABILITY OF AMPHIBIOUS 7 WARFARE SHIPS. 8 Section 8062(b) of title 10, United States Code, is 9 amended— 10 (1) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ before ‘‘The naval’’; and 11 (2) by adding at the end the following new 12 paragraph: 13 ‘‘(2) For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘tem- 14 porarily unavailable’ with respect to an amphibious war- 15 fare ship means that the ship has not surpassed its 16 planned availability by a margin of— 17 ‘‘(A) greater than 100 percent of the nominal 18 duration of that availability in 2026 or 2027; 19 ‘‘(B) greater than 75 percent of the nominal 20 duration of that availability in 2028 or 2029; 21 ‘‘(C) greater than 50 percent of the nominal 22 duration of that availability in 2030 or 2031; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 37 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(D) greater than 25 percent of the nominal 1 duration of that availability in 2032 or any year 2 thereafter.’’. 3 Subtitle D—Air Force Programs 4 SEC. 131. B–21 BOMBER AIRCRAFT PROGRAM ACCOUNT- 5 ABILITY MATRICES. 6 (a) SUBMITTAL OF MATRICES.—Concurrent with the 7 President’s annual budget request submitted to Congress 8 under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, for 9 fiscal year 2027, the Secretary of the Air Force shall sub- 10 mit to the congressional defense committees and the 11 Comptroller General of the United States— 12 (1) the matrices described in subsection (b) re- 13 lating to the B–21 bomber aircraft program; and 14 (2) the estimate, as of the date of such submis- 15 sion, for the program’s average procurement unit 16 cost, acquisition unit cost, and life-cycle costs. 17 (b) MATRICES DESCRIBED.—The matrices described 18 in this subsection are the following: 19 (1) PROGRAM GOALS AND EXECUTION.—A ma- 20 trix that identifies, in six-month increments, plans 21 for and progress in achieving key milestones and 22 events, and specific performance metric goals and 23 actuals for the development, production, and 24 sustainment of the B–21 bomber aircraft program, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 38 •S 2296 RS which shall be subdivided, at a minimum, according 1 to the following: 2 (A) Technology readiness levels of major 3 components, and associated risks and key dem- 4 onstration events through maturity (technology 5 readiness level 7) for baseline and moderniza- 6 tion efforts. 7 (B) Engine design maturity, and plans and 8 progress of engine test events. 9 (C) Software development progress and re- 10 lated metrics, including— 11 (i) percent of capabilities complete 12 and system features complete; and 13 (ii) software quality metrics. 14 (D) Manufacturing progress and related 15 metrics for the prime contractor and key sup- 16 pliers, including— 17 (i) manufacturing readiness levels 18 through level 8; 19 (ii) touch labor hours; and 20 (iii) scrap, rework, and repair. 21 (E) System verification and key ground 22 and flight test events for developmental and 23 operational testing, including— 24 (i) percent complete; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 39 •S 2296 RS (ii) time on condition; 1 (iii) sorties; and 2 (iv) test points. 3 (F) Aircraft reliability, availability, and 4 maintainability metrics, including— 5 (i) mean time to repair; 6 (ii) operational availability; 7 (iii) mission capable; and 8 (iv) cost per flying hour. 9 (G) Operations and sustainment plans and 10 progress, including— 11 (i) main operating base setup; 12 (ii) training system deliveries; 13 (iii) depot maintenance; and 14 (iv) technology data packages. 15 (2) COST.—A matrix expressing, in six-month 16 increments, the total cost for the Air Force service 17 cost position for the engineering and manufacturing 18 development phase and production lots of the B–21 19 bomber aircraft, and a matrix expressing the total 20 cost for the prime contractor’s estimate for such 21 phase and production lots, each of which shall be 22 phased over the entire engineering and manufac- 23 turing development period and subdivided according 24 to the costs of the following: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 40 •S 2296 RS (A) Air vehicle. 1 (B) Propulsion. 2 (C) Mission systems. 3 (D) Vehicle subsystems. 4 (E) Air vehicle software. 5 (F) Systems engineering. 6 (G) Program management. 7 (H) System test and evaluation. 8 (I) Support and training systems. 9 (J) Contract fee. 10 (K) Engineering changes. 11 (L) Direct mission support, including con- 12 gressional general reductions. 13 (M) Government testing. 14 (c) SEMIANNUAL UPDATE OF MATRICES.— 15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 16 after the date on which the Secretary of the Air 17 Force submits the matrices required by subsection 18 (a), concurrent with the submittal of each annual 19 budget request to Congress under section 1105 of 20 title 31, United States Code, thereafter, and not 21 later than 180 days after each such submittal, the 22 Secretary of the Air Force shall submit to the con- 23 gressional defense committees and the Comptroller 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 41 •S 2296 RS General updates to the matrices described in sub- 1 section (b). 2 (2) ELEMENTS.—Each update submitted under 3 paragraph (1) shall detail progress made toward the 4 goals identified in the matrix described in subsection 5 (b)(1) and provide updated cost estimates. 6 (d) ASSESSMENT BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF 7 THE UNITED STATES.—Not less frequently than annually, 8 the Comptroller General shall— 9 (1) review the sufficiency of each matrix re- 10 ceived under this section; and 11 (2) submit to the congressional defense commit- 12 tees an assessment of such matrix, including by 13 identifying cost, schedule, or performance trends. 14 (e) REPEAL.—Section 238 of the National Defense 15 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114– 16 328; 130 Stat. 2067) is repealed. 17 SEC. 132. BOMBER AIRCRAFT FORCE STRUCTURE AND 18 TRANSITION ROADMAP. 19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 20 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 21 Air Force shall submit to the congressional defense com- 22 mittees a comprehensive roadmap detailing the planned 23 force structure, basing, modernization, and transition 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 42 •S 2296 RS strategy for the bomber aircraft fleet of the Air Force 1 through fiscal year 2040. 2 (b) ELEMENTS.—The roadmap required by sub- 3 section (a) shall include the following: 4 (1) A detailed schedule and rationale for the 5 planned divestment of B–1 bomber aircraft, includ- 6 ing location-specific retirements, infrastructure dis- 7 position, and mitigation of any resulting capability 8 gaps. 9 (2) A transition plan for the operational field- 10 ing of B–21 bomber aircraft, including basing deci- 11 sions, training and sustainment plans, operational 12 concepts, and anticipated initial operational capa- 13 bility and full operational capability timelines. 14 (3) A strategy for integrating units of the Air 15 National Guard and the Air Force Reserve into B– 16 21 bomber aircraft operations, including planned 17 force structure, association, training, and mobiliza- 18 tion models. 19 (4) An update on— 20 (A) modernization efforts for B–52 bomber 21 aircraft, including engine replacement, radar 22 upgrades, and digital integration efforts; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00042 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 43 •S 2296 RS (B) the expected service life and mission 1 profile of B–52 bomber aircraft through the 2 2050s. 3 (5) A detailed timeline with key milestones for 4 each of the elements described in paragraphs (1) 5 through (4), including programmatic decision points, 6 resourcing requirements, risk assessments, and co- 7 ordination with other components of the Air Force 8 Global Strike Command and the Air Combat Com- 9 mand. 10 (c) OBJECTIVE.—The roadmap required by sub- 11 section (a) shall support a deliberate and balanced transi- 12 tion to a modernized, dual-capable bomber aircraft force 13 that ensures long-range strike capacity, survivability, and 14 deterrence in both nuclear and conventional mission sets, 15 with a minimum of 100 B–21 bomber aircraft as directed 16 by prior Acts of Congress. 17 (d) FORM.—The roadmap required by subsection (a) 18 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include 19 a classified annex. 20 SEC. 133. REQUIREMENT FOR AN INTELLIGENCE, SURVEIL- 21 LANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE ROADMAP 22 FOR THE AIR FORCE. 23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 24 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 44 •S 2296 RS Air Force shall submit to the congressional defense com- 1 mittees a comprehensive roadmap detailing the strategic 2 plan for the development, acquisition, modernization, and 3 integration of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnais- 4 sance (ISR) capabilities of the Air Force. 5 (b) ELEMENTS.—The roadmap required by sub- 6 section (a) shall include the following: 7 (1) A strategic assessment of current (as of the 8 date on which the roadmap is submitted) and pro- 9 jected intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance 10 requirements for the Air Force across all domains, 11 including air, space, and cyberspace. 12 (2) An inventory of current (as of the date on 13 which the roadmap is submitted) intelligence, sur- 14 veillance, and reconnaissance platforms, sensors, and 15 associated data-processing systems, including the 16 mission capabilities, operational status, and expected 17 service life for each. 18 (3) A plan for the modernization or divestment 19 of legacy airborne intelligence, surveillance, and re- 20 connaissance systems, with justification for each de- 21 cision. 22 (4) A detailed outline of planned investments 23 and capabilities in emerging intelligence, surveil- 24 lance, and reconnaissance technologies, including— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 45 •S 2296 RS (A) artificial intelligence; 1 (B) machine learning; 2 (C) space-based intelligence, surveillance, 3 and reconnaissance; and 4 (D) autonomous or remotely piloted plat- 5 forms. 6 (5) An assessment of the integration of intel- 7 ligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data into 8 command and control networks, including interoper- 9 ability with joint, interagency, and allied partners. 10 (6) A risk assessment identifying potential ca- 11 pability gaps, threats, and mitigation strategies. 12 (7) A description of the roles and responsibil- 13 ities of the components of the intelligence, surveil- 14 lance, and reconnaissance effort of the Air Force in 15 implementing the roadmap. 16 (8) A proposed timeline and milestones for the 17 implementation of the roadmap over the next ten fis- 18 cal years. 19 (c) FORM.—The roadmap required by subsection (a) 20 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but shall include 21 a classified annex. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00045 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 46 •S 2296 RS SEC. 134. ANNUAL REPORT ON DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 1 UNIFIED DATALINK STRATEGY. 2 Section 1527 of the National Defense Authorization 3 Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 10 U.S.C. 4 2223 note) is amended— 5 (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub- 6 section (d); and 7 (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol- 8 lowing new subsection (c): 9 ‘‘(c) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than 180 days 10 after the date of the enactment of the National Defense 11 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, and not less fre- 12 quently than once each year thereafter through December 13 31, 2032, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate 14 congressional committees an annual report on the imple- 15 mentation of the strategy.’’. 16 SEC. 135. PLAN FOR OPEN MISSION SYSTEMS OF F–35 AIR- 17 CRAFT. 18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall 19 develop a plan to establish an open mission systems com- 20 puting environment that is controlled by the Federal Gov- 21 ernment on the F–35 aircraft of the Department of De- 22 fense. 23 (b) ELEMENTS.—The plan required under subsection 24 (a) shall do the following: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00046 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 47 •S 2296 RS (1) Enable the portability of software applica- 1 tions between the F–35 aircraft, the F–22 aircraft, 2 and the Next Generation Air Dominance initiative of 3 the Air Force. 4 (2) Enable the integration of new open mission 5 system software, or changes to existing open mission 6 system software, with minimal integration work re- 7 quired by the prime contractor of the air vehicle. 8 (3) Eliminate or minimize aircraft airworthiness 9 impacts due to software changes within the open 10 mission systems computing environment. 11 (4) Enable the rapid upgrade of onboard proc- 12 essors. 13 (5) Leverage a Federal Government reference 14 architecture. 15 (6) Ensure control by the Federal Government 16 over the airworthiness and security processes, as well 17 as ownership by the Federal Government of the open 18 mission system technical documentation and data 19 rights. 20 (7) Be capable of connection to all relevant air- 21 craft apertures sufficient to meet current and future 22 combat requirements, including cockpit connectivity 23 via ethernet. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00047 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 48 •S 2296 RS (8) Leverage modern commercial software lan- 1 guages and techniques necessary to support reliable, 2 high-throughput, and low-latency use-cases. 3 (9) Be applicable across all blocks and variants 4 of the F–35 aircraft. 5 (c) REPORT.— 6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than July 1, 2026, 7 the Secretary of the Air Force shall submit to the 8 congressional defense committees a report that in- 9 cludes the plan required under subsection (a). 10 (2) FORM.—The report required under para- 11 graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, 12 but may contain a classified annex. 13 SEC. 136. MODIFICATION OF PROHIBITION ON RETIRE- 14 MENT OF F–15E AIRCRAFT. 15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 9062(l)(1) of title 10, 16 United States Code, is amended— 17 (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), 18 by striking ‘‘September 30, 2029’’ and inserting 19 ‘‘September 30, 2027’’; and 20 (2) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘68 F– 21 15E aircraft’’ and inserting ‘‘34 F–15E aircraft’’. 22 (b) REPEAL.—Section 150 of the Servicemember 23 Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Au- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 49 •S 2296 RS thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118– 1 159; 138 Stat. 1812) is amended— 2 (1) by striking subsection (a); 3 (2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as 4 subsections (a) and (b), respectively; and 5 (3) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘PROHI- 6 BITION ON RETIREMENT OF F–15E AIRCRAFT 7 AND’’. 8 SEC. 137. PROHIBITION ON RETIREMENT OF A–10 AIR- 9 CRAFT. 10 (a) PROHIBITION.—None of the funds authorized to 11 be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available 12 for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of Defense may 13 be obligated or expended to retire, prepare to retire, or 14 otherwise divest A–10 aircraft to an inventory level below 15 103. 16 (b) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of the Air 17 Force may waive the prohibition under subsection (a) with 18 respect to a specific unit if— 19 (1) the Secretary submits to the congressional 20 defense committees a written certification that a de- 21 tailed recapitalization plan has been developed for 22 the affected unit, including follow on mission assign- 23 ments, aircraft reallocation, personnel adjustments, 24 and community impact mitigation; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00049 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 50 •S 2296 RS (2) a period of 30 days has elapsed following 1 the date of such submission. 2 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 3 (1) A–10 AIRCRAFT.—The term ‘‘A–10 air- 4 craft’’ means any aircraft of the Air Force des- 5 ignated A–10 Thunderbolt II. 6 (2) RETIRE.—The term ‘‘retire’’ includes the 7 permanent removal of an aircraft from the oper- 8 ational inventory, reassignment to storage, or place- 9 ment into backup aircraft inventory or excess status. 10 SEC. 138. EXTENSION OF LIMITATIONS AND MINIMUM IN- 11 VENTORY REQUIREMENT RELATING TO RQ–4 12 AIRCRAFT. 13 Section 9062(m)(1) of title 10, United States Code, 14 is amended, in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), 15 by striking ‘‘September 30, 2029’’ and inserting ‘‘Sep- 16 tember 30, 2030’’. 17 SEC. 139. EXPANSION OF AIR REFUELER FLEET. 18 (a) PRIMARY MISSION AIRCRAFT INVENTORY.—Not- 19 withstanding any limit on primary mission aircraft inven- 20 tory established before the date of the enactment of this 21 Act, Secretary of the Air Force shall retain operational 22 KC–135 Stratotankers as primary mission aircraft inven- 23 tory as such aircraft are replaced by KC–46 aircraft in 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00050 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 51 •S 2296 RS order to meet air refueling requirements of the Air Force 1 and the United States Transportation Command. 2 (b) REASSIGNMENT.— 3 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Air 4 Force shall reassign KC–135 Stratotankers that are 5 retained as primary mission aircraft inventory and 6 replaced by KC–46 aircraft to Air Refueling Wings 7 that have the capacity to expand their primary mis- 8 sion aircraft inventory fleet of KC–135 9 Stratotankers. 10 (2) CRITERIA.—The Secretary of the Air Force 11 shall reassign KC–135 Stratotankers under para- 12 graph (1) based on the ability of an Air Refueling 13 Wing to— 14 (A) man the additional aircraft; and 15 (B) support pilot training requirements. 16 SEC. 140. REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO C–130 AIRCRAFT. 17 (a) EXTENSION OF MINIMUM INVENTORY REQUIRE- 18 MENT.—Section 146(a)(3)(B) of the James M. Inhofe Na- 19 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 20 (Public Law 117–263; 136 Stat. 2455), as most recently 21 amended by section 145(a) of the Servicemember Quality 22 of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization 23 Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00051 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 52 •S 2296 RS 1810 ), is further amended by striking ‘‘2025’’ and insert- 1 ing ‘‘2028’’. 2 (b) EXTENSION OF PROHIBITION ON REDUCTION OF 3 C–130 AIRCRAFT ASSIGNED TO NATIONAL GUARD.—Sec- 4 tion 146(b)(1) of the James M. Inhofe National Defense 5 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117– 6 263; 136 Stat. 2455), as most recently amended by sec- 7 tion 145(b) of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improve- 8 ment and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 9 Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 1810), is fur- 10 ther amended by striking ‘‘2025’’ and inserting ‘‘2028’’. 11 (c) REPORT REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 180 12 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annu- 13 ally thereafter through fiscal year 2028, the Secretary of 14 the Air Force shall submit to the congressional defense 15 committees a report detailing the following: 16 (1) The total number and variant types of C– 17 130 aircraft in the inventory of the Air Force. 18 (2) Any planned retirements, divestments, or 19 reductions to the fleet of such aircraft. 20 (3) Modernization and recapitalization efforts, 21 including block upgrades and procurement sched- 22 ules. 23 (4) Planned basing actions for fielding C–130J 24 aircraft to recapitalize C–130H aircraft. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 53 •S 2296 RS SEC. 141. INFORMATION ON FUTURE LARGE AND OVER- 1 SIZED AIR CARGO TRANSPORTATION SERV- 2 ICES. 3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall so- 4 licit from industry information on acquiring services of an 5 airplane that— 6 (1) is, as of June 2025, under development as 7 a civilian aircraft; 8 (2) would be capable of carrying space launch 9 vehicles and other Department of Defense articles 10 not more than 300 feet long that cannot be or, as 11 of June 2025, are not readily transported in an air- 12 plane due to cargo dimensions; 13 (3) could enter service not later than December 14 31, 2035; 15 (4) could provide and supplement large and 16 oversized fixed wing air cargo transportation services 17 to support the readiness and logistical needs of the 18 Department by December 31, 2035, and thereafter; 19 and 20 (5) could provide to the Department at least 21 2,000 hours and not more than 7,500 hours of air- 22 plane time for at least two and not more than five 23 years beginning when such airplane could enter serv- 24 ice. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00053 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 54 •S 2296 RS (b) REPORT.—Not later than April 1, 2026, the Sec- 1 retary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense 2 committees a report on the results of the solicitation re- 3 quired by subsection (a). 4 TITLE II—RESEARCH, DEVELOP- 5 MENT, TEST, AND EVALUA- 6 TION 7 Subtitle A—Authorization of 8 Appropriations 9 SEC. 201. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 10 Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated for 11 fiscal year 2026 for the use of the Department of Defense 12 for research, development, test, and evaluation, as speci- 13 fied in the funding table in section 4201. 14 Subtitle B—Program Require- 15 ments, Restrictions, and Limita- 16 tions 17 SEC. 211. MODIFICATIONS TO DEFENSE RESEARCH CAPAC- 18 ITY BUILDING PROGRAM. 19 (a) IN GENERAL.—For fiscal year 2026 and each fis- 20 cal year thereafter, the Secretary of Defense shall ensure 21 that all funding opportunities executed in Program Ele- 22 ment 0601228D8Z, or successor program element, shall 23 include separate funding solicitations each focused to- 24 ward— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00054 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 55 •S 2296 RS (1) Historically Black Colleges and Universities 1 and Tribal Colleges and Universities; and 2 (2) Minority-Serving Institutions that are not 3 described in paragraph (1). 4 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 5 (1) The term ‘‘Historically Black College or 6 University’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘part B 7 institution’’ in section 322 of the Higher Education 8 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061). 9 (2) The term ‘‘Minority-Serving Institution’’ 10 means an eligible institution described in section 11 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 12 U.S.C. 1067q(a)). 13 (3) The term ‘‘Tribal College or University’’ 14 has the meaning given the term in section 316(b) of 15 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 16 1059c(b)). 17 SEC. 212. PROGRAM FOR THE ENHANCEMENT OF THE RE- 18 SEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, TEST, AND EVALUA- 19 TION CENTERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DE- 20 FENSE. 21 (a) MAKING PERMANENT AND IMPROVING PILOT 22 PROGRAM FOR THE ENHANCEMENT OF THE RESEARCH, 23 DEVELOPMENT, TEST, AND EVALUATION CENTERS OF 24 THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.—Chapter 305 of title 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00055 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 56 •S 2296 RS 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 1 the following new section: 2 ‘‘§ 4145. Program for the enhancement of the re- 3 search, development, test, and evaluation 4 centers of the Department of Defense 5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense and 6 the Secretaries of the military departments shall jointly 7 carry out a program to demonstrate methods for the more 8 effective development of technology and management of 9 functions at eligible centers. 10 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE CENTERS.—For purposes of the pro- 11 gram, the eligible centers are— 12 ‘‘(1) the science and technology reinvention lab- 13 oratories, as designated by section 4121(b) of this 14 title; 15 ‘‘(2) the test and evaluation centers which are 16 activities specified as part of the Major Range and 17 Test Facility Base in Department of Defense Direc- 18 tive 3200.11; 19 ‘‘(3) the Defense Advanced Research Projects 20 Agency; 21 ‘‘(4) the Defense Innovation Unit; 22 ‘‘(5) the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO); 23 and 24 ‘‘(6) the Office of Strategic Capital. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00056 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 57 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(c) PARTICIPATION IN PROGRAM.— 1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 2 the head of each eligible center shall submit to the 3 Assistant Secretary concerned a proposal on, and 4 implement, alternative and innovative methods of ef- 5 fective management and operations of eligible cen- 6 ters, rapid project delivery, support, experimen- 7 tation, prototyping, and partnership with universities 8 and private sector entities— 9 ‘‘(A) to generate greater value and effi- 10 ciencies in research and development activities; 11 ‘‘(B) to enable more efficient and effective 12 operations of supporting activities, such as— 13 ‘‘(i) facility management, construc- 14 tion, and repair; 15 ‘‘(ii) business operations; 16 ‘‘(iii) personnel management policies 17 and practices; and 18 ‘‘(iv) intramural and public outreach; 19 and 20 ‘‘(C) to enable more rapid deployment of 21 warfighter capabilities. 22 ‘‘(2) IMPLEMENTATION.—(A) The head of an 23 eligible center described in paragraph (1) or (2) of 24 subsection (b) shall implement each method pro- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00057 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 58 •S 2296 RS posed under paragraph (1) of this subsection unless 1 such method is disapproved in writing by the Assist- 2 ant Secretary concerned within 60 days of receiving 3 a proposal from an eligible center. 4 ‘‘(B) The Director of the Defense Advanced Re- 5 search Projects Agency, the Defense Innovation 6 Unit, the Strategic Capabilities Office and the Office 7 of Strategic Capital shall implement each method 8 proposed under paragraph (1) unless such method is 9 disapproved in writing by the Deputy Secretary of 10 Defense within 60 days of receiving a proposal from 11 the Director. 12 ‘‘(C) In this paragraph, the term ‘Assistant 13 Secretary concerned’ means— 14 ‘‘(i) the Assistant Secretary of the Air 15 Force for Acquisition, with respect to matters 16 concerning the Air Force; 17 ‘‘(ii) the Assistant Secretary of the Army 18 for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, with 19 respect to matters concerning the Army; and 20 ‘‘(iii) the Assistant Secretary of the Navy 21 for Research, Development, and Acquisition, 22 with respect to matters concerning the Navy. 23 ‘‘(d) WAIVER AUTHORITY FOR DEMONSTRATION AND 24 IMPLEMENTATION.—The head of an eligible center may 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00058 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 59 •S 2296 RS waive any regulation, restriction, requirement, guidance, 1 policy, procedure, or departmental instruction that would 2 affect the implementation of a method proposed under 3 subsection (c)(1), unless such implementation would be 4 prohibited by a provision of a Federal statute or common 5 law.’’. 6 (b) CONFORMING REPEAL.—Section 233 of the Na- 7 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 8 (Public Law 114–328; 10 U.S.C. 4141 note prec.) is re- 9 pealed. 10 SEC. 213. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR ASSIGNMENT TO 11 DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS 12 AGENCY OF PRIVATE SECTOR PERSONNEL 13 WITH CRITICAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOP- 14 MENT EXPERTISE. 15 Section 232(e) of the Carl Levin and Howard P. 16 ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for 17 Fiscal Year 2015 (Public Law 113–291; 10 U.S.C. 4091 18 note prec.) is amended by striking ‘‘September 30, 2025’’ 19 and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2030’’. 20 SEC. 214. LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR CERTAIN 21 NAVY SOFTWARE. 22 None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by 23 this Act may be obligated or expended for the autonomy 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00059 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 60 •S 2296 RS baseline manager or the common control system of the 1 Navy unless— 2 (1) the Secretary of the Navy submits to the 3 congressional defense committees— 4 (A) the original baseline schedule of key 5 capability deliverables and the current schedule 6 as of the date of submission; 7 (B) the original cost estimate and the cur- 8 rent cost estimate as of the date of submission, 9 including the total funding received for the pro- 10 gram; 11 (C) all reports of test and experimentation 12 events, including a comparison of performance 13 to alternative industry capabilities; 14 (D) the unaltered assessment of the De- 15 fense Innovation Unit on a market assessment 16 of industry capabilities compared to the capa- 17 bilities of the autonomy baseline manager and 18 the common control system of the Navy; and 19 (E) an assessment that the program is de- 20 livering new capabilities at a pace and quality 21 that meets or exceeds industry capabilities; and 22 (2) the Chief of Naval Operations validates to 23 the congressional defense committees that the pro- 24 gram meets operational user needs of the Navy. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00060 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 61 •S 2296 RS SEC. 215. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 1 UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR RE- 2 SEARCH AND ENGINEERING. 3 Of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this 4 Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for 5 operation and maintenance, Defense-wide, and available to 6 the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research 7 and Engineering for travel purposes, not more than 80 8 percent may be obligated or expended until the date on 9 which the Under Secretary submits to the congressional 10 defense committees the report required by section 245(d) 11 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and 12 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 13 (Public Law 118–159). 14 SEC. 216. PROHIBITION ON CONTRACTS BETWEEN CERTAIN 15 FOREIGN ENTITIES AND INSTITUTIONS OF 16 HIGHER EDUCATION CONDUCTING DEPART- 17 MENT OF DEFENSE-FUNDED RESEARCH. 18 (a) PROHIBITION.—Beginning on January 1, 2027, 19 a covered institution may not enter into a contract with 20 a covered nation or a foreign entity of concern. 21 (b) WAIVERS.— 22 (1) AUTHORITY.—Subject to the provisions of 23 this subsection and subsection (c), the Secretary of 24 Defense may, or their designee, pursuant to a re- 25 quest submitted under paragraph (2) of this sub- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00061 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 62 •S 2296 RS section, issue a waiver of the prohibition set forth in 1 subsection (a). 2 (2) SUBMISSION.— 3 (A) FIRST WAIVER REQUESTS.— 4 (i) IN GENERAL.—A covered institu- 5 tion that desires to enter into a contract 6 with a foreign entity of concern or a cov- 7 ered nation may submit to the Secretary of 8 Defense, not later than 120 days before 9 the institution enters into such a contract, 10 a request to waive the prohibition set forth 11 in subsection (a) with respect to such con- 12 tract. 13 (ii) CONTENTS OF WAIVER RE- 14 QUEST.—A waiver request submitted by a 15 covered institution under clause (i) shall 16 include— 17 (I) the complete and unredacted 18 text of the proposed contract for 19 which the waiver is being requested, 20 and if such original contract is not in 21 English, a translated copy of the text 22 into English (in a manner that com- 23 plies with subsection (e)); and 24 (II) a statement that— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00062 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 63 •S 2296 RS (aa) is signed by the Presi- 1 dent or compliance officer of the 2 institution designated in accord- 3 ance with subsection (f); and 4 (bb) includes information 5 that demonstrates that such con- 6 tract is for the benefit of the in- 7 stitution’s mission and students 8 and will promote the security, 9 stability, and economic vitality of 10 the United States. 11 (B) RENEWAL WAIVER REQUESTS.— 12 (i) IN GENERAL.—A covered institu- 13 tion that has entered into a contract pur- 14 suant to a waiver issued under this section, 15 the term of which is longer than the 1-year 16 waiver period and the terms and conditions 17 of which remain the same as the proposed 18 contract submitted as part of the request 19 for such waiver, may submit, not later 20 than 120 days before the expiration of 21 such waiver period, a request for a renewal 22 of such waiver for the remainder of the 23 contract term, but not to exceed a 4-year 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00063 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 64 •S 2296 RS period (which shall include any information 1 requested by the Secretary). 2 (ii) TERMINATION.—If a covered in- 3 stitution fails to submit a request under 4 clause (i) or is not granted a renewal 5 under such clause, such institution shall 6 terminate such contract on the last day of 7 the original 1-year waiver period. 8 (3) WAIVER ISSUANCE.—The Secretary of De- 9 fense— 10 (A) not later than 60 days before a covered 11 institution enters into a contract pursuant to a 12 waiver request under paragraph (2)(A), or be- 13 fore a contract described in paragraph (2)(B)(i) 14 is renewed pursuant to a renewal request under 15 such paragraph, shall notify the covered institu- 16 tion— 17 (i) if the waiver or renewal will be 18 issued by the Secretary; and 19 (ii) in a case in which the waiver or 20 renewal will be issued, the date on which 21 the 1-year waiver period starts; 22 (B) may only issue a waiver under this 23 subsection to a covered institution if the Sec- 24 retary of Defense determines that the contract 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00064 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 65 •S 2296 RS for which the waiver is being requested will 1 both— 2 (i) benefit the institution’s mission 3 and students; and 4 (ii) promote the security, stability, 5 and economic vitality of the United States; 6 and 7 (C) shall, when making the determination 8 described in subparagraph (B)(ii), base such 9 determination on the following factors: 10 (i) The reasons for which the foreign 11 entity of concern or covered nation has 12 been so designated, and why those reasons 13 do not apply to the contract for which 14 waiver is being sought. 15 (ii) The foreign entity of concern or 16 covered nation’s history of involvement 17 with covered institutions. 18 (iii) The degree to which such a con- 19 tract could provide access to information 20 or technology which could materially ben- 21 efit the national security of a covered na- 22 tion or harm the national security of the 23 United States. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00065 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 66 •S 2296 RS (4) NOTIFICATION TO CONGRESS.—Not later 1 than 15 calendar days prior to issuing a waiver 2 under this subsection, the Secretary of Defense shall 3 submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the 4 Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the 5 House of Representatives written notice of the intent 6 of the Secretary to issue such waiver together with 7 a justification for such waiver. 8 (5) APPLICATION OF WAIVERS.—A waiver 9 issued under this subsection to a covered institution 10 with respect to a contract shall only— 11 (A) waive the prohibition under subsection 12 (a) for a 1-year period, or for the remainder of 13 the term of the contract, but not to exceed 4 14 years; and 15 (B) apply to the terms and conditions of 16 the proposed contract submitted as part of the 17 request for such waiver. 18 (c) CONTRACTS PRIOR TO DATE OF ENACTMENT.— 19 (1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a covered in- 20 stitution that entered into contract with a covered 21 nation or foreign entity of concern prior to January 22 1, 2027, and which contract remains in effect on 23 such date, the Secretary shall notify the congres- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00066 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 67 •S 2296 RS sional defense committees within 90 days of enact- 1 ment of this Act. 2 (2) RENEWAL.—A covered institution that has 3 entered into a contract described in paragraph (1), 4 the term of which is longer than the waiver period 5 described in subparagraph (B) of such paragraph 6 and the terms and conditions of which remain the 7 same as the contract submitted as part of the re- 8 quest required under subparagraph (A) of such 9 paragraph, may submit a request for renewal of the 10 waiver issued under such paragraph in accordance 11 with subsection (c)(2)(B). 12 (d) DESIGNATION DURING CONTRACT TERM.—In 13 the case of a covered institution that enters into a contract 14 with a foreign source that is not a covered nation or a 15 foreign entity of concern but which, during the term of 16 such contract, is redesignated as a covered nation or for- 17 eign entity of concern, such institution shall terminate 18 such contract not later than 120 days after the Secretary 19 notifies the covered institution of such designation or im- 20 mediately requests a waiver. 21 (e) TRANSLATION REQUIREMENT.—Any information 22 required to be disclosed under this section with respect 23 to a contract that is not in English shall be translated, 24 for purposes of such disclosure, by a person that is not 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00067 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 68 •S 2296 RS an affiliated entity or agent of the covered nation or for- 1 eign entity of concern involved with such contract. 2 (f) COMPLIANCE OFFICER.—Each covered institution 3 applying for a waiver under subsection (c), shall identify 4 a compliance officer, who shall— 5 (1) be a current employee or legally authorized 6 agent of such institution; and 7 (2) be responsible, on behalf of such institution, 8 for personally certifying— 9 (A) compliance with the prohibition under 10 this section; and 11 (B) the truth and accuracy of any informa- 12 tion contained in such a waiver request. 13 (g) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Section 1286(f) of the John 14 S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 15 Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232;10 U.S.C. 4001 note) 16 is amended— 17 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and on the 18 periodic reviews conducted pursuant to subsection 19 (e)’’ and inserting ‘‘, on the periodic reviews con- 20 ducted pursuant to subsection (e), and the waivers 21 issued under section 216 of the National Defense 22 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026’’; and 23 (2) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end the 24 following new subparagraph: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00068 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 69 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(C) With respect to waivers described in 1 paragraph (1), the following: 2 ‘‘(i) The terms and contents of any 3 waivers issued under section 216 of the 4 National Defense Authorization Act for 5 Fiscal Year 2026 in the period covered by 6 the report; 7 ‘‘(ii) any trends in— 8 ‘‘(I) the number of waivers issued 9 under such section over time; and 10 ‘‘(II) the types of contracts to 11 which such waivers pertain; and 12 ‘‘(iii) the processes used by the Sec- 13 retary to verify that covered institutions 14 (as defined in such section) are in compli- 15 ance with the requirements of such sec- 16 tion.’’. 17 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 18 (1)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), 19 the term ‘‘contract’’ means— 20 (i) any agreement or memorandum of un- 21 derstanding for the acquisition, by purchase, 22 lease, or barter, of property or services by or 23 from a covered nation or foreign entity of con- 24 cern; or 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00069 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 70 •S 2296 RS (ii) any affiliation, agreement, or similar 1 transaction with a covered nation or foreign en- 2 tity of concern that involves the use or ex- 3 change of the name, likeness, time, services, or 4 resources of a covered institution. 5 (B) The term ‘‘contract’’ does not include— 6 (i) an agreement solely or primarily for the 7 purposes of conducting a study-abroad program 8 wherein students at covered institutions in the 9 United States travel to a covered nation to 10 study; 11 (ii) an arms-length agreement for the ac- 12 quisition by purchase, lease, or barter of prop- 13 erty or services for the covered institution from 14 a foreign entity of concern; or 15 (iii) an agreement pertaining to a pre-ex- 16 isting campus or other satellite facility of a cov- 17 ered institution located in a covered nation or 18 a joint facility of a covered institution and an- 19 other entity located in a covered nation, unless 20 that facility could provide access to information 21 or technology which could materially benefit the 22 national security of a covered nation or harm 23 the national security of the United States. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00070 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 71 •S 2296 RS (2) The term ‘‘covered institution’’ means an 1 institution of higher education that conducts re- 2 search funded by the Department of Defense. 3 (3) The term ‘‘covered nation’’ has the meaning 4 given that term in section 4872(d) of title 10, 5 United States Code. 6 (4) The term ‘‘foreign entity of concern’’ means 7 any person or entity— 8 (A) listed on the Department of Com- 9 merce’s Entity List (Supplement No. 4 to part 10 744 of the Export Administration Regulations), 11 or successor list; 12 (B) included in the list of Chinese military 13 companies operating in the United States most 14 recently submitted under section 1260H(b)(1) 15 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National 16 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 17 (Public Law 115–283;10 U.S.C. 113 note); or 18 (C) identified on the list published under 19 section 1286(c)(9)(A) of the John S. McCain 20 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 21 Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232;10 U.S.C. 22 4001 note). 23 (5) The term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ 24 has the meaning given that term in section 102 of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00071 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 72 •S 2296 RS the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1 1002). 2 SEC. 217. WESTERN REGIONAL RANGE COMPLEX DEM- 3 ONSTRATION. 4 (a) DEMONSTRATION REQUIRED.—The Secretary 5 shall carry out a demonstration of a joint multi-domain 6 kinetic and non-kinetic testing and training environment 7 across military departments by interconnecting existing 8 ranges and training sites in the western States to improve 9 joint multi-domain training and further testing, research, 10 and development. 11 (b) USE OF EXISTING RANGES AND CAPABILITIES.— 12 The demonstration carried out pursuant to subsection (a) 13 shall use existing ranges and range capability, unless ca- 14 pability gaps are identified in the process of planning spe- 15 cific demonstration activities. 16 (c) ACTIVITIES.—The demonstration carried out pur- 17 suant to subsection (a) shall include the following: 18 (1) Electromagnetic spectrum operations. 19 (2) Electromagnetic warfare. 20 (3) Operations that blend kinetic and non-ki- 21 netic effects. 22 (4) Operations in the information environment. 23 (5) Joint All Domain Command and Control 24 (JADC2). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00072 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 73 •S 2296 RS (6) Information warfare, including the fol- 1 lowing: 2 (A) Intelligence, surveillance, and recon- 3 naissance. 4 (B) Offensive and defense cyber oper- 5 ations. 6 (C) Electromagnetic warfare. 7 (D) Space operations. 8 (E) Psychological operations. 9 (F) Public affairs. 10 (G) Weather operations. 11 (d) TIMELINE FOR COMPLETION OF INITIAL DEM- 12 ONSTRATION.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Sec- 13 retary shall seek to complete an initial demonstration, 14 interconnecting two or more ranges or testing sites of two 15 or more military departments in the western States, sub- 16 ject to availability of appropriations, not later than one 17 year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 18 (e) BRIEFING.—Not later than 180 days after the 19 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall pro- 20 vide the congressional defense committees a briefing on— 21 (1) a phased implementation plan and design to 22 connect ranges and testing sites in the western 23 States, including the initial demonstration required 24 by subsection (d); 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00073 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 74 •S 2296 RS (2) how the design architecture of the plan is 1 in alignment with recommendations of the 2020 De- 2 partment of Defense Electromagnetic Spectrum Su- 3 periority Strategy; and 4 (3) how the design architecture will support 5 high-periodicity training, testing, research, and de- 6 velopment. 7 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 8 (1) INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT.—The term 9 ‘‘information environment’’ means the aggregate of 10 individuals, organizations, and systems that collect, 11 process, and disseminate, or act on information. 12 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 13 the Secretary of Defense. 14 (g) TERMINATION.—This section shall terminate on 15 September 30, 2028. 16 SEC. 218. MODIFICATION OF REQUIREMENT FOR DEPART- 17 MENT OF DEFENSE POLICIES FOR MANAGE- 18 MENT AND CERTIFICATION OF LINK 16 MILI- 19 TARY TACTICAL DATA LINK NETWORK. 20 Section 228(b) of the National Defense Authorization 21 Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 10 U.S.C. 22 4571 note) is amended— 23 (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘the Ne- 24 vada Test and Training Range, Restricted Area 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00074 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 75 •S 2296 RS 2508, Warning Area 151/470, Warning Area 386, 1 and the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex’’ and 2 inserting ‘‘military special use airspace including all 3 prohibited areas, restricted areas, warning areas, 4 and military operational areas’’; 5 (2) in paragraph (2), in the matter before sub- 6 paragraph (A), by striking ‘‘training, and large-scale 7 exercises.’’ and inserting ‘‘regular training, and 8 large-scale exercises. Under such processes, approval 9 of Link 16 operations shall be presumed and denial 10 of Link 16 operations shall be accompanied with 11 substantiated evidence demonstrating compromise of 12 safety due to electromagnetic interference.’’; and 13 (3) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘regular’’ be- 14 fore ‘‘training’’. 15 SEC. 219. ADVANCED ROBOTIC AUTOMATION FOR MUNI- 16 TIONS MANUFACTURING. 17 (a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Secretary of the 18 Army shall carry out a program to support the maturation 19 and expansion of robotic automation capabilities for muni- 20 tions manufacturing at government-owned, contractor-op- 21 erated production facilities. 22 (b) OBJECTIVES.—The objectives of the program 23 under subsection (a) shall include the following: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00075 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 76 •S 2296 RS (1) The design and integration of inherently 1 safe, scalable robotic load, assemble, and pack 2 (LAP) systems for munitions production. 3 (2) The demonstration of increased throughput 4 and production capacity, while reducing manual han- 5 dling of energetic materials. 6 (3) The development of cyber-hardened data in- 7 frastructure for secure integration of factory-floor 8 operations with enterprise systems. 9 (4) Support for workforce upskilling and train- 10 ing in robotics, automation, and advanced manufac- 11 turing technologies. 12 (5) The evaluation of applicability across mul- 13 tiple munition types and organic industrial base 14 sites. 15 (c) COORDINATION.—In carrying out the program 16 under subsection (a), the Secretary of the Army shall co- 17 ordinate with the Joint Program Executive Office Arma- 18 ments and Ammunition and other relevant components of 19 the Department of the Army. 20 (d) BRIEFING.—Not later than March 1, 2026, the 21 Secretary of Defense shall provide the congressional de- 22 fense committees a briefing on the program carried out 23 under subsection (a). Such briefing shall cover— 24 (1) the progress made under the program; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00076 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 77 •S 2296 RS (2) lessons learned; and 1 (3) recommendations for the wider adoption of 2 robotic automation technologies within the defense 3 industrial base. 4 SEC. 220. DUAL-USE AND DEFENSE ADVANCED MANUFAC- 5 TURING INNOVATION HUBS. 6 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Defense 7 shall establish one or more dual-use advanced manufac- 8 turing hubs that co-locate and share resources among pub- 9 lic and private stakeholders from industry, academia, gov- 10 ernment, nongovernment agencies, and workforce and eco- 11 nomic development resources. The hub or hubs should 12 span the full spectrum of advanced manufacturing capa- 13 bilities and cover the full development timeline between 14 prototyping and fielding. 15 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—A hub established under sub- 16 section (a) shall— 17 (1) utilize, to the maximum extent possible, the 18 Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation 19 Institutes (MII) and encourage the MIIs to coordi- 20 nate efforts in a joint manner; 21 (2) provide shared advanced manufacturing in- 22 frastructure and equipment, such as high-speed 23 metal printers and material testing laboratories; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00077 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 78 •S 2296 RS (3) establish a process to provide advanced 1 manufacturing capability, including on shared classi- 2 fied space as needed; 3 (4) utilize, to the maximum extent possible, the 4 Defense Logistics Agency’s Joint Additive Manufac- 5 turing Model Exchange (JAMMEX) as a central 6 data repository for technical data packages for ad- 7 vanced manufacturing; 8 (5) build on the Defense Innovation Unit’s Blue 9 Manufacturing Initiative and Blue Manufacturing 10 Marketplace to match hardware and software manu- 11 facturers in defense technology with advanced manu- 12 facturing providers; and 13 (6) meet annual production benchmarks for de- 14 fense applications. 15 (c) RECOMMENDATION.—Not later than September 16 30, 2026, the Under Secretary of Defense shall submit 17 to the congressional defense committees a recommenda- 18 tion for the appropriate number of regional hubs to be 19 established under subsection (a) for the Department of 20 Defense to meet its sustainment needs and such require- 21 ments, specifications, and capabilities as the regional hubs 22 may require. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00078 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 79 •S 2296 RS SEC. 220A. ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND ADDITIVE 1 MANUFACTURING PROGRAMS. 2 (a) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ADVANCED MANU- 3 FACTURING PROGRAM.—Not later than December 31, 4 2027, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the 5 Secretaries of the military departments, shall aim to qual- 6 ify and approve for manufacturing and delivery not fewer 7 than 1,000,000 parts or components of the Department 8 of Defense that use advanced manufacturing techniques, 9 with funding subject to the availability of appropriations 10 or other funds. In doing so, the Secretary shall ensure that 11 expedited processes for adoption of advanced manufac- 12 turing products are utilized across the components of the 13 Department of Defense and lifecycle phases for new and 14 existing systems. 15 (b) PROGRAM TO ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURE CER- 16 TAIN TYPES OF UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS.—Not later 17 than September 30, 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall 18 carry out a program to certify new materials and processes 19 to manufacture 25 to100 percent of the parts of one of 20 each type of the following unmanned aerial system (UAS) 21 categories using advanced or additive manufacturing tech- 22 niques: 23 (1) Small unmanned aerial systems used as tac- 24 tical loitering munitions. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00079 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 80 •S 2296 RS (2) Small unmanned aerial systems used for 1 surveillance and reconnaissance missions. 2 (3) Small unmanned aerial systems used for lo- 3 gistics missions. 4 (c) PROGRAM TO CERTIFY ADDITIVELY MANUFAC- 5 TURED PARTS FOR MILITARY SYSTEMS WITH DIMIN- 6 ISHING MANUFACTURING SOURCES AND MATERIAL 7 SHORTAGES.— 8 (1) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—Not later than Sep- 9 tember 30, 2026, the Under Secretary of Defense 10 for Acquisition and Sustainment shall, in coordina- 11 tion with the Under Secretary of Defense for Re- 12 search and Engineering and the Secretaries of the 13 military departments, carry out a program to 14 produce replacement parts for military systems with 15 diminishing manufacturing sources and material 16 shortages using advanced or additive manufacturing 17 techniques. 18 (2) TESTED PARTS.—In carrying out the pro- 19 gram required by paragraph (1), the Under Sec- 20 retary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment 21 shall select not less than five parts for test, evalua- 22 tion, and certification under the program. 23 (3) TEST AND EVALUATION.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00080 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 81 •S 2296 RS (A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the 1 program required by paragraph (1), the Under 2 Secretary shall use additive manufacturing 3 techniques to manufacture the parts selected 4 pursuant to paragraph (2) and then test and 5 evaluate the manufactured parts. 6 (B) EVALUATION.—Evaluation under sub- 7 paragraph (A) shall be based on performance 8 rather than specifications. 9 (4) SHARING OF RESULTS AND DATA.—In car- 10 rying out the program required by paragraph (1), 11 the Under Secretary shall share test data across all 12 military departments and establish mechanisms for 13 data reciprocity for test and evaluation results for 14 additively manufactured parts across all military de- 15 partments. 16 (5) LIST OF OBSOLETE PARTS.—The Under 17 Secretary shall, in coordination with the Secretaries 18 of the military departments, make a list of all parts 19 for military systems with diminishing manufacturing 20 sources and material shortages. 21 (6) NEW LICENSING AGREEMENTS.—The 22 Under Secretary shall, in coordination with the Sec- 23 retaries of the military departments, create new li- 24 censing agreements with owners of intellectual prop- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00081 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 82 •S 2296 RS erty for the platforms with parts included in the list 1 required by paragraph (5) that allow additive manu- 2 facture of the parts. 3 (d) PROGRAM TO ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURE 4 METAL PARTS.— 5 (1) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Under Sec- 6 retary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment 7 shall carry out a program across all military depart- 8 ments to additively manufacture three commonly 9 used metal parts of each military department, such 10 as titanium, stainless steel, and aluminum. 11 (2) ASSESSMENT REQUIRED.—Not later than 12 September 30, 2026, the Under Secretary shall— 13 (A) complete an assessment to determine 14 how to additively manufacture 10 metal parts 15 of each military department, with a preference 16 for parts that require long lead times to manu- 17 facture or have sole-source suppliers; and 18 (B) submit to the congressional defense 19 committees a report on the findings of the 20 Under Secretary with respect to the assessment 21 completed under subparagraph (A). 22 (e) PROGRAM TO ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURE PARTS 23 FOR GROUND COMBAT SYSTEMS.—The Under Secretary 24 of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment shall, in co- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00082 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 83 •S 2296 RS ordination with the Secretary of the Army and the Direc- 1 tor of the Defense Logistics Agency— 2 (1) identify sustainment vulnerabilities in the 3 ground equipment supply chain of the Army, includ- 4 ing at the manufacturing arsenals and maintenance 5 depots of the Army that comprise the Organic In- 6 dustrial Base, where additive manufacturing could 7 be used to repair, upgrade, or modernize ground 8 combat systems; 9 (2) choose not less than five parts that have 10 long lead times for fabricating the greatest degree of 11 customized specifications or have the most limited 12 quantity in inventory and additively manufacture re- 13 placement parts for them; 14 (3) create a critical parts list identifying parts 15 and components across ground combat systems with 16 long lead times eligible to be additively manufac- 17 tured; and 18 (4) develop plans, in coordination with Army 19 Development Command, to integrate additive manu- 20 facturing techniques and technologies in the design, 21 production, and sustainment of next-generation com- 22 bat vehicles and their technologies. The developed 23 technologies should prioritize interoperability across 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00083 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 84 •S 2296 RS military platforms and integration with other mili- 1 tary services. 2 SEC. 220B. IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO ADVANCED MAN- 3 UFACTURING. 4 (a) LEADERSHIP CHANGES.— 5 (1) JOINT DEFENSE MANUFACTURING TECH- 6 NOLOGY PANEL.—Section 4842(b)(1) of title 10, 7 United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘The 8 Chair of’’ and all that follows through ‘‘programs.’’ 9 and inserting the following: ‘‘The Panel shall be co- 10 chaired by the Under Secretary of Defense for Ac- 11 quisition and Sustainment and the Under Secretary 12 of Defense for Research and Engineering.’’. 13 (2) JOINT ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING WORK- 14 ING GROUP.—The Joint Additive Manufacturing 15 Working Group shall be co-chaired by the Under 16 Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 17 Sustainment and the Under Secretary of Defense for 18 Research and Engineering. 19 (3) CONSORTIUM ON ADDITIVE MANUFAC- 20 TURING FOR DEFENSE CAPABILITY DEVELOP- 21 MENT.—Section 223 of the National Defense Au- 22 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (10 U.S.C. 23 4841 note) is amended— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00084 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 85 •S 2296 RS (A) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub- 1 section (d); and 2 (B) by inserting after subsection (b) the 3 following new subsection (c): 4 ‘‘(c) CO-CHAIRS.—The Consortium shall be co- 5 chaired by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition 6 and Sustainment and the Under Secretary of Defense for 7 Research and Engineering.’’. 8 (b) ADVANCED MANUFACTURING GUIDANCE AND 9 MANUAL.— 10 (1) GUIDANCE, DOD I UPDATE, AND MANUAL 11 REQUIRED.—Not later than September 30, 2026, 12 the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 13 Sustainment and the Under Secretary of Defense for 14 Research and Engineering, in consultation with the 15 Secretaries of the military departments, shall— 16 (A) develop guidance to incorporate inno- 17 vations in advanced manufacturing in such a 18 way that the Department of Defense can better 19 and faster deliver capabilities, sustain oper- 20 ations, and protect the warfighter with the lat- 21 est technology while still ensuring quality, reli- 22 ability, and compatibility; 23 (B) update Department of Defense In- 24 struction 5000.93 (relating to use of additive 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00085 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 86 •S 2296 RS manufacturing in the Department of Defense) 1 dated June 10, 2021, to waive the requirement 2 to maintain records of all additively produced 3 end-items put into operational use where the 4 additively produced part meets or exceeds per- 5 formance of the traditionally manufactured end- 6 item; 7 (C) create a manual in accordance with 8 such instruction that gets at the technical 9 standards required to qualify parts, compo- 10 nents, or products that use advanced manufac- 11 turing technologies and techniques; and 12 (D) not later than March 1, 2026, provide 13 the Committees on Armed Services of the Sen- 14 ate and the House of Representatives a briefing 15 on plans to update the guidance developed 16 under subparagraph (A) and the updates made 17 under subparagraph (B). 18 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out para- 19 graph (1), the Under Secretary of Defense for Ac- 20 quisition and Sustainment and the Under Secretary 21 of Defense for Research and Engineering shall con- 22 sider the 2016 Department of Defense Additive 23 Manufacturing Roadmap, the 2021 Department of 24 Defense Additive Manufacturing Strategy, the 2022 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00086 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 87 •S 2296 RS National Strategy for Advanced Manufacturing, and 1 Department of Defense Instruction 5000.93. 2 (3) ALIGNMENT.—The Under Secretary of De- 3 fense for Acquisition and Sustainment and the 4 Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engi- 5 neering shall ensure that the guidance on the use of 6 advanced manufacturing required by paragraph 7 (1)(A)— 8 (A) aligns with Department of Defense ac- 9 quisition to prioritize flexibility, interoperability, 10 and domestic sourcing; and 11 (B) requires the Department to prefer 12 United States manufacturers and equipment 13 and document a justification whenever the De- 14 partment uses a foreign source; and 15 (C) requires the Department to partner 16 with and direct funds to the Department’s 17 Manufacturing Innovation Institutes whenever 18 feasible. 19 (4) ELEMENTS.— 20 (A) GUIDANCE.—The guidance required by 21 paragraph (1)(A) shall include guidance for all 22 types of advanced manufacturing, including the 23 following: 24 (i) Additive manufacturing. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00087 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 88 •S 2296 RS (ii) Advanced materials. 1 (iii) Advanced composite materials. 2 (iv) Robotics and automation. 3 (v) Laser, machining, and welding. 4 (vi) Nanotechnology. 5 (vii) Network and information tech- 6 nology integration. 7 (B) MANUAL.—(i) The guidance required 8 by subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) shall uti- 9 lize expedited qualification and testing proce- 10 dures established in section 865 of the National 11 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 12 and result in a manual under subparagraph (C) 13 of such paragraph to establish standardized 14 processes to qualify parts and components pro- 15 duced by advanced manufacturing techniques 16 and technologies based on performance, rather 17 than specifications for testing and evaluation. 18 (ii) The process described in clause (i) 19 shall include a methodology for standardizing 20 technical production specifications, testing proc- 21 esses, and data reciprocity to share and accept 22 test results of the same additively manufactured 23 parts across all military departments. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00088 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 89 •S 2296 RS (iii) The process described in clause (i) 1 shall include test and evaluation results that fa- 2 cilitate data reciprocity across military depart- 3 ments, removing the need for each military de- 4 partment to independently validate the same 5 parts another military department has already 6 validated. 7 (iv) The manual shall include steps to 8 allow for streamlined incremental qualification, 9 rather than complete requalification, when the 10 design and manufacturing process incorporates 11 changes. 12 (v) The process described in clause (i) shall 13 explore the option for third-party, external cer- 14 tification for companies that cannot afford or 15 do not have the in-house expertise to do this on 16 their own but have the technology that the De- 17 partment needs. 18 (C) ADVANCED MATERIALS AND AD- 19 VANCED COMPOSITE MATERIALS RESEARCH.— 20 The guidance required by paragraph (1)(A) and 21 the manual required by paragraph (1)(C)— 22 (i) shall cover requirements for devel- 23 opment, test, and evaluation of the mate- 24 rial properties of advanced materials and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00089 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 90 •S 2296 RS advanced composite materials used in ad- 1 vanced manufacturing, including metals, 2 polymers, ceramics, composites, and hybrid 3 metals; 4 (ii) should include how to incorporate 5 integrated computational materials engi- 6 neering to predict the material properties 7 and the distribution of those properties in 8 additively manufactured parts and scale-up 9 additive manufacturing; and 10 (iii) shall include a list of rec- 11 ommendations for the types of amounts of 12 critical metals to stockpile for the Depart- 13 ment’s use in additive manufacturing, 14 which should be accessible to users of the 15 Defense Logistics Agency’s Joint Additive 16 Manufacturing Model Exchange 17 (JAMMEX). 18 (D) CYBERSECURITY.—(i) The guidance 19 required by paragraph (1)(A) and the manual 20 required by paragraph (1)(C) shall include cy- 21 bersecurity standards and guidelines for ad- 22 vanced manufacturing developed in consultation 23 with the Chief Information Officer. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00090 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 91 •S 2296 RS (ii) The guidance and manual should ad- 1 dress the unique challenges that advanced man- 2 ufacturing poses to Department information 3 networks. 4 (iii) The guidance and manual shall in- 5 clude matters relating to cybersecurity compli- 6 ance. 7 (iv) The guidance and manual shall call for 8 periodic security and compliance reviews. 9 (E) MODELING AND SIMULATION.—The 10 guidance and manual required by paragraph 11 (1)— 12 (i) shall include software-driven, arti- 13 ficial intelligence-enabled modeling and 14 simulation techniques for design, develop- 15 ment, test, and evaluation to the maximum 16 extent possible; and 17 (ii) should include integrating mod- 18 eling and simulation at every level, from 19 enterprise to individual operation, includ- 20 ing utilizing digital engineering. 21 (F) INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.—(i) The 22 guidance required by paragraph (1)(A) and the 23 manual required by paragraph (1)(C) shall in- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00091 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 92 •S 2296 RS clude processes and contracting mechanisms to 1 protect and manage intellectual property. 2 (ii) The processes and contracting mecha- 3 nisms described in clause (i) shall be designed 4 to incentivize innovation while allowing the De- 5 partment to additively manufacture parts and 6 products for military systems at scale and on 7 demand in case of contingency or crisis. This 8 can include new licensing agreements with 9 terms and conditions that allow for innovative 10 intellectual property strategies. 11 (iii) The guidance and manual shall in- 12 clude considerations to incorporate the Defense 13 Logistics Agency’s Joint Additive Manufac- 14 turing Model Exchange (JAMMEX). 15 (G) QUALITY ASSURANCE.—(i) The guid- 16 ance required by paragraph (1)(A) and the 17 manual required by paragraph (1)(C) shall in- 18 clude processes, materials, and technologies to 19 ensure continuous quality control throughout 20 the entire manufacturing process and post-pro- 21 duction. 22 (ii) The guidance and manual shall incor- 23 porate the process window qualification method- 24 ology, which is designed to be machine-agnostic, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00092 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 93 •S 2296 RS or independent of specific machine brands or 1 software providers, as well as the following: 2 (I) Real-time process monitoring 3 leveraging machine sensors and software 4 analytics to detect and instantly mitigate 5 deviations prevents defects and unauthor- 6 ized parameter changes. 7 (II) Integration of machine learning 8 algorithms that analyze production data in 9 real-time allows the identification of anom- 10 alies indicative of potential quality or secu- 11 rity threats, enabling proactive mitigation. 12 (III) Software-defined quality assur- 13 ance protocols enforce standardized, re- 14 peatable verification processes, greatly im- 15 proving reliability and simplifying security 16 audits. 17 (H) PROLIFERATION OF ADDITIVE MANU- 18 FACTURING CAPABILITIES.—The guidance re- 19 quired by paragraph (1) shall include a plan 20 that includes phasing and funding requirements 21 to proliferate advanced manufacturing tech- 22 nologies and techniques across the entire De- 23 partment, at the enterprise level to tactical 24 operational units. This guidance shall— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00093 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 94 •S 2296 RS (i) identify end-user access and oper- 1 ational needs for advanced manufacturing 2 and associated resourcing, infrastructure, 3 and basing requirements; 4 (ii) establish logistics models for pro- 5 duction of additively manufactured parts in 6 the continental United States and at for- 7 ward operating locations; 8 (iii) improve supply chain risk man- 9 agement; and 10 (iv) stimulate supply chain agility 11 within the Department. 12 (I) TRAINING.—The guidance required by 13 paragraph (1)(A) shall include training pro- 14 gram requirements, phasing, and sequencing to 15 ensure each warfighter is equipped with the 16 knowledge and skills to use advanced manufac- 17 turing techniques and technologies efficiently 18 and safely. The guidance shall— 19 (i) outline which military occupational 20 specialty career fields to train in advanced 21 manufacturing equipment, techniques, and 22 procedures with each military service and 23 the degree of proficiency and training time 24 required; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00094 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 95 •S 2296 RS (ii) explore partnerships to establish 1 apprenticeships and skilled technician 2 training pipelines to support Department 3 of Defense research and development pro- 4 grams and programs of record; and 5 (iii) consider creating new initiatives 6 within existing transition assistance pro- 7 grams to create pathways for members of 8 the Armed Forces to receive the training 9 necessary to adapt their military skills to 10 civilian jobs in advanced manufacturing. 11 (5) MANUAL REQUIRED.—The manual created 12 under paragraph (1)(C) shall be a service-agnostic, 13 vendor-agnostic manual on advanced manufacturing 14 techniques and technologies for the Department of 15 Defense— 16 (A) to standardize across the military de- 17 partments the technical parameters for manu- 18 facturing parts and products using advanced 19 manufacturing techniques; 20 (B) to outline the categories and levels of 21 risk associated with such parts and products, 22 including distinguishing between safety-critical 23 and non-safety-critical parts and providing ex- 24 pedited approvals for low-risk parts through 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00095 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 96 •S 2296 RS standardized material datasets and pre-qualified 1 manufacturing protocols; 2 (C) to lay out the processes for qualifica- 3 tion and certification across categories of such 4 parts and products; 5 (D) to establish data reciprocity for test 6 and evaluation data across all military depart- 7 ments with respect to qualifying such parts and 8 products; 9 (E) to utilize the Defense Logistics Agen- 10 cy’s Joint Additive Manufacturing Model Ex- 11 change (JAMMEX) as the central data reposi- 12 tory for technical data packages for advanced 13 manufacturing; and 14 (F) to incorporate new proposed qualifica- 15 tion approaches proposed by industry consor- 16 tiums, Manufacturing Innovation Institutes, 17 and Small Business Innovation Research 18 (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Trans- 19 fer (STTR) programs. 20 (6) TIMELINE.— 21 (A) INITIAL.—The Secretary shall ensure 22 that the guidance required by paragraph (1)(A) 23 goes into effect in fiscal year 2026 by providing 24 guidance with respect to the top three essential 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00096 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 97 •S 2296 RS metals each military department needs to main- 1 tain its operational platforms. 2 (B) SUBSEQUENT.—The Secretary shall 3 ensure that the guidance required by paragraph 4 (1)(A) goes into effect not later than January 5 1, 2027, for all essential metals not covered by 6 subparagraph (A). 7 (7) ADVANCED MANUFACTURING DEFINED.—In 8 this subsection, the term ‘‘advanced manufacturing’’ 9 means a manufacturing process using the following: 10 (A) Additive manufacturing. 11 (B) Wire-arc additive manufacturing. 12 (C) Powder bed fusion manufacturing. 13 (D) Other manufacturing capabilities simi- 14 lar to those listed in subparagraphs (A) through 15 (C). 16 SEC. 220C. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 17 FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH COLLABORATION 18 WITH CERTAIN ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS. 19 (a) LIMITATION.—Except as provided in subsection 20 (b), none of the funds authorized to be appropriated by 21 this Act or otherwise made available for the Department 22 of Defense for fiscal year 2026 may be obligated or ex- 23 pended to award a grant or contract to an institution of 24 higher education for the specific purposes of conducting 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00097 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 98 •S 2296 RS fundamental research in collaboration with a covered enti- 1 ty. 2 (b) WAIVER.— 3 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Assistant Secretary of 4 Defense for Science and Technology may waive the 5 limitation under subsection (a), on a case-by-case 6 basis, with respect to an individual grant or contract 7 for an institution of higher education if the Assist- 8 ant Secretary determines that such a waiver is in 9 the national security interests of the United States. 10 (2) CONGRESSIONAL NOTICE.—Not later than 11 30 days after the date on which an award is made 12 by the Department of Defense involving an institu- 13 tion of higher education with respect to which a 14 waiver is made under paragraph (1), the Assistant 15 Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology 16 shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services 17 of the Senate and the House of Representatives no- 18 tice of such waiver. 19 (c) REPORT ANNEX.— 20 (1) IN GENERAL.—On an annual basis, as a 21 classified or controlled unclassified information 22 annex to the annual report required by section 23 1286(f) of the John S McCain National Defense Au- 24 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00098 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 99 •S 2296 RS 115–232; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note), the Secretary of 1 Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed 2 Services of the Senate and the House of Representa- 3 tives a report annex on the compliance of the De- 4 partment of Defense and institutions of higher edu- 5 cation with the requirements of this section. 6 (2) CONTENTS.—Each report annex submitted 7 pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include, for each 8 waiver issued under subsection (b) during the period 9 covered by the report— 10 (A) a justification for the waiver; and 11 (B) a detailed description of the type and 12 extent of any collaboration between an institu- 13 tion of higher education and a covered entity al- 14 lowed pursuant to the waiver, including identi- 15 fication of the institution of higher education 16 and the covered entities involved, the type of 17 technology involved, the duration of the collabo- 18 ration, and terms and conditions on intellectual 19 property assignment, as applicable, under the 20 collaboration agreement. 21 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 22 (1) The term ‘‘collaboration’’ means coordi- 23 nated activity between an institution of higher edu- 24 cation and a covered entity and includes— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00099 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 100 •S 2296 RS (A) sharing of research facilities, re- 1 sources, or data; 2 (B) sharing of technical know-how; 3 (C) any financial or in-kind contribution 4 intended to produce a research product; 5 (D) sponsorship or facilitation of research 6 fellowships, visas, or residence permits; 7 (E) joint ventures, partnerships, or other 8 formalized agreements for the purpose of con- 9 ducting research or sharing resources, data, or 10 technology; 11 (F) inclusion of researchers as consultants, 12 advisors, or members of advisory or review 13 boards; and 14 (G) such other activities as may be deter- 15 mined by the Secretary of Defense. 16 (2) The term ‘‘covered entity’’— 17 (A) means an academic institution that is 18 included in the most recently updated list devel- 19 oped pursuant to 1286(c)(9) of the John S. 20 McCain National Defense Authorization Act for 21 Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 22 U.S.C. 4001 note); and 23 (B) includes any individual employed by 24 such an academic institution. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00100 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 101 •S 2296 RS (3) The term ‘‘fundamental research’’ has the 1 meaning given that term in National Security Deci- 2 sion Directive-189 (NSSD-189), National Policy on 3 the Transfer of Scientific, Technical and Engineer- 4 ing Information, dated September 21, 1985, or any 5 successor document. 6 (4) The term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ 7 has the meaning given that term in section 102 of 8 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002) 9 and includes— 10 (A) any department, program, project, fac- 11 ulty, researcher, or other individual, entity, or 12 activity of such institution; and 13 (B) any branch of such institution within 14 or outside the United States. 15 Subtitle C—Plans, Reports, and 16 Other Matters 17 SEC. 221. CATALYST PATHFINDER PROGRAM. 18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than January 1, 19 2027, the Secretary of the Army shall establish a soldier- 20 inspired innovation program— 21 (1) that creates partnerships between oper- 22 ational units of the Army and leading national re- 23 search universities to provide a unique platform for 24 university-based researchers and small businesses to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00101 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 102 •S 2296 RS collaborate directly with soldiers on cutting-edge ap- 1 plied research and development; and 2 (2) to integrate soldiers into the early-stage 3 problem identification process and include them in 4 the solution development process to ensure technical 5 solutions are meeting soldier needs and enhancing 6 lethality. 7 (b) DESIGNATION.—The program established pursu- 8 ant to subsection (a) shall be known as the ‘‘Catalyst 9 Pathfinder Program’’ (in this section the ‘‘Program’’). 10 (c) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out the Program, the 11 Secretary shall— 12 (1) establish activities at all active-duty divi- 13 sions of the Army to accelerate the incorporation of 14 soldier insights into capability development; 15 (2) establish policies that streamline collabora- 16 tion between soldiers, Army Futures Command, and 17 academic institutions; 18 (3) establish a governance board that includes 19 representatives from the research, development, test, 20 and evaluation, acquisition, requirements, industry, 21 and academic communities; 22 (4) promote transition of successful Program 23 projects to Army programs; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00102 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 103 •S 2296 RS (5) implement an adaptive experimentation 1 force capability to support technology experimen- 2 tation activities throughout the solution development 3 cycle 4 (d) TREATMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Program shall 5 be treated as a research, development, test, and evaluation 6 activity in the Army’s input to the Future Year Defense 7 Program. 8 SEC. 222. EXTENSION OF PERIOD FOR ANNUAL REPORTS 9 ON CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREAS SUP- 10 PORTIVE OF THE NATIONAL DEFENSE STRAT- 11 EGY. 12 Section 217(c)(1) of the William M. (Mac) Thorn- 13 berry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 14 2021 (Public Law 116–283; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note) is 15 amended, in the matter before subparagraph (A), by strik- 16 ing ‘‘December 1, 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘December 1, 17 2030’’. 18 SEC. 223. EVALUATION OF ADDITIONAL TEST CORRIDORS 19 FOR HYPERSONIC AND LONG-RANGE WEAP- 20 ONS. 21 (a) EVALUATION REQUIRED.—To assess impact ef- 22 fectiveness and increase the cadence of testing and train- 23 ing for long-range and hypersonic systems, the Secretary 24 of Defense shall, acting through the Under Secretary of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00103 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 104 •S 2296 RS Defense for Research and Engineering and the Director 1 of the Test Resource Management Center and in consulta- 2 tion with requirements owners of long-range and 3 hypersonic systems of the Armed Forces, evaluate— 4 (1) the comparative advantages of episodic and 5 permanent special activity airspace designated by 6 the Federal Aviation Administration for use by the 7 Department of Defense suitable for the test and 8 training of long-range and hypersonic systems; and 9 (2) requirements for continental test ranges, in- 10 cluding— 11 (A) attributes, including live, virtual, and 12 constructive capabilities; 13 (B) scheduling and availability; 14 (C) safety; 15 (D) end strength; 16 (E) facilities, infrastructure, radar, and re- 17 lated systems; 18 (F) launch locations including— 19 (i) Bearpaw Air Traffic Control As- 20 signed Airspace, Montana; 21 (ii) Mountain Home Range Complex, 22 Idaho; 23 (iii) Fallon Range Training Complex, 24 Nevada; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00104 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 105 •S 2296 RS (iv) Utah Test and Training Range, 1 Utah; 2 (v) Nevada Test and Training Range, 3 Nevada; 4 (vi) Green River Test Complex, Utah; 5 and 6 (vii) White Sands Missile Range, New 7 Mexico; 8 (G) impact areas within the White Sands 9 Missile Range, New Mexico; and 10 (H) such other characteristics as the Sec- 11 retary considers appropriate. 12 (b) BRIEFING.—Not later than December 1, 2026, 13 the Secretary shall provide to the Committee on Armed 14 Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Serv- 15 ices of the House of Representatives a briefing on the find- 16 ings of the Secretary with respect to the evaluation con- 17 ducted pursuant to subsection (a), including an assess- 18 ment of the completion date. 19 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 20 (1) The term ‘‘impact area’’ means the point at 21 which a test terminates. 22 (2) The term ‘‘launch location’’ means the point 23 from which a test is initiated. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00105 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 106 •S 2296 RS SEC. 224. TECHNICAL CORRECTION. 1 Chapter 9 of title 10, United States Code, is amended 2 by redesignating the section 222e that was added by sec- 3 tion 211 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 4 Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31) as section 222f. 5 SEC. 225. CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED PROGRAMS FOR 6 TEST AND EVALUATION OVERSIGHT. 7 (a) REQUIREMENT.—The Director of Operational 8 Test and Evaluation shall include in the annual report re- 9 quired by section 139(h) of title 10, United States Code, 10 an assessment of the operational and live fire test and 11 evaluation activities for— 12 (1) Golden Dome software development; 13 (2) the Joint Fires Network; and 14 (3) the Cryptographic Modernization Program. 15 (b) ALTERNATE PATHWAY.—For any effort under 16 subsection (a) assigned to the software acquisition path- 17 way pursuant to section 3603 of title 10, United States 18 Code, the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation 19 shall assess the effort in accordance with the alternative 20 test and evaluation pathway established in this Act. 21 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00106 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 107 •S 2296 RS SEC. 226. PROHIBITION ON MODIFICATION OF INDIRECT 1 COST RATES FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER 2 EDUCATION AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZA- 3 TIONS. 4 (a) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary of Defense may 5 not change or modify indirect cost rates (otherwise known 6 as facilities and administration cost rates) for Department 7 of Defense grants and contracts awarded to institutions 8 of higher education and nonprofit organizations (as those 9 terms are defined in part 200 of title 2, Code of Federal 10 Regulations) until the Secretary makes the certification 11 described under subsection (b). 12 (b) CERTIFICATION.—A certification under this sub- 13 section is a certification to the congressional defense com- 14 mittees that the Department of Defense— 15 (1) working with the extramural research com- 16 munity, including representatives from universities, 17 university associations, independent research insti- 18 tutes, and private foundations, has developed an al- 19 ternative indirect cost model that has— 20 (A) reduced the indirect cost rate for all 21 applicable institutions of higher education and 22 nonprofit organizations (compared to indirect 23 rates for fiscal year 2025); and 24 (B) optimized payment of legitimate and 25 essential indirect costs involved in conducting 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00107 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 108 •S 2296 RS Department of Defense research to ensure 1 transparency and efficiency for Department of 2 Defense-funded grants and contracts; and 3 (2) established an implementation plan with 4 adequate transition time to change budgeting and 5 accounting processes for affected institutions of 6 higher education and nonprofit organizations. 7 SEC. 227. ENHANCE INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION FOR 8 ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES, 9 TECHNOLOGIES, AND ADOPTION. 10 The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 11 Sustainment and the Under Secretary of Defense for Re- 12 search and Engineering shall establish a working group 13 to coordinate and support international activities that fa- 14 cilitate information-sharing, enhance interoperability, ex- 15 plore joint research and development opportunities, iden- 16 tify technology licensing requirements, incorporate ad- 17 vanced manufacturing capabilities into combined trainings 18 and exercises, and set technical expertise and training 19 standards for advanced manufacturing techniques, tech- 20 nologies, and adoption. The countries involved should be 21 those with which the United States has reciprocal defense 22 procurement agreements or security of supply arrange- 23 ments. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00108 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 109 •S 2296 RS Subtitle D—Biotechnology 1 SEC. 231. BIOTECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT OFFICE. 2 (a) DESIGNATION OF SENIOR OFFICIAL.—Not later 3 than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 4 the Secretary of Defense shall designate a senior official, 5 with relevant biotechnology experience, from a position 6 within the Department of Defense that was in effect on 7 the day before the date of the enactment of this Act— 8 (1) to be the senior official for biotechnology 9 issues; 10 (2) to be the head the Biotechnology Manage- 11 ment Office established under subsection (b); and 12 (3) to carry out the responsibilities for the of- 13 fice in subsection (c). 14 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY MANAGE- 15 MENT OFFICE.—Not later than 120 days after the date 16 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 17 shall, with input from the senior official designated under 18 subsection (a), charter and establish, under the authority, 19 direction, and control of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, 20 a Biotechnology Management Office to foster the develop- 21 ment, acquisition and sustainment of broad-based bio- 22 technology capabilities for the Department. 23 (c) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The office established under 24 subsection (b) shall be responsible for the following: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00109 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 110 •S 2296 RS (1) Maintaining and executing the Defense Bio- 1 technology Strategy required by section 2 øBAG25949¿, including development and execution 3 of a long-term research, development, acquisition, 4 and sustainment roadmap. 5 (2) Updating policies and guidance within the 6 Department relating to the acquisition, adoption, 7 and transition of biotechnology-based products into 8 Department use. 9 (3) Coordinating with activities across the De- 10 partment, the Federal Government, industry, aca- 11 demia, and international partners relating to bio- 12 technology. 13 (4) Proposing options for streamlining the regu- 14 latory or acquisition process of the Department. 15 (5) Conducting, as may be needed, global com- 16 petition analyses, net assessment or forecasting to 17 support decisionmakers on biotechnology advances. 18 (6) Supporting the development of public-pri- 19 vate partnerships with academia, industry, and other 20 State and local government partners, including 21 through the development or fostering of regionally 22 focused innovation ecosystems. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00110 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 111 •S 2296 RS (7) Identifying biotechnology workforce and 1 training gaps across the workforce of the Depart- 2 ment. 3 (8) Such other responsibilities as the Secretary 4 considers appropriate. 5 (d) SUNSET.—The office established pursuant to sub- 6 section (a) shall terminate on September 30, 2035. 7 (e) BRIEFING.—Not later than 30 days after the des- 8 ignation of the senior official pursuant to subsection (a), 9 the Secretary shall provide to the congressional defense 10 committees a briefing on the proposed scope of the charter 11 for the office to be established pursuant to subsection (b), 12 as well as implementation plans for preliminary activities 13 the office will pursue during the proceeding one-year pe- 14 riod. 15 SEC. 232. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE BIOTECHNOLOGY 16 STRATEGY. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than June 1, 2026, the 18 Secretary of Defense shall, in coordination with the Under 19 Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and 20 the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 21 Sustainment, submit to the Committee on Armed Services 22 of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of 23 the House of Representatives a strategy on the national 24 security implications of emerging biotechnologies, includ- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00111 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 112 •S 2296 RS ing the future role that biotechnology will play in defense, 1 and means to improve industry, interagency, and inter- 2 national relationships in this sector. 3 (b) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required pursuant to 4 subsection (a) shall include the following elements: 5 (1) How the Department of Defense will de- 6 velop and expand a network of commercial facilities 7 for the biomanufacture of products that are critical 8 for defense needs. 9 (2) Review and update of military specifications 10 in order to better incorporate or substitute current 11 products with biotechnology-based products. 12 (3) Updated plans and policies for the Depart- 13 ment to enter into advance market commitments 14 and offtake agreements for biotechnology products 15 that have defense applications. 16 (4) A description of how the Department could 17 better incorporate military-relevant applications of 18 emerging biotechnology into wargaming exercises, 19 tabletop exercises, or other net assessment analyses. 20 (5) The benefits and costs of issuing a research 21 grand challenge, or a series of challenges, that focus 22 on making biotechnology predictably engineerable 23 and how the Department would implement such re- 24 search grand challenge, or challenges. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00112 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 113 •S 2296 RS (6) Development of a biotechnology regulation 1 science and technology program within the Depart- 2 ment, including development of digital infrastructure 3 to support simplified regulation and the development 4 of biometrology tools. 5 (7) Updated plans and policies for inter-govern- 6 mental support that the Department could provide 7 in encouraging member countries of the North At- 8 lantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to aggregate de- 9 mand and pool purchasing power for biotechnology 10 products. 11 (8) Review of plans and guidance on how the 12 Department can work to develop, integrate, and dis- 13 seminate biotechnology research initiatives across 14 member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Or- 15 ganization, and how the Department might coordi- 16 nate with international stakeholders to utilize the 17 combined research capabilities of such member coun- 18 tries to drive a biotechnology development approach. 19 SEC. 233. DEFINING GUIDELINES AND POLICIES ON THE 20 USE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR THE ARMED 21 FORCES. 22 (a) GUIDELINES AND POLICIES REQUIRED.—Not 23 later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 24 Act, the Secretary of Defense shall, after coordinating 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00113 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 114 •S 2296 RS with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and En- 1 gineering, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition 2 and Sustainment, the Under Secretary of Defense for Pol- 3 icy and external stakeholders, including representation 4 from industry and academia, develop guidelines and poli- 5 cies on the ethical and responsible development and de- 6 ployment of biotechnology within the Department of De- 7 fense and the Armed Forces. 8 (b) ELEMENTS.—The guidelines and policies devel- 9 oped pursuant to subsection (a) shall include the following: 10 (1) Definitions of ethical and responsible devel- 11 opment and use of biotechnology. 12 (2) Guidelines relating to ethical and respon- 13 sible development and use of biotechnology. 14 (3) Policies relating to informed consent of 15 members of the Armed Forces participating in bio- 16 technology development. 17 (4) Policies relating to reversibility and heri- 18 table treatment of potential biotechnology applica- 19 tions. 20 (5) Policies relating to biotechnologies and their 21 potential effects on the environment. 22 (6) Policies relating to human performance en- 23 hancement. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00114 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 115 •S 2296 RS (7) Policies relating to the compliance and obli- 1 gations of the Department to the United Nations Bi- 2 ological Weapons Convention, and other inter- 3 national agreements pertaining to the laws of armed 4 conflict. 5 (8) Such other matters as the Secretary con- 6 siders appropriate. 7 (c) REPORT.— 8 (1) IN GENERAL.—No later than one year after 9 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 10 shall submit to the congressional defense committees 11 a report outlining the guidelines and policies devel- 12 oped pursuant to subsection (a), including the meth- 13 odologies through which the guidelines and policies 14 were developed. 15 (2) FORM.—The report submitted pursuant to 16 paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified 17 form, but may include a classified annex. 18 (d) BIENNIAL BRIEFINGS.— 19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than two years 20 after the date of the enactment of this Act and not 21 less frequently than once every two years thereafter 22 until November 1, 2031, the Secretary shall provide 23 to the congressional defense committees a briefing 24 on the implementation of the guidelines and policies 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00115 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 116 •S 2296 RS developed pursuant to subsection (a), including a 1 discussion of any adjustments made to the policies 2 and such recommendations for legislative or admin- 3 istrative action as the Secretary may have to ensure 4 their successful implementation. 5 (2) FINAL BRIEFING.—The final briefing pro- 6 vided pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be provided 7 during the 60-day period ending on November 1, 8 2031. 9 SEC. 234. ENHANCEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL BIODEFENSE 10 CAPACITY. 11 (a) CLARIFICATION OF ROLES AND RESPONSIBIL- 12 ITIES.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 14 shall direct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 15 Nuclear Deterrence, Chemical and Biological De- 16 fense Programs, in consultation with the Director of 17 the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, to enter into 18 memoranda of understanding with other depart- 19 ments and agencies of the Federal Government to 20 clarify the roles and responsibilities of those depart- 21 ments and agencies for building biodefense capabili- 22 ties internationally in execution of national security 23 and other policies of the Federal Government, with 24 the Secretary focused on working with defense coun- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00116 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 117 •S 2296 RS terparts in countries that are allies of the United 1 States. 2 (2) ELEMENTS OF MEMORANDA OF UNDER- 3 STANDING.—The memoranda of understanding en- 4 tered into under paragraph (1) shall address how 5 each relevant department or agency selects partner 6 countries and the feasibility of coordinating efforts 7 with each such country. 8 (b) DEVELOPMENT OF BIODEFENSE CAPABILI- 9 TIES.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the As- 10 sistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Deterrence, 11 Chemical and Biological Defense programs, shall provide 12 to the Director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency 13 global authority to support development of biodefense ca- 14 pabilities and capacities in countries that are allies of the 15 United States, subject to review and input on an as-needed 16 basis by leadership of the Department of Defense and the 17 relevant combatant commands. 18 TITLE III—OPERATION AND 19 MAINTENANCE 20 Subtitle A—Authorization of 21 Appropriations 22 SEC. 301. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 23 Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated for 24 fiscal year 2026 for the use of the Armed Forces and other 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00117 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 118 •S 2296 RS activities and agencies of the Department of Defense for 1 expenses, not otherwise provided for, for operation and 2 maintenance, as specified in the funding table in section 3 4301. 4 Subtitle B—Energy and 5 Environment 6 SEC. 311. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE GUIDELINES REGARD- 7 ING IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL 8 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT OF 1969. 9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 10 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 11 shall rescind all existing Department of Defense directives 12 regarding the implementation of the National Environ- 13 mental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) (in 14 this section referred to as ‘‘NEPA’’) and replace those di- 15 rectives with a new directive with uniform guidance that 16 the military departments and other agencies of the De- 17 partment of Defense must implement. 18 (b) ELEMENTS OF NEW NEPA DIRECTIVE.—The 19 new directive required under subsection (a) shall ensure 20 that all components of the Department of Defense comply 21 with the requirements under NEPA, including the up- 22 dated guidelines established under title III of division C 23 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (Public Law 118– 24 5; 137 Stat. 38). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00118 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 119 •S 2296 RS (c) DESIGNATION REQUIRED.—Not later than 90 1 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 2 retary of Defense shall designate an appropriate official 3 of the Department of Defense responsible for imple- 4 menting the NEPA directive established under subsection 5 (a) and ensuring the timely execution of all reviews re- 6 quired under NEPA without unnecessary regulatory 7 delays. 8 (d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec- 9 tion shall be construed to amend or override any provision 10 of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 11 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). 12 SEC. 312. REQUIREMENT TO SUPPORT TRAINING ON WILD- 13 FIRE PREVENTION AND RESPONSE. 14 Section 351 of the National Defense Authorization 15 Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115–91; 32 U.S.C. 16 501 note) is amended, in the matter preceding paragraph 17 (1), by striking ‘‘may’’ and inserting ‘‘shall’’. 18 SEC. 313. USE OF SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL SYSTEMS BY DE- 19 PARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 20 (a) EXPEDITIONARY SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL SYS- 21 TEMS.— 22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 23 may use expeditionary solid waste disposal systems 24 for the destruction of illicit contraband, including 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00119 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 120 •S 2296 RS seized counterfeit materials, unauthorized military 1 gear, and classified materials. 2 (2) AVAILABILITY OF SYSTEMS.—The expedi- 3 tionary solid waste disposal systems units deployed 4 under subsection (a) shall be— 5 (A) equipped to support operations related 6 to border security and the elimination of con- 7 traband; and 8 (B) made available to military installa- 9 tions, forward operating bases, and partner se- 10 curity forces as needed to assist in countering 11 infiltration and unauthorized use of military as- 12 sets of the United States. 13 (b) PROHIBITION ON USE OF OPEN-AIR BURN PITS 14 TO DISPOSE OF CERTAIN MATERIAL.—The Secretary of 15 Defense may not use open-air burn pits for the disposal 16 of illicit contraband, classified military equipment, or haz- 17 ardous waste materials. 18 SEC. 314. MODIFICATION OF AVAILABILITY AND USE OF EN- 19 ERGY COST SAVINGS. 20 Section 2912 of title 10, United States Code, is 21 amended— 22 (1) in subsection (c)— 23 (A) by striking ‘‘The amount’’ and insert- 24 ing ‘‘(1) The amount’’; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00120 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 121 •S 2296 RS (B) by striking ‘‘additional operational en- 1 ergy’’ and all that follows through the period at 2 the end and inserting ‘‘operational energy ini- 3 tiatives.’’; and 4 (C) by adding at the end the following new 5 paragraph: 6 ‘‘(2) The Secretary of Defense shall design oper- 7 ational energy initiatives under paragraph (1) to advance 8 the objectives of the Department in the areas of energy 9 resilience and fuel efficiency. 10 ‘‘(3) Operational energy initiatives carried out under 11 paragraph (1) may directly contribute to enhanced mission 12 and combat capabilities, fund operational environment 13 training activities, or establish programs to incentivize de- 14 monstrable reductions in energy expenditures within the 15 department, agency, or instrumentality credited with 16 achieving the energy cost savings under subsection (a).’’; 17 (2) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ‘‘The Sec- 18 retary of Defense may transfer amounts described in 19 subsection (a) that remain available for obligation’’ 20 and inserting ‘‘Not later than 60 days after being 21 notified of amounts described in subsection (a) that 22 remain available for obligation, the Secretary of De- 23 fense shall transfer such amounts’’; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00121 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 122 •S 2296 RS (3) by adding at the end the following new sub- 1 section: 2 ‘‘(f) OPERATIONAL ENERGY COST SAVINGS DE- 3 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘operational energy cost 4 savings’ means the monetary savings achieved through 5 measures to reduce energy expenditures relative to the 6 amount that would have been necessary to sustain an 7 equivalent level of capability in the absence of such meas- 8 ures.’’. 9 SEC. 315. AUTHORITY OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO 10 DESTROY OR DISPOSE OF PERFLUOROALKYL 11 OR POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES. 12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense may de- 13 stroy or dispose of a perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl sub- 14 stance using innovative technologies that— 15 (1) are cost effective; and 16 (2) are permitted or approved by a Federal or 17 State agency that regulates the destruction or dis- 18 posal of such a substance. 19 (b) UPDATE OF GUIDANCE.—The Secretary shall up- 20 date the PFAS Destruction and Disposal Guidance of the 21 Department of Defense, or any successor similar guidance, 22 to reflect the requirements under subsection (a). 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00122 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 123 •S 2296 RS SEC. 316. MODIFICATION TO RESTRICTION ON PROCURE- 1 MENT OR PURCHASING OF PERSONAL PRO- 2 TECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR FIREFIGHTERS 3 CONTAINING PERFLUOROALKYL SUB- 4 STANCES OR POLYFLUOROALKYL SUB- 5 STANCES. 6 Section 345 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense 7 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117– 8 263; 10 U.S.C. 3201 note prec.) is amended— 9 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘if such equip- 10 ment contains an intentionally added perfluoroalkyl 11 substance or polyfluoroalkyl substance’’ and insert- 12 ing ‘‘unless such equipment meets the specifications 13 set forth in Standard 1970 of the National Fire Pro- 14 tection Association’’; and 15 (2) in subsection (d)— 16 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘does not 17 contain intentionally added perfluoroalkyl sub- 18 stances or polyfluoroalkyl substances’’ and in- 19 serting ‘‘meets the specifications set forth in 20 Standard 1970 of the National Fire Protection 21 Association’’; and 22 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘does not 23 contain intentionally added perfluoroalkyl sub- 24 stances or polyfluoroalkyl substances’’ and in- 25 serting ‘‘meets the specifications set forth in 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00123 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 124 •S 2296 RS Standard 1970 of the National Fire Protection 1 Association’’. 2 SEC. 317. PROVISION OF BOTTLED WATER TO COMMU- 3 NITIES WITH PRIVATE DRINKING WATER 4 CONTAMINATED WITH PERFLUOROALKYL 5 AND POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES FROM 6 ACTIVITIES OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), on and 8 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 9 of Defense shall provide bottled water to communities with 10 private drinking water wells where contamination from 11 perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances resulting 12 from activities of the Department of Defense has, at one 13 point in time, exceeded the maximum contaminant level 14 for such substances established by the Environmental Pro- 15 tection Agency if the Secretary, as of the day before the 16 date of the enactment of this Act, provided bottled water 17 to the community because of such contamination. 18 (b) TERMINATION OF REQUIREMENT.—The Sec- 19 retary is not required to provide bottled water to a com- 20 munity under subsection (a) if all impacted households in 21 the community are connected to a municipal drinking 22 water distribution system or the Secretary has successfully 23 remediated the contamination from perfluoroalkyl and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00124 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 125 •S 2296 RS polyfluoroalkyl substances to meet or exceed both Federal 1 and state drinking water standards for such substances. 2 SEC. 318. REPEAL OF PROHIBITION ON PROCUREMENT BY 3 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OF CERTAIN 4 ITEMS CONTAINING PERFLUOROOCTANE 5 SULFONATE OR PERFLUOROOCTANOIC ACID. 6 Section 333 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry Na- 7 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 8 (Public Law 116–283; 10 U.S.C. 3062 note) is repealed. 9 SEC. 319. REPEAL OF TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON INCIN- 10 ERATION BY DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OF 11 PERFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES, 12 POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES, AND 13 AQUEOUS FILM FORMING FOAM. 14 Section 343 of the National Defense Authorization 15 Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117–81; 10 U.S.C. 16 2701 note) is repealed. 17 SEC. 320. INTERIM RESPONSES TO ADDRESS RELEASES OR 18 THREATENED RELEASES OF 19 PERFLUOROALKYL AND POLYFLUOROALKYL 20 SUBSTANCES. 21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, con- 22 sistent with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 23 Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601 24 et seq.), shall take actions specified in subsection (b) to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00125 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 126 •S 2296 RS address any release or threatened release of perfluoroalkyl 1 and polyfluoroalkyl substances at a covered facility. 2 (b) ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN.— 3 (1) CONDUCT OF PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT 4 AND SITE INSPECTION.— 5 (A) IN GENERAL.—If a preliminary assess- 6 ment or site investigation for perfluoroalkyl and 7 polyfluoroalkyl substances has not been con- 8 ducted at a covered facility, the Secretary shall 9 conduct expeditiously such assessment or inves- 10 tigation, as the case may be, to determine 11 whether there has been a release or there is a 12 threatened release of perfluoroalkyl or 13 polyfluoroalkyl substances at the facility. 14 (B) PRESUMED RELEASE.—Each covered 15 facility that has or has had a fire training pit 16 or similar facility shall be presumed, for pur- 17 poses of subparagraph (A), to have had a re- 18 lease of perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl sub- 19 stances. 20 (2) CONSIDERATION OF INTERIM RESPONSE AC- 21 TIONS.— 22 (A) DETERMINATION OF POTENTIAL IN- 23 TERIM RESPONSE ACTIONS.—A preliminary as- 24 sessment or site investigation under paragraph 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00126 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 127 •S 2296 RS (1)(A) shall include, along with any other mat- 1 ters required pursuant to the Comprehensive 2 Environmental Response, Compensation, and 3 Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.), 4 a description and analysis of potential interim 5 response actions that can be taken to reduce 6 immediate public exposure to the release of 7 perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances, in- 8 cluding preventing an imminent and substantial 9 endangerment. 10 (B) ACTIONS INCLUDED.—Interim re- 11 sponse actions to be considered under subpara- 12 graph (A) shall include the following: 13 (i) Provision of bottled water. 14 (ii) Connection to public water sys- 15 tems for members of the public using pri- 16 vate wells. 17 (iii) Provision of filtration systems for 18 public water systems. 19 (iv) Provision of filtration systems for 20 private residences. 21 (3) REVIEW.— 22 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 23 make the preliminary assessment or site inves- 24 tigation conducted under paragraph (1)(A) with 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00127 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 128 •S 2296 RS respect to a covered facility available for review 1 to the Administrator of the Environmental Pro- 2 tection Agency, the relevant State environ- 3 mental regulatory agencies, any Indian tribal 4 government whose tribal lands may be affected 5 by the release or threatened release of 6 perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances, 7 and members of the public. 8 (B) REVIEW PERIOD.—The period for re- 9 view under subparagraph (A) shall be not less 10 than 60 days and shall be extended if the Ad- 11 ministrator requests additional review time. 12 (4) EXPEDITED IMPLEMENTATION.—The Sec- 13 retary of Defense shall expedite the implementation 14 of any interim response actions selected by the Sec- 15 retary for implementation pursuant to the consider- 16 ation conducted under paragraph (2) and the review 17 under paragraph (3), with special priority provided 18 to covered facilities located within a sole or principal 19 drinking water source as designated by the Adminis- 20 trator of the Environmental Protection Agency 21 under section 1424(e) of the Safe Drinking Water 22 Act (42 U.S.C. 300h–3(e)). 23 (c) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00128 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 129 •S 2296 RS (1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 270 days 1 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 2 retary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on 3 Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Rep- 4 resentatives a report containing an identification of 5 the following: 6 (A) Which covered facilities have had a 7 preliminary assessment or site investigation 8 completed pursuant to subsection (b)(1)(A). 9 (B) Which covered facilities have had a 10 preliminary assessment or site investigation ini- 11 tiated pursuant to subsection (b)(1)(A) but not 12 completed by the time the report is due to be 13 submitted, and when such assessment or inves- 14 tigation is projected to be completed. 15 (C) Which covered facilities have not had 16 a preliminary assessment or site investigation 17 initiated pursuant to subsection (b)(1)(A) but 18 are required to have one pursuant to such sub- 19 section. 20 (D) Which covered facilities are not re- 21 quired to have a preliminary assessment or site 22 investigation conducted pursuant to subsection 23 (b)(1)(A). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00129 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 130 •S 2296 RS (2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than one year 1 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 2 retary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on 3 Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Rep- 4 resentatives a report on— 5 (A) which covered facilities have had in- 6 terim response actions selected for implementa- 7 tion under subsection (b); 8 (B) what those interim response actions 9 are; 10 (C) the projected initiation dates for those 11 interim response actions; 12 (D) the projected completion dates for 13 those interim response actions; and 14 (E) an explanation as to why any interim 15 response action considered in the preliminary 16 assessment or site investigation conducted pur- 17 suant to subsection (b)(1)(A) was not adopted. 18 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 19 (1) COVERED FACILITY.—The term ‘‘covered 20 facility’’ means a facility subject to section 2701(c) 21 of title 10, United States Code. 22 (2) RELEASE; RESPONSE.—The terms ‘‘release’’ 23 and ‘‘response’’ have the meanings given those terms 24 in section 101 of the Comprehensive Environmental 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00130 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 131 •S 2296 RS Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 1 (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.). 2 Subtitle C—Logistics and 3 Sustainment 4 SEC. 321. SURFACE SHIP SUSTAINMENT AND READINESS. 5 (a) IN GENERAL.—In accordance with this section, 6 the Secretary of the Navy shall implement processes to 7 improve the materiel condition and combat readiness of 8 Navy surface ships maintained and repaired at private 9 shipyards by ensuring a stable and responsive industrial 10 base capable of meeting operational and combat surge de- 11 mands. 12 (b) REQUIREMENTS AND AUTHORITIES.— 13 (1) TYPE COMMANDER LEADERSHIP.— 14 (A) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary of the 15 Navy shall designate type commanders as the 16 primary authorities for surface ship mainte- 17 nance. 18 (B) RESPONSIBILITIES.—Type com- 19 manders designated under subparagraph (A) 20 shall— 21 (i) lead the sustainment of surface 22 ships; 23 (ii) oversee all maintenance and repair 24 activities at private shipyards; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00131 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 132 •S 2296 RS (iii) be responsible for setting prior- 1 ities, approving contracts, and ensuring 2 fleet readiness. 3 (C) REGIONAL MAINTENANCE CENTERS.— 4 The Secretary of the Navy shall ensure that re- 5 gional maintenance centers act in a supporting 6 role under the direction of type commanders. 7 (2) DECISION-MAKING BY KEY PERSONNEL.— 8 (A) IN GENERAL.—For each ship under- 9 going maintenance at a private shipyard, the 10 project manager, the port engineer, and the 11 ship commanding officer— 12 (i) may jointly decide what work is 13 done during the maintenance period, in- 14 cluding the ability to adjust priorities with- 15 in agreed budgets and schedules; and 16 (ii) shall report directly to the type 17 commander concerned. 18 (B) CONTRACTING OFFICERS.—Con- 19 tracting officers shall support the decisions de- 20 scribed in subparagraph (A)(i) by managing 21 funds and contracts. 22 (3) STABLE WORKFORCE AND INFRASTRUC- 23 TURE.—The Secretary of the Navy shall provide a 24 stable, predictable workload to private shipyards and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00132 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 133 •S 2296 RS other critical suppliers through a multi-year, multi- 1 ship contract by ship class— 2 (A) to allow the shipyard and other critical 3 suppliers to maintain a stable workforce; 4 (B) to promote investment in the necessary 5 facilities; and 6 (C) to prevent layoffs and rehiring cycles 7 that reduce efficiency. 8 (4) SHIP-SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENTS.—The Sec- 9 retary of the Navy shall ensure that specific ship- 10 yards shall have multi-year contracts for specified 11 ships for repeated maintenance work to improve 12 knowledge of ship condition and accelerate repairs, 13 with excusable deviations such as homeport changes. 14 (5) COLLABORATIVE PLANNING.—The Sec- 15 retary of the Navy shall ensure that shipyards, alter- 16 ations installation teams (when assigned), and Navy 17 teams, including project managers and port engi- 18 neers, work together in continuous maintenance ac- 19 tivities to plan maintenance and ensure realistic 20 schedules and priorities. 21 (6) ROLES FOR LARGE AND SMALL SHIP- 22 YARDS.—The Secretary of the Navy shall ensure 23 that— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00133 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 134 •S 2296 RS (A) criteria for multi-year awards place 1 heavy emphasis on strong teaming between 2 large and small shipyard businesses; 3 (B) large and small shipyards establish 4 multi-year teaming relationships and work in 5 both the planning and execution phases of 6 scheduled availabilities and emergency repairs; 7 and 8 (C) small shipyards have guaranteed work 9 percentages and planning responsibilities. 10 (7) PARTS AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary of 11 the Navy shall establish rotatable pools and procure 12 spare parts ahead of time to create a pool of parts 13 that can be quickly used for repairs. 14 (8) TRAINING.—The Secretary of the Navy 15 shall train program managers and port engineers for 16 specific ship classes prior to assigning such individ- 17 uals to complex maintenance availabilities. 18 (9) FUNDING FOR WORKFORCE AND FACILI- 19 TIES.—The Secretary of the Navy may allocate 20 funds annually to private shipyards to sustain a 21 minimum workforce and maintain repair facilities, in 22 such amounts and under such conditions as the Sec- 23 retary determines appropriate. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00134 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 135 •S 2296 RS (10) SMALL BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS.—The 1 Secretary of the Navy shall issue guidance to ad- 2 dress set-aside requirements for small businesses 3 that enables the roles for large and small shipyards 4 described in paragraph (6). 5 (c) IMPLEMENTATION FLEXIBILITY.—In carrying 6 out this section, the Secretary of the Navy may— 7 (1) determine specific methods, contract types, 8 funding levels, and operational details consistent 9 with the requirements and authorities under this 10 section; and 11 (2) adapt existing processes or develop new ap- 12 proaches to carry out such requirements and au- 13 thorities. 14 (d) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days 15 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 16 of the Navy shall submit to the congressional defense com- 17 mittees a report detailing the following: 18 (1) How the Navy will implement the require- 19 ments of this section, including with respect to the 20 roles of type commanders, regional maintenance cen- 21 ters, project managers, port engineers, ship com- 22 manding officers, and contracting officers. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00135 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 136 •S 2296 RS (2) The planned funding approach for work- 1 force stability, shipyard assignments, and spare 2 parts procurement. 3 (3) A timeline for initial implementation, in- 4 cluding any pilot programs, and full deployment 5 across all regional maintenance centers. 6 (4) Metrics to measure success, such as on-time 7 completion of maintenance, cost control, and readi- 8 ness improvements. 9 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 10 (1) PORT ENGINEER.—The term ‘‘port engi- 11 neer’’ means the technical expert on a ship’s condi- 12 tion who advises on repairs and standards. 13 (2) PROJECT MANAGER.—The term ‘‘project 14 manager’’ means the individual responsible for over- 15 seeing a ship’s maintenance period. 16 (3) REGIONAL MAINTENANCE CENTER.—The 17 term ‘‘regional maintenance center’’ means an orga- 18 nization of the Navy that supports ship maintenance 19 in a specific region, such as in Norfolk, Virginia, 20 San Diego, California, Mayport, Florida, Everett, 21 Washington, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 22 (4) SHIP COMMANDING OFFICER.—The term 23 ‘‘ship commanding officer’’ means the commanding 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00136 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 137 •S 2296 RS officer of a Navy surface ship undergoing mainte- 1 nance. 2 (5) TYPE COMMANDER.—The term ‘‘type com- 3 mander’’ means the flag officer in charge of a sur- 4 face force, such as Commander, Naval Surface 5 Force Atlantic, and Commander, Naval Surface 6 Force, Pacific Fleet. 7 (f) SUNSET.—This section shall terminate on Janu- 8 ary 1, 2031. 9 SEC. 322. TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENT FOR SURFACE 10 SHIP MAINTENANCE. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Navy shall 12 investigate, and, as feasible, qualify, approve, integrate, 13 and fully adopt into contract requirements advanced tech- 14 nologies and processes for Navy surface ship maintenance 15 on an expedited timeline to enhance readiness, reduce 16 costs, and address delays in maintenance and repair activi- 17 ties. 18 (b) SPECIFIED ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES AND 19 PROCESSES.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Sec- 20 retary of the Navy shall prioritize qualification of the fol- 21 lowing: 22 (1) Automated weld inspection for robotic weld 23 defect detection. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00137 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 138 •S 2296 RS (2) Real-time sustainment monitoring for sen- 1 sor-based health tracking. 2 (3) Advanced blast and painting for automated 3 hull coating systems. 4 (4) Press connect fittings for no-hot-work pipe 5 repairs. 6 (5) Robotic tank inspection for confined space 7 condition assessments. 8 (6) Additive manufacturing for on-demand 3D- 9 printed parts. 10 (7) Augmented reality support for augmented 11 reality-guided repairs. 12 (8) Cold spray repair for metal surface restora- 13 tion. 14 (9) Predictive maintenance algorithms for arti- 15 ficial intelligence-driven failure prediction. 16 (10) Automated nondestructive testing for 17 robotic material evaluation. 18 (11) Autonomous underwater vehicles for hull 19 inspection submersibles. 20 (12) Digital twin technology for virtual ship 21 modeling. 22 (13) High-pressure waterjet cleaning for rust 23 and paint removal. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00138 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 139 •S 2296 RS (14) Modular maintenance platforms for stand- 1 ardized repair setups. 2 (15) Smart coatings for self-healing, anti-foul- 3 ing surfaces. 4 (16) Laser ablation for laser-based surface 5 preparation. 6 (17) Drone-based inspection for uncrewed 7 structural surveys. 8 (18) Electrochemical corrosion mitigation for 9 corrosion prevention systems. 10 (19) Smart pigging for internal pipe 11 diagnostics. 12 (20) Modular overhaul kits for pre-packaged re- 13 pair solutions. 14 (21) Plasma coating for durable surface protec- 15 tion. 16 (22) High-velocity oxygen fuel coating for high- 17 velocity wear protection. 18 (23) Portable diagnostics for handheld trouble- 19 shooting tools. 20 (c) OPEN QUALIFICATION PROCESS.— 21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Navy 22 shall establish a process for private entities to sub- 23 mit proposals for advanced technologies or processes 24 not specified in subsection (b). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00139 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 140 •S 2296 RS (2) EVALUATION.—The Secretary of the Navy 1 shall evaluate any proposal submitted pursuant to 2 the process established under paragraph (1) not 3 later than 90 days after the date of such submission. 4 (3) PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS.—A proposal 5 submitted pursuant to the process established under 6 paragraph (1) shall demonstrate potential to im- 7 prove maintenance efficiency, safety, or cost-effec- 8 tiveness. 9 (4) QUALIFICATION DECISION.—The Secretary 10 of the Navy shall make a qualification decision with 11 respect to a proposal submitted pursuant to the 12 process established under paragraph (1) based on 13 technical merit and the need of the Navy. 14 (d) THIRD-PARTY REVIEW.— 15 (1) IN GENERAL.—For any advanced tech- 16 nology or process included in a proposal submitted 17 pursuant to the process established under subsection 18 (c) and not selected for qualification or approval, the 19 Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 20 Sustainment shall enter into a contract with an 21 independent third-party reviewer to assess the deci- 22 sion. 23 (2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—A contract entered 24 into under paragraph (1) shall require the inde- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00140 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 141 •S 2296 RS pendent third-party reviewer to, not later than 90 1 days after the date of the decision concerned, submit 2 to Congress an unaltered report that— 3 (A) evaluates the rationale of the Sec- 4 retary; 5 (B) states agreement or disagreement with 6 the decision and rationale; and 7 (C) includes recommendations if applica- 8 ble. 9 (e) PRIORITY.—The Secretary of the Navy may 10 prioritize advanced technologies and processes under this 11 section based on operational needs, budget constraints, 12 and compatibility with existing systems, if the Secretary 13 includes justifications for such prioritization in the report 14 required by subsection (g). 15 (f) UPDATES.—The Secretary of the Navy shall up- 16 date policies, specifications, guidance, and contracts to in- 17 tegrate and fully adopt advanced technologies and proc- 18 esses as required by subsection (a). 19 (g) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days 20 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 21 of the Navy shall submit to Congress a report detailing 22 timelines to qualify and approve each advanced technology 23 or process specified in subsection (b) and any additional 24 advanced technologies or processes identified pursuant to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00141 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 142 •S 2296 RS the process established under subsection (c), including es- 1 timated implementation dates or justifications for non- 2 pursuit. 3 SEC. 323. DELEGATION TO UNITED STATES TRANSPOR- 4 TATION COMMAND OF MITIGATING 5 VULNERABILITIES AND RISKS ASSOCIATED 6 WITH CONTESTED LOGISTICS FOR DEPART- 7 MENT OF DEFENSE. 8 (a) IN GENERAL.—On and after the date rec- 9 ommended under subsection (c)(2)(B)(v), the United 10 States Transportation Command shall be responsible 11 for— 12 (1) mitigating vulnerabilities and risks associ- 13 ated with contested logistics for the Department of 14 Defense on a global basis; and 15 (2) planning and operations of the Joint De- 16 ployment and Distribution Enterprise (in this sec- 17 tion referred to as the ‘‘JDDE’’) relating to con- 18 tested logistics across all domains, including the 19 movement of forces and material from the source of 20 supply to the designated point of need of the com- 21 mander of the combatant command receiving sup- 22 port. 23 (b) REQUIRED COORDINATION.—In carrying out the 24 responsibilities under subsection (a), the Commander of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00142 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 143 •S 2296 RS the United States Transportation Command shall coordi- 1 nate with the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the 2 Joint Chiefs of Staff, the secretaries of the military de- 3 partments, the commanders of the combatant commands, 4 the Director of the Defense Logistics Agency, the Director 5 of National Intelligence, the Secretary of Homeland Secu- 6 rity, and the Secretary of Transportation. 7 (c) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.— 8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 9 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 10 Commander of the United States Transportation 11 Command, in coordination with the Secretary of De- 12 fense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the 13 Secretary of each military department, the com- 14 manders of the combatant commands, the Director 15 of the Defense Logistics Agency, the Director of Na- 16 tional Intelligence, the Secretary of Homeland Secu- 17 rity, and the Secretary of Transportation shall sub- 18 mit to the congressional defense committees a report 19 that provides an in-depth gap assessment on the 20 ability of the JDDE to project, maneuver, and sus- 21 tain the joint force in contested environments and 22 provide recommendations to resolve or mitigate 23 those gaps. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00143 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 144 •S 2296 RS (2) ELEMENTS OF REPORT.—The report re- 1 quired under paragraph (1) shall— 2 (A) be oriented on— 3 (i) mitigating risks; 4 (ii) improving the ability of the JDDE 5 to operate in contested environments; and 6 (iii) establishing the Commander of 7 United States Transportation Command to 8 be the element responsible for global con- 9 tested logistics; and 10 (B) include— 11 (i) a description of the organizational 12 responsibilities of elements of the JDDE 13 as of the date of the report and the ability 14 of the JDDE to project, maneuver, and 15 sustain the joint force; 16 (ii) a description of the intent and ca- 17 pability of adversaries to the United States 18 to disrupt the ability of the JDDE to 19 project, maneuver, and sustain the joint 20 force; 21 (iii) a description of the responsibil- 22 ities to protect the operations of the 23 JDDE, to include physical protection and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00144 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 145 •S 2296 RS protection of command and control systems 1 of the JDDE from cyber threats; 2 (iv) recommendations for changes in 3 statutes, authorities, resources, responsibil- 4 ities, and processes within the JDDE to 5 establish the Commander of United States 6 Transportation Command to be the ele- 7 ment responsible for global contested logis- 8 tics; and 9 (v) a recommended date, not later 10 than one year after the date on which the 11 report is submitted to the congressional de- 12 fense committees, for the United States 13 Transportation Command to assume re- 14 sponsibility for contested logistics from the 15 source of supply to the designated point of 16 need of the commander of the combatant 17 command receiving support. 18 (3) FORM.—The report required under para- 19 graph (1) may be submitted in classified form, but 20 if so, shall include an unclassified executive sum- 21 mary. 22 (d) BRIEFINGS.— 23 (1) INTERIM BRIEFING.—Not later than 180 24 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00145 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 146 •S 2296 RS Commander of the United States Transportation 1 Command shall provide to the congressional defense 2 committees an interim briefing on the development 3 of the report required under subsection (c). 4 (2) FINAL BRIEFING.—Not later than one year 5 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 6 Commander of the United States Transportation 7 Command shall provide to the congressional defense 8 committees a final briefing on the report required 9 under subsection (c). 10 (e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Except to the extent 11 that, before January 1, 2026, a responsibility specified in 12 subsection (a) was a specific function of one of agencies 13 or components specified in subsection (b), nothing under 14 this section shall be construed as— 15 (1) limiting any other function of those agencies 16 or components; or 17 (2) requiring the transfer of any function, per- 18 sonnel, or asset from those agencies or components 19 to the United States Transportation Command. 20 (f) CONTESTED LOGISTICS DEFINED.—In this sec- 21 tion, the term ‘‘contested logistics’’ means logistics that 22 occur under conditions in which an adversary or compet- 23 itor deliberately seeks or has sought to deny, disrupt, de- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00146 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 147 •S 2296 RS stroy, or defeat friendly force logistics operations, facili- 1 ties, and activities across any of the multiple domains. 2 SEC. 324. REQUIREMENTS FOR DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 3 AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS NEAR COMMERCIAL 4 AIRPORTS. 5 (a) RISK MITIGATION.—The Secretary of Defense 6 shall require all aircraft of the Department of Defense 7 that operate near commercial airports to be equipped with 8 position broadcast technology and shall direct the develop- 9 ment of standard operating procedures that maximize the 10 use of such technology. 11 (b) COORDINATION WITH FEDERAL AVIATION AD- 12 MINISTRATION.—The Secretary of Defense shall develop 13 a program for sharing aviation safety data for aircraft of 14 the Department of Defense, to include near misses and 15 mishaps, with the Federal Aviation Administration. 16 (c) REPORTS ON NEAR MISSES.— 17 (1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 18 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 19 retary shall submit to the Committees on Armed 20 Services of the Senate and the House of Representa- 21 tives a report on the number of near misses that air- 22 craft of the Department have had with commercial 23 aircraft during the 10-year period preceding such 24 date of enactment. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00147 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 148 •S 2296 RS (2) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than one year 1 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and an- 2 nually thereafter through 2030, the Secretary shall 3 submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the 4 Senate and the House of Representatives a report on 5 the number of near misses that aircraft of the De- 6 partment have had with commercial aircraft during 7 the previous fiscal year. 8 (3) ELEMENTS.—Each report under this sub- 9 section shall include, with respect to each near miss 10 covered under the report, the following: 11 (A) The date, time, and location of the 12 near miss. 13 (B) A description of all aircraft involved in 14 the near miss. 15 (C) Any changes to protocols, standard op- 16 erating procedures, or policy, as appropriate, 17 that were made based on the near miss. 18 (4) FORM OF REPORT.—Each report under this 19 subsection shall be submitted in unclassified form, 20 but may include a classified annex. 21 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00148 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 149 •S 2296 RS SEC. 325. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF SEMIANNUAL 1 BRIEFINGS ON OPERATIONAL STATUS OF AM- 2 PHIBIOUS WARSHIP FLEET. 3 Section 352 of the National Defense Authorization 4 Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 5 229) is amended— 6 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘September 7 30, 2026’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2028’’; and 8 (2) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the 9 following new paragraph: 10 ‘‘(6) Details regarding the maintenance and 11 service life extension plan for the amphibious war- 12 ship that retains an operationally available amphib- 13 ious warship until the end of the Obligation and 14 Work Limiting Date for the construction contract 15 for a replacement amphibious warship, as necessary 16 to meet the requirements under section 8062 of title 17 10, United States Code.’’. 18 SEC. 326. PROHIBITION ON CLOSURE OF ARMY ORGANIC 19 INDUSTRIAL BASE SITES. 20 (a) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary of Defense shall 21 not take any action to close, mothball, divest, deactivate, 22 or otherwise render inoperable any facility that is part of 23 the organic industrial base of the Army, including any 24 depot, arsenal, ammunition plant, manufacturing center, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00149 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 150 •S 2296 RS or facility of a center of industrial and technical excellence, 1 unless— 2 (1) a similar or replacement facility has already 3 been created; and 4 (2) the action is authorized— 5 (A) in accordance with the provisions of 6 this section; or 7 (B) pursuant to an Act of Congress. 8 (b) SCOPE.—The prohibition in subsection (a) applies 9 to all facilities operated or maintained as part of the or- 10 ganic industrial base of the Army, whether Government- 11 owned and Government-operated or Government-owned 12 and contractor-operated. 13 (c) EXCEPTION FOR SAFETY.— 14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 15 may suspend operations or limit access to a facility 16 covered by this section if such action is necessary to 17 address an imminent threat to the health and safety 18 of personnel or to mitigate substantial environmental 19 hazards. 20 (2) REPORT REQUIRED.—The Secretary of De- 21 fense shall submit to the congressional defense com- 22 mittees a report that describes any action taken 23 under paragraph (1) not later than 15 days after 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00150 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 151 •S 2296 RS the date on which such suspension of operations or 1 limitation of access is initiated. 2 (d) NATIONAL SECURITY WAIVER.— 3 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 4 may waive the prohibition under subsection (a) if the 5 Secretary determines that such a waiver is necessary 6 to address a critical national security interest of the 7 United States. 8 (2) NOTIFICATION REQUIRED.—Not later than 9 30 days prior to exercising the waiver under para- 10 graph (1), the Secretary shall submit to the congres- 11 sional defense committees— 12 (A) a written notification of the intent to 13 waive the prohibition; 14 (B) a detailed justification for the waiver, 15 including an assessment of the national security 16 interest at stake; 17 (C) an evaluation of potential impacts to 18 the readiness, industrial base capacity, and 19 surge requirements of the Army; and 20 (D) a description of any mitigation meas- 21 ures to be implemented. 22 (e) REPORTS REQUIRED.— 23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 24 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and an- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00151 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 152 •S 2296 RS nually thereafter for five years, the Secretary of the 1 Army shall submit to the congressional defense com- 2 mittees a report on the status of all facilities in the 3 organic industrial base of the Army. 4 (2) ELEMENTS.—Each report required by para- 5 graph (a) shall include— 6 (A) a list of all facilities in the organic in- 7 dustrial base of the Army and the operational 8 status of each facility; 9 (B) any planned changes in mission, work- 10 load, or operating status of each facility; 11 (C) any planned investments or divest- 12 ments that may affect the capability or capacity 13 of any such facility; and 14 (D) a description of any action by the Sec- 15 retary of Defense taken pursuant to subsection 16 (c) or (d) during the one-year period preceding 17 submission of the report. 18 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 19 (1) MOTHBALL.—The term ‘‘mothball’’ means 20 placing a facility in inactive status while maintaining 21 it in a condition such that it could be reactivated at 22 some future time. 23 (2) ORGANIC INDUSTRIAL BASE OF THE 24 ARMY.— The term ‘‘organic industrial base of the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00152 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 153 •S 2296 RS Army’’ means the network of Government-owned fa- 1 cilities that provide manufacturing, maintenance, 2 storage, and readiness support for Army materiel 3 and munitions, including the facilities listed in the 4 Army Organic Industrial Base Modernization Imple- 5 mentation Plan, dated April 12, 2022. 6 SEC. 327. ESTABLISHMENT OF DEFENSE PERSONAL PROP- 7 ERTY MANAGEMENT OFFICE UNDER OFFICE 8 OF THE UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE 9 FOR PERSONNEL AND READINESS. 10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 11 date of the enactment of this Act— 12 (1) the Defense Personal Property Management 13 Office of the Department of Defense shall be estab- 14 lished within the Office of the Under Secretary of 15 Defense for Personnel and Readiness; and 16 (2) the Office of the Under Secretary of De- 17 fense for Personnel and Readiness shall assume re- 18 sponsibility for all functions, personnel, and other 19 matters of the Defense Personal Property Manage- 20 ment Office. 21 (b) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 30 days after the 22 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 23 shall prescribe regulations to implement subsection (a). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00153 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 154 •S 2296 RS (c) BRIEFING.—Not later than 60 days after the date 1 of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of De- 2 fense for Personnel and Readiness shall brief the Commit- 3 tees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of 4 Representatives on the plan and timeline for the imple- 5 mentation of subsection (a). 6 SEC. 328. INTEGRATION OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE 7 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CAPABILITIES 8 INTO LOGISTICS OPERATIONS. 9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall fa- 10 cilitate the integration of currently available and suitable 11 commercial artificial intelligence capabilities specifically 12 designed to assist with logistics tracking, planning, oper- 13 ations, and analytics into two relevant and suitable exer- 14 cises of the Department of Defense to be conducted during 15 fiscal year 2026. 16 (b) COMMERCIAL PRODUCT.— 17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, in 18 coordination with the commander of the combatant 19 command or commands overseeing the exercise se- 20 lected under subsection (a), shall identify for such 21 exercise a commercially available artificial intel- 22 ligence product that is specifically designed to ad- 23 dress logistics needs of the Department of Defense 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00154 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 155 •S 2296 RS and meets the critical data security protocols out- 1 lined in subsection (c). 2 (2) CAPABILITY OF PARTNER.—In selecting a 3 commercial product under paragraph (1), the Sec- 4 retary of Defense and the commander of the com- 5 batant command or commands concerned shall— 6 (A) ensure that the commercial product ac- 7 quired for such demonstration includes provi- 8 sion of capability to respond to potential soft- 9 ware changes in an agile and rapid manner to 10 ensure seamless integration and adaptability 11 during the exercise; and 12 (B) prioritize the consideration of a prod- 13 uct provided by a small or nontraditional soft- 14 ware focused firm. 15 (c) DATA SECURITY.—The Secretary of Defense shall 16 ensure that all necessary approvals are expedited to facili- 17 tate the secure use of data of the Department of Defense 18 by commercial artificial intelligence providers during the 19 exercises selected under subsection (a), including— 20 (1) compliance with applicable cybersecurity 21 policies and regulations of the Department; and 22 (2) verification of measures to protect classified 23 and sensitive information. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00155 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 156 •S 2296 RS (d) INTERIM BRIEFING.—Not later than March 1, 1 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall provide an interim 2 briefing to the Committees on Armed Services of the Sen- 3 ate and the House of Representatives that includes— 4 (1) identification of the specific exercises se- 5 lected for demonstration, including the combatant 6 commanders participating in this demonstration and 7 identification of a point of contact within the com- 8 batant command responsible; 9 (2) identification of the specific commercial ar- 10 tificial intelligence tool or tools to be demonstrated, 11 including the contractual mean or other agreement 12 used to facilitate the use of the commercial artificial 13 intelligence tool; 14 (3) notional timelines and resource needs for 15 each demonstration; and 16 (4) metrics to be used to assess the efficacy of 17 such tools used in each demonstration. 18 (e) BRIEFING.—Not later than 30 days after the con- 19 clusion of the exercises selected under subsection (a), the 20 commander of the combatant command overseeing the ex- 21 ercise shall provide the congressional defense committees 22 a briefing that includes the following: 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00156 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 157 •S 2296 RS (1) An overview of the integration and use of 1 commercial artificial intelligence capabilities during 2 the exercise. 3 (2) An assessment of the impact of such tech- 4 nologies on unit readiness and operational success. 5 (3) Recommendations for further integration or 6 development of artificial intelligence capabilities in 7 future exercises and operations of the Department of 8 Defense. 9 SEC. 329. PILOT PROGRAM ON ARSENAL WORKLOAD 10 SUSTAINMENT. 11 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROGRAM.—Not 12 later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this 13 Act, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a pilot pro- 14 gram to be known as the ‘‘Arsenal Workload Sustainment 15 Pilot Program’’ (in this section referred to as the ‘‘pilot 16 program’’). 17 (b) DURATION.—The pilot program shall be con- 18 ducted for a period of five years. 19 (c) PREFERENCES FOR PROCUREMENT ACTIONS OR 20 SOLICITATIONS.— 21 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the pilot 22 program, the Secretary of Defense shall give a pref- 23 erence to any procurement action or solicitation by 24 a non-public partner who will enter into a public-pri- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00157 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 158 •S 2296 RS vate partnership with the Secretary in the source se- 1 lection process if such non-public partner will use an 2 arsenal of the Department of the Army that is 3 owned and operated by the United States Govern- 4 ment as a partner in any type of contractual agree- 5 ment with the United States Government. 6 (2) FURTHER PREFERENCE.—In selecting non- 7 public partners under paragraph (1), the Secretary 8 of Defense shall give a preference to non-public part- 9 ners that ensure an equitable workshare is per- 10 formed under the partnership by employees of the 11 Department of Defense to protect critical skills in 12 the organic industrial base. 13 (d) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 90 days after the 14 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 15 shall prescribe regulations governing how a non-public 16 partner shall be given a preference required under sub- 17 section (c). 18 (e) REPORT REQUIRED.— 19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 20 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 21 retary of Defense shall submit to the appropriate 22 congressional committees a report on the activities 23 carried out under the pilot program, including a de- 24 scription of any operational challenges identified. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00158 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 159 •S 2296 RS (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required under 1 paragraph (1) shall include the following: 2 (A) A breakout, by relevant budget ac- 3 counts, of workload at an arsenal of the De- 4 partment of the Army that is owned and oper- 5 ated by the United States Government that was 6 achieved in the prior fiscal year, whether di- 7 rectly or through public-private partnerships 8 under the pilot program. 9 (B) An assessment of relevant budget ac- 10 counts where such an arsenal can be utilized to 11 meet future procurement needs of the Depart- 12 ment of Defense, irrespective of cost. 13 (C) An outlook of expected workload at 14 each such arsenal during the period covered by 15 the future-years defense program submitted to 16 Congress under section 221 of title 10, United 17 States Code. 18 (D) The capital investments required to be 19 made at each such arsenal to ensure compliance 20 and operational capacity. 21 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 22 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT- 23 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com- 24 mittees’’ means— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00159 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 160 •S 2296 RS (A) the Committee on Armed Services and 1 the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee 2 on Appropriations of the Senate; and 3 (B) the Committee on Armed Services and 4 the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee 5 on Appropriations of the House of Representa- 6 tives. 7 (2) NON-PUBLIC PARTNER.—The term ‘‘non- 8 public partner’’ means a corporation, individual, uni- 9 versity, or nonprofit organization that is not part of 10 the United States Government. 11 Subtitle D—Reports 12 SEC. 331. MODIFICATION OF REPORT ON IMPROVED OVER- 13 SIGHT FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF SHIPYARD 14 INFRASTRUCTURE OPTIMIZATION PROGRAM 15 OF THE NAVY. 16 Section 355(c)(2)(A) of the National Defense Au- 17 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117– 18 81; 10 U.S.C. 8013 note) is amended by inserting before 19 the semicolon the following: ‘‘, and the incorporation of 20 digital infrastructure (including hardware, software, and 21 cloud storage) and platforms into such program’’. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00160 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 161 •S 2296 RS SEC. 332. MODIFICATION OF READINESS REPORT TO IN- 1 CLUDE SUMMARY COUNT OF CERTAIN MIS- 2 HAPS. 3 Section 482(b)(8) of title 10, United States Code, is 4 amended by striking ‘‘Class A, Class B, and Class C mis- 5 haps’’ and inserting ‘‘Class A and Class B mishaps, and 6 a summary count of all Class C mishaps,’’. 7 SEC. 333. ANNUAL REPORT ON FUNDING AND STATUS OF 8 INTERIM REMEDIAL ACTIONS OF DEPART- 9 MENT OF DEFENSE RELATING TO 10 PERFLUOROALKYL AND POLYFLUOROALKYL 11 SUBSTANCES. 12 (a) ANNUAL REPORT.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 160 of title 10, 14 United States Code, is amended by adding at the 15 end the following new section: 16 ‘‘§ 2717. Annual report on perfluoroalkyl and 17 polyfluoroalkyl substances 18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 19 date of the enactment of this section, and annually there- 20 after, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Com- 21 mittees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House 22 of Representatives a report on the funding and status of 23 interim remedial actions of the Department of Defense re- 24 lating to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (in 25 this section referred to as ‘PFAS’). 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00161 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 162 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(b) ELEMENTS.—Each report required by sub- 1 section (a) shall include information regarding the fol- 2 lowing: 3 ‘‘(1) The total amounts budgeted and obligated, 4 for the current fiscal year and for any prior fiscal 5 year, per site at each installation of the Department 6 of Defense, for interim remedial actions of the De- 7 partment relating to PFAS. 8 ‘‘(2) In the case of each report after the initial 9 report, the total amounts budgeted, obligated, and 10 expended, per site at each installation, on such ac- 11 tions since the previous report. 12 ‘‘(3) The general and operating status of in- 13 terim remedial actions related to PFAS per site at 14 each installation, including— 15 ‘‘(A) a list of all announced or selected in- 16 terim remedial actions, and for each such ac- 17 tion, the function and role of the action with re- 18 spect to addressing PFAS at the installation; 19 ‘‘(B) for each action listed, a phase-specific 20 status update, including whether— 21 ‘‘(i) the design is pending, in 22 progress, or completed; 23 ‘‘(ii) contracting is pending, in solici- 24 tation, awarded, or delayed; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00162 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 163 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(iii) construction or execution has 1 begun, is in progress, is completed, or is 2 delayed; 3 ‘‘(iv) the action is currently operating, 4 including an assessment of the duration of 5 such action and any performance metrics 6 available; 7 ‘‘(C) identification of actions that are one- 8 time in nature (such as soil removal and dis- 9 posal), and the status of each action; 10 ‘‘(D) timelines for completion of each 11 phase, including original projected timelines 12 and any updates; 13 ‘‘(E) for any phase delayed by more than 14 one year beyond the original projection, a site- 15 specific explanation for the delay; and 16 ‘‘(F) identification of any administrative, 17 regulatory, funding, or other barriers contrib- 18 uting to delays or budgetary effects, along with 19 the plan of the Secretary to address each such 20 barrier.’’. 21 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec- 22 tions at the beginning of such chapter is amended 23 by inserting after the item relating to section 2716 24 the following: 25 ‘‘2717. Annual report on perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.’’. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00163 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 164 •S 2296 RS (b) REQUIRED REMEDIATION ACCELERATION 1 STRATEGY.—Not later than 180 days after the date of 2 the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 3 submit to the congressional defense committees a 4 perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances remediation 5 acceleration strategy, which shall include— 6 (1) criteria for prioritizing military installations 7 based on risk to human health, environmental im- 8 pact, and proximity to affected communities; 9 (2) timelines for completing each phase of the 10 cleanup process under the Comprehensive Environ- 11 mental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 12 of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.); 13 (3) a plan for deploying additional resources, 14 technologies, or personnel to reduce delays, including 15 an identification of— 16 (A) the number of laboratories that are ac- 17 credited by the Environmental Laboratory Ac- 18 creditation Program of the Department of De- 19 fense to test for PFAS; and 20 (B) the number of laboratories that are in 21 the process of being so accredited; and 22 (4) benchmarks for evaluating performance of 23 each military department or defense agency on re- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00164 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 165 •S 2296 RS sponse efforts relating to perfluoroalkyl and 1 polyfluoroalkyl substances. 2 (c) PUBLIC TRANSPARENCY.— 3 (1) DASHBOARD.—Not later than one year 4 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 5 retary of Defense shall make publicly available an 6 accessible online dashboard that includes the actions 7 of the Department of Defense relating to 8 perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. 9 (2) ELEMENTS.—The dashboard required 10 under paragraph (1) shall include a summary of— 11 (A) site-by-site funding levels and expendi- 12 tures at each installation of the Department; 13 (B) the status of remediation and inves- 14 tigation efforts; 15 (C) projected and actual completion 16 timelines; and 17 (D) points of contact for community en- 18 gagement. 19 (3) UPDATE.—The Secretary shall update the 20 dashboard required under paragraph (1) not less 21 frequently than semiannually. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00165 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 166 •S 2296 RS Subtitle E—Other Matters 1 SEC. 341. PROVISION OF SPORTS FOODS AND THIRD-PARTY 2 CERTIFIED DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS TO MEM- 3 BERS OF THE UNITED STATES SPECIAL OP- 4 ERATIONS COMMAND. 5 (a) USE OF AMOUNTS.—The Secretary of Defense 6 may use amounts appropriated to the Department of De- 7 fense for Major Force Program 11 for the procurement 8 of sports foods and third-party certified dietary supple- 9 ments and the distribution of such foods and supplements 10 to members of the United States Special Operations Com- 11 mand (in this section referred to as the ‘‘USSOCOM’’). 12 (b) ACQUISITION AND DISTRIBUTION.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall author- 14 ize the USSOCOM to acquire sports foods and 15 third-party certified dietary supplements and to dis- 16 tribute such foods and supplements to members of 17 the USSOCOM, subject to the requirements under 18 subsection (c). 19 (2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 20 subsection shall be construed to— 21 (A) augment morale, welfare, and recre- 22 ation funds or activities; or 23 (B) augment or replace the budget or serv- 24 ices of dining facilities of the Department. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00166 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 167 •S 2296 RS (c) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall ensure the Com- 1 mander of the USSOCOM establishes requirements for 2 the procurement and distribution of sports foods and 3 third-party certified dietary supplements under this sec- 4 tion and shall require compliance with Department of De- 5 fense Instruction 6130.06 (relating to the use of use of 6 dietary supplements in the Department of Defense) and 7 the Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients List of the 8 Department of Defense, or successor similar instruction 9 or list, to ensure that— 10 (1) dietary supplements procured under this 11 section are certified by a non-Department third- 12 party certifying organization that has been vetted by 13 the Operation Supplement Safety program of the 14 Department for end-product quality assurance, con- 15 firming no contaminants, ingredients, substances, or 16 their synonyms prohibited by the Department; 17 (2) sports foods procured under this section are 18 free of ingredients, substances, and their synonyms 19 prohibited by the Department; and 20 (3) under the program guidance and oversight 21 of a primary care sports medicine physician, sports 22 foods and third-party certified dietary supplements 23 are acquired by units of the USSOCOM and distrib- 24 uted by credentialed and privileged registered (per- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00167 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 168 •S 2296 RS formance) dietitians or medical clinicians with pre- 1 scribing authority (such as a medical doctor, doctor 2 of osteopathic medicine, physician assistant, or nurse 3 practitioner) assigned to or supporting the 4 USSOCOM at the operational unit level. 5 (d) REPORT.—Not later than September 30, 2026, 6 the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional 7 defense committees a report that assesses the feasibility 8 and advisability of expanding the authority under this sec- 9 tion for the procurement and distribution of sports foods 10 and third-party certified dietary supplements to include 11 the military departments. 12 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 13 (1) DIETARY SUPPLEMENT.—The term ‘‘dietary 14 supplement’’ has the meaning given that term in 15 section 201(ff) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cos- 16 metic Act (21 U.S.C. 321(ff)) and requires nutrition 17 labeling in the form of a ‘‘Supplement Facts Panel’’. 18 (2) SPORTS FOODS.—The term ‘‘sports foods’’ 19 means food products— 20 (A) intended to deliver essential energy 21 (calories) and nutrients at the right time to 22 members of the USSOCOM to ensure critical 23 combat and medical readiness; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00168 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 169 •S 2296 RS (B) containing nutrition labeling in the 1 form of a ‘‘Nutrition Facts Panel’’. 2 SEC. 342. LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS TO ESTABLISH OR 3 EXPAND SPACE FORCE SPECIAL OPERATIONS 4 COMPONENT COMMAND. 5 (a) IN GENERAL.—None of the funds authorized to 6 be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available 7 for Major Force Program 11 for the United States Special 8 Operations Command shall be obligated or expended to es- 9 tablish or expand a Space Force Special Operations Com- 10 ponent Command until the date that is 30 days after the 11 date on which the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Spe- 12 cial Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict and the Com- 13 mander of the United States Special Operations Com- 14 mand, in consultation with the Chief of Space Operations, 15 jointly submit to the Committees on Armed Services of 16 the Senate and the House of Representatives the report 17 required by subsection (b). 18 (b) REPORT.—The report required under this sub- 19 section shall include, at a minimum, the following: 20 (1) An articulation of the requirement for a 21 Space Force Special Operations Component Com- 22 mand. 23 (2) A funding profile, across the future-years 24 defense program submitted under section 221 of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00169 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 170 •S 2296 RS title 10, United States Code, for the establishment 1 of a Space Force Special Operations Component 2 Command, including a delineation of funds required 3 under Major Force Program 2 and Major Force 4 Program 11. 5 (3) A timeline and conditions for achieving ini- 6 tial and full operational capability for a Space Force 7 Special Operations Component Command. 8 (4) An identification of the military, civilian, 9 and contractor personnel required for a Space Force 10 Special Operations Component Command at initial 11 and full operational capability. 12 (5) An identification of the facilities require- 13 ments for a Space Force Special Operations Compo- 14 nent Command at initial and full operational capa- 15 bility. 16 (6) An explanation of how and when the Sec- 17 retary of Defense and the Assistant Secretary of De- 18 fense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Con- 19 flict have documented approval for the establishment 20 of a Space Force Special Operations Component 21 Command. 22 (7) An explanation of the administrative and 23 command relationships between a Space Force Spe- 24 cial Operations Component Command and the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00170 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 171 •S 2296 RS United States Special Operations Command, United 1 States Space Command, and the Space Force. 2 (8) Any other matters determined relevant by 3 the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Oper- 4 ations and Low-Intensity Conflict and the Com- 5 mander of the United States Special Operations 6 Command. 7 SEC. 343. REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTRACTS RELATING TO 8 PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION MOVING 9 PROCESS. 10 (a) IN GENERAL.—For any renegotiation of the con- 11 tract under the Global Household Goods Contract in place 12 as of the date of the enactment of this Act, or negotiation 13 of a new contract under the Global Household Goods Con- 14 tract or any successor program or contract, the Secretary 15 of Defense shall require that the following oversight mech- 16 anisms are included in the final contract agreement: 17 (1) The prime contractor shall submit to the 18 Secretary a summary document outlining the key 19 terms and conditions of each subcontract agreement 20 related to capacity, performance, and compliance 21 with the contract requirements, which shall include 22 the following: 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00171 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 172 •S 2296 RS (A) The guaranteed capacity of each sub- 1 contractor (including location, volume, and peak 2 season commitment). 3 (B) Performance metrics and service level 4 agreements applicable to each subcontractor. 5 (C) Provisions for monitoring and enforc- 6 ing subcontractor performance. 7 (D) Termination clauses and penalties for 8 noncompliance. 9 (E) Data sharing and security require- 10 ments. 11 (2) Each subcontractor shall provide to the 12 prime contractor, upon request, certifications and 13 copies of training completion relating to compliance 14 with requirements under the contract. 15 (3) The prime contractor shall submit to the 16 Secretary regular performance reports on its sub- 17 contractors, including metrics related to on-time 18 pickup, on-time delivery, damage claim rates, cus- 19 tomer satisfaction, and compliance with contract re- 20 quirements. 21 (4) The prime contractor shall submit to the 22 Secretary a subcontractor management plan out- 23 lining its processes for selecting, monitoring, and 24 managing subcontractors, including a description of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00172 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 173 •S 2296 RS how the prime contractor ensures subcontractor 1 compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and 2 contract requirements. 3 (5) The prime contractor shall maintain a ro- 4 bust risk management plan that addresses potential 5 disruptions to the subcontractor network, such as fi- 6 nancial instability, natural disasters, or labor dis- 7 putes. 8 (6) Not less frequently than monthly, the prime 9 contractor shall submit to the Secretary the subcon- 10 tractor rating system used by the prime contractor, 11 with current scoring results under such system. 12 (7) The prime contractor shall submit to the 13 Secretary the subcontractor rates for each move 14 under the contract. 15 (8) The prime contractor shall establish clear 16 escalation procedures for addressing subcontractor 17 performance issues, including steps for resolving dis- 18 putes, implementing corrective actions, and termi- 19 nating non-performing subcontractors. 20 (9) The Federal Government shall be permitted 21 to audit subcontractor records with reasonable notice 22 to the prime contractor. 23 (10) The contract shall incorporate a fixed-price 24 contract line item number for monthly overhead, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00173 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 174 •S 2296 RS separating it from the rates associated with the costs 1 of moves. 2 (11) The prime contractor shall establish a 3 database that the Secretary can access on a real- 4 time basis to ensure compliance with this section. 5 (b) CONSIDERATIONS FOR SUCCESSOR CON- 6 TRACTS.—For any successor contract to the Global 7 Household Goods Contract entered into after the date of 8 the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall consider, 9 during development of an acquisition strategy and execu- 10 tion strategy, in addition to the requirements under sub- 11 section (a), the following: 12 (1) The incorporation of a fixed-price contract 13 line item number for monthly overhead, separating 14 it from the rates associated with the costs of moves. 15 (2) Contracts under the Federal Acquisition 16 Regulation for lanes that account for more than one 17 percent of total permanent change of station move 18 volume and tender of service contracts for the re- 19 maining lanes. 20 (3) Tiered incentive awards for higher levels of 21 capacity. 22 (4) The establishment of a database that the 23 Secretary can access on a real-time basis to ensure 24 compliance with this section. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00174 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 175 •S 2296 RS (c) INCORPORATION OF PROPOSALS.—The Secretary 1 may incorporate any proposal of the prime contractor into 2 a final contract negotiated or renegotiated under this sec- 3 tion that ensures advertised performance capabilities are 4 met. 5 SEC. 344. LIMITATION ON TRANSFORMATION BY THE ARMY 6 OF PRIMARY HELICOPTER TRAINING PRO- 7 GRAM AT FORT RUCKER, ALABAMA. 8 None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by 9 this Act for fiscal year 2026 to the Army may be obligated 10 or expended for the solicitation for proposals or to award 11 a contract for the implementation of any transformation 12 of the Initial Entry Rotary Wing training program at Fort 13 Rucker, Alabama, until— 14 (1) the completion of the Part 141 Helicopter 15 Flight School Training Pilot proof of concept plan 16 conducted by the Department of the Army and the 17 Federal Aviation Administration, including— 18 (A) all three phases of Initial Entry Rotary 19 Wing Training Phases 1 & 2 and Phase 3 20 Warfighter Tactical Training Phase; and 21 (B) the evaluation of the effectiveness of 22 the training pilot, which shall include the re- 23 sults of six classes of eight students each (48 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00175 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 176 •S 2296 RS students total) and is scheduled to be completed 1 in May 2026; 2 (2) the Secretary of the Army (in this section 3 referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) has fully assessed 4 and validated the outcomes of such training pilot, in- 5 cluding cost, operational effectiveness, safety, and 6 training efficacy; 7 (3) the Secretary submits to the congressional 8 defense committees a report detailing the results of 9 such training pilot and the rationale for any pro- 10 posed changes to training systems or platforms re- 11 sulting from such training pilot; 12 (4) an independent assessment of the business 13 case analysis and implementation plan for such 14 transformation has been conducted by the Office of 15 Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation of the Of- 16 fice of the Secretary of Defense, which shall in- 17 clude— 18 (A) an analysis of the cost to produce an 19 aviator qualified under Initial Entry Rotary 20 Wing Training Phases 1 & 2 utilizing the cur- 21 rent training model and aircraft as well as the 22 cost to produce such an aviator utilizing the 23 helicopter flight school training proof of concept 24 model and aircraft; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00176 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 177 •S 2296 RS (B) an assessment of the risks and benefits 1 of outsourcing Initial Entry Rotary Wing train- 2 ing requirements; 3 (C) total costs for the existing training 4 ecosystem for Initial Entry Rotary Wing; and 5 (D) an identification of measures taken to 6 mitigate costs and enhance training within the 7 existing training ecosystem; 8 (5) the Secretary submits to the congressional 9 defense committees a report containing the results of 10 such assessment and a detailed justification of how 11 the findings from such assessment support pro- 12 ceeding with any such transformation; and 13 (6) the Secretary briefs the congressional de- 14 fense committees on— 15 (A) the outcomes and findings of the train- 16 ing pilot specified in paragraph (1); 17 (B) an assessment of the cost-effectiveness 18 and operational and training readiness resulting 19 from the training pilot; 20 (C) any recommendations for future pro- 21 curement or contracting activity related to 22 training initiatives similar to the training pilot; 23 and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00177 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 178 •S 2296 RS (D) the course of action proposed by the 1 Secretary relating to any such transformation. 2 SEC. 345. CONVEYANCE OF CERTAIN AIRCRAFT FROM AIR 3 FORCE TO ARIZONA AVIATION HISTORICAL 4 GROUP, PHOENIX, ARIZONA. 5 (a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of the Air Force (in 6 this section referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) may convey 7 to the Arizona Aviation Historical Group, Phoenix, Ari- 8 zona (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Group’’), all right, 9 title, and interest of the United States in five T–37B 10 trainer aircraft and any available spare parts for such air- 11 craft that the Secretary has determined are surplus to 12 need. 13 (b) CONVEYANCE AT NO COST TO THE UNITED 14 STATES.—The conveyance of an aircraft under subsection 15 (a) shall be made at no cost to the United States. Any 16 costs associated with such conveyance, costs of deter- 17 mining compliance with terms of the conveyance, and costs 18 of operation and maintenance of the aircraft conveyed 19 shall be borne by the Group. 20 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00178 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 179 •S 2296 RS SEC. 346. LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS BY THE ARMY 1 UNTIL SUBMITTAL OF PLAN TO INTEGRATE 2 JOINT MUNITIONS COMMAND AND ARMY 3 SUSTAINMENT COMMAND. 4 (a) IN GENERAL.—None of the funds authorized to 5 be appropriated to the Army for fiscal year 2026 may be 6 used to restructure the commands of the Army until the 7 Secretary submits to the Committees on Armed Services 8 of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report 9 regarding the proposed plan of the Secretary to integrate 10 the Joint Munitions Command and the Army Sustainment 11 Command. 12 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection 13 (a) shall include the following: 14 (1) A detailed comparison of the old organiza- 15 tional structures of the commands of the Army com- 16 pared with the proposed new integration construct 17 for such organizational structures, including any 18 changes to reporting chains, leadership roles, and 19 workforce. 20 (2) The planned timeline for implementation of 21 such integration. 22 (3) Any plans for changing the numbers, duty 23 locations, or responsibilities of personnel under the 24 Joint Munitions Command and the Army 25 Sustainment Command. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00179 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 180 •S 2296 RS (4) A mission justification for the proposed in- 1 tegration. 2 (5) An assessment of the short-term and long- 3 term impacts of the proposed integration on the 4 readiness of the Army and the Department of De- 5 fense to conduct the missions of the Joint Munitions 6 Command and the Army Sustainment Command 7 and the plan of the Army for mitigating those im- 8 pacts. 9 SEC. 347. LIMITATION ON USE OF CERTAIN FUNDS OF THE 10 AIR FORCE UNTIL ACQUISITION STRATEGY 11 SUBMITTED TO MAINTAIN AIRBORNE COM- 12 MAND POST CAPABILITY. 13 Of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this 14 Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for 15 operation and maintenance, Air Force, and available to 16 the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force for travel pur- 17 poses, not more than 80 percent may be obligated or ex- 18 pended until the date on which the Secretary, in consulta- 19 tion with the Commander of the United States Strategic 20 Command, submits to the congressional defense commit- 21 tees a report on the acquisition strategy of the Air Force 22 to maintain the Airborne Command Post capability, in- 23 cluding— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00180 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 181 •S 2296 RS (1) options to expand production of the C– 1 130J–30 Super Hercules to provide additional air- 2 frames to preserve the Airborne Command Post ca- 3 pability; and 4 (2) an outline of the future relationship of the 5 Airborne Command Post capability with the Sec- 6 ondary Launch Platform–Airborne effort. 7 SEC. 348. PILOT PROGRAM FOR CONTRACTED AMPHIBIOUS 8 AIR RESOURCES FOR THE AREA OF RESPON- 9 SIBILITY OF THE UNITED STATES INDO-PA- 10 CIFIC COMMAND. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, in con- 12 junction with the Secretary of the Navy and the Com- 13 mander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, may 14 establish and maintain a pilot program for the contracted 15 operation of a fleet of commercial amphibious aviation re- 16 sources to be made available to the commanders of the 17 combatant commands and the commanders of other com- 18 ponents of the Department of Defense for mission tasking 19 within the area of responsibility of the United States Indo- 20 Pacific Command. 21 (b) FIELDING AND ADJUDICATING MISSION RE- 22 QUESTS.—The Commander of the United States Indo-Pa- 23 cific Command shall establish a process to field and adju- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00181 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 182 •S 2296 RS dicate mission requests pursuant to the pilot program 1 under subsection (a) in a timely manner. 2 (c) SUNSET.—The authority to carry out the pilot 3 program under subsection (a) shall terminate on the date 4 that is three years after the date of the enactment of this 5 Act. 6 SEC. 349. NAMING OF CERTAIN ASSETS OF THE DEPART- 7 MENT OF DEFENSE IN THE COMMONWEALTH 8 OF VIRGINIA. 9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 10 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 11 shall implement the naming recommendations for assets 12 of the Department of Defense in the Commonwealth of 13 Virginia that were adopted by the Commission. 14 (b) PROHIBITION RELATING TO OVERRIDING REC- 15 OMMENDATIONS.—The Secretary of Defense may not 16 change the name of an asset of the Department of Defense 17 in the Commonwealth of Virginia that was adopted by the 18 Commission to any name other than the name that was 19 adopted. 20 (c) COMMISSION DEFINED.—In this section, the term 21 ‘‘Commission’’ means the commission established under 22 section 370(b) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry Na- 23 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 24 (Public Law 116–283; 10 U.S.C. 113 note). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00182 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 183 •S 2296 RS TITLE IV—MILITARY 1 PERSONNEL AUTHORIZATIONS 2 Subtitle A—Active Forces 3 SEC. 401. END STRENGTHS FOR ACTIVE FORCES. 4 The Armed Forces are authorized strengths for active 5 duty personnel as of September 30, 2026, as follows: 6 (1) The Army, 454,000. 7 (2) The Navy, 344,600. 8 (3) The Marine Corps, 172,300. 9 (4) The Air Force, 321,500. 10 (5) The Space Force, 10,400. 11 Subtitle B—Reserve Forces 12 SEC. 411. END STRENGTHS FOR SELECTED RESERVE. 13 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Armed Forces are authorized 14 strengths for Selected Reserve personnel of the reserve 15 components as of September 30, 2026, as follows: 16 (1) The Army National Guard of the United 17 States, 328,000. 18 (2) The Army Reserve, 172,000. 19 (3) The Navy Reserve, 57,500. 20 (4) The Marine Corps Reserve, 33,600. 21 (5) The Air National Guard of the United 22 States, 106,300. 23 (6) The Air Force Reserve, 67,500. 24 (7) The Coast Guard Reserve, 7,000. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00183 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 184 •S 2296 RS (b) END STRENGTH REDUCTIONS.—The end 1 strengths prescribed by subsection (a) for the Selected Re- 2 serve of any reserve component shall be proportionately 3 reduced by— 4 (1) the total authorized strength of units orga- 5 nized to serve as units of the Selected Reserve of 6 such component which are on active duty (other 7 than for training) at the end of the fiscal year; and 8 (2) the total number of individual members not 9 in units organized to serve as units of the Selected 10 Reserve of such component who are on active duty 11 (other than for training or for unsatisfactory partici- 12 pation in training) without their consent at the end 13 of the fiscal year. 14 (c) END STRENGTH INCREASES.—Whenever units or 15 individual members of the Selected Reserve for any reserve 16 component are released from active duty during any fiscal 17 year, the end strength prescribed for such fiscal year for 18 the Selected Reserve of such reserve component shall be 19 increased proportionately by the total authorized strengths 20 of such units and by the total number of such individual 21 members. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00184 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 185 •S 2296 RS SEC. 412. END STRENGTHS FOR RESERVES ON ACTIVE 1 DUTY IN SUPPORT OF THE RESERVES. 2 Within the end strengths prescribed in section 3 411(a), the reserve components of the Armed Forces are 4 authorized, as of September 30, 2026, the following num- 5 ber of Reserves to be serving on full-time active duty or 6 full-time duty, in the case of members of the National 7 Guard, for the purpose of organizing, administering, re- 8 cruiting, instructing, or training the reserve components: 9 (1) The Army National Guard of the United 10 States, 30,845. 11 (2) The Army Reserve, 16,511. 12 (3) The Navy Reserve, 10,132. 13 (4) The Marine Corps Reserve, 2,400. 14 (5) The Air National Guard of the United 15 States, 25,982. 16 (6) The Air Force Reserve, 6,311. 17 SEC. 413. END STRENGTHS FOR MILITARY TECHNICIANS 18 (DUAL STATUS). 19 (a) IN GENERAL.—The minimum number of military 20 technicians (dual status) as of the last day of fiscal year 21 2026 for the reserve components of the Army and the Air 22 Force (notwithstanding section 129 of title 10, United 23 States Code) shall be the following: 24 (1) For the Army National Guard of the United 25 States, 22,294. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00185 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 186 •S 2296 RS (2) For the Army Reserve, 6,492. 1 (3) For the Air National Guard of the United 2 States, 10,744. 3 (4) For the Air Force Reserve, 6,697. 4 (b) LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF TEMPORARY MILI- 5 TARY TECHNICIANS (DUAL STATUS).—The number of 6 temporary military technicians (dual status) employed 7 under the authority of subsection (a) may not exceed 25 8 percent of the total authorized number specified in such 9 subsection. 10 (c) LIMITATION.—Under no circumstances may a 11 military technician (dual status) employed under the au- 12 thority of this section be coerced by a State into accepting 13 an offer of realignment or conversion to any other military 14 status, including as a member of the Active, Guard, and 15 Reserve component. If a military technician (dual status) 16 declines to participate in such realignment or conversion, 17 no further action will be taken against the individual or 18 the individual’s position. 19 SEC. 414. MAXIMUM NUMBER OF RESERVE PERSONNEL AU- 20 THORIZED TO BE ON ACTIVE DUTY FOR 21 OPERATIONAL SUPPORT. 22 During fiscal year 2026, the maximum number of 23 members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces 24 who may be serving at any time on full-time operational 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00186 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 187 •S 2296 RS support duty under section 115(b) of title 10, United 1 States Code, is the following: 2 (1) The Army National Guard of the United 3 States, 17,000. 4 (2) The Army Reserve, 13,000. 5 (3) The Navy Reserve, 6,200. 6 (4) The Marine Corps Reserve, 3,000. 7 (5) The Air National Guard of the United 8 States, 16,000. 9 (6) The Air Force Reserve, 14,000. 10 Subtitle C—Authorization of 11 Appropriations 12 SEC. 421. MILITARY PERSONNEL. 13 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Funds 14 are hereby authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 15 2026 for the use of the Armed Forces and other activities 16 and agencies of the Department of Defense for expenses, 17 not otherwise provided for, for military personnel, as spec- 18 ified in the funding table in section 4401. 19 (b) CONSTRUCTION OF AUTHORIZATION.—The au- 20 thorization of appropriations in the subsection (a) super- 21 sedes any other authorization of appropriations (definite 22 or indefinite) for such purpose for fiscal year 2026. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00187 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 188 •S 2296 RS TITLE V—MILITARY PERSONNEL 1 POLICY 2 Subtitle A—Officer Personnel 3 Policy 4 SEC. 501. STATUTORY ADJUSTMENT TO REFLECT TRANS- 5 FER OF CERTAIN GENERAL OFFICER BILLETS 6 FROM THE AIR FORCE TO THE SPACE FORCE. 7 Section 526(a) of title 10, United States Code, is 8 amended— 9 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘171’’ and in- 10 serting ‘‘168’’; and 11 (2) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘21’’ and in- 12 serting ‘‘24’’. 13 SEC. 502. NOTICE OF REMOVAL OF JUDGE ADVOCATES 14 GENERAL. 15 (a) ARMY.—Section 7037 of title 10, United States 16 Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 17 subsection: 18 ‘‘(f) If the Judge Advocate General is removed from 19 office before the end of the term of the Judge Advocate 20 General as specified in subsection (a), the Secretary of De- 21 fense shall, not later than five days before the removal 22 takes effect, submit to the Committees on Armed Services 23 of the Senate and the House of Representatives notice 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00188 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 189 •S 2296 RS that the Judge Advocate General is being removed and 1 a statement of the reason for the removal.’’. 2 (b) NAVY.—Section 8088 of title 10, United States 3 Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 4 subsection: 5 ‘‘(f) If the Judge Advocate General is removed from 6 office before the end of the term of the Judge Advocate 7 General as specified in subsection (b), the Secretary of De- 8 fense shall, not later than five days before the removal 9 takes effect, submit to the Committees on Armed Services 10 of the Senate and the House of Representatives notice 11 that the Judge Advocate General is being removed and 12 a statement of the reason for the removal.’’. 13 (c) AIR FORCE.—Section 9037 of title 10, United 14 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol- 15 lowing new subsection: 16 ‘‘(g) If the Judge Advocate General is removed from 17 office before the end of the term of the Judge Advocate 18 General as specified in subsection (a), the Secretary of De- 19 fense shall, not later than five days before the removal 20 takes effect, submit to the Committees on Armed Services 21 of the Senate and the House of Representatives notice 22 that the Judge Advocate General is being removed and 23 a statement of the reason for the removal.’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00189 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 190 •S 2296 RS SEC. 503. QUALIFICATIONS FOR JUDGE ADVOCATES. 1 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 806 of title 10, United 2 States Code (article 6 of the Uniform Code of Military 3 Justice) is amended— 4 (1) by redesignating subsections (a) through (d) 5 as subsections (b) through (e), respectively; 6 (2) by inserting before subsection (b), as redes- 7 ignated by paragraph (1), the following new sub- 8 section: 9 ‘‘(a)(1) Judge advocates subject to this chapter must 10 be— 11 ‘‘(A) admitted to the practice of law before the 12 highest court of a State, Territory, Commonwealth, 13 or the District of Columbia, and maintain an active 14 license to practice before such court; 15 ‘‘(B) subject to the jurisdiction’s disciplinary 16 review process; and 17 ‘‘(C) in compliance with such other require- 18 ments as the cognizant authority has set to remain 19 eligible to practice law. 20 ‘‘(2) The Judge Advocates General of the Army, 21 Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard and the Staff Judge 22 Advocate to the Commandant of the Marine Corps may 23 suspend the authority of judge advocates in their respec- 24 tive services to perform legal duties if such officers become 25 noncompliant with the requirements in paragraph (1). 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00190 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 191 •S 2296 RS Judge advocates and legal officers suspended or disbarred 1 from the practice of law within a jurisdiction shall not per- 2 form legal duties.’’. 3 (3) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 4 (A) TRIAL COUNSEL AND DEFENSE COUN- 5 SEL.—Section 827(b) of title 10, United States 6 Code (article 27(b) of the Uniform Code of 7 Military Justice) is amended by amending para- 8 graph (1) to read as follows: 9 ‘‘(1) must be a judge advocate who is qualified 10 under section 806(a)(1) of this title (article 6(a)(1)); 11 and’’. 12 (B) SPECIAL TRIAL COUNSEL.—Section 13 824a(b)(1) of title 10, United States Code (ar- 14 ticle 24a(b)(1) of the Uniform Code of Military 15 Justice) is amended by amending subparagraph 16 (A) to read as follows: 17 ‘‘(A) is a judge advocate who is qualified under 18 section 806(a)(1) of this title (article 6(a)(1)); and’’. 19 SEC. 504. MODIFICATION OF WAIVER AUTHORITY RELATED 20 TO JOINT QUALIFIED OFFICER REQUIRE- 21 MENT PRIOR TO PROMOTION TO GENERAL 22 OR FLAG GRADE. 23 Section 619a(b)(3) of title 10, United States Code, 24 is amended— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00191 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 192 •S 2296 RS (1) by striking subparagraph (A); and 1 (2) redesignating subparagraphs (B) and (C) as 2 subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively. 3 SEC. 505. NOTIFICATION OF REMOVAL OF OFFICERS FROM 4 SELECTION BOARD REPORTS AND PRO- 5 MOTION LISTS. 6 (a) REGULAR COMPONENTS.— 7 (1) SELECTION BOARD REPORTS.—Section 8 618(d) of title 10, United States Code, is amended 9 by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 10 ‘‘(3) The Secretary of Defense shall notify the con- 11 gressional defense committees of the removal of the name 12 of an officer from the report of a selection board by the 13 President or the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of Defense 14 under paragraph (1) or paragraph (2), respectively, for 15 any reason other than misconduct— 16 ‘‘(A) not later than 30 days after the name of 17 an officer is removed; and 18 ‘‘(B) prior to submission to the Senate of a pro- 19 motion list with respect to such report pursuant to 20 section 624(c) of this title.’’. 21 (2) PROMOTION LISTS.—Section 629(a) of title 22 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at 23 the end the following: ‘‘The President shall notify 24 the congressional defense committees not later than 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00192 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 193 •S 2296 RS 30 days after removing the name of an officer from 1 such list for any reason other than misconduct.’’. 2 (b) RESERVE COMPONENTS.—Section 14111(b) of 3 title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 4 end the following new paragraph: 5 ‘‘(3) The Secretary of Defense shall notify the con- 6 gressional defense committees of the removal of the name 7 of an officer from the report of a selection board by the 8 President or the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of Defense 9 under paragraph (1) or paragraph (2), respectively, for 10 any reason other than misconduct— 11 ‘‘(A) not later than 30 days after the name of 12 an officer is removed; and 13 ‘‘(B) prior to submission to the Senate of a pro- 14 motion list with respect to such report pursuant to 15 section 12203 of this title.’’. 16 SEC. 506. SPACE FORCE GENERAL OFFICER MANAGEMENT. 17 (a) DISTRIBUTION OF COMMISSIONED OFFICERS ON 18 ACTIVE SERVICE IN GENERAL OFFICER GRADES.—Sec- 19 tion 525 of title 10, United States Code, is amended— 20 (1) in subsection (a)— 21 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 22 by inserting ‘‘or the Space Force officer list’’ 23 after ‘‘officer on the active duty list’’; and 24 (B) in paragraph (5)— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00193 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 194 •S 2296 RS (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 1 ‘‘officers in the grade of general’’ and in- 2 serting ‘‘officers on sustained duty orders 3 in the grade of general’’; 4 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 5 ‘‘officers in a grade above’’ and inserting 6 ‘‘officers on sustained duty orders in a 7 grade above’’; and 8 (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 9 ‘‘officers in the grade’’ and inserting ‘‘offi- 10 cers on sustained duty orders in the 11 grade’’; and 12 (2) in subsection (h), by adding at the end the 13 following new paragraph: 14 ‘‘(3) The limitations of this section do not apply to 15 a Space Force general officer serving in a Space Force 16 active status but not on sustained duty orders, and who 17 is on active service for a period in excess of 365 days but 18 not to exceed three years. Unless authorized by the Sec- 19 retary of Defense, the number of Space Force general offi- 20 cers covered by this subsection and not serving in a joint 21 duty assignment for purposes of chapter 38 of this title 22 may not exceed two. Not later than 30 days after author- 23 izing more than two Space Force general officers covered 24 by this subsection, the Secretary of Defense shall provide 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00194 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 195 •S 2296 RS the notification required in accordance with paragraph 1 (2).’’. 2 (b) AUTHORIZED STRENGTH OF SPACE FORCE GEN- 3 ERAL OFFICERS ON ACTIVE SERVICE.—Section 526 of 4 such title is amended— 5 (1) in subsection (c)— 6 (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 7 ‘‘AND OF THE SPACE FORCE’’ after ‘‘COMPO- 8 NENTS’’; 9 (B) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘or of 10 the Space Force’’ after ‘‘a reserve component’’; 11 (C) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end 12 the following new subparagraph: 13 ‘‘(D) The Secretary of the Air Force may au- 14 thorize not more than two of the general officers au- 15 thorized to serve in the Space Force under section 16 20110 of this title to serve on active service for a 17 period of at least 180 days and not longer than 365 18 days.’’; and 19 (D) in paragraph (3)(A), by inserting ‘‘, or 20 a Space Force general officer in a Space Force 21 active status not on sustained duty,’’ after ‘‘a 22 reserve component’’; and 23 (2) in subsection (d)— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00195 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 196 •S 2296 RS (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘officer; 1 or’’ and inserting ‘‘officer;’’; 2 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the pe- 3 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 4 (C) by adding at the end the following new 5 paragraph: 6 ‘‘(3) a Space Force officer in the grade of brig- 7 adier general or above who is pending transition off 8 of sustained duty orders, but only during the 60-day 9 period preceding the end date of such orders.’’. 10 (c) STRENGTH IN GRADE: SPACE FORCE GENERAL 11 OFFICERS IN A SPACE FORCE ACTIVE STATUS NOT ON 12 SUSTAINED DUTY.—Chapter 2003 of such title is amend- 13 ed by adding at the end the following new section: 14 ‘‘§ 20110. Strength in grade: Space Force general offi- 15 cers in a Space Force active status, not 16 on sustained duty 17 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZED STRENGTH.—The authorized 18 strength of general officers in the Space Force serving in 19 a Space Force active status but not on sustained duty is 20 five. 21 ‘‘(b) EXCLUSIONS.—The following Space Force gen- 22 eral officers shall not be counted for purposes of this sec- 23 tion: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00196 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 197 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(1) Those counted under section 526 of this 1 title. 2 ‘‘(2) Those serving in a joint duty assignment 3 for purposes of chapter 38 of this title, except that 4 the number of officers who may be excluded under 5 this paragraph may not exceed two. 6 ‘‘(c) PERMANENT GRADE.—A Space Force general 7 officer may not be reduced in permanent grade because 8 of a reduction in the number authorized under subsection 9 (a). 10 ‘‘(d) TEMPORARY EXCLUSION.—The limitations of 11 subsection (a) do not apply to an officer released from a 12 joint duty assignment or other non-joint active service as- 13 signment, but only during the 60-day period beginning on 14 the date the officer departs the joint duty or other active 15 service assignment. The Secretary of Defense may author- 16 ize the Secretary of the Air Force to extend the 60-day 17 period by an additional 120 days, except that not more 18 than three Space Force officers may be covered by an ex- 19 tension under this subsection at the same time.’’. 20 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00197 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 198 •S 2296 RS SEC. 507. TEMPORARY INCREASE IN FISCAL YEAR PER- 1 CENTAGE LIMITATION FOR REDUCTION OR 2 WAIVER OF SERVICE-IN-GRADE REQUIRE- 3 MENT FOR GENERAL AND FLAG OFFICERS TO 4 BE RETIRED IN PAY GRADES O-7 AND O-8. 5 During the period beginning on the date of the enact- 6 ment of this Act and ending on September 30, 2027, the 7 percentage limitation in section 1370(b)(5)(C) of title 10, 8 United States Code, shall be equal to 15 percent of the 9 authorized active-duty strength for that fiscal year for of- 10 ficers of that Armed Force in the applicable grade. 11 Subtitle B—Reserve Component 12 Management 13 SEC. 511. EXPANSION OF AUTHORITY TO WAIVE LIMITA- 14 TIONS ON RELEASE OF RESERVES FROM AC- 15 TIVE DUTY WITHIN TWO YEARS OF RETIRE- 16 MENT ELIGIBILITY. 17 Section 12686(b) of title 10, United States Code, is 18 amended by striking ‘‘an order to active duty that specifies 19 a period of less than 180 days’’ and inserting ‘‘an order 20 to active duty that specifies a period of less than 365 21 days’’. 22 SEC. 512. DISESTABLISHMENT OF NAVY RESERVE CENTER 23 SYSTEM. 24 The Secretary of the Navy (or a designee of the Sec- 25 retary) shall— 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00198 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 199 •S 2296 RS (1) direct the disestablishment of the Navy Re- 1 serve Center system; 2 (2) transfer all Navy reserve administrative 3 readiness functions to the responsibility and cog- 4 nizance of Navy reserve unit commanding officers or 5 Navy reserve community directors, as appropriate; 6 and 7 (3) reassign each member of an active or re- 8 serve component of the Navy assigned to the Navy 9 Reserve Center system as of the date of the enact- 10 ment of this Act within the active or reserve compo- 11 nent of the member or transfer the member to the 12 inactive reserve, as applicable. 13 SEC. 513. NATIONAL GUARD PERSONNEL AUTHORITIES. 14 (a) ARMY NATIONAL GUARD.—Under regulations 15 prescribed by the Secretary of the Army— 16 (1) an officer of the Army National Guard who 17 fills a vacancy in a federally recognized unit of the 18 Army National Guard may be transferred from the 19 active Army National Guard to the inactive Army 20 National Guard; 21 (2) an officer of the Army National Guard 22 transferred to the inactive Army National Guard 23 pursuant to paragraph (1) may be transferred from 24 the inactive Army National Guard to the active 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00199 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 200 •S 2296 RS Army National Guard to fill a vacancy in a federally 1 recognized unit; 2 (3) a warrant officer of the Army National 3 Guard who fills a vacancy in a federally recognized 4 unit of the Army National Guard may be transferred 5 from the active Army National Guard to the inactive 6 Army National Guard; and 7 (4) a warrant officer of the Army National 8 Guard transferred to the inactive Army National 9 Guard pursuant to paragraph (1) may be trans- 10 ferred from the inactive Army National Guard to the 11 active Army National Guard to fill a vacancy in a 12 federally recognized unit. 13 (b) AIR NATIONAL GUARD.—Under regulations pre- 14 scribed by the Secretary of the Air Force— 15 (1) an officer of the Air National Guard who 16 fills a vacancy in a federally recognized unit of the 17 Air National Guard may be transferred from the ac- 18 tive Air National Guard to the inactive Air National 19 Guard; and 20 (2) an officer of the Air National Guard trans- 21 ferred to the inactive Air National Guard pursuant 22 to paragraph (1) may be transferred from the inac- 23 tive Air National Guard to the active Air National 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00200 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 201 •S 2296 RS Guard to fill a vacancy in a federally recognized 1 unit. 2 SEC. 514. NATIONAL GUARD PERSONNEL DISASTER RE- 3 SPONSE DUTY. 4 Chapter 3 of title 32, United States Code, is amend- 5 ed— 6 (1) by redesignating section 329 as section 330; 7 and 8 (2) by inserting after section 328 the following 9 new section: 10 ‘‘§ 329. Active Guard and Reserve duty: disaster re- 11 sponse duty 12 ‘‘(a) DISASTER RESPONSE AUTHORITY.—When a 13 Governor has declared an emergency due to a disaster, the 14 Secretary of Defense may authorize the Governor to direct 15 National Guard personnel serving under section 328 of 16 this title to perform duties in response to, or in prepara- 17 tion for, such disaster. 18 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The disaster response duty 19 described in subsection (a)— 20 ‘‘(1) may be performed to the extent that the 21 performance of the duty does not interfere with the 22 performance of the member’s primary Active Guard 23 and Reserve duties of organizing, administering, re- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00201 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 202 •S 2296 RS cruiting, instructing, and training the reserve com- 1 ponents; and 2 ‘‘(2) shall not exceed 14 days per person per 3 calendar year unless the President has declared a 4 disaster under title IV of the Robert T. Stafford 5 Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 6 U.S.C. 5170 et seq.). 7 ‘‘(c) LIABILITY.—A member described in subsection 8 (a) is not an instrumentality of the United States with 9 respect to any act or omission in carrying out a disaster 10 response duty pursuant to this section. The United States 11 shall not be responsible for any claim or judgment arising 12 from the use of National Guard personnel under this sec- 13 tion. 14 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 15 ‘‘(1) The term ‘disaster response duty’ means 16 duty performed by a member of the National Guard 17 at the direction of the Governor of the State and 18 pursuant to an emergency declaration by such Gov- 19 ernor in response to a disaster or in preparation for 20 an imminent disaster. 21 ‘‘(2) The term ‘State’ means each of the several 22 States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, 23 and the United States Virgin Islands.’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00202 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 203 •S 2296 RS Subtitle C—General Service 1 Authorities and Military Records 2 SEC. 521. CHIEF OF NAVAL PERSONNEL. 3 Section 8081 of title 10, United States Code, is 4 amended by adding at the end the following new sub- 5 section: 6 ‘‘(c) The Chief of Naval Personnel shall be respon- 7 sible for overall management, oversight, and administra- 8 tion of Navy military and civilian employees.’’. 9 SEC. 522. ENHANCED EFFICIENCY AND SERVICE DISCRE- 10 TION FOR DISABILITY EVALUATION SYSTEM 11 REVIEWS. 12 (a) SECRETARIAL DISCRETION AND STATEMENTS OF 13 CONTENTION FOR APPEALS TO PHYSICAL EVALUATION 14 BOARD DETERMINATIONS OF FITNESS FOR DUTY.—Sec- 15 tion 524 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 16 Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117–81; 10 U.S.C. 1071 17 note) is amended— 18 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 19 striking ‘‘Not later than 90 days after the date of 20 the enactment of this Act, the Secretary’’ and insert- 21 ing ‘‘The Secretary’’; 22 (2) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the 23 following: ‘‘The Secretary concerned may require 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00203 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 204 •S 2296 RS submission of a statement of contention as part of 1 the appeal submission.’’; and 2 (3) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol- 3 lows: 4 ‘‘(2) If the member submits a formal appeal, 5 the Secretary concerned shall conduct a fitness for 6 duty determination consisting of either a records re- 7 view or an impartial appellate hearing, as deter- 8 mined by the Secretary.’’. 9 (b) STATEMENTS OF CONTENTION FOR PHYSICAL 10 EVALUATION BOARDS.—Section 1214 of title 10, United 11 States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘if he demands it.’’ 12 and inserting ‘‘if the member demands it. The Secretary 13 concerned may require submission of a statement of con- 14 tention as part of the demand.’’. 15 SEC. 523. TECHNICAL CORRECTION RELATED TO CON- 16 VALESCENT LEAVE FOR ACADEMY CADETS 17 AND MIDSHIPMEN. 18 Section 702 of title 10, United States Code, is 19 amended— 20 (1) by redesignating subsections (c), (d), and 21 (e) as subsections (d), (e), and (f), respectively; 22 (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol- 23 lowing new subsection: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00204 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 205 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(c) CONVALESCENT LEAVE.—An academy cadet or 1 midshipman diagnosed with a medical condition is allowed 2 convalescent leave under section 701(m) of this title.’’; and 3 (3) in subsection (d), as redesignated by para- 4 graph (1), by striking ‘‘Sections 701’’ and inserting 5 ‘‘Except as provided under subsection (c), sections 6 701’’. 7 SEC. 524. RECOGNITION OF REMOTELY PILOTED AIRCRAFT 8 CREW. 9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 10 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretaries of the 11 military departments, in consultation with the Secretary 12 of Veterans Affairs, shall establish a status identifier or 13 equivalent recognition to denote the combat participation 14 of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) crew members who con- 15 duct operations in direct support of combat missions. The 16 identifier shall be designed to enable appropriate consider- 17 ation by the Department of Veterans Affairs in the admin- 18 istration of benefits and services that account for combat- 19 related service, consistent with how traditional combat 20 designators are treated. 21 (b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec- 22 tion shall be construed to require the Department of De- 23 fense to categorize service described in subsection (a) as 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00205 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 206 •S 2296 RS equivalent to service involving physical presence in a com- 1 bat zone. 2 Subtitle D—Military Justice and 3 Other Legal Matters 4 SEC. 531. NOTIFICATION OF MILITARY SEX OFFENDERS AT 5 MILITARY INSTALLATIONS. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 7 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 8 shall establish and implement a policy to ensure that reg- 9 istered sex offenders that reside or work on military instal- 10 lations are identified to the respective military community, 11 including, as necessary, through agreements with State 12 and local law enforcement agencies. 13 (b) REPORT ON DESIGNATION OF DEPARTMENT OF 14 DEFENSE AS JURISDICTION UNDER SORNA.—Not later 15 than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 16 the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees 17 on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Rep- 18 resentatives a report assessing the advisability and desir- 19 ability of designating the Department of Defense as a ju- 20 risdiction for purposes of notification requirements under 21 the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (title 22 I of Public Law 109–248; 42 U.S.C. 16901 et seq.). 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00206 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 207 •S 2296 RS SEC. 532. QUARTERLY REPORTS ON SEXUAL ASSAULT PRE- 1 VENTION AND RESPONSE EFFORTS. 2 (a) QUARTERLY REPORTS REQUIRED.—Not later 3 than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 4 and every 90 days thereafter, the Secretary of Defense 5 shall submit to the congressional defense committees a re- 6 port on the activities, progress, and performance metrics 7 of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office 8 (SAPRO) for the preceding quarter. 9 (b) ELEMENTS.—Each report submitted under sub- 10 section (a) shall include the following elements: 11 (1) Updates on the implementation status of 12 ongoing and new SAPRO initiatives, including any 13 reforms mandated by statute, executive order, or in- 14 ternal Department of Defense directive. 15 (2) Metrics on reported sexual assault cases, 16 broken down by military service and component, in- 17 cluding status of case processing and outcomes. 18 (3) Updates on the staffing, resourcing, and ac- 19 tivities of the Office of Special Trial Counsel. 20 (4) Performance metrics and outcome-based 21 evaluations of prevention programs and training ef- 22 fectiveness. 23 (5) Progress towards meeting the Department’s 24 goals related to survivor care, victim advocacy, and 25 commander accountability. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00207 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 208 •S 2296 RS (6) Interagency coordination and alignment 1 with civilian best practices or recommendations from 2 external advisory bodies. 3 (7) Any challenges, shortfalls, or recommenda- 4 tions for legislative or policy changes to improve ef- 5 fectiveness. 6 (c) FORM.—Each report shall be submitted in unclas- 7 sified form, but may contain a classified annex if nec- 8 essary. 9 Subtitle E—Member Education, 10 Training, and Transition 11 SEC. 541. MILITARY SERVICE ACADEMY NOMINATIONS. 12 (a) UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY.—Section 13 7442(a) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by 14 striking ‘‘9 ranked or unranked alternates’’ and inserting 15 ‘‘up to 14 ranked or unranked alternates’’. 16 (b) UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY.—Section 17 8454 of title 10, United States Code, is amended— 18 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘num- 19 ber’’ and inserting ‘‘appointment; numbers, 20 territorial distribution’’; and 21 (2) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘9 ranked or 22 unranked alternates’’ and inserting ‘‘up to 14 23 ranked or unranked alternates’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00208 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 209 •S 2296 RS (c) UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY.—Section 1 9442(a) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by 2 striking ‘‘9 ranked or unranked alternates’’ and inserting 3 ‘‘up to 14 ranked or unranked alternates’’. 4 SEC. 542. ASYNCHRONOUS INSTRUCTION IN DISTANCE 5 EDUCATION OPTION FOR PROFESSIONAL 6 MILITARY EDUCATION. 7 Subsection (c)(1) of section 2154 of title 10, United 8 States Code, as added by section 555 of the Servicemem- 9 ber Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense 10 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118– 11 159; 138 Stat. 1896), is amended by inserting ‘‘asyn- 12 chronously and’’ after ‘‘course of instruction’’. 13 SEC. 543. ARMY UNIVERSITY. 14 Chapter 751 of title 10, United States Code, is 15 amended by inserting after section 7406 the following new 16 section: 17 ‘‘§ 7407. Army University 18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is an Army University. 19 The Army University shall integrate all of the professional 20 military education institutions within the Army into a sin- 21 gle educational structure to provide economic policy, gov- 22 ernance, and innovation to such institutions. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00209 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 210 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(b) COMPONENT CENTERS AND SCHOOLS.—Compo- 1 nent centers and schools of the Army University include 2 the following: 3 ‘‘(1) The Army War College. 4 ‘‘(2) The United States Army Command and 5 General Staff College. 6 ‘‘(3) The Army Warrant Officer Career College. 7 ‘‘(4) The Army Management Staff College. 8 ‘‘(5) The Western Hemisphere Institute for Se- 9 curity Cooperation. 10 ‘‘(6) Any additional colleges, centers of excel- 11 lence, and schools that the Secretary of the Army 12 determines appropriate.’’. 13 SEC. 544. INTEGRATION OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE 14 STRATEGIC THINKERS PROGRAM. 15 (a) INTEGRATION WITH PROFESSIONAL MILITARY 16 EDUCATION.— 17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 18 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 19 retary of Defense shall submit to the congressional 20 defense committees a report detailing the Depart- 21 ment of Defense’s plan to obtain Military Education 22 Level One (MEL–1) credit for the Strategic Think- 23 ers Program (STP). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00210 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 211 •S 2296 RS (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required under 1 paragraph (1) shall include— 2 (A) a detailed assessment of how the STP 3 enhances strategic thought and decision-making 4 among military and civilian leaders; 5 (B) a history of the utilization of past 6 graduates of the STP; 7 (C) a plan to identify specific positions in 8 the Department that will best utilize the skills 9 and abilities of future program graduates; 10 (D) a description of the measures to obtain 11 MEL–1 credit for completing STP, including 12 recommendations on current authorities that 13 could be utilized to grant MEL–1 credit to pro- 14 gram graduates; 15 (E) recommendations for expanding par- 16 ticipation among military officers and civilian 17 officials; and 18 (F) an implementation timeline and associ- 19 ated resourcing requirements. 20 (b) IMPLEMENTATION AND OVERSIGHT.—The Sec- 21 retary of Defense shall designate an appropriate office 22 within the Department to manage the STP and implement 23 MEL–1 credit for STP completion. The designated office 24 shall provide an annual briefing to the congressional de- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00211 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 212 •S 2296 RS fense committees on the status of awarding MEL–1 credit, 1 program effectiveness, and any legislative or funding ad- 2 justments necessary to support continued program suc- 3 cess. 4 SEC. 545. IMPROVEMENTS TO INFORMATION-SHARING TO 5 SUPPORT INDIVIDUALS RETIRING OR SEPA- 6 RATING FROM THE ARMED FORCES. 7 (a) OPT-OUT SHARING.—Section 570F of the Na- 8 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 9 (Public Law 116–92; 10 U.S.C. 1142 note) is amended— 10 (1) in subsection (c)— 11 (A) by striking ‘‘out the form to indicate 12 an email address’’ and inserting the following: 13 ‘‘out the form to indicate— 14 ‘‘(1) an email address’’; 15 (B) in paragraph (1), as designated by 16 subparagraph (A), by striking the period at the 17 end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 18 (C) by adding at the end the following new 19 paragraph: 20 ‘‘(2) if the individual would like to opt-out of 21 the transmittal of the individual’s information to 22 and through a State veterans agency as described in 23 subsection (a).’’; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00212 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 213 •S 2296 RS (2) by amending subsection (d) to read as fol- 1 lows: 2 ‘‘(d) OPT-OUT OF INFORMATION SHARING.—Infor- 3 mation on an individual shall be transmitted to and 4 through a State veterans agency as described in subsection 5 (a) unless the individual indicates pursuant to subsection 6 (c)(2) that the individual would like to opt out of such 7 transmittal.’’. 8 (b) STORAGE AND TRANSFER OF INFORMATION.— 9 Such section is further amended by adding at the end the 10 following new subsection: 11 ‘‘(e) STORAGE AND TRANSFER OF INFORMATION.— 12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 13 shall seek to enter into memoranda of understanding 14 or other agreements with the State veterans agencies 15 described in subsection (a) to create or modify a De- 16 partment system to store and transfer information 17 under this section to information systems of such 18 State veterans agencies. 19 ‘‘(2) COMPLIANCE.—The Secretary shall ensure 20 that any agreement entered into under paragraph 21 (1) is in compliance with— 22 ‘‘(A) applicable provisions of law relating 23 to privacy and personally identifiable informa- 24 tion; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00213 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 214 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(B) applicable policies relating to cyberse- 1 curity of Department information systems and 2 State information systems.’’. 3 (c) LIMITATION ON USE OF INFORMATION.—Such 4 section is further amended by adding at the end the fol- 5 lowing new subsection: 6 ‘‘(f) LIMITATION ON USE OF INFORMATION.—Infor- 7 mation transferred under this section may only be used 8 by a State for the purpose of providing or connecting vet- 9 erans to benefits or services as described in subsection 10 (a).’’. 11 SEC. 546. MANDATORY TRAINING ON GOVERNMENT ETHICS 12 AND NATIONAL SECURITY LAW. 13 (a) ANNUAL TRAINING ON GOVERNMENT ETHICS 14 AND STANDARDS OF CONDUCT.—The Secretaries of the 15 military departments shall ensure that all members of the 16 Armed Forces in their respective departments are trained 17 annually in government ethics and standards of conduct. 18 (b) TRAINING ON THE LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT 19 AND RULES OF ENGAGEMENT.—The Secretaries of the 20 military departments shall ensure that all members of the 21 Armed Forces in their respective departments are trained 22 on the following topics, including within 90 days of a mo- 23 bilization or deployment, as applicable: 24 (1) The law of armed conflict. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00214 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 215 •S 2296 RS (2) Rules of engagement. 1 (3) Defense support for civil authorities. 2 (4) Standing rules for the use of force. 3 (5) The Code of Conduct. 4 SEC. 547. PROHIBITION ON CONSIDERATION OF RACE, SEX, 5 COLOR, ETHNICITY, NATIONAL ORIGIN, OR 6 RELIGION IN SERVICE ACADEMY ADMISSIONS 7 DECISIONS. 8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Service Academies may not 9 consider race, sex, color, ethnicity, national origin, or reli- 10 gion in admissions decisions. 11 (b) SERVICE ACADEMY DEFINED.—In this section, 12 the term ‘‘Service Academy’’ has the meaning given the 13 term in section 347 of title 10, United States Code. 14 SEC. 548. PROHIBITION ON PARTICIPATION OF MALES IN 15 ATHLETIC PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES AT THE 16 MILITARY SERVICE ACADEMIES THAT ARE 17 DESIGNATED FOR WOMEN OR GIRLS. 18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall 19 ensure that the United States Military Academy, the 20 United States Naval Academy, and the United States Air 21 Force Academy do not permit a person whose sex is male 22 to participate in an athletic program or activity that is 23 designated for women or girls. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00215 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 216 •S 2296 RS (b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec- 1 tion shall be construed to prohibit a recipient from permit- 2 ting males to train or practice with an athletic program 3 or activity that is designated for women or girls so long 4 as no female is deprived of a roster spot on a team or 5 sport, opportunity to participate in a practice or competi- 6 tion, scholarship, admission to an educational institution, 7 or any other benefit that accompanies participating in the 8 athletic program or activity. 9 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 10 (1) the term ‘‘athletic programs and activities’’ 11 includes all programs or activities that are provided 12 conditional upon participation with any athletic 13 team; and 14 (2) the term ‘‘sex’’ means a person’s reproduc- 15 tive biology and genetics at birth. 16 SEC. 549. PATHWAY FOR CADETS AND MIDSHIPMEN TO 17 PLAY PROFESSIONAL SPORTS. 18 (a) REPEAL OF CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS.—Section 19 553 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authoriza- 20 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263; 136 21 Stat. 2592), and the amendments made by such section, 22 are repealed. 23 (b) AUTHORITY.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00216 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 217 •S 2296 RS (1) UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY.—Sec- 1 tion 7448(a) of title 10, United States Code, is 2 amended— 3 (A) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, ex- 4 cept as provided under paragraph (5),’’ after 5 ‘‘That’’; and 6 (B) by adding at the end the following new 7 paragraph: 8 ‘‘(5) That, upon graduation, a cadet may seek 9 employment as a professional athlete or Olympic 10 athlete if the cadet is drafted or signs a free agent 11 contract with a professional sports entity, in which 12 case the cadet will incur a five-year service obliga- 13 tion upon employment as a professional or Olympic 14 athlete and will, if no longer employed as a profes- 15 sional or Olympic athlete, return as a regular officer 16 in the active component for a five-year service obli- 17 gation. If the cadet is ineligible to return to active 18 service, the cadet shall repay the government for the 19 cost of his or her education.’’. 20 (2) UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY.—Section 21 8459(a) of title 10, United States Code, is amend- 22 ed— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00217 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 218 •S 2296 RS (A) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, ex- 1 cept as provided under paragraph (5),’’ after 2 ‘‘That’’; and 3 (B) by adding at the end the following new 4 paragraph: 5 ‘‘(5) That, upon graduation, a midshipman may 6 seek employment as a professional athlete or Olym- 7 pic athlete if the midshipman is drafted or signs a 8 free agent contract with a professional sports entity, 9 in which case the midshipman will incur a five-year 10 service obligation upon employment as a professional 11 or Olympic athlete and will, if no longer employed as 12 a professional or Olympic athlete, return as a reg- 13 ular officer in the active component for a five-year 14 service obligation. If the midshipman is ineligible to 15 return to active service, the midshipman shall repay 16 the government for the cost of his or her edu- 17 cation.’’. 18 (3) UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY.— 19 Section 9448(a) of title 10, United States Code, is 20 amended— 21 (A) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, ex- 22 cept as provided under paragraph (5),’’ after 23 ‘‘That’’; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00218 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 219 •S 2296 RS (B) by adding at the end the following new 1 paragraph: 2 ‘‘(5) That, upon graduation, a cadet may seek 3 employment as a professional athlete or Olympic 4 athlete if the cadet is drafted or signs a free agent 5 contract with a professional sports entity, in which 6 case the cadet will incur a five-year service obliga- 7 tion upon employment as a professional or Olympic 8 athlete and will, if no longer employed as a profes- 9 sional or Olympic athlete, return as a regular officer 10 in the active component for a five-year service obli- 11 gation. If the cadet is ineligible to return to active 12 service, the cadet shall repay the government for the 13 cost of his or her education.’’. 14 Subtitle F—Military Family Readi- 15 ness and Dependents’ Education 16 PART I—DEPENDENTS’ EDUCATION 17 SEC. 551. CERTAIN ASSISTANCE TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL 18 AGENCIES THAT BENEFIT DEPENDENTS OF 19 MILITARY AND CIVILIAN PERSONNEL. 20 (a) CONTINUATION OF AUTHORITY TO ASSIST LOCAL 21 EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES THAT BENEFIT DEPENDENTS 22 OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND DEPARTMENT 23 OF DEFENSE CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00219 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 220 •S 2296 RS (1) ASSISTANCE TO SCHOOLS WITH SIGNIFI- 1 CANT NUMBERS OF MILITARY DEPENDENT STU- 2 DENTS.—Of the amount authorized to be appro- 3 priated for fiscal year 2026 by section 301 and 4 available for operation and maintenance for Defense- 5 wide activities as specified in the funding table in 6 section 4301, $50,000,000 shall be available only for 7 the purpose of providing assistance to local edu- 8 cational agencies under subsection (a) of section 572 9 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 10 Year 2006 (Public Law 109–163; 20 U.S.C. 7703b). 11 (2) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY DEFINED.— 12 In this subsection, the term ‘‘local educational agen- 13 cy’’ has the meaning given that term in section 14 7013(9) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu- 15 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7713(9)). 16 (b) IMPACT AID FOR CHILDREN WITH SEVERE DIS- 17 ABILITIES.— 18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Of the amount authorized to 19 be appropriated for fiscal year 2026 pursuant to sec- 20 tion 301 and available for operation and mainte- 21 nance for Defense-wide activities as specified in the 22 funding table in section 4301, $10,000,000 shall be 23 available for payments under section 363 of the 24 Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00220 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 221 •S 2296 RS Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (as enacted into law by 1 Public Law 106–398; 114 Stat. 1654A–77; 20 2 U.S.C. 7703a). 3 (2) ADDITIONAL AMOUNT.—Of the amount au- 4 thorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2026 pur- 5 suant to section 301 and available for operation and 6 maintenance for Defense-wide activities as specified 7 in the funding table in section 4301, $20,000,000 8 shall be available for use by the Secretary of Defense 9 to make payments to local educational agencies de- 10 termined by the Secretary to have higher concentra- 11 tions of military children with severe disabilities. 12 (3) REPORT.—Not later than September 30, 13 2026, the Secretary shall brief the Committees on 14 Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Rep- 15 resentatives on the Department’s evaluation of each 16 local educational agency with higher concentrations 17 of military children with severe disabilities and sub- 18 sequent determination of the amounts of impact aid 19 each such agency shall receive. 20 SEC. 552. MANAGEMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION IN 21 SCHOOLS OPERATED BY DEPARTMENT OF 22 DEFENSE EDUCATION ACTIVITY. 23 (a) IMPROVEMENTS TO STAFFING.—The Secretary of 24 Defense, acting through the Director of the Department 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00221 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 222 •S 2296 RS of Defense Education Activity, shall implement the fol- 1 lowing measures to improve staffing of special education 2 teachers and staff at schools operated by the Activity: 3 (1) Require the inclusion, in the staffing model 4 for a school, of service minutes required by the indi- 5 vidualized education programs of students attending 6 the school to more effectively determine appropriate 7 staffing for the school. 8 (2) Collect the following data on underutilized 9 special education staff members: 10 (A) When such staff members are re- 11 quested to transfer to a school with greater 12 needs for such staff members. 13 (B) How many requests for such transfers 14 the Activity receives. 15 (C) Whether such requests are approved or 16 denied, and at what locations. 17 (D) Once such a request is received, the 18 likelihood that the transfer occurs. 19 (3) Collect data on the turnover of special edu- 20 cation teachers and staff, including reasons for de- 21 parture. 22 (4) Review access to and requirements for crisis 23 training, publicize Activity-wide policies with respect 24 to such training for consistency, and expand such 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00222 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 223 •S 2296 RS training to relevant special education teachers and 1 staff, such as paraeducators, who are not required, 2 as of the date of the enactment of this Act, to re- 3 ceive such training. 4 (5) Require district and regional administrators 5 to track training requirements for special education 6 teachers and staff to ensure that such teachers and 7 staff are meeting such requirements. 8 (b) CLARIFICATION OF GUIDANCE.—The Secretary, 9 acting through the Director, shall implement the following 10 measures to improve and clarify guidance relating to spe- 11 cial education provided by schools operated by the Depart- 12 ment of Defense Education Activity: 13 (1) Review the list of types of disabilities recog- 14 nized by the Activity as of the date of the enactment 15 of this Act and determine if that list meets the most 16 recent best practices for special education. 17 (2) Standardize and implement instructions for 18 providing special education materials to students 19 across schools operated by the Activity. 20 (3) Develop and implement a plan for standard- 21 izing special education training across the Activity. 22 (4) Standardize reading intervention guidance 23 and requirements across schools operated by the Ac- 24 tivity, including by requiring each school and district 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00223 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 224 •S 2296 RS operated by the Activity to have the same resources 1 and instructions, and provide clear guidance on how 2 to access additional support materials if required. 3 (c) BRIEFINGS REQUIRED.— 4 (1) INITIAL BRIEFING.—Not later than April 1, 5 2026, the Director shall brief the Committees on 6 Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Rep- 7 resentatives on the following: 8 (A) Coordination by the Department of 9 Defense Education Activity with the Edu- 10 cational and Developmental Intervention Serv- 11 ices programs of the military departments to 12 determine what medical services the military de- 13 partments are required to provide based on the 14 needs of students attending schools operated by 15 the Activity. 16 (B) A description of the process in effect 17 as of the date of the briefing, if any, to resolve 18 a dispute with respect to required services 19 under a student’s individualized education pro- 20 gram. 21 (C) A description of issues pending, and 22 resolutions of previous issues, under that proc- 23 ess. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00224 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 225 •S 2296 RS (D) An assessment of how support instruc- 1 tional specialists can better assist teachers with 2 developing curriculum for special education stu- 3 dents. 4 (E) A description of how the Activity pro- 5 vides services in the case of civilian or military 6 dependents with severe medical or special edu- 7 cation requirements that a school cannot meet, 8 including any data on how many such cases 9 arise an annual basis and in what locations. 10 (F) A description of the process in effect 11 as of the date of the briefing for reassigning a 12 family from a school located outside the United 13 States if the education needs of a child in the 14 family cannot be met at that school and data, 15 for the 5 school years preceding the briefing, on 16 where such reassignments have been done and 17 the frequency of such reassignments. 18 (G) An assessment of the pay scale for 19 special education teachers and staff in effect as 20 of the date of the briefing, an identification of 21 the last time the pay scale was updated, a de- 22 scription of how the pay scale is determined, 23 and a statement of how often the pay scale is 24 updated. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00225 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 226 •S 2296 RS (H) Data on school and district-level re- 1 quests for additional reading intervention cur- 2 riculum, including the locations of such re- 3 quests and whether such requests were ap- 4 proved or denied. 5 (2) SEMI-ANNUAL BRIEFINGS.—The Director 6 shall brief the Committees on Armed Services of the 7 Senate and the House of Representatives on the 8 progress made in implementing the measures de- 9 scribed in subsection (a)— 10 (A) not later than 180 days after the date 11 of the enactment of this Act; and 12 (B) every 180 days thereafter until the Di- 13 rector certifies that each such measure has been 14 implemented. 15 SEC. 553. ENROLLMENT OF CHILDREN OF CERTAIN AMER- 16 ICAN RED CROSS EMPLOYEES IN DEFENSE 17 DEPENDENTS’ EDUCATION SYSTEM. 18 Section 1404(d)(1) of the Defense Dependents’ Edu- 19 cation Act of 1978 (20 U.S.C. 923(d)(1)) is amended by 20 adding at the end the following new subparagraph: 21 ‘‘(D) Children of employees of the American 22 Red Cross who— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00226 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 227 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(i) are performing, on a full-time basis, 1 services for the Armed Forces, including emer- 2 gency services; and 3 ‘‘(ii) reside in an overseas area supported 4 by a school of the defense dependents’ edu- 5 cation system.’’. 6 SEC. 554. REGULATIONS ON THE USE OF PORTABLE ELEC- 7 TRONIC MOBILE DEVICES IN DEPARTMENT 8 OF DEFENSE EDUCATION ACTIVITY SCHOOLS. 9 (a) REGULATIONS REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 10 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 11 retary of Defense, acting through the Director of the De- 12 partment of Defense Education Activity, shall update ex- 13 isting regulations on student use of portable electronic mo- 14 bile devices in Department of Defense Education Activity 15 (DODEA) schools to prohibit disruption in the learning 16 environment by minimizing the use of such mobile devices 17 to the greatest extent practicable and to standardize such 18 regulations across all DODEA schools. 19 (b) BRIEFING REQUIRED.—Not later than 60 days 20 after completion of the updated regulations required under 21 subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall brief the 22 Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 23 House of Representatives on the updated regulations, in- 24 cluding— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00227 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 228 •S 2296 RS (1) relevant evidence taken into consideration 1 on the use of portable electronic mobile devices in 2 and around the classroom on learning outcomes and 3 social dynamics; 4 (2) a description of how the regulations have 5 standardized policies across all DODEA schools; 6 (3) an assessment of the influence, if any, of 7 public-school policies on mobile devices at school or 8 in the classroom; and 9 (4) any other matters the Secretary determines 10 relevant. 11 SEC. 555. ADMINISTRATION OF COLLEGE ADMISSIONS 12 TESTS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 13 EDUCATION ACTIVITY. 14 The Director of the Department of Defense Edu- 15 cation Activity shall require schools operated by the Activ- 16 ity— 17 (1) to offer to administer and, if such an offer 18 is accepted, administer at least one college admis- 19 sions test to each student in the eleventh grade; and 20 (2) to provide the parents of each such student 21 with the option for the student to take a college ad- 22 missions test of the parents’ choice, including any 23 test that the Secretary determines to be appropriate. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00228 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 229 •S 2296 RS SEC. 556. SUPPORT FOR EXPANDING EARLY CHILD CARE 1 OPTIONS FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 2 FORCES AND THEIR FAMILIES. 3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense may— 4 (1) direct the Secretaries of the military depart- 5 ments— 6 (A) to identify gaps between existing early 7 child care needs and available eligible child care 8 providers; 9 (B) to use resources of the Department of 10 Defense to support eligible child care providers 11 in recruitment and retention of employees, in- 12 cluding through professional development and 13 financial incentives for such employees; and 14 (C) to seek to enter into an interagency 15 partnership with a Federal agency with the 16 ability to place national service participants and 17 volunteers trained in education services, includ- 18 ing senior volunteer programs, at military child 19 development centers in accordance with applica- 20 ble national service laws and with all the bene- 21 fits accorded to such participants and volun- 22 teers; and 23 (2) provide training and resource subsidies to 24 eligible child care providers and networks of such 25 providers. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00229 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 230 •S 2296 RS (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 1 (1) ELIGIBLE CHILD CARE PROVIDER.—The 2 term ‘‘eligible child care provider’’ has the meaning 3 given that term in section 658P of the Child Care 4 and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 5 U.S.C. 9858n). 6 (2) MILITARY CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER.— 7 The term ‘‘military child development center’’ has 8 the meaning given that term in section 1800 of title 9 10, United States Code. 10 SEC. 557. IMPROVED COUNSELING AND ACCESS TO INFOR- 11 MATION RELATING TO FOSTER CARE FOR 12 MILITARY FAMILIES. 13 (a) TRAINING FOR COUNSELORS.— 14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 15 shall require all counselors assigned to a Family Ad- 16 vocacy Program or Military and Family Life pro- 17 gram at a military installation in the United States 18 to be trained in the requirements and resources re- 19 lating to foster care of the State in which the instal- 20 lation is located. 21 (2) FOSTER CARE LIAISONS.—A counselor who 22 has received training under paragraph (1) shall be 23 known as a ‘‘foster care liaison’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00230 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 231 •S 2296 RS (b) INCLUSION OF FOSTER CARE INFORMATION ON 1 MILITARY ONESOURCE.—The Secretary shall require 2 Military OneSource to include a mechanism for military 3 families to obtain information on foster care, including the 4 requirements and resources relating to foster care of each 5 State. 6 (c) CONSULTATION WITH ADMINISTRATION FOR 7 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.—The Secretary shall seek 8 guidance from the Administration for Children and Fami- 9 lies of the Department of Health and Human Services 10 with respect to obtaining resources relating to foster care 11 for military families, including curricula for training under 12 paragraph (1). 13 SEC. 558. PILOT PROGRAM ON RECRUITMENT AND RETEN- 14 TION OF EMPLOYEES FOR CHILD DEVELOP- 15 MENT PROGRAMS. 16 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense may de- 17 velop and implement a pilot program to assess the effec- 18 tiveness of increasing compensation or other benefits for 19 employees of child development programs on military in- 20 stallations in improving the ability of such programs to 21 recruit and retain such employees. 22 (b) COMPENSATION.—If the Secretary implements 23 the pilot program authorized by subsection (a), the Sec- 24 retary shall provide for the payment of compensation to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00231 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 232 •S 2296 RS employees of child development programs under the pilot 1 program at a fair and competitive wage that maintains 2 sustainable and high-quality child care conditions. 3 (c) SELECTION OF LOCATIONS.— 4 (1) IN GENERAL.—If the Secretary implements 5 the pilot program authorized by subsection (a), the 6 Secretary shall select not fewer than three military 7 installations for purposes of carrying out the pilot 8 program. 9 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In selecting military in- 10 stallations under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 11 consider military installations with child development 12 programs— 13 (A) with a shortage of qualified employees; 14 or 15 (B) subject to other conditions identified 16 by the Secretary that affect the ability of the 17 programs to operate at full capacity. 18 (d) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary may prescribe 19 such regulations as are necessary to carry out this section. 20 (e) DURATION OF PILOT PROGRAM.—If the Sec- 21 retary implements the pilot program authorized by sub- 22 section (a), the pilot program shall— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00232 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 233 •S 2296 RS (1) commence on the date on which the Sec- 1 retary prescribes regulations under subsection (d); 2 and 3 (2) terminate on the date that is 3 years after 4 the date described in paragraph (1). 5 (f) BRIEFINGS REQUIRED.— 6 (1) INITIAL BRIEFING.—If the Secretary imple- 7 ments the pilot program authorized by subsection 8 (a), the Secretary shall, when the pilot program 9 commences in accordance with subsection (e)(1), 10 brief the Committees on Armed Services of the Sen- 11 ate and the House of Representatives on— 12 (A) the military installations selected 13 under subsection (c) for purposes of carrying 14 out the pilot program; 15 (B) the data that informed those selec- 16 tions; and 17 (C) the compensation or other benefits to 18 be offered under the pilot program. 19 (2) FINAL BRIEFING.—If the Secretary imple- 20 ments the pilot program authorized by subsection 21 (a), the Secretary shall, not later than 180 days be- 22 fore the pilot program terminates in accordance with 23 subsection (e)(2), brief the Committees on Armed 24 Services of the Senate and the House of Representa- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00233 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 234 •S 2296 RS tives on the outcomes and findings of the pilot pro- 1 gram, including— 2 (A) data collected and analyses conducted 3 under the pilot program with respect to the re- 4 lationship between increased compensation for 5 employees of child development programs and 6 improved recruitment or retention of those em- 7 ployees; and 8 (B) any recommendations with respect to 9 increases in compensation or other benefits for 10 employees of child development programs across 11 the Department of Defense as a result of the 12 pilot program. 13 (g) CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM DEFINED.—In 14 this section, the term ‘‘child development program’’ means 15 a program to provide child care services for children, be- 16 tween birth through 12 years of age, of members of the 17 Armed Forces and civilian employees of the Department 18 of Defense. 19 SEC. 559. REPORT ON UNMET NEED FOR CHILD CARE IN 20 AREAS WITH SIGNIFICANT POPULATIONS OF 21 MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES. 22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than September 30, 23 2027, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the appro- 24 priate committees of Congress a report on the unmet need 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00234 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 235 •S 2296 RS for child care in areas with populations of members of the 1 Armed Forces that includes— 2 (1) an assessment of— 3 (A) the unmet need for each military in- 4 stallation, specifically those families who have 5 no childcare at all; 6 (B) the military families on the waitlist for 7 a child development center on an installation 8 who may be using a family childcare home or 9 fee assistance until they can get off of the 10 waitlist; and 11 (C) areas where there may be significant 12 challenges providing care to dependents under 13 the age of 5; 14 (2) a review of the efforts of the Department of 15 Defense to recruit and retain eligible child care pro- 16 viders; and 17 (3) a plan for meeting the unmet need for child 18 care. 19 (b) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE- 20 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate commit- 21 tees of Congress’’ means— 22 (1) the Committee on Armed Services of the 23 Senate; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00235 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 236 •S 2296 RS (2) the Committee on Armed Services of the 1 House of Representatives. 2 PART II—OTHER MATTERS 3 SEC. 561. LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR GUARDIANSHIP TRANS- 4 FERS. 5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of each military de- 6 partment shall provide to members of the Armed Forces 7 serving on active duty access to legal services provided by 8 an attorney specializing in guardianship transfers in each 9 State in which a military installation is located. 10 (b) BRIEFING REQUIRED.—Not later than Sep- 11 tember 1, 2026, the Secretary of each military department 12 shall brief the Committees on Armed Services of the Sen- 13 ate and the House of Representatives on the following: 14 (1) A plan for implementing the requirement to 15 provide access to legal services described in sub- 16 section (a). 17 (2) Any challenges associated with implementa- 18 tion of that requirement. 19 (3) Data on the number of members of the 20 Armed Forces with guardianship of incapacitated 21 adult dependents or a plan to gather such data. 22 (4) Any other matters the Secretary considers 23 relevant. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00236 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 237 •S 2296 RS Subtitle G—Junior Reserve 1 Officers’ Training Corps 2 SEC. 571. JUNIOR RESERVE OFFICERS’ TRAINING CORPS 3 INSTRUCTOR QUALIFICATIONS. 4 The Secretary concerned may not issue a policy under 5 section 2031(d)(1)(B) of title 10, United States Code, 6 that requires a former officer or noncommissioned officer 7 to have more than 8 years of service to serve as a Junior 8 Reserve Officers’ Training Corps instructor. 9 SEC. 572. TEMPORARY AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE BONUSES 10 TO JUNIOR RESERVE OFFICERS’ TRAINING 11 CORPS INSTRUCTORS. 12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned may pay 13 to a member or former member of the Armed Forces 14 under the jurisdiction of the Secretary a one-time bonus 15 of not more than $10,000 if the member or former mem- 16 ber— 17 (1) agrees to be an instructor for the Junior 18 Reserve Officers’ Training Corps under section 19 2031(d) of title 10, United States Code; and 20 (2) serves as such an instructor for not less 21 than one academic year. 22 (b) BRIEFING REQUIRED.—Not later than one year 23 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually 24 thereafter until the termination date described in sub- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00237 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 238 •S 2296 RS section (c), the Secretary of Defense shall brief the con- 1 gressional defense committees on— 2 (1) the use of the authority provided by sub- 3 section (a); and 4 (2) the effectiveness of bonuses provided under 5 subsection (a) on increasing the number of instruc- 6 tors for the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. 7 (c) TERMINATION.—The authority provided by sub- 8 section (a) terminates on the date that is five years after 9 the date of the enactment of this Act. 10 (d) SECRETARY CONCERNED DEFINED.—In this sec- 11 tion, the term ‘‘Secretary concerned’’ has the meaning 12 given that term in section 101 of title 10, United States 13 Code. 14 SEC. 573. NUMBER OF JUNIOR RESERVE OFFICERS’ TRAIN- 15 ING CORPS UNITS. 16 Section 545(a) of the Servicemember Quality of Life 17 Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for 18 Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159) is amended to 19 read as follows: 20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2031 of title 10, United 21 States Code, is amended, in the first subsection designated 22 subsection (i), by striking ‘support not fewer than 3,400, 23 and not more than 4,000, units’ and inserting ‘support 24 not fewer than 3,600, and not more than 4,200, units’.’’. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00238 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 239 •S 2296 RS Subtitle H—Decorations and Other 1 Awards, Miscellaneous Reports, 2 and Other Matters 3 SEC. 581. HONORARY PROMOTIONS ON THE INITIATIVE OF 4 THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 5 Section 1563a of title 10, United States Code, is 6 amended— 7 (1) in subsection (a)— 8 (A) in paragraph (1)— 9 (i) by striking ‘‘the Secretary may 10 make an honorary promotion (whether or 11 not posthumous) of a former’’ and insert- 12 ing ‘‘the Secretary of a military depart- 13 ment is authorized to make an honorary 14 promotion, including a posthumous hon- 15 orary promotion, for a former’’; and 16 (ii) by striking ‘‘if the Secretary de- 17 termines that the promotion is merited’’; 18 and 19 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert- 20 ing the following: 21 ‘‘(2) The honorary grade given to a member described 22 in paragraph (1) shall be commensurate with such mem- 23 ber’s contributions to the armed forces or the national de- 24 fense. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00239 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 240 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(3) The authority shall not be used to award an hon- 1 orary promotion solely on the basis that an individual de- 2 scribed in paragraph (1) was recommended for such pro- 3 motion prior to separating from service. 4 ‘‘(4) The Secretaries of the military departments are 5 only authorized to make an honorary promotion under 6 paragraph (1) upon receipt of a favorable recommendation 7 by a board of at least three independent officers convened 8 specifically for the purpose of reviewing the proposed hon- 9 orary promotion.’’; 10 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘The Sec- 11 retary’’ and inserting ‘‘The Secretaries of the mili- 12 tary departments’’; and 13 (3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘Secretary’’ 14 and inserting ‘‘Secretaries of the military depart- 15 ments’’. 16 SEC. 582. NATIONAL WEEK OF MILITARY RECRUITMENT. 17 (a) DESIGNATION.—Chapter 1 of title 36, United 18 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol- 19 lowing new section: 20 ‘‘§ 149. National Week of Military Recruitment 21 ‘‘(a) DESIGNATION.—The last full week of September 22 is the National Week of Military Recruitment. 23 ‘‘(b) PROCLAMATION.—The President is requested to 24 issue each year a proclamation calling on the people of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00240 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 241 •S 2296 RS the United States to observe the National Week of Mili- 1 tary Recruitment with appropriate ceremonies and activi- 2 ties.’’. 3 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 4 for chapter 1 of title 36, United States Code, is amended 5 by inserting after the item relating to section 148 the fol- 6 lowing new item: 7 ‘‘149. National Week of Military Recruitment.’’. SEC. 583. CLARIFYING THE CALCULATION OF ENLIST- 8 MENTS FOR PERSONS WHOSE SCORE ON THE 9 ARMED FORCES QUALIFICATION TEST IS 10 BELOW A PRESCRIBED LEVEL FOR THE FU- 11 TURE SERVICEMEMBER PREPARATORY 12 COURSE. 13 Section 546 of the National Defense Authorization 14 Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 10 U.S.C. 15 520 note) is amended— 16 (1) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 17 following new paragraph: 18 ‘‘(4) EFFECT OF COURSE GRADUATION.—The 19 Secretary concerned may exclude from the popu- 20 lation to be considered for purposes of determining 21 the percentage limitations imposed by section 520(a) 22 of title 10, United States Code, any enlisted person 23 who has graduated from a future servicemember 24 preparatory course established pursuant to this sec- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00241 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 242 •S 2296 RS tion with a score on the Armed Forces Qualification 1 Test that is at or above the thirty-first percentile, 2 provided that— 3 ‘‘(A) the Armed Forces Qualifications Test 4 score that is at or above the thirty-first per- 5 centile is obtained within the same fiscal year 6 in which the individual was originally enlisted 7 to serve on active duty; and 8 ‘‘(B) such score is obtained during the pe- 9 riod the individual was originally enlisted to 10 serve on active duty, as determined by the Sec- 11 retary concerned.’’; and 12 (2) in subsection (d)— 13 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 14 through (6) as paragraphs (3) through (8), re- 15 spectively; 16 (B) by inserting before paragraph (3), as 17 redesignated by subparagraph (A), the following 18 new paragraphs: 19 ‘‘(1) Percentage of nonprior service enlisted ac- 20 cessions scoring below the thirty-first percentile on 21 the Armed Forces Qualification Test upon original 22 enlistment. 23 ‘‘(2) Percentage of nonprior service enlisted ac- 24 cessions scoring below the thirty-first percentile on 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00242 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 243 •S 2296 RS the Armed Forces Qualification Test following grad- 1 uation from the preparatory course or subsequent 2 reclassification, as applicable.’’; and 3 (C) in paragraph (5), as so redesignated, 4 by striking ‘‘prepatory’’ and inserting ‘‘pre- 5 paratory’’. 6 SEC. 584. RECRUITER ACCESS TO SECONDARY SCHOOLS. 7 Section 503(c)(1)(A) of chapter 31 of title 10, United 8 States Code, is amended— 9 (1) by amending clause (i) to read as follows: 10 ‘‘(i) shall provide military recruiters the same 11 access to the campus of each secondary school 12 served by the local educational agency for the pur- 13 pose of recruiting students who are at least 17 years 14 of age that is provided to any prospective employer, 15 institution of higher education, or other recruiter;’’; 16 (2) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘provide to mili- 17 tary recruiters access to’’ and inserting ‘‘facilitate 18 upon request made by military recruiters for military 19 recruiting purposes not fewer than four in-person re- 20 cruitment events per academic year, across different 21 grading periods, which may include’’; and 22 (3) by amending clause (iii) to read as follows: 23 ‘‘(iii) shall provide to military recruiters within 24 60 days of the commencement of the academic year, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00243 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 244 •S 2296 RS and thereafter within 30 days of a recruiter request, 1 access to secondary school student names, academic 2 grade, addresses, electronic mail addresses (which 3 shall be the electronic mail addresses provided by 4 the school, if available), and telephone and mobile 5 phone listings, notwithstanding subsection (a)(5) of 6 section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act 7 (20 U.S.C. 1232g).’’. 8 SEC. 585. COMPLIANCE WITH TRAVEL CHARGE CARD DEAC- 9 TIVATION REQUIREMENTS. 10 (a) POLICY COMPLIANCE.—Not later than 60 days 11 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 12 of Defense shall ensure that Department of Defense poli- 13 cies and procedures are consistent with section 3(h)(1)(H) 14 of the Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act of 15 2012 (Public Law 112–194; 5 U.S.C. 5701 note) and re- 16 lated implementing guidance, regarding the prompt deac- 17 tivation and closure of government-issued travel charge 18 card accounts upon the separation, retirement, or termi- 19 nation of military or civilian personnel. 20 (b) COMPTROLLER REVIEW.—Not later than 180 21 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under 22 Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) shall submit to the 23 Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 24 House of Representatives a report describing— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00244 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 245 •S 2296 RS (1) actions taken to verify consistent implemen- 1 tation of deactivation and closure policies for govern- 2 ment-issued travel charge cards across the military 3 departments and defense agencies; 4 (2) any gaps or inconsistencies identified in the 5 execution of current policy; and 6 (3) recommendations, if any, to improve compli- 7 ance, oversight, or prevention of unauthorized card 8 use following personnel separation. 9 TITLE VI—COMPENSATION AND 10 OTHER PERSONNEL BENEFITS 11 Subtitle A—Pay and Allowances 12 SEC. 601. MODIFICATIONS TO CALCULATION OF BASIC AL- 13 LOWANCE FOR SUBSISTENCE FOR ENLISTED 14 MEMBERS. 15 Section 402 of title 37, United States Code, is 16 amended— 17 (1) in subsection (b)— 18 (A) by striking paragraph (1) and insert- 19 ing the following new paragraph (1): 20 ‘‘(1)(A) The monthly rate of basic allowance for sub- 21 sistence to be in effect for an enlisted member for a year 22 (beginning on January 1 of that year) shall be— 23 ‘‘(i) except as provided by clause (ii), equal to 24 the monthly cost of a liberal food plan for a male 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00245 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 246 •S 2296 RS in the United States who is between 19 and 50 years 1 of age, as determined by the Secretary of Agri- 2 culture each October 1; and 3 ‘‘(ii) in the case of such a member who is sub- 4 ject to monthly deduction from pay for meals under 5 section 1011(b) of this title, the amount computed 6 under clause (i) reduced by the amount of such de- 7 duction from pay, in accordance with policies pre- 8 scribed by the Secretary of Defense. 9 ‘‘(B) The monthly rate of basic allowance for subsist- 10 ence to be in effect for an enlisted member for a year 11 under subparagraph (A)(i) may not decrease relative to 12 the rate in effect for the preceding year.’’; and 13 (B) by striking paragraph (3); and 14 (2) in subsection (d), in the matter preceding 15 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘subsection (b)(1)’’ and 16 inserting ‘‘subsection (b)(1)(A)(i)’’. 17 SEC. 602. INCLUSION OF DESCRIPTIONS OF TYPES OF PAY 18 ON PAY STATEMENTS. 19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 19 of title 37, United 20 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol- 21 lowing new section: 22 ‘‘§ 1016. Pay statements: descriptions of types of pay 23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall 24 ensure that each pay statement issued to a member of the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00246 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 247 •S 2296 RS Armed Forces includes, for each type of pay, allowance, 1 and deduction listed on the statement, a brief and plain- 2 language description of— 3 ‘‘(1) the statutory or regulatory authority under 4 which the pay, allowance, or deduction is made; 5 ‘‘(2) the purpose of the pay, allowance, or de- 6 duction; 7 ‘‘(3) the criteria for determining eligibility of 8 the member for the pay, allowance, or deduction; 9 and 10 ‘‘(4) possible changes in the eligibility of the 11 member for the pay, allowance, or deduction, includ- 12 ing the circumstances under which the pay, allow- 13 ance, or deduction may be suspended, expire, or 14 modified. 15 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The descriptions required to 16 be included on a pay statement under paragraph (1) shall 17 be— 18 ‘‘(1) accessible directly on the pay statement; 19 and 20 ‘‘(2) presented in language easily understood by 21 individuals without specialized knowledge of military 22 finance, accounting, or law.’’. 23 (b) APPLICABILITY.—The requirements of section 24 1016 of title 37, United States Code, as added by sub- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00247 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 248 •S 2296 RS section (a), shall apply with respect to pay statements 1 issued on or after the date that is 180 days after the date 2 of the enactment of this Act. 3 SEC. 603. INCREASED AWARENESS AND IMPROVED CAL- 4 CULATION OF RATES FOR BASIC ALLOWANCE 5 FOR HOUSING. 6 (a) INCREASING AWARENESS.—The Secretary of De- 7 fense shall seek to improve transparency of the calculation 8 of the basic allowance for housing under section 403 of 9 title 37, United States Code, by— 10 (1) developing a clear, accessible document that 11 explains how rates of the basic allowance for housing 12 are determined, including methodology and types of 13 data sources used, which shall be— 14 (A) reviewed and updated not less fre- 15 quently than annually and as rates and calcula- 16 tion methods change; and 17 (B) made available on a publicly accessible 18 internet website and distributed across all rel- 19 evant components of the Department of De- 20 fense; and 21 (2) providing to members of the Armed Forces 22 when such members experience a permanent change 23 of station, permanent change of assignment, change 24 in dependency status, change in grade, or any other 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00248 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 249 •S 2296 RS event that may impact their eligibility for or rate of 1 basic allowance for housing— 2 (A) the information included in the docu- 3 ment developed under paragraph (1); and 4 (B) an explanation of the type of rental 5 housing the rate of basic allowance for housing 6 received by such members is intended to sup- 7 port in each locality. 8 (b) DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVE METHOD- 9 OLOGY.—Consistent with the recommendations of the 10 14th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation issued 11 under section 1008(b) of title 37, United States Code, the 12 Secretary shall— 13 (1) develop a methodology to compute rates of 14 the basic allowance for housing using an approach 15 based on the number of bedrooms in a housing unit 16 and incorporating available and verified occupied 17 rental market data; 18 (2) conduct a pilot program using the method- 19 ology developed under paragraph (1); and 20 (3) using that methodology, set notional rates 21 for the basic allowance for housing for 2026 and 22 2027 for a minimum of 10 military housing areas. 23 (c) BRIEFING REQUIRED.—Not later than February 24 1, 2027, the Secretary shall provide a briefing to the Com- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00249 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 250 •S 2296 RS mittees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House 1 of Representatives that includes— 2 (1) a comparison of the notional rates set under 3 subsection (b)(3) with the actual rates for basic al- 4 lowance for housing for 2026 and 2027; 5 (2) a comparison of the advantages and dis- 6 advantages of— 7 (A) the methodology used as of the date of 8 the enactment of this Act for setting rates for 9 the basic allowance for housing; and 10 (B) using the methodology developed under 11 subsection (b)(1) for setting such rates; 12 (3) a determination of whether the methodology 13 developed under subsection (b)(1) is more or less 14 likely than the methodology described in paragraph 15 (2)(A) to ensure that rates for the basic allowance 16 for housing are set based upon a 95 percent statis- 17 tical confidence that the estimated median rent is 18 within 10 percent of the actual median rent in local 19 military housing areas; 20 (4) a cost estimate for 2027 under both the 21 methodology described in paragraph (2)(A) and the 22 methodology developed under subsection (b)(1); 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00250 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 251 •S 2296 RS (5) an identification of any additional legislative 1 authority required to fully implement the method- 2 ology developed under subsection (b)(1); and 3 (6) the recommendation of the Secretary with 4 respect to whether to implement the use of the 5 methodology developed under subsection (b)(1) and 6 the timing for such implementation. 7 SEC. 604. MILITARY COMPENSATION EDUCATIONAL CAM- 8 PAIGN. 9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Consistent with the recommenda- 10 tions of the 14th Quadrennial Review of Military Com- 11 pensation issued under section 1008(b) of title 37, United 12 States Code, and not later than 180 days after the date 13 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 14 shall commence a 12-month educational campaign to im- 15 prove the understanding and awareness of members of the 16 Armed Forces and their families with respect to the major 17 components of monetary and nonmonetary military com- 18 pensation. 19 (b) ELEMENTS.—At a minimum, the campaign re- 20 quired by subsection (a) shall address— 21 (1) the elements of regular military compensa- 22 tion (RMC), as defined in section 101(25) of title 23 37, United States Code; 24 (2) special and incentive pays; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00251 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 252 •S 2296 RS (3) the calculation of retired pay for length of 1 service; 2 (4) educational assistance programs and bene- 3 fits; 4 (5) health care for members of the Armed 5 Forces serving in active components and their fami- 6 lies; and 7 (6) nonmonetary benefits. 8 Subtitle B—Special and Incentive 9 Pay 10 SEC. 611. REVIEWS OF DESIGNATIONS OF IMMINENT DAN- 11 GER PAY AREAS. 12 (a) INITIAL REVIEW.—Not later than March 1, 2026, 13 the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secre- 14 taries of the military departments, shall— 15 (1) commence a review of each area designated 16 under section 351(a)(3) of title 37, United States 17 Code, to determine whether the area is one in which 18 a member of the uniformed services is subject to im- 19 minent danger of physical injury due to threat con- 20 ditions; and 21 (2) submit to the Committees on Armed Serv- 22 ices of the Senate and the House of Representatives 23 a report on the review, including any changes to des- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00252 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 253 •S 2296 RS ignations under that section that result from the re- 1 view. 2 (b) SUBSEQUENT REVIEWS.— 3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than March 1, 4 2031, and every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary of 5 Defense, in coordination with the Secretaries of the 6 military departments, shall conduct a review de- 7 scribed in subsection (a)(1). 8 (2) REPORTS REQUIRED.—Not later than 60 9 days after completing a review under paragraph (1), 10 the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Com- 11 mittees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 12 House of Representatives a report on the review, in- 13 cluding any changes to designations under that sec- 14 tion that result from the review. 15 (c) REPORTS ON DESIGNATION CHANGES BETWEEN 16 REPORTS.—If, at any time between the submission of re- 17 ports required by subsections (a)(2) and (b)(2), the Sec- 18 retary of Defense or the Secretary of a military depart- 19 ment conducts a review of areas designated under section 20 351(a)(3) of title 37, United States Code, and makes a 21 change to any such designation, that Secretary shall sub- 22 mit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate 23 and the House of Representatives a report on the review 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00253 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 254 •S 2296 RS and the change not later than 60 days after the change 1 is made. 2 SEC. 612. IMPLEMENTATION OF AVIATION INCENTIVE PAY 3 FOR MEMBERS OF RESERVE COMPONENTS. 4 Section 602(d) of the National Defense Authorization 5 Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117–81; 37 U.S.C. 6 357 note) is amended— 7 (1) in paragraph (2)— 8 (A) by striking ‘‘In making’’ and inserting 9 the following: 10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In making’’; and 11 (B) by adding at the end the following new 12 subparagraphs: 13 ‘‘(B) AVIATION INCENTIVE PAY EVALUA- 14 TION.—Not later than June 1, 2026, the Sec- 15 retary shall complete the evaluation required by 16 subparagraph (A) with respect to aviation in- 17 centive pay under section 334 of title 37, 18 United States Code. In conducting that evalua- 19 tion, the Secretary shall make a specific deter- 20 mination with respect to the percentage of such 21 aviation incentive pay, if any, that is paid spe- 22 cifically to maintain skill certification or pro- 23 ficiency under section 357 of title 37, United 24 States Code. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00254 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 255 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(C) SPECIAL AND INCENTIVE PAY FRAME- 1 WORK.—Not later than June 1, 2026, the Sec- 2 retary shall submit to the Committees on 3 Armed Services of the Senate and the House of 4 Representatives a detailed report on the special 5 and incentive pay assessment framework, re- 6 quired by the Senate report accompanying the 7 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 8 Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31), that includes 9 the Secretary’s plan and timeline for imple- 10 menting such framework.’’; and 11 (2) by adding at the end the following new 12 paragraph: 13 ‘‘(3) INITIATION OF PAYMENTS.—Not later 14 than January 1, 2027, the Secretary concerned shall 15 begin making aviation incentive payments under sec- 16 tion 357 of title 37, United States Code, pursuant 17 to the determination made under paragraph 18 (2)(B).’’. 19 SEC. 613. PILOT PROGRAM ON IMPROVING RETENTION OF 20 MEMBERS WITH DEGREES IN THEIR FIELDS 21 OF SPECIALTY. 22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall es- 23 tablish a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advis- 24 ability of paying incentive pay to certain enlisted members 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00255 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 256 •S 2296 RS of the Armed Forces with degrees in their fields of spe- 1 cialty to improve the retention of such members. 2 (b) PAYMENT OF INCENTIVE PAY.—Under the pilot 3 program required by subsection (a), the Secretary con- 4 cerned may pay monthly incentive pay to a member of the 5 Armed Forces who— 6 (1) is an enlisted member; 7 (2) has less than 4 years of service in the 8 Armed Forces; 9 (3) has a degree in the member’s field of spe- 10 cialty, as determined by the Secretary concerned; 11 and 12 (4) commits to reenlisting. 13 (c) TERMINATION.—The pilot program required by 14 subsection (a) shall terminate on the date that is 5 years 15 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 16 (d) REPORT REQUIRED.—After the termination 17 under subsection (c) of the pilot program required by sub- 18 section (a), the Secretary shall submit to the congressional 19 defense committees a report on the effectiveness of the 20 pilot program in retaining highly qualified members that 21 includes an assessment of— 22 (1) the effect of the pilot program on retention 23 rates; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00256 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 257 •S 2296 RS (2) satisfaction of members with the pilot pro- 1 gram; and 2 (3) the overall cost-effectiveness of the pilot 3 program. 4 (e) SECRETARY CONCERNED DEFINED.—In this sec- 5 tion, the term ‘‘Secretary concerned’’ has the meaning 6 given that term in section 101 of title 10, United States 7 Code. 8 Subtitle C—Other Matters 9 SEC. 621. EXTENSION OF ENHANCED AUTHORITY FOR SE- 10 LECTIVE EARLY RETIREMENT AND EARLY 11 DISCHARGES. 12 Section 638a(a)(2) of title 10, United States Code, 13 is amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 2025’’ and insert- 14 ing ‘‘December 31, 2030’’. 15 SEC. 622. EXTENSION OF TEMPORARY EARLY RETIREMENT 16 AUTHORITY. 17 Section 4403(i) of the National Defense Authoriza- 18 tion Act for Fiscal Year 1993 (Public Law 102–484; 10 19 U.S.C. 1293 note) is amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 20 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2030’’. 21 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00257 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 258 •S 2296 RS SEC. 623. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE VOL- 1 UNTARY SEPARATION PAY AND BENEFITS. 2 Section 1175a(k)(1) of title 10, United States Code, 3 is amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 2025’’ and insert- 4 ing ‘‘December 31, 2030’’. 5 SEC. 624. DESIGNATION OF UNITED STATES ARMY GARRI- 6 SON KWAJALEIN ATOLL AS REMOTE AND ISO- 7 LATED MILITARY INSTALLATION. 8 (a) DESIGNATION.—Not later than 30 days after the 9 date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary 10 of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and the Secretary 11 of the Army, in coordination with the Commander of the 12 United States Army Pacific, shall designate United States 13 Army Garrison Kwajalein Atoll as a remote and isolated 14 military installation. 15 (b) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 30 days after the 16 date on which the designation described in subsection (a) 17 is completed, the Secretary of the Army shall submit a 18 notification to the congressional defense committees con- 19 firming completion of the designation. 20 (c) BRIEFING REQUIRED.—Not later than 90 days 21 after the date on which the Secretary of the Army submits 22 the notification described in subsection (b), the Com- 23 mander of the United States Army Pacific shall brief the 24 congressional defense committees on adjustments to De- 25 partment of Defense resourcing for and support to United 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00258 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 259 •S 2296 RS States Army Garrison Kwajalein Atoll as a result of the 1 designation described in subsection (a). 2 (d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘remote 3 and isolated military installation’’ means a military instal- 4 lation determined to be remote and isolated pursuant to 5 the criteria set forth in Department of Defense Instruc- 6 tions 1015.10 and 1015.18, dated July 6, 2009, and May 7 30, 2024, respectively. 8 SEC. 625. DESIGNATION OF CREECH AIR FORCE BASE AS A 9 REMOTE OR ISOLATED INSTALLATION. 10 The Secretary of Defense shall designate Creech Air 11 Force Base, Indian Springs, Nevada, as a remote or iso- 12 lated installation. 13 SEC. 626. PROVISION OF COUNSELING ON HOUSING FOR 14 MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES. 15 Section 992 of title 10, United States Code, is 16 amended— 17 (1) in subsection (b)(2), by adding at the end 18 the following new subparagraph: 19 ‘‘(C) The Secretary concerned may, subject to the ap- 20 plicable requirements of this section, enter into contracts 21 to provide counseling under this paragraph with individ- 22 uals and organizations that provide counseling with re- 23 spect to housing, including— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00259 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 260 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(i) organizations that are certified under sec- 1 tion 106(e) of the Housing and Urban Development 2 Act of 1968 (12 U.S.C. 1701x(e)); and 3 ‘‘(ii) other individuals and organizations the 4 Secretary concerned determines are qualified to pro- 5 vide helpful, unbiased counseling with respect to 6 housing.’’; and 7 (2) in subsection (f)(3), by striking ‘‘and mort- 8 gages’’ and inserting ‘‘mortgages, and other finan- 9 cial products related to the purchase or lease of a 10 primary residence (and information on fees related 11 to such products)’’. 12 SEC. 627. PROGRAM TO PROVIDE GOVERNMENT-FUNDED 13 TRANSPORTATION FOR CERTAIN MEMBERS 14 OF THE ARMED FORCES STATIONED OVER- 15 SEAS. 16 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall es- 17 tablish a program to provide Government-funded trans- 18 portation for unaccompanied members of the Armed 19 Forces from designated overseas locations to the members’ 20 homes of record, or to other locations of comparable or 21 lesser cost, in accordance with this section. 22 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—Transportation under this section 23 may be provided to a member of the Armed Forces who— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00260 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 261 •S 2296 RS (1) is assigned to an overseas duty location des- 1 ignated by the Secretary for purposes of this section; 2 (2) is serving an unaccompanied tour of at least 3 24 consecutive months at such location, including 4 any authorized extensions; and 5 (3) is otherwise eligible in accordance with im- 6 plementing regulations prescribed by the Secretary. 7 (c) TRANSPORTATION MODE.—Transportation under 8 this section may be provided using military air in accord- 9 ance with established space-available policies or through 10 commercial air travel, as determined appropriate by the 11 Secretary. 12 (d) LIMITATIONS.—The Secretary may prescribe lim- 13 itations on the number of authorized trips per overseas 14 tour, and may restrict travel during certain periods at the 15 beginning or end of such tours. 16 (e) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary shall pre- 17 scribe regulations to implement this section, including the 18 designation of eligible overseas duty locations and speci- 19 fied destinations. 20 (f) ADDITIONAL LIMITATIONS.—Transportation pro- 21 vided under this section shall be subject to applicable re- 22 strictions, including compliance with the Department of 23 Defense Foreign Clearance Guide, and limitations on the 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00261 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 262 •S 2296 RS use of Government travel cards for any leisure-related ex- 1 penses. 2 SEC. 628. PROHIBITION ON PROCUREMENT AND COM- 3 MISSARY SALES OF SEAFOOD ORIGINATING 4 OR PROCESSED IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC 5 OF CHINA. 6 (a) PROHIBITION ON PROCUREMENT OF SEAFOOD 7 ORIGINATING OR PROCESSED IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUB- 8 LIC OF CHINA FOR MILITARY DINING FACILITIES.— 9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided by para- 10 graph (2) or (3), the Secretary of Defense may not 11 enter into a contract for the procurement of seafood 12 that originates or is processed in the People’s Re- 13 public of China for use in military dining facilities, 14 including galleys onboard United States naval ves- 15 sels. 16 (2) EXCEPTIONS.— 17 (A) UNDUE BURDEN.—The Secretary of 18 Defense, or a designee of the Secretary, may 19 grant exceptions to the prohibition under para- 20 graph (1) to facilities on military installations 21 located outside of the United States if such pro- 22 hibition would unduly burden or prevent sea- 23 food from being served at such facility. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00262 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 263 •S 2296 RS (B) UNITED STATES VESSELS VISITING 1 FOREIGN PORTS.—The Secretary of Defense, or 2 a designee of the Secretary, may grant excep- 3 tions to the prohibition under paragraph (1) to 4 United States vessels visiting foreign ports. 5 (3) WAIVER.—The Secretary of Defense may 6 waive the prohibition under paragraph (1). 7 (b) PROHIBITION ON SALES OF SEAFOOD ORIGI- 8 NATING IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AT COM- 9 MISSARY STORES.— 10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 2484 of title 10, 11 United States Code, is amended by adding at the 12 end the following new subsection: 13 ‘‘(l) PROHIBITION ON SALES OF SEAFOOD ORIGI- 14 NATING IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA.— 15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided by 16 paragraph (2), raw or processed seafood or seafood 17 products originating in the People’s Republic of 18 China may not be sold at commissary stores. 19 ‘‘(2) WAIVER.—The Secretary of Defense may 20 waive the prohibition under paragraph (1).’’. 21 (2) BRIEFING ON COMPLIANCE.—Section 22 2481(c)(4) of such title is amended— 23 (A) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘; 24 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00263 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 264 •S 2296 RS (B) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as 1 subparagraph (F); and 2 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (D) 3 the following new subparagraph (E): 4 ‘‘(E) an assessment of compliance with the 5 prohibition under section 2484(l) of this title; 6 and’’. 7 (3) TRANSITION RULES.— 8 (A) APPLICABILITY.—The prohibition 9 under subsection (l) of section 2484 of title 10, 10 United States Code, as added by paragraph (1), 11 shall apply on and after the date that is 30 12 days after the date of the enactment of this 13 Act. 14 (B) DISPOSAL OF REMAINING STOCK.— 15 The Director of the Defense Commissary Agen- 16 cy may determine how to dispose of any stock 17 covered by the prohibition under subsection (l) 18 of section 2484 of title 10, United States Code, 19 as added by paragraph (1), that remains as of 20 the date described in subparagraph (A). 21 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The prohibitions under this 22 section, and the amendments made by this section, shall 23 take effect 90 days after the date of the enactment of this 24 Act. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00264 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 265 •S 2296 RS TITLE VII—HEALTH CARE 1 PROVISIONS 2 Subtitle A—TRICARE, Brain 3 Health, and Other Health Care 4 Benefits 5 SEC. 701. INCLUSION OF ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS IN 6 NOTIFICATIONS TO MODIFY SCOPE OF SERV- 7 ICES PROVIDED AT MILITARY MEDICAL 8 TREATMENT FACILITIES. 9 Section 1073d(f)(2) of title 10, United States Code, 10 is amended— 11 (1) by striking ‘‘information demonstrating’’; 12 (2) by striking ‘‘the extent’’ and all that follows 13 through the period at the end and inserting ‘‘the fol- 14 lowing:’’; and 15 (3) by adding at the end the following: 16 ‘‘(A) An endorsement from the Chairman of the 17 Joint Chiefs of Staff that the proposed modification 18 will have no effect on operational requirements of 19 the armed forces. 20 ‘‘(B) An endorsement from the Surgeon Gen- 21 eral of the military department concerned that the 22 proposed modification will have no effect on the 23 training or readiness of military medical personnel 24 in the military department concerned. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00265 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 266 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(C) An assessment from the Director of the 1 Defense Health Agency that explains how members 2 of the armed forces and covered beneficiaries receiv- 3 ing services at the facility will continue to receive 4 care.’’. 5 SEC. 702. EXPANSION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR HEARING AIDS 6 TO INCLUDE CHILDREN OF RETIRED MEM- 7 BERS OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES EN- 8 ROLLED IN FAMILY COVERAGE UNDER 9 TRICARE SELECT. 10 Section 1077(a)(16)(B)(ii) of title 10, United States 11 Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘or TRICARE Select’’ be- 12 fore the period at the end. 13 SEC. 703. ASSESSMENT OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND SO- 14 CIAL HEALTH CONDITIONS OF MILITARY 15 PERSONNEL AND THEIR FAMILIES ASSIGNED 16 TO CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, NEVADA. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Air Force, 18 in coordination with the Director of the Defense Health 19 Agency, shall assess the behavioral health and social 20 health conditions of members of the Air Force assigned 21 to Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, and their families re- 22 lated to such assignment. 23 (b) TOOLS USED.—In carrying out the assessment 24 required under subsection (a), the Secretary of the Air 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00266 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 267 •S 2296 RS Force shall use tools such as site assistance visits, behav- 1 ioral health epidemiological consultations, and community- 2 wide assessments. 3 (c) ELEMENTS OF ASSESSMENT.—The assessment 4 required under subsection (a) shall— 5 (1) establish the behavioral health and social 6 health outcomes that impact individual, family, and 7 unit readiness at Creech Air Force Base; 8 (2) identify factors, to include unique social and 9 occupational stressors, affecting the behavioral 10 health and social health of members of the Air Force 11 and their families stationed at Creech Air Force 12 Base; and 13 (3) make recommendations to address those 14 factors and to improve the health and readiness of 15 members of the Air Force and their families sta- 16 tioned at Creech Air Force Base, and in doing so, 17 advancing the readiness of the Air Force. 18 (d) BRIEFING.—Not later than March 1, 2026, the 19 Secretary of the Air Force shall brief the Committees on 20 Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Represent- 21 atives on the methods used to conduct the assessment re- 22 quired under subsection (a) and on the findings and rec- 23 ommendations of the assessment. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00267 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 268 •S 2296 RS SEC. 704. AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE SEXUAL ASSAULT MED- 1 ICAL FORENSIC EXAMINATIONS ON A NONRE- 2 IMBURSABLE BASIS TO CERTAIN OTHERWISE 3 INELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS. 4 (a) AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE FORENSIC EXAMINA- 5 TIONS.—The Secretary of Defense, in accordance with 6 regulations prescribed by the Secretary, shall authorize 7 medical personnel of the Department of Defense to pro- 8 vide sexual assault medical forensic examinations, in a 9 military medical treatment facility on a nonreimbursable 10 basis, to an individual who— 11 (1) is not otherwise eligible for health care from 12 the Department; 13 (2) reports a sexual assault offense for which 14 the Defense Criminal Investigative Service may ini- 15 tiate an investigation; and 16 (3) is eligible for a forensic examination in ac- 17 cordance with those regulations. 18 (b) ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS.—The regulations pre- 19 scribed under subsection (a) may provide for the handling, 20 storage, and transfer to law enforcement of a completed 21 sexual assault medical forensic examination kit. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00268 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 269 •S 2296 RS SEC. 705. FERTILITY TREATMENT FOR CERTAIN MEMBERS 1 OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES AND DEPEND- 2 ENTS. 3 (a) FERTILITY TREATMENT.—Chapter 55 of title 10, 4 United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 5 1074o the following new section: 6 ‘‘§ 1074p. Fertility treatment for certain active duty 7 members of the uniformed services and 8 their dependents 9 ‘‘(a) COVERAGE.—The Secretary of Defense shall en- 10 sure that fertility-related care for a member of the uni- 11 formed services on active duty (or a dependent of such 12 a member) shall be covered under TRICARE Prime and 13 TRICARE Select. 14 ‘‘(b) IN VITRO FERTILIZATION.—In the case of in 15 vitro fertilization treatment furnished to an individual 16 pursuant to subsection (a), coverage under such sub- 17 section shall include— 18 ‘‘(1) not fewer than three completed oocyte re- 19 trievals; and 20 ‘‘(2) unlimited embryo transfers provided in ac- 21 cordance with the guidelines of the American Society 22 for Reproductive Medicine, using single embryo 23 transfer when recommended and medically appro- 24 priate. 25 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00269 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 270 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(1) The term ‘infertility’ means a disease, con- 1 dition, or status characterized by— 2 ‘‘(A) the failure to establish a pregnancy 3 or to carry a pregnancy to live birth after reg- 4 ular, unprotected sexual intercourse in accord- 5 ance with the guidelines of the American Soci- 6 ety for Reproductive Medicine; 7 ‘‘(B) the inability of an individual to repro- 8 duce without medical intervention either as a 9 single individual or with the partner of the indi- 10 vidual; or 11 ‘‘(C) the findings of a licensed physician 12 based on the medical, sexual, and reproductive 13 history, age, physical findings, or diagnostic 14 testing of the individual. 15 ‘‘(2) The term ‘fertility-related care’ means— 16 ‘‘(A) the diagnosis of infertility; and 17 ‘‘(B) fertility treatment. 18 ‘‘(3) The term ‘fertility treatment’ includes the 19 following: 20 ‘‘(A) In vitro fertilization or other treat- 21 ments or procedures in which human oocytes, 22 embryos, or sperm are handled when clinically 23 appropriate. 24 ‘‘(B) Sperm retrieval. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00270 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 271 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(C) Egg retrieval. 1 ‘‘(D) Preservation of human oocytes, em- 2 bryos, or sperm. 3 ‘‘(E) Artificial insemination, including 4 intravaginal insemination, intracervical insemi- 5 nation, and intrauterine insemination. 6 ‘‘(F) Transfer of reproductive genetic ma- 7 terial. 8 ‘‘(G) Medications as prescribed or nec- 9 essary for fertility. 10 ‘‘(H) Fertility treatment coordination. 11 ‘‘(I) Such other information, referrals, 12 treatments, procedures, testing, medications, 13 laboratory services, technologies, and services 14 facilitating reproduction as determined appro- 15 priate by the Secretary of Defense.’’. 16 (b) PROGRAM ON FERTILITY TREATMENT COORDI- 17 NATION.—Chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, is 18 amended by adding at the end the following new section: 19 ‘‘§ 1110c. Program on fertility-related care coordina- 20 tion 21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall 22 establish a program on the coordination of fertility-related 23 care by the Secretary for purposes of ensuring patients 24 receive timely fertility-related care. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00271 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 272 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(b) TRAINING AND SUPPORT.—In carrying out the 1 program established under subsection (a), the Secretary 2 shall provide to community health care providers training 3 and support with respect to the unique needs of members 4 of the uniformed services and the dependents of such 5 members. 6 ‘‘(c) FERTILITY-RELATED CARE DEFINED.—In this 7 section, the term ‘fertility-related care’ has the meaning 8 given that term in section 1074p(c) of this title.’’. 9 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1079(a) of 10 title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 11 end the following new paragraph: 12 ‘‘(21) Fertility-related care shall be provided in 13 accordance with section 1074p of this title.’’. 14 (d) EXCLUSION FROM CONTRACTS FOR FORMER 15 MEMBERS AND THEIR DEPENDENTS.—Section 1086 of 16 title 10, United States Code, is amended— 17 (1) in subsection (c), in the matter preceding 18 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘subsection (d)’’ and in- 19 serting ‘‘subsections (d) and (j)’’; and 20 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub- 21 section: 22 ‘‘(j) A plan contracted for under subsection (a) may 23 not include coverage for services under section 1074p of 24 this title for former members of the uniformed services 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00272 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 273 •S 2296 RS or dependents of former members of the uniformed serv- 1 ices.’’. 2 (e) REGULATIONS.—Not later than one year after the 3 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 4 shall prescribe regulations or subregulatory guidance re- 5 garding the implementation of the amendments made by 6 this section. 7 (f) APPLICATION.—The amendments made by this 8 section shall apply with respect to services provided on or 9 after October 1, 2027. 10 (g) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec- 11 tion or the amendments made by this section shall be con- 12 strued— 13 (1) to provide new benefits to or alter existing 14 benefits for former members of the uniformed serv- 15 ices or the dependents of former members of the 16 uniformed services; or 17 (2) to authorize the Secretary of Defense to 18 make payments related to human cloning, artificial 19 womb technology, or international surrogacy. 20 SEC. 706. RESTRICTION ON PERFORMANCE OF SEX 21 CHANGE SURGERIES. 22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 55 of title 10, United 23 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1093 24 the following new section: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00273 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 274 •S 2296 RS ‘‘§ 1093a. Performance of sex change surgeries: re- 1 strictions 2 ‘‘(a) RESTRICTION ON USE OF FUNDS.—Funds 3 available to the Department of Defense may not be used 4 to perform or facilitate sex change surgeries. 5 ‘‘(b) RESTRICTION ON USE OF FACILITIES.—No 6 military medical treatment facility or other facility of the 7 Department of Defense may be used to perform or facili- 8 tate a sex change surgery.’’. 9 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 10 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 11 after the item relating to section 1093 the following new 12 item: 13 ‘‘1093a. Performance of sex change surgeries: restrictions.’’. Subtitle B—Health Care 14 Administration 15 SEC. 711. CODIFICATION OF POSITION OF DIRECTOR OF 16 THE DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1073c of title 10, United 18 States Code, is amended— 19 (1) by redesignating subsections (a) through (j) 20 as subsections (b) through (k), respectively; 21 (2) by inserting before subsection (b), as redes- 22 ignated by paragraph (1), the following: 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00274 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 275 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(a) DIRECTOR OF THE DEFENSE HEALTH AGEN- 1 CY.—(1) There is in the Defense Health Agency a Direc- 2 tor. 3 ‘‘(2) The Director of the Defense Health Agency 4 shall— 5 ‘‘(A) be a military officer and hold a rank that 6 is the same or greater than the rank of any officer 7 serving as the Surgeon General of a military depart- 8 ment under section 7036, 8031, or 9036 of this title; 9 and 10 ‘‘(B) be a joint qualified officer in accordance 11 with section 661 of this title.’’; 12 (3) in subsection (b), as redesignated by para- 13 graph (1)— 14 (A) in paragraph (1), in the matter pre- 15 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘, by not 16 later than September 30, 2021’’; 17 (B) in paragraph (2), in the matter pre- 18 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘, com- 19 mencing when the Director begins to exercise 20 responsibilities under that paragraph,’’; and 21 (C) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘sub- 22 sections (b) and (c)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsections 23 (c) and (d)’’; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00275 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 276 •S 2296 RS (4) in subsection (f), as so redesignated, in the 1 matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Not 2 later than September 30, 2024, and subject to sub- 3 section (f)’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject to subsection 4 (g)’’; 5 (5) in subsection (g), as so redesignated, in the 6 matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘sub- 7 section (e)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (f)’’; and 8 (6) in subsection (h), as so redesignated, by 9 striking ‘‘subsection (e)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub- 10 section (f)(1)’’. 11 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 12 1091a(b)(2) of such title is amended by striking ‘‘section 13 1073c(i)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 1073c(k)’’. 14 SEC. 712. ESTABLISHMENT OF POLICIES FOR PRIORITY AS- 15 SIGNMENT OF MEDICAL PERSONNEL OF DE- 16 PARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall es- 18 tablish policies for the priority assignment of medical per- 19 sonnel of the Department of Defense. 20 (b) APPLICATION TO MILITARY DEPARTMENTS.— 21 The Secretary of each military department shall assign 22 medical personnel within that military department con- 23 sistent with the policies established under subsection (a) 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00276 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 277 •S 2296 RS and in coordination with the Director of the Defense 1 Health Agency. 2 (c) REASSIGNMENT.— 3 (1) IN GENERAL.—If, in the judgment of the 4 Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military de- 5 partment fails to comply with the assignment prior- 6 ities established under subsection (a), the Secretary 7 may authorize the Director of the Defense Health 8 Agency to reassign medical personnel of that mili- 9 tary department in accordance with the policies es- 10 tablished under subsection (a). 11 (2) BRIEFING.—Not later than 90 days after 12 the effective date of any reassignment under para- 13 graph (1), the Director of the Defense Health Agen- 14 cy shall brief the Committees on Armed Services of 15 the Senate and the House of Representatives on 16 such reassignment. 17 SEC. 713. GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP 18 DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM. 19 (a) DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM REQUIRED.—Not- 20 withstanding section 1104 of title 10, United States Code, 21 the Secretary of Defense shall seek to establish a dem- 22 onstration program to expand partnerships between cov- 23 ered medical facilities of the Department of Defense and 24 the Department of Veterans Affairs. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00277 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 278 •S 2296 RS (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the demonstration 1 program under subsection (a) is to increase case volume 2 for graduate medical education programs of the Depart- 3 ment of Defense. 4 (c) PARAMETERS.—In seeking to establish a dem- 5 onstration program under subsection (a), the Secretary of 6 Defense shall make efforts to ensure the following: 7 (1) Credentialing and privileging of medical 8 personnel as necessary to work in any covered med- 9 ical facility. 10 (2) Expedited access to installations of the De- 11 partment of Defense for the purpose of providing 12 medical care under the demonstration program to 13 non-Department of Defense beneficiaries. 14 (3) Inclusion of ‘‘in-kind’’ or non-cash payment 15 or reimbursement for expenses incurred under the 16 demonstration program. 17 (d) ANNUAL BRIEFING.—Not later than December 1, 18 2026, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Defense 19 shall provide to the Committees on Armed Services of the 20 Senate and the House of Representatives a briefing on the 21 implementation of this section. 22 (e) COVERED MEDICAL FACILITY DEFINED.—In this 23 section, the term ‘‘covered medical facility’’ means— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00278 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 279 •S 2296 RS (1) a medical facility of the Department of De- 1 fense with a certified graduate medical education 2 program; and 3 (2) any medical facility of the Department of 4 Veterans Affairs. 5 (f) SUNSET.—This section shall terminate on Sep- 6 tember 30, 2032. 7 SEC. 714. MODIFICATION OF ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICAL 8 MALPRACTICE CLAIMS BY MEMBERS OF THE 9 UNIFORMED SERVICES. 10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2733a of title 10, United 11 States Code, is amended— 12 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘subsection 13 (h)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (i)’’; 14 (2) in subsection (b)(6), by striking ‘‘subsection 15 (h)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (i)’’; 16 (3) in subsection (d)(1), by striking ‘‘subsection 17 (h)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (i)’’; 18 (4) by re-designating subsections (g) through 19 (k) as subsections (h) through (l), respectively; and 20 (5) by inserting after subsection (f) the fol- 21 lowing new subsection: 22 ‘‘(g) APPEALS.—(1) Any appeal from the denial of 23 a claim under this section shall be considered by a third- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00279 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 280 •S 2296 RS party review board jointly established by the Judge Advo- 1 cates General of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. 2 ‘‘(2) The third-party review board established under 3 paragraph (1) shall consist of not more than five members, 4 all of whom possess sufficient legal or medical background, 5 or both. 6 ‘‘(3) A claimant under this section that seeks an ap- 7 peal under paragraph (1) may submit the appeal directly 8 to the third-party review board established under such 9 paragraph. 10 ‘‘(4) In considering an appeal from the denial of a 11 claim under this section, the third-party review board es- 12 tablished under paragraph (1) shall, at the request of the 13 claimant, allow for a hearing on the merits of the appeal 14 in an adversarial nature. 15 ‘‘(5) The Secretary of Defense shall provide to a 16 claimant seeking an appeal under paragraph (1) a copy 17 of any response to the appeal that is submitted on behalf 18 of the Department of Defense. 19 ‘‘(6) The third-party review board established under 20 paragraph (1) shall not consist of any member of the uni- 21 formed services or civilian employee of the Department of 22 Defense.’’. 23 (b) APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS.—Not later than 24 180 days after the effective date described in subsection 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00280 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 281 •S 2296 RS (d), the Judge Advocates General of the Army, the Navy, 1 and the Air Force shall jointly appoint members to the 2 board established under subsection (g)(1) of section 2733a 3 of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection 4 (a)(5). 5 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the es- 6 tablishment of the board required under subsection (g)(1) 7 of section 2733a of title 10, United States Code, as added 8 by subsection (a)(5), the Secretary of Defense shall submit 9 to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and 10 the House of Representatives a report indicating— 11 (1) the membership of the board; 12 (2) the qualifying background of each member 13 of the board; and 14 (3) a statement indicating the independence of 15 each member of the board from the Department of 16 Defense. 17 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section, and the amend- 18 ments made by this section, shall take effect on the date 19 that is 10 years after the date of the enactment of this 20 Act. 21 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00281 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 282 •S 2296 RS SEC. 715. IMPROVEMENT OF TRANSITION OF MEDICS IN 1 THE ARMED FORCES TO THE CIVILIAN WORK- 2 FORCE IN HEALTH CARE OCCUPATIONS. 3 (a) RECOMMENDATIONS REQUIRED.—The Secretary 4 concerned, in consultation with each of the States 5 (through the Defense-State Liaison Office of the Depart- 6 ment of Defense), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the 7 Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Sec- 8 retary of Labor, shall develop recommendations to improve 9 the transition of medics under the jurisdiction of the Sec- 10 retary concerned into the civilian workforce in health care 11 occupations, including as certified nurse aides, licensed 12 practical nurses, or medical assistants. 13 (b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out subsection 14 (a), the Secretary concerned shall— 15 (1) identify any barriers— 16 (A) to improving the ability of the Sec- 17 retary concerned to determine and communicate 18 how the military credentials and experience of 19 a medic separating from the Armed Forces 20 translate to credentialed civilian employment in 21 health care occupations; 22 (B) that exist to the standardization 23 among the Armed Forces of military medic cre- 24 dentials and experience and the alignment of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00282 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 283 •S 2296 RS such credentials and experience to credentialed 1 civilian employment in health care occupations; 2 (C) that exist to ensuring members of the 3 Armed Forces with military medic credentials 4 and experience have earned the equivalent civil- 5 ian credential prior to separation from the 6 Armed Forces in addition to receiving their 7 military credentials; 8 (D) to the increased establishment and up- 9 take of accelerated or bridge programs to assist 10 separating members of the Armed Forces in 11 translating military credentials and experience 12 into civilian health care credentials and employ- 13 ment; 14 (E) to increasing the availability and ac- 15 cessibility of preparatory activities under the 16 SkillBridge program established under section 17 1143(e) of title 10, United States Code, in the 18 health care sector for members of the Armed 19 Forces preparing for separation, to include— 20 (i) the approval timeline for sepa- 21 rating members to participate in 22 SkillBridge programs in the health care 23 sector; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00283 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 284 •S 2296 RS (ii) requirements to return to their 1 duty station for out-processing; and 2 (F) to providing information on civilian 3 health care credentials and employment under 4 the Transition Assistance Program to medics 5 separating from the Armed Forces, including 6 information on State-by-State licensing and 7 credentialing; and 8 (2) consider the potential impact of— 9 (A) clarification by States through legisla- 10 tion, actions of State licensing boards, or ac- 11 tions of State credentialing boards of the civil- 12 ian equivalents of certain military credentials 13 and experience in health care; 14 (B) implementation, including through 15 State-provided incentives, of accelerated pro- 16 grams to bridge military medic credentials and 17 experience with civilian health care credentials 18 and licenses; 19 (C) financial support or incentives by 20 States to increase the availability and accessi- 21 bility of such programs; 22 (D) requiring the military departments to 23 align military health care credentials with civil- 24 ian equivalents; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00284 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 285 •S 2296 RS (E) requiring the Department of Veterans 1 Affairs and the Department of Labor to track 2 and report the number of separated members of 3 the Armed Forces with health care-related mili- 4 tary credentials and experience who continue in 5 the civilian health care sector, including the 6 type of employment they pursue. 7 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 8 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned shall 9 submit to the relevant committees of Congress a report 10 containing— 11 (1) the recommendations developed under sub- 12 section (a); and 13 (2) a plan to implement those recommenda- 14 tions. 15 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 16 (1) MEDIC.—The term ‘‘medic’’ means a mem- 17 ber of the Armed Forces acting in a clinical health 18 care-related occupation while serving in the Armed 19 Forces. 20 (2) RELEVANT COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS.— 21 The term ‘‘relevant committees of Congress’’ 22 means— 23 (A) the Committee on Armed Services, the 24 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00285 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 286 •S 2296 RS portation, the Committee on Health, Education, 1 Labor, and Pensions, and the Committee on 2 Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate; and 3 (B) the Committee on Armed Services, the 4 Committee on Education and the Workforce, 5 and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 6 House of Representatives. 7 (3) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term ‘‘Sec- 8 retary concerned’’ means— 9 (A) the Secretary of Defense, with respect 10 to matters concerning the Department of De- 11 fense; and 12 (B) the Secretary of Homeland Security, 13 with respect to matters concerning the Coast 14 Guard when it is not operating as a service in 15 the Department of the Navy. 16 (4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 17 the several States, the District of Columbia, the 18 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States 19 Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, or the 20 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands 21 that have a Defense-State Liaison Office. 22 (5) TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.—The 23 term ‘‘Transition Assistance Program’’ means the 24 program of the Department of Defense for pre-sepa- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00286 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 287 •S 2296 RS ration counseling, employment assistance, and other 1 transitional services provided under sections 1142 2 and 1144 of title 10, United States Code. 3 SEC. 716. IMPROVEMENT OF PROVIDER DIRECTORY ACCU- 4 RACY FOR SPECIALTY CARE PROVIDERS 5 UNDER THE TRICARE PROGRAM. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—By not later than five years after 7 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the 8 Defense Health Agency (in this section referred to as the 9 ‘‘Director’’) shall ensure that the accuracy of the provider 10 directory under the TRICARE program for all specialty 11 care provider types reaches an average accuracy across all 12 specialty care providers of not less than 70 percent. 13 (b) MEASUREMENT OF ACCURACY.—Average accu- 14 racy under subsection (a) shall be measured biannually 15 and shall be disaggregated by provider type for each spe- 16 cialty care provider group. 17 (c) INCLUSION IN CONTRACTS.—The Director shall 18 ensure that each managed care contract under the 19 TRICARE program includes requirements that the man- 20 aged care contractor comply with the accuracy require- 21 ment under subsection (a), including by requiring each 22 such contractor to— 23 (1) conduct comprehensive outreach campaigns, 24 to include electronic and non-electronic means, and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00287 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 288 •S 2296 RS mass email campaigns to network providers pro- 1 viding— 2 (A) information relating to T–5 Contract 3 penalties associated with inaccurate provider di- 4 rectory information; 5 (B) resources; and 6 (C) direct links for providers to update 7 their directory information; 8 (2) make it a condition of joining the 9 TRICARE network managed by such contractor for 10 providers to validate their provider directory infor- 11 mation not less frequently than quarterly; 12 (3) ensure that when providers file for reim- 13 bursement, such providers are prompted to review 14 and verify their directory accuracy; and 15 (4) create a mechanism by which beneficiaries 16 under the TRICARE program can report provider 17 directory inaccuracy to the contractor. 18 (d) OTHER METHODS.—The Director shall carry out 19 any other methods that the Director finds useful for the 20 improvement of provider directory accuracy. 21 (e) TESTING OF DIRECTORY INFORMATION.—Not 22 less frequently than quarterly, the Inspector General of 23 the Department of Defense shall conduct random tests, 24 encompassing all specialty care provider types, of the accu- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00288 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 289 •S 2296 RS racy of information relating to specialty care providers 1 contained in the provider directory under the TRICARE 2 program. 3 (f) REPORTS AND BRIEFINGS.— 4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 5 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and an- 6 nually thereafter, the Director shall submit a report 7 and provide a briefing to the Committees on Armed 8 Services of the Senate and the House of Representa- 9 tives on progress towards reaching the average accu- 10 racy target required under subsection (a). 11 (2) ELEMENTS.—Each report under paragraph 12 (1) shall include, at a minimum, the following: 13 (A) A description of the techniques that 14 are most effective in improving accuracy of pro- 15 vider directories. 16 (B) An identification of the authorities or 17 tools that the Defense Health Agency lacks for 18 improving such accuracy. 19 (C) An identification of challenges specific 20 to each specialty care provider type that limit 21 such accuracy. 22 (D) An assessment of the impact of efforts 23 of the Defense Health Agency towards improv- 24 ing such accuracy on providers either leaving 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00289 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 290 •S 2296 RS the TRICARE program or on the willingness of 1 non-network providers to join the TRICARE 2 program. 3 (g) COMPTROLLER GENERAL REVIEW.—Not later 4 than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 5 and annually thereafter, the Comptroller General of the 6 United States shall— 7 (1) conduct a holistic review of provider direc- 8 tory accuracy under the TRICARE program to 9 measure the progress of the Director towards meet- 10 ing the requirement under subsection (a); and 11 (2) submit to Congress a report on the review 12 conducted under paragraph (1). 13 SEC. 717. REVIEW OF DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS UNDER 14 PROCESSES AND FORMS RELATING TO 15 HEALTH CARE PROVIDER CREDENTIALING 16 AND PRIVILEGING OF DEPARTMENT OF DE- 17 FENSE. 18 (a) REVIEW.—Not later than 180 days after the date 19 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 20 shall review all processes and forms relating to health care 21 provider credentialing and privileging of covered appli- 22 cants to— 23 (1) identify questions, required disclosures, or 24 other information required to be provided by the ap- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00290 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 291 •S 2296 RS plicant that asks or requires the applicant to disclose 1 mental, behavioral, psychological, or other related 2 health conditions of the applicant, including require- 3 ments contained in— 4 (A) applications for credentialing, peer ref- 5 erence, or competency assessment; and 6 (B) employee manuals, guidance, and poli- 7 cies of the Department of Defense governing 8 the requirements for credentialing, privileging, 9 or employment of health care providers; 10 (2) review and compare credentialing, peer ref- 11 erence, and competency assessment forms for health 12 care providers across the military departments and 13 the Defense Health Agency, including a review of— 14 (A) which forms require disclosure of men- 15 tal, behavioral, psychological, or other related 16 health conditions; and 17 (B) whether such disclosure of mental, be- 18 havioral, psychological, or other related health 19 conditions include past and current diagnoses 20 and treatment. 21 (b) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 22 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 23 shall submit to Congress a report containing the following: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00291 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 292 •S 2296 RS (1) The findings of the review require under 1 subsection (a). 2 (2) A detailed plan outlining steps the Sec- 3 retary has taken or will take, including a timeline 4 for completion of such steps, to update the processes 5 and forms reviewed under such subsection to refrain 6 from requiring disclosures of mental, behavioral, 7 psychological, or other related health conditions 8 when there is no current impairment, including an 9 identification of the steps the Secretary will take to 10 engage advocates outside the Department of Defense 11 who have subject matter expertise. 12 (c) COVERED APPLICANT DEFINED.—In this section, 13 the term ‘‘covered applicant’’ means an applicant for a 14 position as a health care provider who— 15 (1) is required to go through a credentialing 16 and privileging process; and 17 (2) provides care— 18 (A) at a military medical treatment facility 19 or other clinic of the Department of Defense; or 20 (B) through the civilian network of the 21 TRICARE program (as defined in section 1072 22 of title 10, United States Code). 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00292 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 293 •S 2296 RS Subtitle C—Reports and Other 1 Matters 2 SEC. 721. STRATEGIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE MEDICAL RE- 3 SEARCH PLAN. 4 (a) PLAN.—Not later than 90 days after the date on 5 which the President submits a budget for fiscal year 2027 6 to Congress pursuant to section 1105(a) of title 31, 7 United States Code, the Secretary of Defense, in consulta- 8 tion with the Secretary of each military department, shall 9 submit to the congressional defense committees a com- 10 prehensive, strategic infectious disease medical research 11 plan (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Plan’’). 12 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The Plan shall de- 13 scribe— 14 (1) all infectious disease medical research con- 15 ducted by the Department of Defense, including the 16 coordination process, to ensure that such research is 17 linked to— 18 (A) military readiness; 19 (B) joint force requirements; and 20 (C) relevance to individuals eligible for 21 care at military medical treatment facilities or 22 through the TRICARE program (as defined in 23 section 1072(7) of title 10, United States 24 Code); 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00293 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 294 •S 2296 RS (2) the infectious disease research projects 1 funded under the Defense Health Program Account 2 under section 1100 of title 10, United States Code, 3 including projects under— 4 (A) the Congressional Directed Medical 5 Research Program of the Department of De- 6 fense; 7 (B) the Defense Advanced Research 8 Projects Agency; 9 (C) the United States Army Medical Re- 10 search Institute of Infectious Diseases; 11 (D) the Chemical and Biological Defense 12 Program; and 13 (E) the Defense Threat Reduction Agency; 14 (3) the process for ensuring synergy across the 15 military medical research community— 16 (A) to address gaps in military infectious 17 disease research; 18 (B) to minimize duplication of research; 19 (C) to promote collaboration within re- 20 search focus areas; and 21 (D) to leverage and modernize the existing 22 medical research and development infrastruc- 23 ture of the Department of Defense; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00294 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 295 •S 2296 RS (4) the efforts of the Secretary to coordinate 1 with other Federal departments and agencies to in- 2 crease awareness of complementary infectious dis- 3 ease research efforts that are being carried out by 4 the Federal Government. 5 (c) BUDGET DISPLAY INFORMATION.—The Secretary 6 shall submit to the President, in conjunction with the ma- 7 terials of the Department of Defense supporting the fiscal 8 year 2027 budget request submitted to Congress by the 9 President pursuant to section 1105(a) of title 31, United 10 States Code, and annually thereafter in conjunction with 11 each subsequent budget request through fiscal year 2032, 12 a detailed budget for carrying out the Plan that includes— 13 (1) the resources necessary for infectious dis- 14 ease medical research to carry out the activities de- 15 scribed in subsection (b) for the applicable fiscal 16 year and the 4 following fiscal years, disaggregated 17 by the activities described in paragraphs (1) through 18 (4) of subsection (b); 19 (2) with respect to procurement accounts— 20 (A) amounts displayed by account, budget 21 activity, line number, line item, and line item 22 title; and 23 (B) a description of the requirements for 24 such amounts specific to the Plan; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00295 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 296 •S 2296 RS (3) with respect to research, development, test, 1 and evaluation accounts— 2 (A) amounts displayed by account, budget 3 activity, line number, program element, and 4 program element title; and 5 (B) a description of the requirements for 6 such amounts specific to the Plan; 7 (4) with respect to operation and maintenance 8 accounts— 9 (A) amounts displayed by account title, 10 budget activity title, line number, and sub- 11 activity group title; and 12 (B) a description of the specific manner in 13 which such amounts will be used; 14 (5) with respect to military personnel ac- 15 counts— 16 (A) amounts displayed by account, budget 17 activity, budget subactivity, and budget sub- 18 activity title; and 19 (B) a description of the requirements for 20 such amounts specific to the Plan; 21 (6) with respect to each project under military 22 construction accounts, the country, location, project 23 title, and project amount by fiscal year; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00296 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 297 •S 2296 RS (7) with respect to the activities described in 1 subsection (b)— 2 (A) amounts displayed by account title, 3 budget activity title, line number, and sub- 4 activity group title; and 5 (B) a description of the specific manner in 6 which such amounts will be used; 7 (8) with respect to each military department— 8 (A) amounts displayed by account title, 9 budget activity title, line number, and sub- 10 activity group title; and 11 (B) a description of the specific manner in 12 which such amounts will be used; 13 (9) with respect to the amounts described in 14 each of paragraphs (2)(A), (3)(A), (4)(A), (5)(A), 15 (6), (7)(A), and (8)(A) for a fiscal year— 16 (A) a comparison between— 17 (i) the amount requested in the budg- 18 et of the President for such fiscal year; 19 and 20 (ii) the amount projected in the pre- 21 viously submitted budget request of the 22 President for such fiscal year; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00297 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 298 •S 2296 RS (B) a detailed summary of the amounts 1 obligated for the Plan during the most recently 2 concluded fiscal year; and 3 (C) a detailed comparison between— 4 (i) the amounts obligated for the Plan 5 during the most recently concluded fiscal 6 year; and 7 (ii) the amounts requested for the 8 Plan in the budget of the President for the 9 applicable fiscal year. 10 SEC. 722. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR JOINT DEPART- 11 MENT OF DEFENSE–DEPARTMENT OF VET- 12 ERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL FACILITY DEM- 13 ONSTRATION FUND. 14 Section 1704(e) of the National Defense Authoriza- 15 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111–84; 123 16 Stat. 2573), as most recently amended by section 1421 17 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and 18 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 19 (Public Law 118–159), is amended by striking ‘‘Sep- 20 tember 30, 2026’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2027’’. 21 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00298 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 299 •S 2296 RS SEC. 723. PILOT PROGRAM ON WASTEWATER SURVEIL- 1 LANCE SYSTEM OF DEPARTMENT OF DE- 2 FENSE. 3 (a) PILOT PROGRAM REQUIRED.—Commencing not 4 later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 5 this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall carry out a pilot 6 program under which the Secretary shall develop and im- 7 plement a comprehensive wastewater surveillance system 8 at not fewer than four installations of a military depart- 9 ment at which the Secretary seeks to improve the testing, 10 identification, and analysis of usage of covered drugs and 11 to identify the prevalence of infectious diseases among 12 members of the Armed Forces at the installation (in this 13 section referred to as the ‘‘pilot program’’). 14 (b) TECHNOLOGIES AND DATA SYSTEM USED.—In 15 carrying out the pilot program, the Secretary shall ensure 16 the system developed and implemented under subsection 17 (a) is comprised of appropriate technologies and a uniform 18 data system across the Department of Defense. 19 (c) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out the 20 pilot program, the Secretary shall establish, at a min- 21 imum— 22 (1) at least one wastewater surveillance system 23 for monitoring of use of covered drugs at one instal- 24 lation; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00299 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 300 •S 2296 RS (2) at least one wastewater surveillance system 1 for monitoring of infectious diseases at one installa- 2 tion. 3 (d) DURATION.—The pilot program shall be carried 4 out during a two-year period beginning on the date of the 5 commencement of the pilot program. 6 (e) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the termi- 7 nation of the pilot program, the Secretary shall submit 8 to the congressional defense committees a report that in- 9 cludes the following: 10 (1) A summary of the findings from the waste- 11 water surveillance system under the pilot program. 12 (2) Recommendations for interventions or policy 13 changes based on trends observed under the pilot 14 program. 15 (3) An assessment of the effectiveness of the 16 pilot program in enhancing force health protection 17 and readiness. 18 (f) COVERED DRUG DEFINED.—In this section, the 19 term ‘‘covered drug’’— 20 (1) except as provided in paragraph (2), means 21 a drug included on schedule I or schedule II estab- 22 lished under section 202 of the Controlled Sub- 23 stances Act (21 U.S.C. 812); and 24 (2) does not include a drug that— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00300 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 301 •S 2296 RS (A) was newly included on such schedule I 1 or schedule II; 2 (B) was previously approved under section 3 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic 4 Act (21 U.S.C. 355); and 5 (C) received such approval not later than 6 20 years before the date of the enactment of 7 this Act. 8 TITLE VIII—ACQUISITION POLICY, ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT, AND RELATED MATTERS Subtitle A—Acquisition Policy and Management Sec. 801. Transition of program executive officer role to portfolio acquisition executive. Sec. 802. Capstone requirements. Sec. 803. Modification to acquisition strategy. Sec. 804. Modifications to modular open systems approach. Sec. 805. Alternative test and evaluation pathway for designated defense acqui- sition programs. Sec. 806. Department of Defense member of Cost Accounting Standards Board. Sec. 807. Combatant command experimentation authority. Subtitle B—Amendments to General Contracting Authorities, Procedures, and Limitations Sec. 821. Modification to nontraditional defense contractor definitions. Sec. 822. Financing for covered activities. Sec. 823. Exemptions for nontraditional defense contractors. Sec. 824. Modifications to treatment of certain products and services as com- mercial products and commercial services. Sec. 825. Modifications to commercial products and commercial services. Sec. 826. Modifications to commercial solutions openings. Sec. 827. Modifications to other transactions. Sec. 828. Modifications to procurement for experimental purposes. Sec. 829. Consumption-based solutions. Sec. 830. Modifications to prohibition on contracting with persons that have fossil fuel operations with the Government of the Russian Fed- eration or the Russian energy sector. Sec. 831. Modifications to relationship of other provisions of law to procure- ment of commercial products and commercial services. Sec. 832. Limitation on required flowdown of contract clauses to subcontractors providing commercial products or commercial services. Sec. 833. References in contracts to Department of Defense policy documents, instructions, and manuals. Sec. 834. Uninsurable risk on certain contracts. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00301 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 302 •S 2296 RS Sec. 835. Reporting of price increases. Sec. 836. Instructions for continued operational readiness. Sec. 837. Indemnification of contractors against nuclear and unusually haz- ardous risks. Sec. 838. Late submission of cost and pricing data as invalid defense to con- tract price reductions for defective cost or pricing data. Sec. 839. Modifications to submissions of cost or pricing data. Subtitle C—Industrial Base Matters Sec. 841. Repeal of limitations on certain Department of Defense Executive Agent authority. Sec. 842. Small unmanned aircraft system industrial base remediation plan. Sec. 843. Application of national security waiver for strategic materials sourcing requirement to sensitive materials. Sec. 844. Prohibition on acquisition of clothing and fabric from countries of concern under domestic-sourcing waivers. Sec. 845. Mitigation of risks related to foreign ownership, control, or influence of Department of Defense contractors or subcontractors. Sec. 846. Prohibition of procurement of molybdenum, gallium, or germanium from non-allied foreign nations and authorization for produc- tion from recovered material. Sec. 847. Sourcing options for certain critical products. Sec. 848. Prohibiting the purchase of photovoltaic modules or inverters from Foreign Entities of Concern. Sec. 849. Modernization of Army arsenals. Sec. 849A. Modifications to Defense Industrial Base Fund. Subtitle D—Small Business Matters Sec. 851. APEX Accelerators. Subtitle E—Other Matters Sec. 861. Clarification of procurement prohibition related to acquisition of ma- terials mined, refined, and separated in certain countries. Sec. 862. Independent study on the acquisition workforce of the Department of Defense. Sec. 863. Expedited acceptance program for supply chain illumination. Sec. 864. Simultaneous conflicts critical munitions report. Sec. 865. Permanent extension and modification of demonstration and proto- typing program to advance international product support capa- bilities in a contested logistics environment. Sec. 866. Estimate of ally and partner demand for United States-produced mu- nitions and specified expendables. Sec. 867. Reform of contractor performance information requirements. Sec. 868. Repeals of existing law to streamline the defense acquisition process. Sec. 869. Enhancement of defense supply chain resilience and secondary source qualification. Sec. 870. Enhanced product support management for integrated sustainment of weapon systems. Sec. 871. Modifications to current defense acquisition requirements. Sec. 872. Minimum production levels for munitions. Sec. 873. Processes for incentivizing contractor expansion of sources of supply. Sec. 874. Duty-free entry of supplies procured by Department of Defense. Sec. 875. Other transaction authority reporting. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00302 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 303 •S 2296 RS Sec. 876. Assessment of competitive effects of defense contractor transactions. Sec. 877. Evaluation of TP-Link telecommunications equipment for designation as covered telecommunications equipment or services. Sec. 878. Country-of-origin disclosure requirements for generic drugs purchased by the Department of Defense. Sec. 879. Phase-out of computer and printer acquisitions involving entities owned or controlled by China. Sec. 880. Prohibition on operation, procurement, and contracting related to for- eign-made additive manufacturing machines. TITLE VIII—ACQUISITION POL- 1 ICY, ACQUISITION MANAGE- 2 MENT, AND RELATED MAT- 3 TERS 4 Subtitle A—Acquisition Policy and 5 Management 6 SEC. 801. TRANSITION OF PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICER 7 ROLE TO PORTFOLIO ACQUISITION EXECU- 8 TIVE. 9 (a) DEFINITION.—Section 1737(a) of title 10, United 10 States Code, is amended by striking paragraph (4) and 11 inserting the following: 12 ‘‘(4) The term ‘portfolio acquisition executive’ 13 refers to the member of the acquisition workforce re- 14 sponsible for the overall management of require- 15 ments, programming, and acquisition of defense ac- 16 quisition capabilities. These capabilities are assigned 17 by the service acquisition executive or component ac- 18 quisition executive. The portfolio acquisition execu- 19 tive has direct control over all necessary officials and 20 functional support, including the ability to provide 21 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00303 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 304 •S 2296 RS input into performance evaluations, to the maximum 1 extent practicable. This authority provides them with 2 all necessary authority to develop, procure, and sus- 3 tain military capabilities. For purposes of managing 4 requirements, the portfolio acquisition executive is 5 subject to the authority, direction, and control of the 6 chief of the military service, while remaining under 7 the overall authority, direction, and control of the 8 service acquisition executive or component acquisi- 9 tion executive. The Secretary of Defense shall ensure 10 a minimum of non-statutory guidance and approvals 11 issued by officials external to the portfolio acquisi- 12 tion executives.’’. 13 (b) CRITICAL ACQUISITION POSITIONS.—Section 14 1731(a)(1)(B)(i) of title 10, United States Code, is 15 amended by striking ‘‘Program executive officer’’ and in- 16 serting ‘‘Portfolio acquisition executive’’. 17 (c) POSITION QUALIFICATIONS.—Section 1735(c) of 18 title 10, United States Code, is amended— 19 (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘PRO- 20 GRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICERS’’ and inserting ‘‘PORT- 21 FOLIO ACQUISITION EXECUTIVE’’; and 22 (2) by striking ‘‘program executive officer’’ and 23 inserting ‘‘portfolio acquisition executive’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00304 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 305 •S 2296 RS (d) GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE OF CERTAIN AC- 1 QUISITION FUNCTIONS.—Section 1706(a) of title 10, 2 United States Code, is amended— 3 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Program ex- 4 ecutive officer’’ and inserting ‘‘Portfolio acquisition 5 executive’’; and 6 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘Deputy pro- 7 gram executive officer’’ and inserting ‘‘Deputy port- 8 folio acquisition executive’’. 9 (e) DUTIES RELATED TO CADRE OF INTELLECTUAL 10 PROPERTY EXPERTS.—Section 1707(c) of title 10, United 11 States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘program executive 12 officer’’ and inserting ‘‘portfolio acquisition executive’’. 13 (f) PORTFOLIO ACQUISITION EXECUTIVE OFFICE .— 14 Section 1509 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense 15 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117– 16 263; 10 U.S.C. 167b) is amended— 17 (1) by striking ‘‘program executive office’’ each 18 place that it appears and inserting ‘‘portfolio acqui- 19 sition executive office’’; and 20 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘PROGRAM 21 EXECUTIVE OFFICE’’ in the subsection heading and 22 inserting ‘‘PORTFOLIO ACQUISITION EXECUTIVE OF- 23 FICE’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00305 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 306 •S 2296 RS (g) TECHNOLOGY RELEASE AND FOREIGN DISCLO- 1 SURE REFORM INITIATIVE.—Section 918(a)(2)(D)(ii) of 2 the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 3 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 10 U.S.C. 301 note) is amend- 4 ed by striking ‘‘program executive officer’’ and inserting 5 ‘‘portfolio acquisition executive’’. 6 (h) SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AND SOFTWARE AC- 7 QUISITION TRAINING AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS.— 8 Section 862 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 9 Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 116–92; 10 U.S.C. 1741 10 note) is amended— 11 (1) in subsection (a)(2)(A), by striking ‘‘pro- 12 gram executive officers’’ and inserting ‘‘portfolio ac- 13 quisition executives’’; and 14 (2) in subsection (c)(1)— 15 (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 16 ‘‘PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICER’’ and inserting 17 ‘‘PORTFOLIO ACQUISITION EXECUTIVE’’; and 18 (B) by striking ‘‘program executive officer’’ 19 and inserting ‘‘portfolio acquisition executive’’. 20 (i) AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH DIFFERENT MINIMUM 21 REQUIREMENTS.—Section 1764(b)(2) of title 10, United 22 States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘Program executive 23 officer’’ and inserting ‘‘Portfolio acquisition executive’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00306 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 307 •S 2296 RS (j) PRIZES FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY ACHIEVE- 1 MENTS.—Section 4025(g)(2)(C) of title 10, United States 2 Code, is amended by striking ‘‘program executive officer’’ 3 both places it appears and inserting ‘‘portfolio acquisition 4 executive’’. 5 (k) RATING CHAINS FOR SYSTEM PROGRAM MAN- 6 AGERS.—Section 323 of the National Defense Authoriza- 7 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (Public Law 112–239; 126 8 Stat. 1696) is amended by striking ‘‘program executive 9 officer’’ and inserting ‘‘portfolio acquisition executive’’. 10 (l) SPACE SYSTEM ACQUISITION AND THE ADAPTIVE 11 ACQUISITION FRAMEWORK.—Section 807 of the William 12 M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act 13 for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283; 10 U.S.C. 14 9081 note) is amended— 15 (1) in subsection (b)(1)— 16 (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 17 ‘‘PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICER’’ and inserting 18 ‘‘PORTFOLIO ACQUISITION EXECUTIVE’’; and 19 (B) by striking ‘‘program executive officer’’ 20 and inserting ‘‘portfolio acquisition executive’’; 21 and 22 (2) in subsection (e)(6)— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00307 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 308 •S 2296 RS (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 1 ‘‘PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICER’’ and inserting 2 ‘‘PORTFOLIO ACQUISITION EXECUTIVE’’; and 3 (B) by striking ‘‘program executive officer’’ 4 and inserting ‘‘portfolio acquisition executive’’. 5 SEC. 802. CAPSTONE REQUIREMENTS. 6 Chapter 221 of title 10, United States Code, is 7 amended by adding at the end the following new section: 8 ‘‘§ 3209. Capstone requirements 9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of each military 10 department shall establish a capstone requirement ap- 11 proach for three or more portfolio acquisition executives 12 for which that official has responsibility to enable greater 13 speed, agility, and innovation in fielding military capabili- 14 ties. Each such capstone requirement shall be established 15 in consultation with the Joint Requirements Oversight 16 Council. 17 ‘‘(b) ELEMENTS.—Under the capstone requirements 18 for an acquisition portfolio, the Secretary of the military 19 department shall— 20 ‘‘(1) develop a general set of requirements for 21 the acquisition portfolio in accordance with sub- 22 section (c) under which programs or projects may be 23 initiated; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00308 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 309 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(2) authorize the portfolio acquisition execu- 1 tive or similar portfolio manager for the portfolio to 2 change the scope and requirements for programs 3 within the portfolio, subject to subsection (d); 4 ‘‘(3) assign representatives of operational forces 5 to the acquisition portfolio and authorize them to 6 perform the functions specified in subsection (e); 7 ‘‘(4) maximize commercial market research, the 8 use of commercial and nondevelopmental items, and 9 minimum viable products to shape capability scope 10 and requirements; 11 ‘‘(5) authorize the portfolio acquisition execu- 12 tive or similar portfolio manager to resource and ac- 13 quire commercial or non-developmental items under 14 the capstone requirement by validating the need with 15 the representatives assigned under paragraph (3); 16 ‘‘(6) manage information technology require- 17 ments using dynamically prioritized lists of user 18 needs rather than large static requirements docu- 19 ments; and 20 ‘‘(7) iteratively define, prioritize, and refine re- 21 quirements at the portfolio, program, and iteration 22 levels based on user input, previous deliveries, and 23 continuous commercial market research. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00309 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 310 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(c) CAPSTONE SET OF REQUIREMENTS.—The cap- 1 stone set of requirements for an acquisition portfolio de- 2 veloped under subsection (b)(1) shall be designed— 3 ‘‘(1) to guide the iterative delivery of an inte- 4 grated suite of capabilities to maximize operational 5 impact; 6 ‘‘(2) to provide enduring themes based on stra- 7 tegic needs and relevant concepts of operation, not 8 system-specific; 9 ‘‘(3) to include measures of force effectiveness 10 for a force mix of capabilities to be measured 11 against; and 12 ‘‘(4) to include kill chains, effects chains, vi- 13 gnettes of operational scenarios, the effect of timely 14 delivery of capability, and related mission engineer- 15 ing initiatives across the Department of Defense. 16 ‘‘(d) AUTHORITY TO REVISE PROGRAMS WITHIN A 17 PORTFOLIO.—The authority under subsection (b)(2)— 18 ‘‘(1) shall be carried out in consultation with 19 operational commands and the Joint Requirements 20 Oversight Council; and 21 ‘‘(2) does not include authority to change key 22 performance parameters for a major defense acquisi- 23 tion program. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00310 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 311 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(e) FUNCTIONS OF OPERATIONAL REPRESENTA- 1 TIVES.—An operational representative assigned to an ac- 2 quisition portfolio under subsection (b)(3) shall be pro- 3 vided authority— 4 ‘‘(1) to shape the vision and priorities for key 5 capability areas; 6 ‘‘(2) to provide the acquisition community and 7 developers insights into operations; 8 ‘‘(3) to provide feedback on interim develop- 9 ments; 10 ‘‘(4) to validate the suitability of existing com- 11 mercial or non-developmental items, or the likelihood 12 that the commercial market may be enticed to 13 produce those items, or, as a last resort, validate 14 that no commercial vendor will ever produce a suit- 15 able product and a developmental program is nec- 16 essary; 17 ‘‘(5) to foster collaboration among the acquisi- 18 tion community, developers, and users of the capa- 19 bility to be fielded; and 20 ‘‘(6) to provide advice to the portfolio acquisi- 21 tion executive or similar portfolio manager.’’. 22 SEC. 803. MODIFICATION TO ACQUISITION STRATEGY. 23 (1) Section 4211 of title 10, United States 24 Code, is amended— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00311 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 312 •S 2296 RS (1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘the Under 1 Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 2 Sustainment, or the milestone decision authority, 3 when the milestone decision authority is the service 4 acquisition executive of the military department that 5 is managing the program,’’ and inserting ‘‘the port- 6 folio acquisition executive, or the decision authority, 7 when the decision authority is the service acquisition 8 executive of the military department or the Under 9 Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 10 Sustainment,’’; 11 (2) in subsection (c)— 12 (A) in paragraph (1)— 13 (i) by striking ‘‘the Under Secretary, 14 or the milestone decision authority, when 15 the milestone decision authority is the 16 service acquisition executive of the military 17 department that is managing the pro- 18 gram,’’ and inserting ‘‘the portfolio acqui- 19 sition executive, or the decision authority, 20 when the decision authority is the service 21 acquisition executive of the military depart- 22 ment or the Under Secretary of Defense 23 for Acquisition and Sustainment,’’; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00312 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 313 •S 2296 RS (ii) by amending subparagraph (A) to 1 read as follows: 2 ‘‘(A) the strategy clearly describes the pro- 3 posed business case and capability management 4 approach for the program or system, and to the 5 maximum extent practicable, describes how a 6 portfolio of capabilities within an enduring set 7 of requirements will be developed, procured, and 8 fielded rather than detailing a specific end- 9 item;’’; and 10 (iii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 11 ‘‘how the strategy is designed to be imple- 12 mented with available resources, such as 13 time, funding, and management capacity’’ 14 and inserting ‘‘the resources, such as time, 15 funding, and management capacity re- 16 quired to deliver the capability’’; and 17 (B) by amending paragraph (2) to read as 18 follows: 19 ‘‘(2) Each strategy shall, where appropriate, 20 consider the following: 21 ‘‘(A) An approach that delivers required 22 capabilities in increments, each depending on 23 available mature technology, and that recog- 24 nizes up front the need for future capability im- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00313 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 314 •S 2296 RS provements or transitions to alternative end- 1 items through use of continuous competition. 2 ‘‘(B) Requirements related to logistics, 3 maintenance, and sustainment in accordance 4 with sections 2464 and 2466 of this title, and 5 the acquisition of technical data, computer soft- 6 ware, and associated licenses, to enable such re- 7 quirements in accordance with sections 3771 8 through 3775 of this title. 9 ‘‘(C) A process for collaborative interaction 10 and market research with the science and tech- 11 nology community, including Department of 12 Defense science and technology reinvention lab- 13 oratories, government innovation cells, aca- 14 demia, small businesses, nontraditional defense 15 contractors, and other contractors. 16 ‘‘(D) Identification of enterprise-wide de- 17 signs and standards in support of an architec- 18 ture that provides for an integrated suite of ca- 19 pabilities that focuses on simplicity of imple- 20 mentation and speed of delivery. 21 ‘‘(E) Overarching roadmaps that create in- 22 tegrated strategic schedules of legacy systems 23 and new capabilities and a mapping of enduring 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00314 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 315 •S 2296 RS requirements to elements of the portfolio of ca- 1 pabilities. 2 ‘‘(F) A contracting strategy that develops 3 long-term partnerships with multiple companies 4 to actively contribute to architectures, develop- 5 ment, production, and sustainment across the 6 portfolio of capabilities by decomposing large 7 systems into smaller sets of projects across time 8 and technical component. 9 ‘‘(G) An assignment of roles and respon- 10 sibilities to the acquisition workforce within the 11 portfolio acquisition executive, identification of 12 external stakeholder dependencies, and the need 13 for subject matter expert inputs at critical 14 points in the program, including the need for 15 special hiring authority or advisory and assist- 16 ance services. 17 ‘‘(H) A process of testing and experimen- 18 tation with the test community and end users 19 to ensure continuous user feedback, acceptance, 20 and development of concepts of operations.’’; 21 and 22 (4) by striking subsections (d) and (e) and in- 23 serting the following: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00315 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 316 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(d) REVIEW.—The decision authority shall review 1 and approve, as appropriate, the acquisition strategy for 2 a major defense acquisition program or major system 3 prior to the acquisition decision memorandum and ensure 4 that the strategy is updated at regular intervals to incor- 5 porate significant changes to program requirements, 6 resourcing, or acquisition decisions. 7 ‘‘(e) DECISION AUTHORITY DEFINED.—In this sec- 8 tion, the term ‘decision authority’, with respect to a major 9 defense acquisition program or major system, means the 10 official within the Department of Defense designated with 11 the overall responsibility and authority for acquisition de- 12 cisions for the program or system, including authority to 13 approve entry of the program or system into the next 14 phase of the acquisition process.’’. 15 SEC. 804. MODIFICATIONS TO MODULAR OPEN SYSTEMS 16 APPROACH. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4401 of title 10, United 18 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 19 ‘‘§ 4401. Definitions 20 ‘‘In this chapter: 21 ‘‘(1) The term ‘authorized third party’ means 22 an entity approved by the Department of Defense to 23 access developer resources for integration or 24 sustainment. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00316 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 317 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(2) The term ‘industry standards’ means wide- 1 ly adopted technical standards or protocols from rec- 2 ognized organizations. 3 ‘‘(3) The term ‘machine-readable format’ means 4 a format that can be easily processed by a computer 5 without human intervention. 6 ‘‘(4) The term ‘major system component’ — 7 ‘‘(A) means a high-level subsystem or as- 8 sembly, including hardware, software, or an in- 9 tegrated assembly of both, that can be mounted 10 or installed on a major system platform through 11 modular system interfaces; and 12 ‘‘(B) includes a subsystem or assembly 13 that is likely to have additional capability re- 14 quirements, is likely to change because of evolv- 15 ing technology or threat, is needed for inter- 16 operability, facilitates incremental deployment 17 of capabilities, or is expected to be replaced by 18 another major system component. 19 ‘‘(5) The term ‘major system platform’ means 20 the highest level structure of a system that is not 21 physically mounted or installed onto a higher level 22 structure and on which a major system component 23 can be physically mounted or installed. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00317 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 318 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(6) The term ‘modular open systems approach 1 (MOSA)’ means a system design approach using 2 modular systems, enabling innovation and competi- 3 tion in the development, sustainment, or upgrade of 4 weapon systems. 5 ‘‘(7) The term ‘modular system’ refers to a 6 weapon system or weapon system component that— 7 ‘‘(A) is able to execute independently with- 8 out relying on the execution of other specific 9 systems or components; 10 ‘‘(B) can communicate across component 11 boundaries and through modular system inter- 12 faces; and 13 ‘‘(C) functions as a module that can be 14 separated, recombined, and connected with 15 other weapon systems or weapon systems com- 16 ponents in order to achieve various effects, mis- 17 sions, or capabilities. 18 ‘‘(8) The term ‘modular systems interfaces’ 19 means a shared boundary between modular systems, 20 defined by various physical, logical, and functional 21 characteristics, such as electrical, mechanical, 22 fluidic, optical, radio frequency, data, networking, or 23 software elements, that is free of proprietary restric- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00318 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 319 •S 2296 RS tions and documented via a machine-readable for- 1 mat, including— 2 ‘‘(A) software-defined interface syntax and 3 properties, specifically governing how values are 4 validly passed to and received; 5 ‘‘(B) definition of the relationship between 6 the delivered interface and interfaces available 7 in the repositories established pursuant to sec- 8 tion 4403 of this title; and 9 ‘‘(C) test cases, including example code, 10 demonstrating the proper use of the modular 11 systems interface. 12 ‘‘(9) The term ‘operational data’ means govern- 13 ment-owned data generated by or necessary for sys- 14 tem operation, maintenance, or enhancement.’’. 15 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—Section 4402 of title 10, 16 United States Code, is amended by striking subsections 17 (a) through (f) and inserting the following: 18 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM COMPLIANCE AND MOSA IMPLEMEN- 19 TATION.—(1) The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that 20 every major defense acquisition program (as defined in 21 section 4201 of this title) submits a modular open systems 22 approach (MOSA) implementation plan within its acquisi- 23 tion strategy, detailing compliance with this section. Other 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00319 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 320 •S 2296 RS defense acquisition programs shall incorporate MOSA to 1 the maximum extent practicable. 2 ‘‘(2) In the case of a major defense acquisition pro- 3 gram that uses a modular open system approach, the ac- 4 quisition strategy required under section 4211 of this title 5 shall— 6 ‘‘(A) clearly describe the modular open system 7 approach to be used for the program; 8 ‘‘(B) differentiate between the major system 9 platform and major system components being devel- 10 oped under the program, as well as major system 11 components developed outside the program that will 12 be integrated into the major defense acquisition pro- 13 gram; 14 ‘‘(C) clearly describe the evolution of major sys- 15 tem components that are anticipated to be added, 16 removed, or replaced in subsequent increments; 17 ‘‘(D) clearly describe security classification re- 18 quirements for each major system component as re- 19 lated to the modular system interface for that com- 20 ponent; 21 ‘‘(E) clearly describe how intellectual property 22 and related issues, such as technical data 23 deliverables, that are necessary to support a modular 24 open system approach, will be addressed; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00320 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 321 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(F) clearly describe the approach to systems 1 integration and systems-level configuration manage- 2 ment to ensure mission and information assurance. 3 ‘‘(3) Contracts for covered programs shall include en- 4 forceable clauses requiring delivery of data rights con- 5 sistent with sections 3771 through 3775 of this title and 6 modular systems interfaces as specified in subsection (c). 7 ‘‘(b) WAIVERS AND EXCEPTIONS.—The Secretary of 8 Defense may waive specific MOSA requirements, or devi- 9 ate from the requirements in subsection (c), for a program 10 only if— 11 ‘‘(1) deviation would demonstrably impair na- 12 tional security or operational capability; and 13 ‘‘(2) a detailed justification is submitted to the 14 congressional defense committees not later than 30 15 days after issuing the waiver. 16 ‘‘(c) MOSA REQUIREMENTS.—(1) All covered pro- 17 grams shall require the use of modular systems, includ- 18 ing— 19 ‘‘(A) modular systems interfaces published to 20 the repositories established pursuant to section 4403 21 of this title; 22 ‘‘(B) delivery of sufficient data rights to share 23 developer resources with authorized third parties for 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00321 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 322 •S 2296 RS government purposes, as determined by the Sec- 1 retary of Defense; 2 ‘‘(C) allowing for the use of existing industry 3 standards for interfaces where applicable; 4 ‘‘(D) government ownership of operational data 5 in a usable, nonproprietary format, extractable with- 6 out original equipment manufacturer dependency; 7 and 8 ‘‘(E) system designs allowing integration of new 9 or substitute modules with minimal manual reconfig- 10 uration, provided they conform to relevant modular 11 systems interfaces published to the repositories. 12 ‘‘(2) The Secretary of Defense, secretaries of military 13 departments, and commanders of combatant commands 14 with acquisition authorities shall not— 15 ‘‘(A) unless required for operational compat- 16 ibility with existing legacy systems, mandate specific 17 internal technical implementations, data structures, 18 defense specific standards, or formats beyond the 19 necessity that there are modular systems with mod- 20 ular systems interfaces published to the relevant re- 21 pository; or 22 ‘‘(B) permit contracts restricting government 23 control over developer resources or operational data, 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00322 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 323 •S 2296 RS or locking the government into a single vendor, ab- 1 sent a national security exemption. 2 ‘‘(3) Contractors providing modular systems shall 3 upload required modular systems interface data to an ap- 4 propriate repository. Contract closeout shall not occur 5 until such uploads are verified by the contracting officer. 6 ‘‘(d) IMPLEMENTATION AND FLEXIBILITY.—(1) Not 7 later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 8 subsection, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition 9 and Sustainment shall issue regulations and guidance to 10 implement this section across military departments, De- 11 fense agencies, and combatant commands. 12 ‘‘(2) The requirements of this section shall not apply 13 to programs with approved acquisition strategies at the 14 time of the date of the enactment of this subsection. 15 ‘‘(3) Requirements shall not prescribe specific tech- 16 nologies or limit contractor innovation, provided interface 17 documentation obligations are met, nor exclude new en- 18 trants or small businesses capable of compliance. 19 ‘‘(4) Requirements shall not force the use of industry 20 or consensus-based standards except as necessary to inter- 21 face with existing systems using such standards.’’. 22 (c) REPOSITORIES AND INTERFACE ACCESS.—Sec- 23 tion 4403 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00323 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 324 •S 2296 RS striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and inserting the fol- 1 lowing new paragraphs: 2 ‘‘(1) establish a federated set of digital reposi- 3 tories within the Department of Defense to store 4 modular systems interfaces required under sub- 5 section (c) of section 4402 of this title, which 6 shall— 7 ‘‘(A) feature authentication and access 8 controls to protect sensitive data; 9 ‘‘(B) enable contractors to publish and 10 manage their contributions (at approved access 11 levels) with accountability and version control; 12 ‘‘(C) be searchable and accessible to au- 13 thorized Department of Defense components 14 and contractors based on access levels; and 15 ‘‘(D) incorporate cybersecurity measures 16 consistent with Department of Defense stand- 17 ards; 18 ‘‘(2) ensure distribution of interfaces to pro- 19 mote interoperability, consistent with the require- 20 ments of section 3771 of this title, by— 21 ‘‘(A) providing access to interfaces and rel- 22 evant documentation in the repository estab- 23 lished in paragraph (1) to authorized Federal 24 Government and nongovernmental entities; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00324 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 325 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(B) restricting nongovernmental entities 1 that receive access under subparagraph (A) 2 from further release, disclosure, or use such 3 data except as authorized;’’. 4 SEC. 805. ALTERNATIVE TEST AND EVALUATION PATHWAY 5 FOR DESIGNATED DEFENSE ACQUISITION 6 PROGRAMS. 7 (a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Defense shall 8 issue guidance to establish an alternative test and evalua- 9 tion (T&E) pathway for certain Department of Defense 10 acquisition programs to enhance agility, accelerate deliv- 11 ery of capabilities, and ensure data-driven decisionmaking, 12 while maintaining independent oversight of evaluation out- 13 comes. 14 (b) ALTERNATIVE TEST AND EVALUATION PATH- 15 WAY.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish an alter- 16 native test and evaluation pathway for covered programs 17 that includes the following requirements: 18 (1) For each covered program, the military de- 19 partment concerned, through its service test activi- 20 ties, shall— 21 (A) design and execute a unified test and 22 evaluation strategy that aligns developmental 23 testing (DT) and operational testing (OT) to a 24 single set of test objectives that build system 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00325 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 326 •S 2296 RS understanding throughout the test program to 1 more effectively support capability delivery 2 within rapid prototyping and iterative updates 3 with early and continuous operational feedback; 4 (B) develop and execute a test data strat- 5 egy, updated as needed, that includes— 6 (i) collection of raw data from system 7 components during test events and oper- 8 ational activities, including submission of 9 industry derived data from their develop- 10 ment and testing evolutions; 11 (ii) evaluation criteria to assess the 12 mission effects and suitability of the sys- 13 tem based on the data to be collected, in- 14 cluding from live-fire test events, if appli- 15 cable; 16 (iii) a process for independently vali- 17 dating industry test results, if needed; 18 (iv) provision of resources for auto- 19 mated data collection, storage, and access; 20 and 21 (v) automated analytics tools to assess 22 performance trends, reliability, and main- 23 tenance needs; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00326 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 327 •S 2296 RS (C) incorporate, to the maximum extent 1 practicable, best practices such as— 2 (i) hardware-in-the-loop testing to 3 validate system integration; 4 (ii) continuous data collection from 5 prototypes and fielded systems to refine 6 designs and update lifecycle costs; 7 (iii) test subsystem prototypes 8 throughout system development to assess 9 their contribution to the mission effect of 10 the fielded system; and 11 (iv) integration of supporting or com- 12 plementary data from digital twins or 13 other model-based systems engineering 14 tools; 15 (D) define general test and evaluation ob- 16 jectives and data needs while allowing detailed 17 execution plans to evolve based on test results 18 and emerging requirements, avoiding rigid mile- 19 stone-driven schedules; and 20 (E) ensure all raw test data and associated 21 analytics are owned by the government, stored 22 in accessible repositories, and available to au- 23 thorized Department entities, including the Di- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00327 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 328 •S 2296 RS rector of Operational Test & Evaluation 1 (DOT&E), throughout the program lifecycle. 2 (2) Covered programs under this pathway shall 3 be exempt from— 4 (A) the requirement to develop and submit 5 a Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP) 6 under Department of Defense Instruction 7 5000.02 or other policies, provided a unified 8 test and evaluation strategy and data strategy 9 under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph 10 (1) are implemented; 11 (B) milestone-specific operational test 12 events, such as Initial Operational Test and 13 Evaluation (IOT&E), mandated under section 14 4171 of title 10, United States Code, or related 15 regulations; and 16 (C) any other test and evaluation docu- 17 mentation or approval processes that the Sec- 18 retary determines are inconsistent with the 19 agile and iterative nature of this pathway. 20 (c) ROLE OF THE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONAL TEST 21 AND EVALUATION.—For covered programs under the al- 22 ternative test and evaluation pathway designated for over- 23 sight by the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, 24 the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation shall— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00328 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 329 •S 2296 RS (1) provide independent evaluation of test data 1 across all phases of the program lifecycle, includ- 2 ing— 3 (A) assessing the sufficiency of the pro- 4 gram’s test and evaluation strategy and data 5 strategy to demonstrate military effectiveness; 6 (B) evaluating whether the program col- 7 lects and analyzes sufficient raw data, learns 8 from test results at a pace relevant to oper- 9 ational needs, and converges on military effec- 10 tiveness based on data trends; 11 (C) identifying deficiencies in test and 12 evaluation strategies that risk system perform- 13 ance, suitability, or survivability; and 14 (D) providing continuous oversight through 15 ongoing analysis of test data; 16 (2) have unrestricted access to all raw test 17 data, data repositories, and analytics maintained by 18 military departments for covered programs; 19 (3) not require of covered programs— 20 (A) specific test plans, execution methods, 21 or documentation formats or require pre-ap- 22 proval of test and evaluation activities as a con- 23 dition of testing, data collection, or evaluation; 24 or 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00329 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 330 •S 2296 RS (B) Director of Operational Test and Eval- 1 uation-approved Test and Evaluation Master 2 Plans or other pre-execution documentation 3 under existing policies; and 4 (4) include in its annual report to Congress 5 under section 139(h) of title 10, United States Code, 6 a summary of the adequacy of data strategies, rates 7 of learning, and risks that aligns with the evaluation 8 processes established in this section. 9 (d) GUIDANCE REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days 10 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 11 of Defense, in consultation with the Secretaries of the 12 military departments and the Director of Operational Test 13 and Evaluation, shall issue guidance to implement the al- 14 ternative test and evaluation pathway, including standards 15 for data strategies and modern testing practices and pro- 16 cedures to support evaluation by the Director of Oper- 17 ational Test and Evaluation under subsection (c)(2). 18 (e) REPORT.—Not later than three years after the 19 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 20 shall submit to the congressional defense committees a re- 21 port on the implementation of this section, including an 22 assessment of the effectiveness of the pathway in accel- 23 erating capability delivery and improving system perform- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00330 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 331 •S 2296 RS ance and any recommendations for expanding or modi- 1 fying the pathway. 2 (f) COVERED PROGRAM DEFINED.—In this section, 3 the term ‘‘covered program’’ means a defense acquisition 4 program that is— 5 (1) designated under the Software Acquisition 6 Pathway pursuant to section 3603 of title 10, 7 United States Code, initiated on or after the date of 8 the enactment of this Act; and 9 (2) designated by the Secretary of Defense on 10 or after the issuance of guidance under subsection 11 (d). 12 SEC. 806. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MEMBER OF COST AC- 13 COUNTING STANDARDS BOARD. 14 The Department of Defense representative on the 15 Cost Accounting Standards Board pursuant to section 16 1501 of title 41, United States Code, shall be the Director 17 of Defense Pricing, Contracting, and Acquisition Policy or 18 its successor organization. 19 SEC. 807. COMBATANT COMMAND EXPERIMENTATION AU- 20 THORITY. 21 (a) AUTHORITY.—Each commander of a combatant 22 command shall have the authority to conduct experimen- 23 tation, prototyping, and technology demonstrations to sup- 24 port the development and testing of innovative tech- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00331 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 332 •S 2296 RS nologies and capability solutions to address operational 1 needs identified by the combatant command. 2 (b) PROCEDURES.—For activities carried out under 3 subsection (a), the commander of a combatant command 4 may use— 5 (1) operation and maintenance funds, including 6 for the purchase of items having an investment item 7 unit cost not greater than the Office of the Under 8 Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) guidance regard- 9 ing threshold for determination of expense and in- 10 vestment costs; and 11 (2) special contracting authorities described in 12 section 843 of the National Defense Authorization 13 Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 10 14 U.S.C. 3601 note), provided that the procedures de- 15 scribed in such section are followed. 16 (c) RECOMMENDATION FOR FOLLOW-ON PRODUC- 17 TION.—Upon completion of an experiment, prototype, or 18 technology demonstration, if a combatant command sub- 19 mits a written determination that the demonstrated tech- 20 nology or capability successfully meets the operational 21 need of the combatant command, the written determina- 22 tion may be used to fulfill the following requirements: 23 (1) A justification for using other than competi- 24 tive procedures under section 3204 of title 10, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00332 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 333 •S 2296 RS United States Code, or follow-on production authori- 1 ties under section 4022 of such title, to acquire the 2 technology or capability which was successfully dem- 3 onstrated. 4 (2) A validated capability needs statement or 5 other requirement document. 6 Subtitle B—Amendments to Gen- 7 eral Contracting Authorities, 8 Procedures, and Limitations 9 SEC. 821. MODIFICATION TO NONTRADITIONAL DEFENSE 10 CONTRACTOR DEFINITIONS. 11 Section 3014 of title 10, United States Code, is 12 amended— 13 (1) by striking ‘‘means an entity that is not 14 currently performing’’ and inserting the following: 15 ‘‘means an entity that— 16 ‘‘(1) is not currently performing’’; and 17 (2) by striking ‘‘such section.’’ and inserting 18 the following: ‘‘such section; or 19 ‘‘(2) does not qualify as a covered segment as 20 defined under the Defense Federal Acquisition Reg- 21 ulation Supplement 231.205–18 or successor regula- 22 tion.’’. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00333 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 334 •S 2296 RS SEC. 822. FINANCING FOR COVERED ACTIVITIES. 1 (a) FINANCING COSTS.—Financing costs incurred for 2 a covered activity shall be allowable and allocable as a di- 3 rect or an indirect overhead cost for contracts and sub- 4 contracts of the Department of Defense, provided such 5 costs are— 6 (1) reasonable in amount and consistent with 7 prevailing market rates for similar financing; and 8 (2) incurred to pay a financing entity. 9 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 10 (1) The term ‘‘covered activity’’ means an activ- 11 ity taken by a prime contractor or subcontractor— 12 (A) to manage an inventory of completed 13 products or components used in production; 14 (B) to improve inventory management of 15 products or components necessary for 16 sustainment or maintenance; 17 (C) to materially expand the capacity of 18 production or sustainment and maintenance 19 through capital expenditures; or 20 (D) to carry out any other purpose identi- 21 fied by the Secretary of Defense. 22 (2) The term ‘‘financing costs’’ means interest 23 on borrowings, bond discounts, and costs of financ- 24 ing and refinancing capital. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00334 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 335 •S 2296 RS (3) The term ‘‘financing entity’’ means any cor- 1 poration, limited liability company, partnership, 2 trust, or other organization that is created under 3 Federal or State law and that, as part of its regular 4 business activities, extends credit, loans, or other 5 forms of financing to other persons or entities, pro- 6 vided that such legal entity is not owned by, con- 7 trolled by, or under common control with the person 8 or entity receiving such financing. 9 SEC. 823. EXEMPTIONS FOR NONTRADITIONAL DEFENSE 10 CONTRACTORS. 11 Nontraditional defense contractors, as defined by sec- 12 tion 3014 of title 10, United States Code, shall not be 13 subject to any of the following requirements: 14 (1) Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 15 Supplement 252.242–7006, or successor regulation. 16 (2) Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 17 Supplement 252.234–7002, or successor regulation. 18 (3) Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 19 Supplement 252.215–7002, or successor regulation. 20 (4) Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 21 Supplement 252.242–7004, or successor regulation. 22 (5) Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 23 Supplement 252.245–7003, or successor regulation. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00335 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 336 •S 2296 RS (6) Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 1 Supplement 252.244–7001, or successor regulation. 2 (7) Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 3 Supplement 252.242–7005, or successor regulation. 4 (8) Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 5 Supplement 215.407, or successor regulation. 6 (9) Section 3702 of title 10, United States 7 Code. 8 (10) Part 31 of the Federal Acquisition Regula- 9 tion, or successor regulation. 10 SEC. 824. MODIFICATIONS TO TREATMENT OF CERTAIN 11 PRODUCTS AND SERVICES AS COMMERCIAL 12 PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES. 13 Section 3457 of title 10, United States Code, is 14 amended— 15 (1) in subsection (a)— 16 (A) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ before ‘‘Notwith- 17 standing’’; 18 (B) by striking ‘‘may be treated’’ and in- 19 serting ‘‘shall be treated’’; and 20 (C) by adding at the end the following new 21 paragraph: 22 ‘‘(2) The requirement under paragraph (1) may be 23 waived or modified with a written determination approved 24 by the head of contracting activity, delegable to no lower 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00336 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 337 •S 2296 RS than the senior contracting official. The written deter- 1 mination shall include a justification for why commercial 2 procedures should be waived or modified, such as tailored 3 market research demonstrating that potential suppliers 4 could not effectively provide the required product or serv- 5 ices under commercial procedures.’’; 6 (2) by striking subsection (b); 7 (3) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub- 8 section (b); and 9 (4) by adding at the end the following new sub- 10 section: 11 ‘‘(c) PREFERENCE INAPPLICABLE.—The authority 12 under subsection (a)(1) shall not be construed to give pref- 13 erence to the purchase of a product or service pursuant 14 to section 3453 of this title solely on the basis that such 15 offered product or service is deemed commercial as a re- 16 sult of the exercise of such authority.’’. 17 SEC. 825. MODIFICATIONS TO COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS 18 AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES. 19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3453 of title 10, United 20 States Code, is amended— 21 (1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘procurement 22 officials in that agency,’’ and inserting ‘‘acquisition 23 officials in that agency, including consultants, re- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00337 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 338 •S 2296 RS searchers, and any individuals providing advisory 1 services to acquisition officials,’’; 2 (2) in subsection (c), by redesignating para- 3 graphs (3) through (5) as paragraphs (4) through 4 (6), respectively; 5 (3) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol- 6 lowing new paragraph: 7 ‘‘(3) The head of an agency shall establish a process 8 for determinations regarding the non-availability of com- 9 mercial products or services, including that— 10 ‘‘(A) a defense unique-development product or 11 service may not be procured until the head of the 12 agency determines that the market research con- 13 ducted in accordance with paragraph (2) of this sec- 14 tion resulted in no commercial product, commercial 15 service, or nondevelopmental item suitable to meet 16 the agency’s needs; and 17 ‘‘(B) prior to acquiring a defense-unique devel- 18 opment product or service, a program manager shall, 19 consistent with the policies and regulations of the 20 Department of Defense, submit a written memo- 21 randum summarizing why a defense-development 22 unique product is required based on results of the 23 determination in subparagraph (A), which shall be 24 signed by the program executive officer.’’; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00338 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 339 •S 2296 RS (4) by adding at the end the following new sub- 1 section: 2 ‘‘(f) DEFINITION.—The term ‘defense-unique devel- 3 opment’ means a Department of Defense financed product 4 or service to provide a defense-unique capability that does 5 not repurpose a commercial product, commercial service, 6 or nondevelopmental item.’’. 7 (b) DETERMINATIONS.—Section 3456 of title 10, 8 United States Code, is amended— 9 (1) in subsection (a), by amending paragraph 10 (2) to read as follows: 11 ‘‘(2) assist military departments and Defense 12 Agencies with performing market research and satis- 13 fying the requirements under section 3453 of this 14 title pertaining to market research and the deter- 15 mination regarding the non-availability of commer- 16 cial products or services and analysis used to deter- 17 mine the reasonableness of price for the purposes of 18 procurements by the Department of Defense.’’; and 19 (2) in subsection (b)(2), by inserting after the 20 first sentence the following: ‘‘The contracting officer 21 should consider the results summarized in the 22 memorandum issued by the program manager in ac- 23 cordance with the requirement in section 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00339 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 340 •S 2296 RS 3453(c)(3)(B) of this title when issuing the written 1 commercial or noncommercial determination.’’. 2 SEC. 826. MODIFICATIONS TO COMMERCIAL SOLUTIONS 3 OPENINGS. 4 Section 3458 of title 10, United States Code, is 5 amended— 6 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol- 7 lows: 8 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Defense and the 9 Secretaries of the military departments may acquire com- 10 mercial products, commercial services, and nondevelop- 11 mental items through a competitive selection of proposals 12 resulting from a general solicitation and the peer review, 13 technical review, or operational review (as appropriate) of 14 such proposals, and may issue, without further justifica- 15 tion, follow-on contract awards or agreements, including 16 sole source awards or agreements, to the recipient.’’; 17 (2) by striking subsection (e); 18 (3) by redesignating subsection (c) and (d) as 19 subsections (d) and (e), respectively; 20 (4) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol- 21 lowing new subsection: 22 ‘‘(c) SOLE-SOURCE FOLLOW-ON.—The Secretary of 23 Defense and the Secretaries of the military departments 24 may issue follow-on contract awards or agreements, in- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00340 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 341 •S 2296 RS cluding sole source awards, for any products, services, or 1 items acquired through the competitive procedures de- 2 scribed under subsection (a) subject to approval require- 3 ments in sections 3204 or 4022 of this title.’’. 4 (5) in subsection (d), as redesignated by para- 5 graph (2) of this section— 6 (A) by striking paragraph (1); and 7 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 8 (3) as paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively. 9 SEC. 827. MODIFICATIONS TO OTHER TRANSACTIONS. 10 Section 4022 of title 10, United States Code, is 11 amended— 12 (1) in subsection (a)(2)(B)(ii), by striking ‘‘at 13 least 30 days before’’ and inserting ‘‘at the time’’; 14 and 15 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub- 16 section: 17 ‘‘(j) AUTHORITY TO AWARD A PRODUCTION TRANS- 18 ACTION TO RAPIDLY FIELD AN EXISTING CAPABILITY.— 19 A production transaction may be awarded, with or without 20 the use of competitive procedures, to acquire emergent and 21 proven technologies and field production quantities of new 22 or upgraded systems that do not require additional devel- 23 opment and have been demonstrated in a relevant environ- 24 ment when the appropriate service or component acquisi- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00341 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 342 •S 2296 RS tion executive determines in writing that exceptional cir- 1 cumstances justify the use of such a transaction to address 2 a high priority warfighter need. The Secretary of Defense 3 shall provide the written determination to the congres- 4 sional defense committees at the time such authority is 5 exercised.’’. 6 SEC. 828. MODIFICATIONS TO PROCUREMENT FOR EXPERI- 7 MENTAL PURPOSES. 8 Section 4023 of title 10, United States Code, is 9 amended— 10 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘ordnance, 11 signal, chemical activity, transportation, energy, 12 medical, space flight, telecommunications, and aero- 13 nautical supplies, including parts and accessories, 14 and designs thereof,’’ and inserting ‘‘demonstrations, 15 prototypes, products, supplies, parts, accessories, 16 auxiliary services, and design for defense-related ar- 17 ticles’’; and 18 (2) in subsection (b)— 19 (A) by inserting ‘‘or modified’’ after ‘‘may 20 be made’’; and 21 (B) by inserting ‘‘prototyping,’’ after 22 ‘‘greater than necessary for’’. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00342 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 343 •S 2296 RS SEC. 829. CONSUMPTION-BASED SOLUTIONS. 1 Chapter 253 of title 10, United States Code, is 2 amended by adding at the end the following new section: 3 ‘‘§ 3605. Authority to acquire consumption-based so- 4 lutions 5 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Defense and the 6 Secretaries of the military departments may acquire tech- 7 nology-supported capabilities through consumption-based 8 solutions. 9 ‘‘(b) GUIDANCE REQUIRED.—The Secretary of De- 10 fense shall amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regu- 11 lation Supplement to implement the authority under sub- 12 section (a), including creating a new subcategory of serv- 13 ices under part 237 of the Defense Federal Acquisition 14 Regulation Supplement , entitled ‘Consumption-based so- 15 lutions’ that— 16 ‘‘(1) is any combination of hardware, equip- 17 ment, software, labor, or services that together pro- 18 vides a seamless capability; 19 ‘‘(2) has the ability to be metered and billed 20 based on actual usage; 21 ‘‘(3) has predetermined pricing at fixed price 22 units; 23 ‘‘(4) requires the awardee to notify the Depart- 24 ment of Defense contracting officer when consump- 25 tion under the contract reaches 75 percent and 90 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00343 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 344 •S 2296 RS percent of the funded amount, respectively, of the 1 contract; and 2 ‘‘(5) treats modifications to a contract entered 3 into under the authority established in subsection 4 (a) to add new features or capabilities in an amount 5 less than or equal to 25 percent of the total value 6 of such contract, as originally awarded, as competi- 7 tive procurements under chapter 221 of this title. 8 ‘‘(c) FUNDING.—Amounts authorized to be appro- 9 priated for acquisitions using the authority under sub- 10 section (a)— 11 ‘‘(1) may be used for expenses for— 12 ‘‘(A) research, development, test and eval- 13 uation; 14 ‘‘(B) procurement; 15 ‘‘(C) production; 16 ‘‘(D) modification; and 17 ‘‘(E) operation and maintenance; and 18 ‘‘(2) may be used to enter into incrementally 19 funded contracts or other agreements, including ad- 20 vanced payments. 21 ‘‘(d) CONSUMPTION-BASED SOLUTION DEFINED.—In 22 this section, the term ‘consumption-based solution’ means 23 a model under which a technology-supported capability is 24 provided to the Department of Defense and may utilize 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00344 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 345 •S 2296 RS any combination of software, hardware or equipment, 1 data, and labor or services that provides a capability that 2 is metered and billed based on actual usage at fixed price 3 units. 4 ‘‘(e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec- 5 tion shall be construed to prohibit the use of the authority 6 created under this section in combination with another 7 contract type provided for under the Defense Federal Ac- 8 quisition Regulation Supplement.’’. 9 SEC. 830. MODIFICATIONS TO PROHIBITION ON CON- 10 TRACTING WITH PERSONS THAT HAVE FOS- 11 SIL FUEL OPERATIONS WITH THE GOVERN- 12 MENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION OR THE 13 RUSSIAN ENERGY SECTOR. 14 Section 804 of the National Defense Authorization 15 Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 10 U.S.C. 16 4651 note prec.) is amended— 17 (1) in subsection (a)(1)— 18 (A) by striking ‘‘not less than 50 percent’’ 19 and inserting ‘‘majority’’; and 20 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘op- 21 erates’’ and inserting ‘‘has fossil fuel business 22 operations’’; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00345 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 346 •S 2296 RS (2) in subsection (b)(3), by inserting ″, includ- 1 ing by general license,″ after ‘‘Department of the 2 Treasury’’; and 3 (3) in subsection (e)— 4 (A) in paragraph (2)— 5 (i) by redesignating clauses (ii) and 6 (iii) as clauses (iii) and (iv), respectively; 7 and 8 (ii) by inserting after clause (i) the 9 following new clause: 10 ‘‘(ii) activities related to fulfilling con- 11 tracts with a fossil fuel company that has 12 fossil fuel business operations in the Rus- 13 sian Federation that were entered into 14 prior to the date of the enactment of this 15 section;’’ and 16 (B) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘that 17 has fossil fuel business operations’’ after ‘‘per- 18 son’’. 19 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00346 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 347 •S 2296 RS SEC. 831. MODIFICATIONS TO RELATIONSHIP OF OTHER 1 PROVISIONS OF LAW TO PROCUREMENT OF 2 COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL 3 SERVICES. 4 Section 3452 of title 10, United States Code, is 5 amended by striking subsections (b) through (e) and in- 6 serting the following new subsections: 7 ‘‘(b) APPLICABILITY OF DEFENSE-UNIQUE STAT- 8 UTES TO CONTRACTS FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND 9 COMMERCIAL SERVICES.—The Defense Federal Acquisi- 10 tion Regulation Supplement shall include a list of defense- 11 unique contract clause requirements based on statute, ex- 12 ecutive orders, or acquisition policies that are applicable 13 to contracts for the procurement of commercial products 14 and commercial services entered into by the Department 15 of Defense. 16 ‘‘(c) APPLICABILITY OF DEFENSE-UNIQUE STAT- 17 UTES TO SUBCONTRACTS FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS 18 AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES.—(1) The Defense Federal 19 Acquisition Regulation Supplement shall include a list of 20 defense-unique contract clause requirements based on 21 statute, executive orders, or acquisition policies that are 22 applicable to subcontracts for the procurement of commer- 23 cial products and commercial services. 24 ‘‘(2) In this subsection— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00347 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 348 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(A) the term ‘other supply agreements’ means 1 any agreement entered into by a contractor or sub- 2 contractor for the supply of products, materials, or 3 services that are intended for use in the performance 4 of multiple contracts with the Department of De- 5 fense or other parties and are not identifiable to any 6 particular contract; and 7 ‘‘(B) the term ‘subcontract’— 8 ‘‘(i) includes a transfer of commercial 9 products and commercial services between divi- 10 sions, subsidiaries, or affiliates of a contractor 11 or subcontractor; and 12 ‘‘(ii) does not include other supply agree- 13 ments. 14 ‘‘(3) This subsection does not authorize the waiver 15 of the applicability of any provision of law or contract 16 clause requirement with respect to any first-tier sub- 17 contract under a contract with a prime contractor reselling 18 or distributing commercial products and commercial serv- 19 ices of another contractor without adding value. 20 ‘‘(d) APPLICABILITY OF DEFENSE-UNIQUE STAT- 21 UTES TO CONTRACTS FOR COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE, 22 OFF-THE-SHELF ITEMS.—The Defense Federal Acquisi- 23 tion Regulation Supplement shall include a list of defense- 24 unique contract clause requirements based on statute, ex- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00348 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 349 •S 2296 RS ecutive orders, or acquisition policies that are applicable 1 to subcontracts for the procurement of commercially avail- 2 able off-the-shelf items entered into by the Department 3 of Defense.’’. 4 SEC. 832. LIMITATION ON REQUIRED FLOWDOWN OF CON- 5 TRACT CLAUSES TO SUBCONTRACTORS PRO- 6 VIDING COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS OR COM- 7 MERCIAL SERVICES. 8 Chapter 247 of title 10, United States Code, is 9 amended by adding at the end the following new section: 10 ‘‘§ 3459. Limitation on required flowdown of contract 11 clauses to subcontractors providing com- 12 mercial products or commercial services 13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense may 14 not require that a clause be included in a subcontract for 15 the acquisition of commercial products or commercial serv- 16 ices other than a clause required by a provision of law 17 that is on the lists required by section 3452 of this title 18 or unless otherwise applicable pursuant to subsection (e) 19 of such section. 20 ‘‘(b) APPLICABILITY TO OTHER SUPPLY AGREE- 21 MENTS.—The Secretary of Defense shall not require the 22 flowdown of any contract clauses to other supply agree- 23 ments unless otherwise applicable pursuant to subsection 24 (e) of section 3452 of this title. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00349 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 350 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘other 1 supply agreement’ and ‘subcontract’ have the meanings 2 provided in subsection (c)(2) of section 3452 of this title.’’. 3 SEC. 833. REFERENCES IN CONTRACTS TO DEPARTMENT 4 OF DEFENSE POLICY DOCUMENTS, INSTRUC- 5 TIONS, AND MANUALS. 6 It shall be the policy of the Department of Defense 7 that references to Department of Defense policy docu- 8 ments, instructions, and manuals in contracts shall con- 9 tain a specific version or date. If the version or date of 10 a policy document, instruction, or manual is not ref- 11 erenced, the contractor will comply with the version of the 12 document in effect at the time the solicitation is issued. 13 Updated versions of referenced policy documents, instruc- 14 tions, and manuals shall not apply unless mutually agreed. 15 SEC. 834. UNINSURABLE RISK ON CERTAIN CONTRACTS. 16 (a) CONSIDERATION OF RISK OF LOSS.—The Sec- 17 retary of Defense shall ensure that due consideration is 18 given to a contractor for equitable adjustments resulting 19 from the loss of work in process on a covered contract. 20 (b) LIMITATIONS.—Considerations limiting the con- 21 tractor’s assumption of the risk of loss in subsection (a) 22 shall not apply to loss caused by the willful misconduct 23 or lack of good faith on the part of any of the contractor’s 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00350 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 351 •S 2296 RS directors or officers, managers, superintendents, or other 1 equivalent representatives. 2 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 3 (1) COVERED CONTRACT.—The term ‘‘covered 4 contract’’ means any classified, fixed-price type con- 5 tract, entered into with the Department of Defense 6 on or after the date of the enactment of this section 7 where, due to the classified nature of the underlying 8 program— 9 (A) the contractor cannot get a third-party 10 commercial insurance provider to insure the 11 work in process; or 12 (B) the third-party commercial insurance 13 provider cannot process the contractor’s claim. 14 (2) LACK OF GOOD FAITH.—The term ‘‘lack of 15 good faith’’ has the meaning given the term in sec- 16 tion 252.228–7001 of the Department of Defense 17 Supplement to the Federal Acquisition Regulation, 18 or any successor regulation. 19 (3) WILLFUL MISCONDUCT.—The term ‘‘willful 20 misconduct’’ has the meaning given the term in sec- 21 tion 252.228–7001 of the Department of Defense 22 Supplement to the Federal Acquisition Regulation, 23 or any successor regulation. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00351 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 352 •S 2296 RS (4) WORK IN PROCESS.—The term ‘‘work in 1 process’’— 2 (A) means an item at any stage of produc- 3 tion or manufacture at any time from the initi- 4 ation of contract performance until delivery to 5 and acceptance by the government; and 6 (B) specifically includes a ‘‘covered air- 7 craft’’ as that term is defined in section 8 252.228–7001 of the Department of Defense 9 Supplement to the Federal Acquisition Regula- 10 tion, or any successor regulation. 11 (d) CONFORMING REGULATIONS.—Not later than 12 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 13 Secretary of Defense shall revise the Department of De- 14 fense Supplement to the Federal Acquisition Regulation 15 to conform with the changes made by this section. 16 SEC. 835. REPORTING OF PRICE INCREASES. 17 (a) REPORTING OF INCREASES ABOVE SPECIFIED 18 PRICES.—Chapter 271 of title 10, United States Code, is 19 amended by adding at the end the following new section: 20 ‘‘§ 3709. Reporting of increases above specified prices 21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—An offeror shall be required to 22 report to the relevant contracting officer not later than 23 30 days after becoming aware that the price of a product 24 or service under a covered contract reaches or exceeds— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00352 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 353 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(1) 25 percent above the price specified in the 1 contract bid or the government paid for that product 2 or service the previous calendar year; or 3 ‘‘(2) 50 percent above the price paid for such 4 a product or service 5 years earlier. 5 ‘‘(b) COVERED CONTRACT DEFINED.—In this sec- 6 tion, the term ‘covered contract’ means a cost-reimburse- 7 ment contract awarded without competition under section 8 3204 of this title and as defined under section 6.302 of 9 the Federal Acquisition Regulation.’’. 10 (b) INCLUSION OF NONCOMPLIANCE INFORMATION 11 IN FAPIIS.—Chapter 271 of title 10, United States Code, 12 as amended by subsection (a), is further amended by add- 13 ing at the end the following new section: 14 ‘‘§ 3710. Inclusion of noncompliance information in 15 Federal Awardee Performance and Integ- 16 rity Information System 17 ‘‘The Director of the Defense Contract Audit Agency 18 or the relevant service acquisition executive shall report 19 in the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Infor- 20 mation System (FAPIIS) housed within the System for 21 Award Management the following information: 22 ‘‘(1) Contractors who fail to report price in- 23 creases as required under 3705(a)(2) of this title. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00353 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 354 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(2) Updated findings from audits conducted 1 by the Agency regarding noncompliance with the re- 2 quirement. 3 ‘‘(3) With respect to unreported product or 4 service price increases, the product or service’s Na- 5 tional Stock Number, order quantity, unit cost, total 6 cost, purchasing or reimbursing entity, and date of 7 the order.’’. 8 SEC. 836. INSTRUCTIONS FOR CONTINUED OPERATIONAL 9 READINESS. 10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 363 of title 10, United 11 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol- 12 lowing new section: 13 ‘‘§ 4664. Instructions for continued operational readi- 14 ness 15 ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT TO DELIVER INSTRUCTIONS.— 16 (1) The Secretary of Defense (referred to in this section 17 as the ‘Secretary’) may not enter into a contract or agree- 18 ment for the procurement, sustainment, or subsequent 19 modifications of covered defense equipment unless the con- 20 tract or agreement requires that the contractor deliver, or 21 offer as a negotiated price option, Instructions for Contin- 22 ued Operational Readiness (‘ICOR’) to the Secretary upon 23 delivery of the equipment. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00354 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 355 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(2) The Secretary may grant an exception to para- 1 graph (1) if the product support strategy and associated 2 business case analysis for the covered defense equipment 3 indicates that the Government does not have a justified 4 need for ICOR, consistent, when applicable, with section 5 3771 of this title. 6 ‘‘(3) The contractor shall deliver the ICOR to the De- 7 partment of Defense (referred to in this section as the 8 ‘Department’) and provide the Secretary with the rights 9 to diagnose, maintain, and repair the covered defense 10 equipment. 11 ‘‘(4) The Secretary shall withhold payment to the 12 contractor under the contract or agreement until the Sec- 13 retary accepts the ICOR as complete under subsection 14 (c)(2). 15 ‘‘(5) When ICOR are required to be delivered under 16 a contract or agreement, the Secretary shall ensure that 17 updated ICOR data is required as necessary in subsequent 18 contracts or agreements or included as priced options to 19 reflect modifications in data deliverables. 20 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS OF INSTRUCTIONS FOR CONTINUED 21 OPERATIONAL READINESS.—A contractor for covered de- 22 fense equipment shall include in the ICOR, at a minimum, 23 data that is necessary for operations, maintenance, instal- 24 lation, and training, form fit, and function data, and any 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00355 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 356 •S 2296 RS additional data required for operational readiness, which 1 may include— 2 ‘‘(1) recommended methods, techniques, inspec- 3 tions, processes, procedures, maintenance manuals, 4 service bulletins, diagnostic procedures, proprietary 5 systems, special tooling, special testing procedures, 6 and equipment necessary to maintain, repair, and 7 sustain the covered defense equipment in a condition 8 for safe and effective operation, including diagnostic 9 protocols, troubleshooting guides, and overhaul in- 10 structions, consistent with the maintenance practices 11 of the contractor or those of the authorized mainte- 12 nance providers of the contractor; 13 ‘‘(2) an operational limitations section (‘OLS’) 14 that includes mandatory schedules for replacement 15 of life-limited components, inspection intervals, and 16 other sustainment requirements critical to equip- 17 ment reliability and safety, approved by the Sec- 18 retary; 19 ‘‘(3) engineering drawings, schematics, soft- 20 ware, and wiring diagrams; 21 ‘‘(4) a complete list of replacement parts, com- 22 ponents, and specialized equipment required for 23 maintenance and repair, including part numbers, 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00356 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 357 •S 2296 RS specifications, and sources, to ensure availability to 1 authorized maintenance providers; 2 ‘‘(5) procedures for documenting maintenance 3 actions, life-limited component replacements, and 4 compliance with the OLS, including standardized 5 formats for maintenance logs to ensure traceability 6 and verification of operational readiness; and 7 ‘‘(6) clear identification of maintenance infor- 8 mation essential for safe operation, distinguished 9 from non-safety-related service enhancements, to fa- 10 cilitate compliance with operational readiness re- 11 quirements. 12 ‘‘(c) SUBMISSION, ACCEPTANCE, AND UPDATES.—(1) 13 A contractor shall submit the ICOR to the Secretary as 14 a contract deliverable prior to equipment delivery or within 15 a timeframe specified by the contract. 16 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall review and accept the ICOR, 17 verifying that they provide sufficient information to main- 18 tain the operational readiness of the equipment. 19 ‘‘(3) In accordance with design changes and contract 20 modifications approved by the Secretary and in a manner 21 that is in accordance with subsection (a), the contractor 22 shall deliver updates to the ICOR for approval by the Sec- 23 retary whenever modifications, upgrades, safety issues, or 24 new sustainment requirements are identified. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00357 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 358 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(d) MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR PROVIDERS.—A 1 contractor shall not impose restrictions on the use of the 2 ICOR by authorized maintenance providers of the Depart- 3 ment, including requirements to use only contractor-sup- 4 plied parts, unless such restrictions are explicitly approved 5 by the Secretary as necessary for safety or operational re- 6 liability. 7 ‘‘(e) CONDITIONS FOR ALTERNATIVE MAINTENANCE 8 AND REPAIR.—(1) Notwithstanding restrictions approved 9 by the Secretary pursuant to subsection (d), the Secretary 10 may authorize alternative maintenance or repair actions 11 for covered defense equipment, if any of the following con- 12 ditions are met: 13 ‘‘(A) A program cannot reasonably obtain suffi- 14 cient data to maintain operational readiness. 15 ‘‘(B) The contractor fails to deliver complete 16 and current ICOR. 17 ‘‘(C) The contractor cannot deliver required 18 parts, repairs, or ICOR within a timeframe that 19 meets operational needs, as defined by the Secretary, 20 resulting in unacceptable readiness degradation. 21 ‘‘(D) The contractor discontinues support for a 22 component or software critical to the equipment’s 23 operation without providing a viable substitute or 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00358 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 359 •S 2296 RS sufficient ICOR to enable sustainment of the equip- 1 ment by the Department. 2 ‘‘(E) An urgent operational or logistical cir- 3 cumstance, such as wartime conditions, active com- 4 bat, or disrupted logistics, necessitates immediate re- 5 pair or part production to maintain mission readi- 6 ness. 7 ‘‘(F) The Secretary determines alternative 8 maintenance or repair actions would result in signifi- 9 cant cost savings. 10 ‘‘(2) If an alternative action is authorized under para- 11 graph (1), the Secretary may— 12 ‘‘(A) issue a written determination citing the 13 relevant condition described in paragraph (1), in- 14 cluding evidence of contractor practices that prevent 15 delivery of or restrict license rights to the ICOR in 16 a manner that may impede competition, consistent 17 with antitrust laws; and 18 ‘‘(B) authorize data delivery for the alternative 19 action. 20 ‘‘(3) If time permits, the Secretary shall notify the 21 contractor if any of the conditions described in paragraph 22 (1) are met and shall provide the contractor with not more 23 than 30 days to address the issue before the alternative 24 action is taken. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00359 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 360 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(4) Alternative maintenance or repair actions may 1 include, but is not limited to, reverse engineering, use of 2 existing technical data, fabrication of parts by the Depart- 3 ment or third-party providers, or advanced manufacturing, 4 as necessary to restore operational readiness. This provi- 5 sion does not restrict the ability of the Secretary to employ 6 these practices in other contexts. 7 ‘‘(f) CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES.—(1) A con- 8 tractor shall ensure the ICOR contains sufficient informa- 9 tion to maintain the operational readiness of the equip- 10 ment, including updates to address safety or performance 11 issues and necessary information on systems or compo- 12 nents produced by subcontractors. 13 ‘‘(2) A contractor shall promptly notify the Secretary 14 of any safety-related deficiencies in the ICOR and provide 15 corrected materials at no additional cost. 16 ‘‘(3) If a contractor fails to comply with the require- 17 ments of this section, the Secretary may withhold contract 18 payment, enforce contract penalties, take corrective ac- 19 tion, reduce contractor performance ratings, or exclude 20 the contractor from future contracts or agreements with 21 the Department. 22 ‘‘(g) OVERSIGHT.—(1) The Secretary shall establish 23 procedures to verify contractor compliance with the re- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00360 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 361 •S 2296 RS quirements of this section, including periodic audits of the 1 content and availability and maintenance of ICOR. 2 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall maintain a centralized re- 3 pository of ICOR for covered defense equipment, acces- 4 sible to maintenance providers authorized by the Sec- 5 retary, to ensure consistent application. 6 ‘‘(h) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the 7 date of the enactment of this section, and every year there- 8 after, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional de- 9 fense committees a list of the items designated as excluded 10 commercial items to which the requirement to deliver 11 ICOR does not apply. 12 ‘‘(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 13 ‘‘(1) The term ‘covered defense equipment’ 14 means any system, subsystem, or component pro- 15 cured by the Secretary, including aircraft, ships, 16 ground vehicles, electronic systems, and other sys- 17 tems, that require contractor-provided maintenance 18 or repair data to ensure operational readiness, ex- 19 cluding any excluded commercial items. 20 ‘‘(2) The term ‘excluded commercial item’ 21 means an unmodified product customarily used by 22 the general public or by nongovernmental entities or 23 sold, leased, or licensed to the general public and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00361 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 362 •S 2296 RS maintained under standard commercial practices, as 1 designated by the Secretary. 2 ‘‘(3) The terms ‘Instructions for Continued 3 Operational Readiness’ and ‘ICOR’ mean contractor- 4 provided technical data, software, and other infor- 5 mation, including maintenance instructions and 6 manuals, operational limitations, parts identification, 7 record-keeping procedures, safety-related provisions, 8 engineering drawings, schematics, software, service 9 bulletins, wiring diagrams, diagnostic procedures, 10 and other data or information necessary to maintain 11 and repair covered defense equipment in a condition 12 for safe and effective operation.’’. 13 (b) COMPLIANCE OVERSIGHT.—Not later than two 14 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 15 every two years thereafter, the Comptroller General of the 16 United States shall submit to the congressional defense 17 committees a report that assesses— 18 (1) the compliance of the Secretary of Defense 19 with section 4664 of title 10, United States Code, as 20 added by subsection (a); 21 (2) the effectiveness of the requirements of sec- 22 tion 4664 in ensuring operational readiness and re- 23 ducing sustainment costs; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00362 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 363 •S 2296 RS (3) contractor compliance with the requirements 1 of section 4664; 2 (4) the frequency and impact of the conditions 3 described in section 4664(e)(1); and 4 (5) recommendations for improving the mainte- 5 nance and repair capabilities of the Department of 6 Defense. 7 (c) IMPLEMENTATION GUIDANCE.—Not later than 8 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 9 Secretary of Defense shall issue guidance to implement 10 this section that includes— 11 (1) procedures for integrating the requirements 12 of section 4664 of title 10, United States Code, as 13 added by subsection (a), into acquisition contracts 14 and agreements of the Department of Defense; 15 (2) the criteria for designating items as ex- 16 cluded commercial items, as defined in section 17 4664(i); 18 (3) processes for reviewing, accepting, and up- 19 dating instructions for continued operational readi- 20 ness (as defined in section 4664(i)) and operational 21 limitations sections, in accordance with section 4664; 22 (4) mechanisms for tracking contractor compli- 23 ance and resolving disputes over instructions for 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00363 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 364 •S 2296 RS continued operational readiness and compensation; 1 and 2 (5) directions for the operation, repair, and 3 maintenance of defense equipment that government- 4 owned, government-operated entities of the Depart- 5 ment of Defense can use if the contract or agree- 6 ment for the defense equipment does not require the 7 delivery of ICOR. 8 (d) APPLICABILITY.—Section 4664 of title 10, 9 United States Code, as added by subsection (a), applies 10 to contracts and agreements for covered defense equip- 11 ment, as defined in subsection (i) of that section, entered 12 into on or after one year after the date of the enactment 13 of this Act. 14 SEC. 837. INDEMNIFICATION OF CONTRACTORS AGAINST 15 NUCLEAR AND UNUSUALLY HAZARDOUS 16 RISKS. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The review of requests submitted 18 by a contractor to a Department of Defense contracting 19 officer pursuant to Public Law 85–804 (50 U.S.C. 1431 20 et seq.) for indemnification against nuclear and unusually 21 hazardous risks, including those involving the procurement 22 of commercial nuclear technology, shall include, to the 23 maximum extent practicable, input from the Defense Con- 24 tract Management Agency, including reviews of insurance 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00364 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 365 •S 2296 RS markets and coverage availability from the Contractor In- 1 surance/Pension Review group. 2 (b) DEADLINE.— The review of all indemnification 3 requests submitted by contractors as described in sub- 4 section (a) shall be completed with a final decision on ap- 5 proval or denial, including an executed Memorandum of 6 Decision, within 90 days. 7 (c) DELEGATION.—The Secretary of each military 8 department should delegate authority to provide indem- 9 nification under Public Law 85–804 (50 U.S.C. 1431 et 10 seq.) for contracts relating to advanced nuclear energy 11 systems or components to such subordinate officials, com- 12 mands, or agencies as the Secretary determines appro- 13 priate to ensure timely and effective program execution. 14 SEC. 838. LATE SUBMISSION OF COST AND PRICING DATA 15 AS INVALID DEFENSE TO CONTRACT PRICE 16 REDUCTIONS FOR DEFECTIVE COST OR PRIC- 17 ING DATA. 18 Section 3706(c) of title 10, United States Code, is 19 amended— 20 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘; or’’ and in- 21 serting a semicolon; 22 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period and 23 inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 24 (3) by adding at the end of the following: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00365 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 366 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(5) the cost or pricing data were obtained by 1 or otherwise made available to the prime contractor 2 or subcontractor more than 30 days before, but sub- 3 mitted to the head of the agency after, the date of 4 agreement on the price of the contract or, if applica- 5 ble consistent with subsection (a)(2), such other date 6 agreed upon between the parties.’’. 7 SEC. 839. MODIFICATIONS TO SUBMISSIONS OF COST OR 8 PRICING DATA. 9 Section 3702(a) of title 10, United States Code, is 10 amended— 11 (1) in paragraph (1)— 12 (A) by striking ‘‘June 30, 2018’’ each 13 place it appears and inserting ‘‘June 30, 2026’’; 14 (B) in subparagraph (A), by striking 15 ‘‘$2,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$10,000,000’’; 16 and 17 (C) in subparagraph (B), by striking 18 ‘‘$750,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$2,000,000’’; 19 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘$2,000,000’’ 20 and inserting ‘‘$10,000,000’’; and 21 (3) in subparagraph (3)(A), by striking 22 ‘‘$2,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$10,000,000’’. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00366 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 367 •S 2296 RS Subtitle C—Industrial Base 1 Matters 2 SEC. 841. REPEAL OF LIMITATIONS ON CERTAIN DEPART- 3 MENT OF DEFENSE EXECUTIVE AGENT AU- 4 THORITY. 5 Section 1792 of the John S. McCain National De- 6 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 7 115–232; 132 Stat. 2238; 50 U.S.C. 4531 note) and sec- 8 tion 226 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 9 Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115–91; 50 U.S.C. 4531 10 note) are repealed. 11 SEC. 842. SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM INDUS- 12 TRIAL BASE REMEDIATION PLAN. 13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than March 1, 2026, the 14 Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 15 Sustainment, acting through the Director of the Joint 16 Production Accelerator Cell of the Department of Defense 17 and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base 18 Policy, shall submit to the congressional defense commit- 19 tees a strategy for ensuring that the defense industrial 20 base of the United States can meet requirements for small 21 unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS). 22 (b) COORDINATION.—In developing the strategy re- 23 quired under subsection (a), the Under Secretary of De- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00367 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 368 •S 2296 RS fense for Acquisition and Sustainment shall coordinate 1 with the following officials: 2 (1) The Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Re- 3 search, Development, and Acquisition. 4 (2) The Assistant Secretary of the Army for 5 Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology. 6 (3) The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force 7 for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. 8 (4) The Director of the Defense Advanced Re- 9 search Projects Agency. 10 (5) The Director of the Defense Innovation 11 Unit. 12 (c) ELEMENTS.—The strategy under subsection (a) 13 shall include the following elements: 14 (1) An assessment of emerging technologies or 15 manufacturing processes that would support the 16 modernization or expansion of the defense industrial 17 base of the United States to meet requirements for 18 production of sUAS components and finished arti- 19 cles. 20 (2) A plan to prioritize Government funding for 21 the following: 22 (A) Onshoring production for sUAS com- 23 ponents. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00368 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 369 •S 2296 RS (B) Private manufacturing facilities for 1 sUAS components. 2 (C) Government-owned, contractor-oper- 3 ated manufacturing facilities for sUAS compo- 4 nents. 5 (D) Government-owned, Government-oper- 6 ated manufacturing facilities for sUAS compo- 7 nents. 8 (d) REVIEW AND REPORT.— 9 (1) REVIEW.—Not later than March 1, 2026, 10 the Secretary of Defense shall seek to enter into a 11 contract with a federally funded research and devel- 12 opment center to conduct a review of the defense in- 13 dustrial base of the United States for sUAS compo- 14 nents and finished articles that includes the fol- 15 lowing: 16 (A) An assessment of the capacity and ca- 17 pability of the existing sUAS industrial base, 18 including the supply base and personnel of such 19 manufacturers, to support the expansion of the 20 sUAS industrial base. 21 (B) The capability and capacity of poten- 22 tial new entrants to the sUAS industrial base, 23 including private entities that might be sub- 24 sidized by the Federal Government. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00369 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 370 •S 2296 RS (C) An assessment of the process for quali- 1 fying vendors, including potential new entrants 2 and existing vendors proposing new manufac- 3 turing processes. 4 (D) An assessment of the capacity and ca- 5 pability of the sUAS industrial base to support 6 the demands of existing programs. 7 (E) An assessment of the capacity and ca- 8 pability of the sUAS industrial base to support 9 potential future demands of programs. 10 (F) A mapping of programs and potential 11 future sUAS programs for manufacturer 12 throughput. 13 (G) Identification of current and potential 14 shortfalls in critical materials, such as rare 15 earth elements and lithium. 16 (H) A broad assessment of commercial sec- 17 tor, civil sector, and Department of Defense de- 18 mands on the sUAS industrial base. 19 (2) REPORT.— 20 (A) SECRETARY OF DEFENSE.—Not later 21 than September 30, 2026, a federally funded 22 research and development center that enters 23 into a contract under this subsection shall sub- 24 mit to the Secretary of Defense a report on the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00370 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 371 •S 2296 RS results of the review conducted under para- 1 graph (1). 2 (B) CONGRESS.—Not later than 30 days 3 after receipt of the report described in subpara- 4 graph (A), the Secretary of Defense shall sub- 5 mit the report, along with any comments of the 6 Secretary, to the congressional defense commit- 7 tees. 8 (e) SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM COMPO- 9 NENTS DEFINED.—The term ‘‘small unmanned aircraft 10 system components’’ refers to critical components used in 11 the manufacture and operation of unmanned aircraft sys- 12 tems for small unmanned aircraft, as those terms are de- 13 fined in section 44801 of title 49, United States Code. 14 SEC. 843. APPLICATION OF NATIONAL SECURITY WAIVER 15 FOR STRATEGIC MATERIALS SOURCING RE- 16 QUIREMENT TO SENSITIVE MATERIALS. 17 Section 4872 of title 10, United States Code, is 18 amended— 19 (1) in subsection (a)— 20 (A) by striking ‘‘subsection (c) or sub- 21 section (e)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsections (c) and 22 (e)’’; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00371 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 372 •S 2296 RS (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘sub- 1 section (c)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsections (c) and 2 (e)’’; and 3 (2) in subsection (e)— 4 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘of the 5 Secretary’’; and 6 (B) by adding at the end the following new 7 paragraph: 8 ‘‘(3) APPLICATION OF NATIONAL SECURITY 9 WAIVER FOR STRATEGIC MATERIALS.—If the Sec- 10 retary of Defense or the authorized delegate has 11 made a determination under subsection (k) of sec- 12 tion 4863 of this title for a national security waiver 13 of the restrictions under subsection (a) of that sec- 14 tion for a specific end item, the Secretary or author- 15 ized delegate may apply that waiver to the restric- 16 tions under subsection (a) of this section for the 17 same covered material and end item.’’. 18 SEC. 844. PROHIBITION ON ACQUISITION OF CLOTHING 19 AND FABRIC FROM COUNTRIES OF CONCERN 20 UNDER DOMESTIC-SOURCING WAIVERS. 21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4862 of title 10, United 22 States Code, is amended— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00372 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 373 •S 2296 RS (1) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘Subsection 1 (a)’’ and inserting ‘‘(1) Except as provided by para- 2 graph (2), subsection (a)’’; and 3 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol- 4 lowing new paragraph: 5 ‘‘(2) If the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of 6 the military department concerned applies the exception 7 set forth in this subsection for the procurement of any 8 clothing and the materials and components thereof or any 9 item listed in subsection (b)(1)(D), no contract may be 10 awarded for the procurement of any such items produced 11 in the People’s Republic of China, Iran, the Democratic 12 People’s Republic of Korea, or the Russian Federation.’’. 13 (b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by sub- 14 section (a) shall apply only with respect to agreements en- 15 tered into on or after the date of the enactment of this 16 Act. 17 SEC. 845. MITIGATION OF RISKS RELATED TO FOREIGN 18 OWNERSHIP, CONTROL, OR INFLUENCE OF 19 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CONTRACTORS 20 OR SUBCONTRACTORS. 21 Of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this 22 Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for 23 Operation and Maintenance, Defense-wide, for the Office 24 of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Se- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00373 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 374 •S 2296 RS curity for travel expenses, not more than 90 percent may 1 be obligated or expended until the Secretary of Defense— 2 (1) certifies to the congressional defense com- 3 mittees that the requirements under section 847 of 4 the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 5 Year 2020 (Public Law 116–92; 10 U.S.C. 4819 6 note) have been implemented; and 7 (2) submits a plan and timeline for continued 8 implementation of such requirements, including de- 9 tails on how the Department of Defense plans to en- 10 sure, beyond self-certification, that contractors and 11 subcontractors are completing any assessment and 12 mitigation requirements, including enforcement pen- 13 alties if appropriate. 14 SEC. 846. PROHIBITION OF PROCUREMENT OF MOLYB- 15 DENUM, GALLIUM, OR GERMANIUM FROM 16 NON-ALLIED FOREIGN NATIONS AND AU- 17 THORIZATION FOR PRODUCTION FROM RE- 18 COVERED MATERIAL. 19 (a) AMENDMENTS RELATED TO MOLYBDENUM.— 20 (1) DEFINITION OF COVERED MATERIAL.—Sec- 21 tion 4872(f)(1) of title 10, United States Code, is 22 amended— 23 (A) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘; 24 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00374 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 375 •S 2296 RS (B) in subparagraph (E), by striking the 1 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 2 (C) by adding at the end the following new 3 subparagraph: 4 ‘‘(F) molybdenum.’’. 5 (2) EXCEPTIONS TO PROHIBITION.—Section 6 4872(c)(3) of title 10, United States Code, is 7 amended – 8 (A) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ‘‘or 9 samarium-cobalt magnet’’ after ‘‘neodymium- 10 iron-boron magnet’’; and 11 (B) by adding at the end the following new 12 subparagraph: 13 ‘‘(i) tantalum, tungsten, or molyb- 14 denum produced from recycled scrap if the 15 contractor demonstrates that the scrap was 16 produced outside of a covered nation and 17 the melting of the scrap and further proc- 18 essing and manufacturing of the material 19 takes place in the United States or in the 20 country of a qualifying foreign government, 21 as defined in section 4863(m)(11) of this 22 title.’’. 23 (b) AMENDMENTS RELATED TO GALLIUM AND 24 GERMAINUM.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00375 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 376 •S 2296 RS (1) DEFINITION OF COVERED MATERIAL.—Sec- 1 tion 4872(f)(1) of title 10, United States Code, as 2 amended by subsection (a)(1), is further amended— 3 (A) in subparagraph (E), by striking ‘‘; 4 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 5 (B) in subparagraph (F), as added by sub- 6 section (a), by striking the period at the end 7 and inserting a semicolon; and 8 (C) by adding at the end the following new 9 subparagraphs: 10 ‘‘(G) germanium; and 11 ‘‘(H) gallium.’’. 12 (2) EXCEPTIONS TO PROHIBITION.—Section 13 4872(c)(3)(D) of title 10, United States Code, as 14 added by subsection (a)(2) is amended by striking 15 ‘‘or molybdenum’’ and inserting ‘‘molybdenum, 16 gallium, or germanium’’. 17 (3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 18 by paragraphs (1) and (2) shall take effect on the 19 date that is one year after the date of the enactment 20 of this Act. 21 SEC. 847. SOURCING OPTIONS FOR CERTAIN CRITICAL 22 PRODUCTS. 23 (a) MULTIPLE SOURCING.—As soon as practicable, 24 but not later than fiscal year 2031, the Secretary of De- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00376 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 377 •S 2296 RS fense shall ensure that the Department of Defense main- 1 tains multiple sources for products in the following critical 2 sectors: 3 (1) Castings and forgings. 4 (2) Missiles and munitions. 5 (3) Energy storage and batteries. 6 (4) Strategic and critical materials. 7 (5) Microelectronics. 8 (6) Any other critical sector as determined by 9 the Secretary. 10 (b) WAIVER.—The Secretary of Defense may waive 11 the requirement under subsection (a) if the Secretary de- 12 termines that maintaining multiple sources is unfeasible. 13 The Secretary shall notify the Committees on Armed Serv- 14 ices of the Senate and the House of Representatives not 15 later than 30 days after issuing such a waiver. 16 SEC. 848. PROHIBITING THE PURCHASE OF PHOTOVOLTAIC 17 MODULES OR INVERTERS FROM FOREIGN 18 ENTITIES OF CONCERN. 19 (a) IN GENERAL.—None of the funds authorized to 20 be appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act 21 may be used to enter into a contract for the procurement 22 of photovoltaic modules manufactured by a foreign entity 23 of concern (as defined by section 9901(8) of the William 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00377 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 378 •S 2296 RS M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act 1 for Fiscal Year 2021 (15 U.S.C. 4651(8)). 2 (b) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Defense 3 may waive subsection (a) if the Secretary— 4 (1) determines that there is no alternative 5 source of photovoltaic cells, modules, or inverters 6 other than from a foreign entity of concern; 7 (2) determines there is no national security risk 8 posed by the use of photovoltaic cells, modules, or 9 inverters manufactured by a foreign entity of con- 10 cern; and 11 (3) submits a certification of such determina- 12 tion in writing to the congressional defense commit- 13 tees not later than 30 days before entering into a 14 contract described under such subsection. 15 (c) LIMITATION.— 16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) shall apply 17 only to contracts regarding the direct procurement 18 by the Department of Defense of photovoltaic mod- 19 ules or inverters and shall not apply to contracts in- 20 volving any third party financing arrangements, in- 21 cluding energy savings contracts and those involving 22 privatized military housing or assets that enhance 23 combat capability. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00378 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 379 •S 2296 RS (2) DELAYED EFFECTIVE DATE FOR ASSETS 1 THAT ENHANCE COMBAT CAPABILITY.—The prohibi- 2 tion under subsection (a) shall not apply to assets 3 that enhance combat capability for a period of one 4 year following the date of the enactment of this Act, 5 in order for the Department of Defense to determine 6 alternate supply chains for such assets. 7 (d) EXEMPTION FOR CERTAIN ACTIVITIES.—The 8 prohibition under subsection (a) shall not apply if the op- 9 eration, procurement, or contracting action is for the pur- 10 poses of intelligence, electronic warfare, and information 11 warfare operations, testing, analysis, and training. 12 SEC. 849. MODERNIZATION OF ARMY ARSENALS. 13 (a) AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH AND OPERATE.—The 14 Secretary of the Army is authorized and directed to accel- 15 erate the modernization of the Army’s organic industrial 16 base to meet the munitions requirements of the Army. 17 (b) FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE.—The Sec- 18 retary of the Army shall prioritize utilizing or modifying 19 existing facilities, as well as existing environmental per- 20 mits, security arrangements, and personnel required for 21 the production of sensitive military munitions, to establish 22 the production lines for the following items: 23 (1) A secondary domestic source of military- 24 grade nitrocellulose. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00379 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 380 •S 2296 RS (2) Any of 13 precursor chemicals used widely 1 across the Joint Program Executive Office Arma- 2 ments & Ammunition portfolio that are currently 3 sourced solely from the People’s Republic of China. 4 (3) Any of the 300 chemicals identified as sin- 5 gle point failures by the Joint Program Executive 6 Office Armaments & Ammunition. 7 (4) Multiple calibers of ammunition, serviced by 8 a load and pack facility. 9 (5) A combination of the above options. 10 (c) LOCATION.—The production line or lines de- 11 scribed in subsection (b) shall be established at each Army 12 organic industrial base installation that— 13 (1) has received less than $100,000,000 in cu- 14 mulative modernization funding across all Army ac- 15 counts during the two most recent fiscal years; and 16 (2) has substantial acreage available and suit- 17 able for future industrial or technical development. 18 (d) EXPEDITED APPROVALS AND WAIVERS.—The 19 Secretary is encouraged to expedite the establishment of 20 the production lines and shall utilize to the fullest extent 21 possible the existing environmental permits and work ex- 22 pertise resident at installations described in subsection (c). 23 (e) FUNDS.—The Secretary of the Army may use 24 such funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act that 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00380 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 381 •S 2296 RS are available to establish the production line or lines de- 1 scribed in subsection (b). 2 SEC. 849A. MODIFICATIONS TO DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE 3 FUND. 4 Section 4817 of title 10, United States Code, is 5 amended by adding at the end the following new sub- 6 sections: 7 ‘‘(g) ELIGIBLE USES OF AUTHORITIES.— 8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may use the 9 authorities provided by this section with respect to 10 upstream, mid-stream, and downstream supply 11 chains, including material, material production, com- 12 ponents, subassemblies, and finished products, test- 13 ing and qualification, infrastructure, facility con- 14 struction and improvement, and equipment needed 15 directly for the following: 16 ‘‘(A) Castings and forgings. 17 ‘‘(B) Kinetic capabilities, including sen- 18 sors, targeting systems, and delivery platforms. 19 ‘‘(C) Microelectronics. 20 ‘‘(D) Machine tools, including but not lim- 21 ited to subtractive, additive, convergent, stamp- 22 ing, forging, abrasives, metrology, and other 23 production equipment. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00381 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 382 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(E) Critical minerals, materials, and 1 chemicals. 2 ‘‘(F) Workforce for the defense industrial 3 base. 4 ‘‘(G) Advanced manufacturing capacity, in- 5 cluding echelon manufacturing forward in the 6 Indo-Pacific Command theater. 7 ‘‘(H) Unmanned vehicles, including sub- 8 surface, surface, land, air one-way, attritables, 9 and launch and recovery platforms. 10 ‘‘(I) Manned aircraft. 11 ‘‘(J) Ground systems. 12 ‘‘(K) Power sources. 13 ‘‘(L) Ship and submarine, including assem- 14 bly and automation technologies and capabili- 15 ties, new or modernized infrastructure for new 16 construction or maintenance and sustainment 17 and battle damage repair. 18 ‘‘(M) Other materiel solutions required to 19 support Indo-Pacific Command operational 20 plans as required. 21 ‘‘(N) Defense space systems. 22 ‘‘(2) PROHIBITION ON USE IN COVERED COUN- 23 TRIES.—The Secretary may not use the authorities 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00382 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 383 •S 2296 RS provided by this section for any activity in a covered 1 country. 2 ‘‘(3) USE OF AUTHORITIES FOR OTHER PUR- 3 POSES.—The Secretary may not use the authorities 4 provided by this section for a purpose not described 5 in paragraph (1) unless, not less than 30 days be- 6 fore doing so, the Secretary— 7 ‘‘(A) determines that— 8 ‘‘(i) the use of the authority for that 9 purpose is essential to the national security 10 interests of the United States; and 11 ‘‘(ii) without the use of the authority 12 for that purpose, United States industry 13 cannot reasonably be expected to provide 14 the capability needed in a timely manner; 15 and 16 ‘‘(B) submits to the congressional defense 17 committees a report on the determination that 18 includes appropriate explanatory material. 19 ‘‘(h) GRANTS AND OTHER INCENTIVES FOR DOMES- 20 TIC INDUSTRIAL BASE CAPABILITIES.—To create, main- 21 tain, protect, expand, or restore domestic industrial base 22 capabilities essential for the national security interests of 23 the United States, the Secretary may make provision 24 for— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00383 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 384 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(1) use of contracts, grants, or other trans- 1 action authorities, including cooperative agreements; 2 ‘‘(2) incentives for the private sector to develop 3 capabilities in areas of national security interest; 4 ‘‘(3) making awards to third party entities to 5 support investments in small- and medium-sized en- 6 tities working in areas of national security interest, 7 including debt and equity investments, that would 8 benefit missions of the Department of Defense; and 9 ‘‘(4) subsidies to offset market manipulation or 10 ensure allied and domestic viability of grants made 11 from other market uncertainties. 12 ‘‘(i) DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE PURCHASE COM- 13 MITMENT PROGRAM.— 14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To create, maintain, pro- 15 tect, expand, or restore industrial base capabilities 16 essential for the national security interests of the 17 United States, the Secretary may make provision for 18 purchase commitments for— 19 ‘‘(A) Federal Government use or resale of 20 an industrial resource or a critical technology 21 item; 22 ‘‘(B) the encouragement of exploration, de- 23 velopment, and mining of strategic and critical 24 materials; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00384 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 385 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(C) development of other materials and 1 components; 2 ‘‘(D) the development of production capa- 3 bilities; and 4 ‘‘(E) the increased use of emerging tech- 5 nologies in defense program applications and 6 the rapid transition of emerging technologies— 7 ‘‘(i) from Federal Government-spon- 8 sored research and development to com- 9 mercial applications; and 10 ‘‘(ii) from commercial research and 11 development to national defense applica- 12 tions. 13 ‘‘(2) EXEMPTION FOR CERTAIN LIMITATIONS.— 14 ‘‘(A) PURCHASES.—Except as provided by 15 subparagraph (B), purchase commitments 16 under paragraph (1) may be made without re- 17 gard to the limitations of existing law (other 18 than section 1341 of title 31), for such quan- 19 tities, and on such terms and conditions, includ- 20 ing advance payments, and for such periods, 21 but not extending beyond a date that is not 22 more than 10 years from the date on which 23 such purchase was initially made, as the Sec- 24 retary deems necessary. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00385 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 386 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—Purchases commit- 1 ments under paragraph (1) involving higher 2 than established ceiling prices (or if no such es- 3 tablished ceiling prices exist, currently pre- 4 vailing market prices) or that result in an an- 5 ticipated loss on resale shall not be made, un- 6 less it is determined that supply of the mate- 7 rials could not be effectively increased or 8 provisioned at lower prices or on terms more fa- 9 vorable to the Federal Government, or that 10 such purchases are necessary to assure the 11 availability to the United States of overseas 12 supplies. 13 ‘‘(3) FINDINGS OF SECRETARY.— 14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 15 take the actions described in subparagraph (B), 16 if the Secretary finds that— 17 ‘‘(i) under generally fair and equitable 18 ceiling prices, for any raw or nonprocessed 19 material or component, there will result a 20 decrease in supplies from high-cost sources 21 of such material and that the continuation 22 of such supplies is necessary to carry out 23 the objectives of this section; or 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00386 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 387 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(ii) an increase in cost of transpor- 1 tation is temporary in character and 2 threatens to impair maximum production 3 or supply in any area at stable prices of 4 any materials. 5 ‘‘(B) SUBSIDY PAYMENTS AUTHORIZED.— 6 Upon a finding under subparagraph (A), the 7 Secretary may make provision for subsidy pay- 8 ments on any such produced material from 9 other than covered countries, in such amounts 10 and in such manner (including purchase com- 11 mitments of such material or component and its 12 resale at a loss, and on such terms and condi- 13 tions, as the Secretary determines to be nec- 14 essary to ensure that supplies from such high- 15 cost sources are continued, or that maximum 16 production or supply in such area at stable 17 prices of such materials is maintained, as the 18 case may be. 19 ‘‘(4) INSTALLATION OF EQUIPMENT IN INDUS- 20 TRIAL FACILITIES.—If the Secretary determines that 21 such action will aid the national security interests of 22 the United States, the Secretary is authorized— 23 ‘‘(A) to procure and install additional 24 equipment, facilities, processes or improvements 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00387 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 388 •S 2296 RS to plants, factories, and other industrial facili- 1 ties owned by the Federal Government; 2 ‘‘(B) to procure and install equipment in- 3 cluding owned by the Federal Government in 4 plants, factories, and other industrial facilities 5 owned by private persons; 6 ‘‘(C) to provide for constructing new facili- 7 ties, the modification, or expansion of privately 8 owned facilities, including the modification or 9 improvement of production processes, when tak- 10 ing actions under this subsection or subsection 11 (h); 12 ‘‘(D) to sell or otherwise transfer equip- 13 ment owned by the Federal Government and in- 14 stalled under this subsection to the owners of 15 such plants, factories, or other industrial facili- 16 ties; 17 ‘‘(E) to construct facilities for the purposes 18 described in section subsection (g)(1); and 19 ‘‘(F) to apply contracts, grants, or other 20 transactions authorities. 21 ‘‘(5) EXCESS METALS, MINERALS, MATERIALS, 22 AND COMPONENTS.— 23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Metals, minerals, ma- 24 terials, and components acquired pursuant to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00388 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 389 •S 2296 RS this subsection which, in the judgment of the 1 Secretary, are excess to the needs of programs 2 under this section, shall be transferred to the 3 National Defense Stockpile established by the 4 Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling 5 Act (50 U.S.C. 98 et seq.), or other national re- 6 serves if available, when the Secretary deems 7 such action to be in the public interest. 8 ‘‘(B) TRANSFERS AT NO CHARGE.—Trans- 9 fers made pursuant to this paragraph shall be 10 made without charge against or reimbursement 11 from funds appropriated for the purposes of the 12 Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling 13 Act (50 U.S.C. 98 et seq.), or other national re- 14 serves if available, except that costs incident to 15 such transfer, other than acquisition costs, shall 16 be paid or reimbursed from such funds. 17 ‘‘(6) SUBSTITUTES.—When, in the judgment of 18 the Secretary, it will aid the national security inter- 19 ests of the United States, the Secretary may make 20 provision for the development and qualification a of 21 substitutes for strategic and critical materials, com- 22 ponents, critical technology items, and other indus- 23 trial resources. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00389 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 390 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(j) STRENGTHENING DOMESTIC PRODUCTIVE CA- 1 PACITY.— 2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may provide 3 appropriate incentives to develop, maintain, mod- 4 ernize, restore, and expand the productive capacities 5 of sources for strategic and critical materials, com- 6 ponents, critical technology items, and industrial re- 7 sources essential for the execution of the national se- 8 curity strategy of the United States. 9 ‘‘(2) STRATEGIC AND CRITICAL MATERIALS, 10 COMPONENTS, AND CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY ITEMS.— 11 ‘‘(A) MAINTENANCE OF RELIABLE 12 SOURCES OF SUPPLY.—The Secretary shall take 13 appropriate actions to ensure that strategic and 14 critical materials, components, critical tech- 15 nology items, and industrial resources are avail- 16 able from reliable sources when needed to meet 17 defense requirements during peacetime, grad- 18 uated mobilization, and national emergency. 19 ‘‘(B) APPROPRIATE ACTION.—For pur- 20 poses of this paragraph, appropriate action may 21 include— 22 ‘‘(i) restricting contract solicitations 23 to reliable sources; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00390 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 391 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(ii) stockpiling or placing into re- 1 serve strategic and critical materials, com- 2 ponents, and critical technology items; 3 ‘‘(iii) planning for necessary long-lead 4 times for acquiring such materials, compo- 5 nents, and items; or 6 ‘‘(iv) developing and qualifying sub- 7 stitutes for such materials, components, 8 and items. 9 ‘‘(k) ANNUAL REPORT.— 10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 11 after the date of the enactment of the National De- 12 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, and 13 annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to 14 the congressional defense committee a report evalu- 15 ating investments made and any other activities car- 16 ried out using amounts in the Fund during the year 17 preceding submission of the report. 18 ‘‘(2) ELEMENTS.—Each report required by 19 paragraph (1) shall include— 20 ‘‘(A) measures of effectiveness of the in- 21 vestments and activities described in that para- 22 graph in meeting the needs of the Department 23 of Defense and the defense industrial base; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00391 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 392 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(B) an evaluation of the return on invest- 1 ment of all ongoing investments from the Fund; 2 and 3 ‘‘(C) a description of efforts to coordinate 4 activities carried out using amounts in the 5 Fund with activities to support the defense in- 6 dustrial base carried out under other authori- 7 ties. 8 ‘‘(3) ADVICE.—In preparing a report required 9 by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall take into ac- 10 count the advice of the defense industry and such 11 other individuals as the Secretary considers relevant. 12 ‘‘(l) COORDINATION WITH OTHER DEFENSE INDUS- 13 TRIAL BASE ACTIVITIES.—Not later than 90 days after 14 the date of the enactment of the National Defense Author- 15 ization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, the Secretary shall sub- 16 mit to the congressional defense committees a report de- 17 tailing how activities carried out under this section will 18 be coordinated with— 19 ‘‘(1) activities carried out using amounts in the 20 Defense Production Act Fund under section 304 of 21 the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 22 4534); 23 ‘‘(2) activities of the Office of Strategic Capital; 24 and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00392 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 393 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(3) any other efforts designed to enhance the 1 defense industrial base. 2 ‘‘(m) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 3 ‘‘(1) CHOKEPOINT.—The term ‘chokepoint’ 4 means a situation in which— 5 ‘‘(A) components of the munitions supply 6 chains, including all elements of the munitions 7 supply chain such as chemicals, casings, or 8 other materials, are produced by only one reli- 9 able source; or 10 ‘‘(B) the increased production of a compo- 11 nent would significantly increase total output of 12 munitions. 13 ‘‘(2) COVERED COUNTRY.—The term ‘covered 14 country’ means— 15 ‘‘(A) the Russian Federation; 16 ‘‘(B) the Democratic People’s Republic of 17 Korea; 18 ‘‘(C) the Islamic Republic of Iran; and 19 ‘‘(D) the People’s Republic of China. 20 ‘‘(3) RELIABLE SOURCE.—The term ‘reliable 21 source’ means a citizen or business entity organized 22 under the laws of— 23 ‘‘(A) the United States or any territory or 24 possession of the United States; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00393 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 394 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(B) a country of the national technology 1 and industrial base, as defined in section 4801; 2 or 3 ‘‘(C) a qualifying country, as defined in 4 section 225.003 of the Defense Federal Acquisi- 5 tion Regulation Supplement or any successor 6 document. 7 ‘‘(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 8 the Secretary of Defense. 9 ‘‘(5) STRATEGIC AND CRITICAL MATERIALS.— 10 The term ‘strategic and critical materials’ has the 11 meaning given that term in section 12(1) of the 12 Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act (50 13 U.S.C. 98h–3(1)).’’. 14 Subtitle D—Small Business Matters 15 SEC. 851. APEX ACCELERATORS. 16 (a) PURPOSES.—Section 4952 of title 10, United 17 States Code, is amended— 18 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 19 inserting a semicolon; 20 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at 21 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 22 (3) by adding at the end the following new 23 paragraph: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00394 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 395 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(3) to foster innovation for the defense indus- 1 trial base and to diversify and expand the defense 2 industrial base.’’. 3 (b) INCREASED FUNDING LIMIT FOR BUREAU OF IN- 4 DIAN AFFAIRS SERVICE AREAS.—Section 4955(a)(4) of 5 title 10, United States Code, is amended by striking 6 ‘‘$1,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$1,500,000’’. 7 (c) APEX CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.—The Under 8 Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment 9 may establish APEX centers of excellence to allow APEX 10 centers to provide specialized expertise to business entities 11 outside of the geographic bounds of the center. In carrying 12 out this program, the Under Secretary may utilize the cost 13 sharing waiver to enter into a cooperative agreement 14 under section 4954 of title 10, United States Code. 15 Subtitle E—Other Matters 16 SEC. 861. CLARIFICATION OF PROCUREMENT PROHIBITION 17 RELATED TO ACQUISITION OF MATERIALS 18 MINED, REFINED, AND SEPARATED IN CER- 19 TAIN COUNTRIES. 20 Section 844(a) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry 21 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 22 (Public Law 116–283; 134 Stat. 3766) is amended— 23 (1) by striking ‘‘Section 2533c’’ and inserting 24 ‘‘Section 4872’’; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00395 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 396 •S 2296 RS (2) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol- 1 lows: 2 ‘‘(1) in subsection (a)— 3 ‘‘(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘; or’ 4 and inserting a semicolon; 5 ‘‘(B) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking the 6 period at the end and inserting ‘; or’; and 7 ‘‘(C) by adding at the end the following 8 new paragraph: 9 ‘‘ ‘(3) enter into a contract for any covered ma- 10 terial mined, refined, or separated in any covered 11 nation.’ ’’. 12 SEC. 862. INDEPENDENT STUDY ON THE ACQUISITION 13 WORKFORCE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DE- 14 FENSE. 15 (a) STUDY.—Not later than 90 days after the date 16 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 17 shall seek to enter into a contract or other agreement with 18 a qualified organization to conduct an independent exam- 19 ination of the acquisition workforce of the Department of 20 Defense. 21 (b) PURPOSE.—The study required under subsection 22 (a) shall include an assessment and comprehensive review 23 of— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00396 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 397 •S 2296 RS (1) the effectiveness of the acquisition work- 1 force in managing procurements and facilitating 2 positive acquisition outcomes for the warfighter, in- 3 cluding through the use of process performance 4 measures or other business health metrics; 5 (2) the process and authorities for recruiting 6 and retaining the workforce, including a comparison 7 of pay scales with other Federal agency and com- 8 mercial analogues, the use of specialization within 9 the acquisition field, and the use of career incentives 10 or other specialized opportunities, such as job-broad- 11 ening assignments or external training opportunities; 12 (3) current training of the workforce, including 13 training offered by and the structure of Defense Ac- 14 quisition University and the Eisenhower School at 15 National Defense University, as well as commercially 16 available training or identification of certification or 17 stackable micro-certification opportunities; 18 (4) the size and mix of the acquisition work- 19 force, including for acquisition-adjacent fields such 20 as industrial security, counterintelligence, and fi- 21 nance; 22 (5) the workload and span of control over con- 23 tracting actions, based on contract award value and 24 total number of individual awards; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00397 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 398 •S 2296 RS (6) the dependencies between contracting ac- 1 tions and the impact on the industrial security needs 2 to support National Industrial Security Program re- 3 quirements, including additional compliance costs, 4 increased workload for security-related action, trans- 5 parency on needs and requirements between the ac- 6 quisition and security communities, and mechanisms 7 to improve communication on needs and require- 8 ments between acquisition and security profes- 9 sionals; 10 (7) the role of the acquisition workforce and its 11 communication and integration with the require- 12 ments and budget communities; and 13 (8) the data, productivity tools, and other infor- 14 mation systems available to support acquisition 15 workloads, including the availability of commercial 16 tools. 17 (c) FINAL REPORT.—Following the completion of the 18 study under subsection (a), the qualified organization that 19 conducts the study shall submit to the Secretary of De- 20 fense a report on the results of the study. The report shall 21 include— 22 (1) a summary of the research and other activi- 23 ties carried out as part of the study; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00398 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 399 •S 2296 RS (2) recommendations to improve all aspects of 1 acquisition workforce, including recruiting, retention, 2 training, management, and workforce mix. 3 (d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than Decem- 4 ber 31, 2027, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to 5 the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 6 House of Representatives an unaltered version of the re- 7 port required under subsection (c), together with the Sec- 8 retary’s assessment of the findings and recommendations 9 of the study, including a plan for implementing the rec- 10 ommendations. 11 SEC. 863. EXPEDITED ACCEPTANCE PROGRAM FOR SUPPLY 12 CHAIN ILLUMINATION. 13 (a) ELIGIBILITY FOR EXPEDITED INTERIM NA- 14 TIONAL SECURITY WAIVER.— 15 (1) IN GENERAL.—If a contractor, through the 16 use of supply chain illumination policies, procedures, 17 or analytical tools, discovers an item in the supply 18 chain that is non-compliant with the restrictions out- 19 lined in subsection (d) but promptly discloses that 20 discovery to the program office, the contractor shall 21 be eligible for an expedited interim national security 22 waiver in accordance with subsection (b) to deliver 23 a capability, provided that the program manager is 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00399 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 400 •S 2296 RS satisfied with the contractor’s corrective plan de- 1 scribed in subsection (e). 2 (2) DISCLOSURES.—Disclosures that are eligi- 3 ble under paragraph (1) include any disclosures 4 made by the contractor to the program office, in- 5 cluding disclosures resulting from supply chain illu- 6 mination efforts conducted by the contractor, a sub- 7 contractor, or by a third-party entity acting on be- 8 half of the contractor or sub-contractor to increase 9 supply chain transparency. Discoveries of non-com- 10 pliance by the United States Government do not 11 constitute eligible disclosures under paragraph (1). 12 (b) INTERIM NATIONAL SECURITY WAIVER.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—A waiver described under 14 this subsection is a waiver issued by the Secretary 15 of Defense or the Secretary concerned (as defined in 16 section 101 of title 10, United States Code) to a re- 17 striction outlined under subsection (d) allowing a 18 contractor to— 19 (A) accept delivery of an end item that 20 contains non-conforming items if the program 21 manager determines the non-confirming part 22 does not represent a security, safety, or flight 23 risk; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00400 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 401 •S 2296 RS (B) make payment for the delivery of the 1 end item. 2 (2) DELEGATION.—The authority to issue a 3 waiver under paragraph (1) may be delegated— 4 (A) in the case of a waiver for one or more 5 acquisition programs within a military depart- 6 ment, to the senior acquisition executive of that 7 military department; and 8 (B) in the case of a waiver applicable to 9 more than one military department, to the Dep- 10 uty Secretary of Defense or the Under Sec- 11 retary of Defense for Acquisition and 12 Sustainment. 13 (c) REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERIM NATIONAL SECU- 14 RITY WAIVERS.— 15 (1) WRITTEN DETERMINATION.—An interim 16 national security waiver shall be issued through a 17 written determination that includes the following: 18 (A) The preliminary facts and cir- 19 cumstances regarding the identified non-compli- 20 ant parts and the likely cause for non-compli- 21 ance. 22 (B) The types of parts to which the in- 23 terim waiver applies, including any additional 24 parts currently being evaluated for potential 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00401 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 402 •S 2296 RS non-compliance with the defense sourcing re- 1 striction statutes based on the findings in sub- 2 paragraph (A). 3 (C) A determination that the non-compli- 4 ant parts and any additional parts being evalu- 5 ated for potential non-compliance do not rep- 6 resent a security, safety, or flight risk. 7 (D) An assessment of program risk due to 8 non-compliance to include an overall risk level 9 determination that if exceeded would require a 10 new interim national security waiver. 11 (2) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—Any interim 12 national security waiver determination shall be sub- 13 mitted to the congressional defense committees with- 14 in five days of the date of issuance. 15 (3) DURATION.—The authority to issue an in- 16 terim national security waiver under this subsection 17 shall expire not later than January 1, 2027. 18 (d) SUPPLY CHAIN RESTRICTIONS.—For the pur- 19 poses of this section, non-compliant components are those 20 that are covered by the following provisions of law: 21 (1) Section 4863 of title 10, United States 22 Code, relating to a requirement to buy strategic ma- 23 terials critical to national security from American 24 sources. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00402 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 403 •S 2296 RS (2) Section 1211 of the National Defense Au- 1 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (Public Law 2 109–163; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4651), relating to a 3 prohibition on procurements from Chinese military 4 companies. 5 (3) Section 4873 of title 10, United States 6 Code, relating to additional requirements pertaining 7 to printed circuit boards. 8 (4) Section 154 of the National Defense Au- 9 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 10 118–31; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4651), relating to a 11 prohibition on availability of funds for procurement 12 of certain batteries. 13 (5) Section 244 of the National Defense Au- 14 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 15 118–31; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4651), relating to a 16 limitation on sourcing chemical materials for muni- 17 tions from certain countries. 18 (6) Section 805 the National Defense Author- 19 ization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118– 20 31; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4651), relating to a prohi- 21 bition on procurements related to entities identified 22 as Chinese military companies operating in the 23 United States. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00403 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 404 •S 2296 RS (e) CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITY.—A contractor re- 1 ceiving a waiver under this section shall retain the respon- 2 sibility to develop and implement a corrective plan to en- 3 sure future compliance and demonstrate the noncompli- 4 ance was neither willful nor knowing. The contractor shall 5 use reasonably expedient means to qualify an alternative 6 compliant supplier, where available, for procurements of 7 items that are to be incorporated into future deliveries of 8 end items. 9 (f) SUNSET.—The authority under this section shall 10 expire on January 1, 2027. 11 (g) BRIEFINGS.—Not later than April 1, 2026, and 12 April 1, 2027, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisi- 13 tion and Sustainment shall provide a briefing to the Com- 14 mittees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of 15 Representatives on expedited acceptances authorized 16 under this section and corrective action plans of contrac- 17 tors to ensure future compliance with existing authorities. 18 SEC. 864. SIMULTANEOUS CONFLICTS CRITICAL MUNI- 19 TIONS REPORT. 20 (a) REPORT.— 21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 22 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 23 retary of Defense shall submit to the congressional 24 defense committees a report that details the stock- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00404 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 405 •S 2296 RS piles of critical munitions required to fight simulta- 1 neous conflicts in different theaters. 2 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required under 3 paragraph (1) shall include the following elements: 4 (A) An estimate of the amount of each 5 critical munition that would be required over 6 the course of simultaneous conflicts, modeled on 7 the assumption that a contingency operation in 8 any one of the western Pacific, Europe, Middle 9 East, or Korean Peninsula theaters would in- 10 crease the likelihood of a contingency operation 11 in the other theaters, including consideration of 12 the prepositioning of stockpiles and the risk 13 posed by moving stocks out of each theater. 14 (B) The number of days before the joint 15 force would exhaust its current stockpiles of 16 critical munitions during simultaneous conflicts. 17 (C) An estimate of the time required for 18 the industrial base to replenish critical munition 19 inventories during a simultaneous conflict, tak- 20 ing into account the Out-Year Unconstrained 21 Total Munitions Requirement directed by sec- 22 tion 222c of title 10, United States Code, and 23 the study required by section 1705 of the 24 James M. Inhofe National Defense Authoriza- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00405 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 406 •S 2296 RS tion Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 1 117–263; 136 Stat. 2968), but not the assump- 2 tions mandated by Department of Defense In- 3 struction 3000.04, entitled ‘‘DoD Munitions 4 Requirements Process’’. 5 (D) Production requirements for each crit- 6 ical munition needed to address the shortfall be- 7 tween current production rates and those re- 8 quired to meet the requirements determined 9 pursuant to subparagraph (A). 10 (E) The lessons learned from the war in 11 Ukraine with respect to munition consumption 12 rates. 13 (F) Consideration of the projected muni- 14 tions stockpiles of the military forces of the 15 Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of 16 China, Iran, and the Democratic Republic of 17 Korea, and forces affiliated with such military 18 forces. 19 (G) An exploration of the projected muni- 20 tions stockpiles of the relevant United States al- 21 lies in each theater and opportunities for them 22 to enhance their contributions to burden-shar- 23 ing. 24 (b) PLAN.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00406 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 407 •S 2296 RS (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 1 the Secretary of Defense submits the report required 2 by subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the 3 congressional defense committees a plan to imple- 4 ment critical munitions requirements to fight simul- 5 taneous conflicts in the next budget cycle. The plan 6 shall include a description of what would be required 7 of industry and United States arsenals and depots 8 to meet such requirements. 9 (2) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive the re- 10 quirement under paragraph (1) if the Secretary sub- 11 mits to the congressional defense committees a re- 12 port with a justification for the decision not to im- 13 plement the results of the report required by sub- 14 section (a) into the requirements process for the 15 next budget cycle. The report shall include an as- 16 sessment of the gap between current requirements 17 for critical munitions and those requirements identi- 18 fied in the report required by subsection (a). 19 (c) CRITICAL MUNITIONS DEFINED.—In this section, 20 the term ‘‘critical munitions’’ includes those designated on 21 the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s critical muni- 22 tions list. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00407 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 408 •S 2296 RS SEC. 865. PERMANENT EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF 1 DEMONSTRATION AND PROTOTYPING PRO- 2 GRAM TO ADVANCE INTERNATIONAL PROD- 3 UCT SUPPORT CAPABILITIES IN A CON- 4 TESTED LOGISTICS ENVIRONMENT. 5 Section 842 of the National Defense Authorization 6 Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 10 U.S.C. 7 2341 note) is amended— 8 (1) in subsection (b)(2)— 9 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘; 10 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 11 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as 12 subparagraph (C); 13 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 14 the following new subparagraph: 15 ‘‘(B) commercially advanced digital manu- 16 facturing facilities for rapid, distributed parts 17 production closer to the point of use; and’’; 18 (2) by striking subsection (g); and 19 (3) by redesignating subsection (h) as sub- 20 section (g). 21 SEC. 866. ESTIMATE OF ALLY AND PARTNER DEMAND FOR 22 UNITED STATES-PRODUCED MUNITIONS AND 23 SPECIFIED EXPENDABLES. 24 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall es- 25 tablish an annual requirement for the production of an 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00408 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 409 •S 2296 RS estimate of the demand by United States allies and part- 1 ners for United States-produced munitions and specified 2 expendables across the future-years defense plan. 3 (b) ELEMENTS.—Each estimate required under sub- 4 section (a)— 5 (1) shall be disaggregated by specific munitions 6 type and ally or partner; and 7 (2) shall include analytical inputs, such as— 8 (A) information set forth in all approved 9 letters of offer and acceptance from foreign 10 military sales cases; 11 (B) assessments of all letters of request 12 from foreign military sales cases; 13 (C) estimates based on an operational 14 analysis of foreign partner munitions needs for 15 critical operational or contingency planning sce- 16 narios; 17 (D) estimates based on an analysis of 18 wargaming results that include foreign partner 19 contributions in the relevant scenario; and 20 (E) estimates based on bilateral or multi- 21 lateral discussions between the United States 22 Government and foreign governments. 23 (c) GUIDANCE.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00409 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 410 •S 2296 RS (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than March 1, 1 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall issue guidance 2 for the development and collection of data necessary 3 to support the production of the estimate required 4 by subsection (a). 5 (2) ELEMENTS.—The guidance required by 6 paragraph (1) shall include— 7 (A) a consideration of the manner in which 8 the requirement for such an estimate may be le- 9 veraged to support operational and contingency 10 planning activities, wargaming, and net assess- 11 ment activities; and 12 (B) an analysis of the effect of the addi- 13 tion of such an estimate to the Out-Year Un- 14 constrained Total Munitions Requirement re- 15 quired by section 222c of title 10, United 16 States Code. 17 (d) ASSESSMENT OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS.— 18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than March 30, 19 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall conduct an as- 20 sessment of existing relevant Department of Defense 21 information systems of record to determine whether 22 any such system, or combination of such systems, 23 may be used or modified to collect and analyze data 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00410 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 411 •S 2296 RS necessary to support the production of the estimate 1 required by subsection (a) on an ongoing basis. 2 (2) CONSIDERATION.—The assessment required 3 by paragraph (1) shall take into consideration— 4 (A) the cost and technical challenges of 5 adopting or adapting a system described in that 6 paragraph, or combination of such systems, for 7 the purpose described in that paragraph; and 8 (B) the estimated cost and technical chal- 9 lenges of establishing a new information system 10 of record for such purpose. 11 (e) SPECIFIED EXPENDABLES DEFINED.—In this 12 section, the term ‘‘specific expendables’’ includes— 13 (1) chaff; 14 (2) flares; 15 (3) sonobouys; 16 (4) decoys; 17 (5) disposable jammers; and 18 (6) any other expendable the Secretary of De- 19 fense considers appropriate. 20 SEC. 867. REFORM OF CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE IN- 21 FORMATION REQUIREMENTS. 22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 23 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 24 shall revise subpart 242.15 of the Defense Federal Acqui- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00411 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 412 •S 2296 RS sition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to modify con- 1 tractor performance information requirements to establish 2 an objective, fact-based, and simplified system for report- 3 ing contractor performance. The revised system shall— 4 (1) focus exclusively on negative performance 5 events that are verifiable and measurable to reduce 6 subjectivity and inconsistency in evaluations; 7 (2) reduce the administrative burden on con- 8 tracting officers by limiting reporting to prior con- 9 tractor failures or poor performance; and 10 (3) ensure the government can identify and 11 avoid contractors with a history of poor performance 12 or bad actions. 13 (b) REVISION OF CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE IN- 14 FORMATION REQUIREMENTS.—Not later than 180 days 15 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 16 of Defense shall revise subpart 242.15 of the DFARS and 17 related guidance, including the Contractor Performance 18 Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) to provide for the 19 following requirements related to contract performance in- 20 formation: 21 (1) ELIMINATION OF SUBJECTIVE PERFORM- 22 ANCE RATINGS.—(A) Subjective performance ratings 23 for contracts subject to this section shall be elimi- 24 nated. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00412 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 413 •S 2296 RS (B) Performance evaluations shall be limited to 1 the reporting and scoring of negative performance 2 events as described in subsections (c) and (d). 3 (2) SCOPE OF REPORTING.—(A) Contracting 4 officers shall report only negative performance 5 events with verifiable data which have a material im- 6 pact on contract performance or government inter- 7 ests, including events involving subcontractors. 8 (B) Reporting shall exclude positive or neutral 9 performance assessments, except as necessary to 10 provide context for a negative performance event. 11 (3) FREQUENCY AND TIMING.—(A) Contracting 12 officers shall report negative performance events 13 within 30 days of identifying and verifying the event. 14 (B) Annual or periodic performance evaluations 15 shall not be required unless a negative performance 16 event occurs. 17 (4) USE IN SOURCE SELECTION.—(A) Negative 18 performance events and their associated scores, as 19 calculated under subsection (c), shall be considered 20 in source selection evaluations to assess contractor 21 risk and responsibility. 22 (B) The absence of negative performance events 23 for a contractor, including nontraditional defense 24 contractors or new entrants, shall not be considered 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00413 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 414 •S 2296 RS a deficiency in past performance evaluations. Such 1 contractors shall be evaluated based on technical ca- 2 pability, price, and other relevant factors. 3 (c) SCORING MECHANISM FOR NEGATIVE PERFORM- 4 ANCE EVENTS.—Not later than 180 days after the date 5 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 6 shall revise subpart 242.15 of the DFARS and related 7 guidance, including the Contractor Performance Assess- 8 ment Reporting System (CPARS) to provide for the fol- 9 lowing requirements related to a scoring mechanism for 10 negative performance events: 11 (1) STANDARDIZED SCORING MECHANISM.—To 12 ensure fair and equitable evaluation of contractors, 13 a standardized scoring mechanism shall normalize 14 negative performance events based on the number of 15 transactions and the dollar volume of contracts per- 16 formed by the contractor. 17 (2) APPLICATION OF SCORES.—(A) The com- 18 posite score shall be reported in CPARS alongside 19 the negative performance events and used in source 20 selection to assess past performance risk. 21 (B) Scores shall be calculated automatically by 22 the CPARS system based on data entered by con- 23 tracting officers, including the number of trans- 24 actions and contract dollar value. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00414 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 415 •S 2296 RS (3) TRANSPARENCY.—(A) Contractors shall 1 have access to their composite scores and the under- 2 lying data (number of events, transactions, and dol- 3 lar volume) through CPARS. 4 (B) Contractors may submit comments or 5 rebuttals to reported events or scores, which shall be 6 maintained in CPARS for consideration in source se- 7 lection. 8 (d) KEY ISSUES OF NEGATIVE PERFORMANCE.—Not 9 later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 10 this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall revise subpart 11 242.15 of the DFARS and related guidance, including the 12 Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System 13 (CPARS) to provide for the following requirements related 14 to key issues of negative performance: 15 (1) MANDATORY REPORTING.—Contracting offi- 16 cers shall report the following negative performance 17 events, based on verifiable data or objective evalua- 18 tions: 19 (A) DELIVERY OF DEFECTIVE PROD- 20 UCTS.—Delivery of products failing to meet 21 contract requirements, as verified by govern- 22 ment inspection reports, quality assurance 23 records, or testing results. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00415 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 416 •S 2296 RS (B) DELINQUENT DELIVERIES.—Failure to 1 meet contract delivery schedules, as documented 2 in contract milestones, delivery orders, or gov- 3 ernment correspondence. 4 (C) IMPROPER MARKINGS OR RIGHTS AS- 5 SERTIONS ON TECHNICAL DATA DELIVERIES.— 6 Incorrect or unauthorized markings on tech- 7 nical data or software, or improper assertions 8 of restrictive rights, as verified by government 9 review or legal findings. 10 (D) DEFECTIVE PRICING.—Submission of 11 inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading cost or 12 pricing data, as identified through audits by the 13 Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) or 14 other authorities. 15 (E) FAILURE TO FLOW DOWN REQUIRED 16 CLAUSES TO SUBCONTRACTORS.—Failure to in- 17 clude mandatory contract clauses in sub- 18 contracts, as verified by contract reviews or au- 19 dits. 20 (F) FALSE CLAIMS OR MISREPRESENTA- 21 TIONS.—Submission of false claims, fraudulent 22 invoices, or misrepresentations, as substantiated 23 by investigations, legal findings, or government 24 records. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00416 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 417 •S 2296 RS (G) NON-COMPLIANCE WITH SAFETY OR 1 REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS.—Failure to com- 2 ply with safety, environmental, or other regu- 3 latory requirements, as documented by govern- 4 ment inspections or citations. 5 (H) SIGNIFICANT CYBERSECURITY 6 BREACHES OR FAILURES.—Failure to meet cy- 7 bersecurity requirements or significant breaches 8 caused by contractor negligence, as verified by 9 government assessments or incident reports. 10 (e) ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS.—The 11 Secretary of Defense may establish additional negative 12 performance indicators, provided they are— 13 (1) based on verifiable data or objective evalua- 14 tions; and 15 (2) published in the Defense Federal Acquisi- 16 tion Regulation Supplement (DFARS) with clear 17 criteria for identification and reporting. 18 (f) IMPLEMENTATION.— 19 (1) TEMPLATES.— Not later than 180 days 20 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 21 retary of Defense shall issue revised regulations 22 under revise subpart 242.15 of the DFARS to in- 23 clude standardized templates for reporting negative 24 performance events and calculating composite scores. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00417 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 418 •S 2296 RS (2) TRAINING AND GUIDANCE.— 1 (A) TRAINING.—The Secretary of Defense 2 shall develop and provide training for con- 3 tracting officers on— 4 (i) identifying, verifying, and report- 5 ing negative performance events; and 6 (ii) entering data for transaction 7 counts and contract dollar values to sup- 8 port the scoring mechanism. 9 (B) GUIDANCE.—Guidance shall emphasize 10 the use of objective evidence and the exclusion 11 of subjective judgments, including— 12 (i) standardized templates for report- 13 ing negative performance events; 14 (ii) guidelines for weighting negative 15 performance scores in source selection; and 16 (iii) procedures for quality assurance 17 reviews and contractor dispute resolution. 18 (3) SYSTEM MODIFICATIONS.—Not later than 19 one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 20 the Secretary of Defense shall modify the CPARS 21 system to— 22 (A) support the categorization of negative 23 performance events; 24 (B) eliminate fields for subjective ratings; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00418 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 419 •S 2296 RS (C) automatically calculate composite 1 scores based on reported data; 2 (D) include a mechanism for contractors to 3 review and respond to reported events and 4 scores; and 5 (E) integrate with the Federal Awardee 6 Performance and Integrity Information System 7 (FAPIIS) for seamless data sharing. 8 (4) TRANSITION PERIOD.— 9 (A) EXISTING CPARS EVALUATIONS.—For 10 contracts awarded prior to the effective date of 11 the revised regulations, contracting officers may 12 complete existing CPARS evaluations under the 13 prior system until the contract is closed or ter- 14 minated. 15 (B) NEW EVALUATIONS.—New evaluations 16 for contracts awarded after the date of the re- 17 vised implementing regulations shall comply 18 with this section. 19 (g) REPORTING AND OVERSIGHT.— 20 (1) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the 21 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 22 Defense shall submit a report to the Committees on 23 Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Rep- 24 resentatives on the implementation of the revised 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00419 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 420 •S 2296 RS Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting Sys- 1 tem required by this section. 2 (2) GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE RE- 3 VIEW.—Not later than 3 years after the date of the 4 enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of 5 the United States shall conduct a review of the re- 6 vised contractor performance information system to 7 assess— 8 (A) its effectiveness in achieving the pur- 9 poses outlined in subsection (a); 10 (B) the accuracy and fairness of the scor- 11 ing mechanism; and 12 (C) the system’s impact on competition 13 and nontraditional defense contractor participa- 14 tion. 15 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 16 (1) NEGATIVE PERFORMANCE EVENT.—The 17 term ‘‘negative performance event’’ means a 18 verifiable instance of contractor failure or poor per- 19 formance, as described in subsection (d). 20 (2) NONTRADITIONAL DEFENSE CON- 21 TRACTOR.—The term ‘‘nontraditional defense con- 22 tractor’’ has the meaning given the term in section 23 3014 of title 10, United States Code. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00420 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 421 •S 2296 RS (3) VERIFIABLE DATA.—The term ‘‘verifiable 1 data’’ means objective evidence documented in con- 2 tract records, inspection reports, audits, correspond- 3 ence, or other government records. 4 SEC. 868. REPEALS OF EXISTING LAW TO STREAMLINE THE 5 DEFENSE ACQUISITION PROCESS. 6 The following provisions are hereby repealed: 7 (1) Section 3070 of title 10, United States 8 Code. 9 (2) Section 874 of the National Defense Au- 10 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 11 115–91; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 3101). 12 (3) Section 810 of the National Defense Au- 13 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 14 114–92; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 3101). 15 (4) Section 3106 of title 10, United States 16 Code. 17 (5) Section 8688 of title 10, United States 18 Code. 19 (6) Subsections (a)–(c) of section 804 of the 20 Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act 21 for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110–417; 122 22 Stat. 4356). 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00421 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 422 •S 2296 RS (7) Section 822 of the National Defense Au- 1 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 (Public Law 2 104–106; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 3201). 3 (8) Section 892 of the National Defense Au- 4 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 5 110–181; 10 U.S.C. 3201 note). 6 (9) Section 805 of the National Defense Au- 7 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (Public Law 8 108–136; 10 U.S.C. 3201 note). 9 (10) Section 823 of the National Defense Au- 10 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 11 116–92; 10 U.S.C. 3204 note). 12 (11) Section 802 of the National Defense Au- 13 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 14 116–92; 10 U.S.C. 3206 note). 15 (12) Section 3208 of title 10, United States 16 Code. 17 (13) Section 852 of the Carl Levin and Howard 18 P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon National Defense Authorization 19 Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (Public Law 113–291; 10 20 U.S.C. note prec. 3241). 21 (14) Subsections (a)–(f) of section 866 of the 22 Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for 23 Fiscal Year 2011 (Public Law 111–383; 10 U.S.C. 24 note prec. 3241). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00422 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 423 •S 2296 RS (15) Section 143 of the Duncan Hunter Na- 1 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2 2009 (Public Law 110–417; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 3 3241). 4 (16) Section 254 of the Duncan Hunter Na- 5 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 6 2009 (Public Law 110–417; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 7 3241). 8 (17) Section 886 of the National Defense Au- 9 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 10 110–181; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 3241). 11 (18) Section 851 of the Ronald W. Reagan Na- 12 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 13 2005 (Public Law 108–375; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 14 3241). 15 (19) Section 314 of the Bob Stump National 16 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 17 (Public Law 107–314; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 3241). 18 (20) Section 826 of the Floyd D. Spence Na- 19 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 20 2001 (Public Law 106–398; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 21 3241). 22 (21) Section 806 of the Strom Thurmond Na- 23 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00423 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 424 •S 2296 RS 1999 (Public Law 105–261; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 1 3241). 2 (22) Section 368 of the National Defense Au- 3 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Public Law 4 112–81; 10 U.S.C. 3303 note). 5 (23) Section 875 of the National Defense Au- 6 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 7 117–81; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 3344 ). 8 (24) Section 816 of the National Defense Au- 9 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (Public Law 10 109–163; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 3344). 11 (25) Section 3373 of title 10, United States 12 Code. 13 (26) Section 883 of the James M. Inhofe Na- 14 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 15 2023 (Public Law 117–263; 10 U.S.C. 3372 note). 16 (27) Section 3455 of title 10, United States 17 Code. 18 (28) Section 3678 of title 10, United States 19 Code. 20 (29) Section 133 of the Bob Stump National 21 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 22 (Public Law 107–314; 10 U.S.C. 3678 note). 23 (30) Section 891 of the William M. (Mac) 24 Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00424 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 425 •S 2296 RS Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283; 10 U.S.C. 1 3804 note). 2 (31) Section 380 of the National Defense Au- 3 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 4 117–81; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note). 5 (32) Section 1056 of the National Defense Au- 6 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 7 114–92; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note). 8 (33) Section 1603 of the National Defense Au- 9 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 (Public Law 10 113–66; 10 U.S.C. 4007 note). 11 (34) Section 1089 of the National Defense Au- 12 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 13 115–91; 10 U.S.C. 4025 note). 14 (35) Section 812 of the National Defense Au- 15 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 (Public Law 16 106–65; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061). 17 (36) Section 235 of the National Defense Au- 18 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 19 114–328; 10 U.S.C. 4126 note). 20 (37) Section 227 of the National Defense Au- 21 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 22 118–31; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4141). 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00425 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 426 •S 2296 RS (38) Section 252 of the National Defense Au- 1 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 2 116–92; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4141). 3 (39) Section 1043 of the National Defense Au- 4 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 5 111–84; 10 U.S.C. 4174 note). 6 (40) Section 828 of the National Defense Au- 7 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 8 114–92; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4201). 9 (41) Section 1252 of the Defense Procurement 10 Reform Act of 1984 (Public Law 98–525; 10 U.S.C. 11 4205 note). 12 (42) Section 812 of the Ike Skelton National 13 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 14 (Public Law 111–383; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4211). 15 (43) Section 806 of the National Defense Au- 16 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (Public Law 17 109–163; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4211). 18 (44) Section 818 of the John Warner National 19 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 20 (Public Law 109–364; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4231). 21 (45) Section 802(d)(2) of the National Defense 22 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 23 114–92; 10 U.S.C. 4251 note). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00426 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 427 •S 2296 RS (46) Section 4271 of title 10, United States 1 Code. 2 (47) Section 814 of the Duncan Hunter Na- 3 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 4 2009 (Public Law 110–417; 10 U.S.C. 4271 note). 5 (48) Section 925(b) of the National Defense 6 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 7 114–328; 10 U.S.C. 4271 note). 8 (49) Section 812 of the John Warner National 9 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 10 (Public Law 109–364; 10 U.S.C. 4325 note). 11 (50) Section 4423 of title 10, United States 12 Code. 13 (51) Section 831(b) of the Ike Skelton National 14 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 15 (Public Law 111–383; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4501). 16 (52) Section 863(a)–(h) of the Ike Skelton Na- 17 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 18 2011 (Public Law 111–383; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 19 4501). 20 (53) Section 832 of the John Warner National 21 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 22 (Public Law 109–364; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4501). 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00427 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 428 •S 2296 RS (54) Section 883(e) of the National Defense 1 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 2 114–92; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4571). 3 (55) Section 938 of the National Defense Au- 4 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 (Public Law 5 113–66; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4571). 6 (56) Section 1272 of the National Defense Au- 7 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 8 115–91; 10 U.S.C. 4571 note). 9 (57) Section 2867 of the National Defense Au- 10 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Public Law 11 112–81; 10 U.S.C. 4571 note). 12 (58) Section 215 of the Ike Skelton National 13 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 14 (Public Law 111–383; 10 U.S.C. 4571 note). 15 (59) Section 881 of the National Defense Au- 16 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 17 110–181; 10 U.S.C. 4571 note). 18 (60) Section 804 of the Bob Stump National 19 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 20 (Public Law 107–314; 10 U.S.C. 4571 note). 21 (61) Chapter 345 of title 10, United States 22 Code. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00428 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 429 •S 2296 RS (62) Section 378 of the National Defense Au- 1 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 2 117–81; 10 U.S.C. 113 note). 3 (63) Section 846(a) of the William M. (Mac) 4 Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for 5 Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283; 10 U.S.C. 6 4811 note). 7 (64) Section 932 of the Ike Skelton National 8 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 9 (Public Law 111–383; 10 U.S.C. 2224 note). 10 (65) Section 849 of the National Defense Au- 11 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 12 115–91; 131 Stat. 1487). 13 (66) Section 804 of the National Defense Au- 14 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 15 111–84; 123 Stat. 2402). 16 (67) Section 881 of the National Defense Au- 17 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 18 114–92; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4601). 19 (68) Section 802 of the Ronald W. Reagan Na- 20 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 21 2005 (Public Law 108–375; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 22 3062). 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00429 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 430 •S 2296 RS (69) Section 913 of the Department of Defense 1 Authorization Act, 1986 (Public Law 99–145; 10 2 U.S.C. note prec. 3201). 3 (70) Section 821 of the National Defense Au- 4 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 5 110–181; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 3451). 6 (71) Section 824(a) of the Ike Skelton National 7 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 8 (Public Law 111–383; 10 U.S.C. 3774 note). 9 (72) Section 805 of the National Defense Au- 10 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 11 110–181; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 3451). 12 (73) Section 844(b) of the National Defense 13 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 14 114–92; 10 U.S.C. 3453 note). 15 (74) Section 238(b) of the National Defense 16 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 17 110–181; 10 U.S.C. 4841 note). 18 (75) Subtitle D of title II of the National De- 19 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (Pub- 20 lic Law 109–163; 119 Stat. 3175). 21 (76) Section 214 of the National Defense Au- 22 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 23 110–181; 10 U.S.C. 4841 note). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00430 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 431 •S 2296 RS (77) Section 218 of the William M. (Mac) 1 Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for 2 Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283; 10 U.S.C. 3 8013 note). 4 (78) Section 229 of the National Defense Au- 5 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 6 116–92; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note). 7 (79) Section 232 of the National Defense Au- 8 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 9 116–92; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note). 10 (80) Section 222 of the John S. McCain Na- 11 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 12 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. 4014 note). 13 (81) Section 230 of the John S. McCain Na- 14 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 15 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 16 4061). 17 (82) Section 843 of the John S. McCain Na- 18 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 19 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 20 4171). 21 (83) Section 938 of the National Defense Au- 22 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 (Public Law 23 113–66; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4571). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00431 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 432 •S 2296 RS (84) Section 1651 of the National Defense Au- 1 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 2 116–92; 10 U.S.C. 4571 note). 3 (85) Section 1064 of the John S. McCain Na- 4 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 5 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. 4571 note). 6 (86) Section 854 of the Carl Levin and Howard 7 P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon National Defense Authorization 8 Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (Public Law 113–291; 10 9 U.S.C. 4571 note). 10 SEC. 869. ENHANCEMENT OF DEFENSE SUPPLY CHAIN RE- 11 SILIENCE AND SECONDARY SOURCE QUALI- 12 FICATION. 13 Section 865 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Im- 14 provement and National Defense Authorization Act for 15 Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159; 10 U.S.C. 4811 16 note) is amended— 17 (1) in subsection (b)— 18 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 19 and inserting a semicolon; 20 (B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 21 paragraph (4); and 22 (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 23 following new paragraph: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00432 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 433 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(3) produce all critical readiness parts and 1 systems, including those identified as having sole- 2 source dependencies, excessive lead times, unreason- 3 able pricing, or other supply chain deficiencies; 4 and’’; 5 (2) in subsection (d)— 6 (A) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 7 and inserting a semicolon; 8 (B) in paragraph (8), by striking the pe- 9 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 10 (C) by adding at the end the following new 11 paragraph: 12 ‘‘(9) the Department of Defense avoids duplica- 13 tion of review processes for the approval of aircraft 14 parts and components and repairs that have already 15 been approved by a civil aviation authority under a 16 Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) or Designated 17 Engineering Representative (DER) spare or repair 18 certification and approval processes unless a written 19 justification is approved by the commander of a sys- 20 tems command of a military service and reported to 21 the congressional defense committees.’’; 22 (3) by redesignating subsections (f) through (j) 23 as subsections (g) through (k), respectively; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00433 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 434 •S 2296 RS (4) by inserting after subsection (e) insert the 1 following new subsection: 2 ‘‘(f) EXPEDITED QUALIFICATION PANELS.—Each 3 military department shall establish an Expedited Quali- 4 fication Panel (EQP). The EQP shall develop standard- 5 ized templates for Source Approval Requests (SARs) and 6 review expedited SARs or PMAs within 14 days, issuing 7 conditional approvals (valid for 12 months) or full approv- 8 als based on tiered risk criteria, and leverage designated 9 engineering representatives or equivalent third-party cer- 10 tified engineers when appropriate.’’; and 11 (5) by adding at the end the following new sub- 12 section: 13 ‘‘(l) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 14 ‘‘(1) The term ‘critical readiness parts and sys- 15 tems’ has the meaning given the term in section 16 4324 of title 10, United States Code. 17 ‘‘(2) The term ‘non-safety critical items, or 18 non-mission critical items’ includes the following 19 items: 20 ‘‘(A) Major risk parts or systems whose 21 failure causes structural damage or significant 22 mission degradation and requires finite element 23 modeling, fracture analysis, comparison to simi- 24 lar parts, or similar methods. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00434 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 435 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(B) Minor risk parts and systems that 1 only have form, fit, and function requirements 2 verified by dimensional coordinate measuring 3 machines, go/no-go gauges, or similar methods. 4 ‘‘(C) Low risk parts and systems that are 5 consumable or non-critical, requiring material 6 certification, visual inspections, or similar meth- 7 ods. 8 ‘‘(3) The term ‘safety critical items or mission 9 critical items’ means parts or systems whose failure 10 causes loss of control, catastrophic failure, or loss of 11 life, and require full qualification, simulation, and 12 physical testing with Engineering Support Activity 13 witnessing.’’. 14 SEC. 870. ENHANCED PRODUCT SUPPORT MANAGEMENT 15 FOR INTEGRATED SUSTAINMENT OF WEAPON 16 SYSTEMS. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4324 of title 10, United 18 States Code, is amended— 19 (1) in subsection (b)(1)— 20 (A) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘in 21 coordination with operational commands and 22 users’’ after ‘‘appropriate metrics’’; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00435 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 436 •S 2296 RS (B) by striking subparagraph (I) and re- 1 designating subparagraph (J) as subparagraph 2 (I); 3 (2) in subsection (c)— 4 (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 5 follows: 6 ‘‘(1) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of De- 7 fense shall require that each covered system be sup- 8 ported by a product support manager that shall inte- 9 grate sustainment activities across the Portfolio Ac- 10 quisition Executive, materiel and systems com- 11 mands, sustainment working capital funds, and 12 other elements of the sustainment enterprise by es- 13 tablishing a coordinated process to ensure weapon 14 system readiness and affordability throughout the 15 lifecycle.’’; 16 (B) in paragraph (2) by striking subpara- 17 graphs (B) through (I) and inserting the fol- 18 lowing new subparagraphs: 19 ‘‘(B) adopt predictive analytics and simula- 20 tion and modeling tools to improve material 21 availability and reliability, increase operational 22 availability rates, and reduce operation and 23 sustainment costs; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00436 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 437 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(C) select, transfer, direct, and coordinate 1 product support integrators and product sup- 2 port providers across materiel commands, de- 3 pots, sustainment working capital funds, and 4 commercial entities to execute the product sup- 5 port strategy and maintain updated parts cata- 6 loging and provisioning; 7 ‘‘(D) review and recommend resource allo- 8 cations across product support integrators and 9 product support providers to meet performance 10 requirements of the product support strategy; 11 ‘‘(E) prevent and resolve all diminishing 12 manufacturing supply and material shortages 13 and critical readiness parts and systems issues; 14 ‘‘(F) manage the end-to-end coordination 15 of qualification, certification, and test of alter- 16 native sources of supply; 17 ‘‘(G) ensure evaluation of offerors on a so- 18 licitation includes— 19 ‘‘(i) a parts selection plan that enables 20 interoperability, maintainability, and com- 21 mercially supportable designs; 22 ‘‘(ii) updated logistics product data 23 and maintenance manuals; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00437 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 438 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(iii) data rights and data ordering 1 consistent with the intellectual property 2 management plan in the life cycle 3 sustainment plan; 4 ‘‘(H) inspect, accept, and manage data de- 5 liveries and conformance of such data with con- 6 figuration changes in consultation with Defense 7 Contract Management Agency; and 8 ‘‘(I) update the product support strategy 9 continuously as required, at a minimum every 10 five years.’’; and 11 (C) by adding at the end the following 12 paragraphs: 13 ‘‘(3) ORGANIZATION.—Each Portfolio Acquisi- 14 tion Executive shall establish a Major Program 15 Manager to manage sustainment activities for in- 16 service systems and oversee all product support 17 managers of covered systems to ensure an expert 18 focus on sustainment. 19 ‘‘(4) CAREER MANAGEMENT.—The Secretary of 20 Defense shall establish a formal career path for 21 product support managers, including selection cri- 22 teria, training programs, and certification require- 23 ments, aligned with the standards set forth in chap- 24 ter 87 of this title. Product support managers shall 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00438 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 439 •S 2296 RS be selected from military and civilian personnel with 1 demonstrated expertise in sustainment, logistics, 2 supply chain, or engineering, and incentivized with 3 career progression opportunities equivalent to acqui- 4 sition program managers. 5 ‘‘(5) LIAISON OFFICER PROGRAM.—Each 6 sustainment working capital fund entity shall estab- 7 lish a liaison officer program to serve as the dedi- 8 cated point of contract to align working capital fund 9 management with product support manager activi- 10 ties for all covered systems.’’; and 11 (3) in subsection (d)— 12 (A) in paragraph (5) by inserting ‘‘any ac- 13 quisition or in-service program that is’’ after 14 ‘‘The term ‘covered system’ means’’; and 15 (B) by adding at the end the following new 16 paragraph: 17 ‘‘(9) CRITICAL READINESS PARTS AND SYS- 18 TEMS.—The term ‘critical readiness parts and sys- 19 tems’ means all parts and systems causing parts 20 causing Mission Impaired Capability Awaiting Parts 21 (MICAP), Not Mission Capable Supply (NMCS), or 22 Casualty Report (CASREP) Category 3 or 4 status, 23 as defined by the Department of Defense and re- 24 spective military services, or other parts or systems 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00439 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 440 •S 2296 RS designated by the Secretary of Defense as impacting 1 readiness.’’. 2 SEC. 871. MODIFICATIONS TO CURRENT DEFENSE ACQUISI- 3 TION REQUIREMENTS. 4 (a) MODIFICATIONS TO TITLE 10.—Title 10, United 5 States Code, is amended— 6 (1) in section 1749(f)(1), by striking ‘‘on a re- 7 imbursable basis’’; 8 (2) in section 2222(i)(1)(A)— 9 (A) in clause (vi), by adding ‘‘or real estate 10 system’’ after ‘‘An installations management’’; 11 and 12 (B) by adding at the end the following new 13 clauses: 14 ‘‘(ix) A budget system. 15 ‘‘(x) A retail system. 16 ‘‘(xi) A health care system. 17 ‘‘(xii) A travel and expense system. 18 ‘‘(xiii) A payroll system. 19 ‘‘(xiv) A supply chain management 20 system. 21 ‘‘(xv) A enterprise resource planning 22 system. 23 ‘‘(xvi) A contractor management sys- 24 tem.’’; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00440 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 441 •S 2296 RS (3) in section 3012(3)(B), by striking ‘‘lowest 1 overall cost alternative’’ and inserting ‘‘best value’’; 2 (4) in section 3069— 3 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘if that 4 head of an agency’’ and all that follows through 5 ‘‘a complete end item’’; 6 (B) by striking subsections (b) and (d); 7 and 8 (C) by redesignating— 9 (i) subsection (c) as subsection (b); 10 and 11 (ii) subsection (e) as subsection (c); 12 (5) in section 3204(e)— 13 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking subpara- 14 graph (B) and inserting the following: 15 ‘‘(B) the justification is approved— 16 ‘‘(i) in the case of a contract for an 17 amount exceeding the simplified acquisition 18 threshold (but not more than 19 $100,000,000)— 20 ‘‘(I) by the competition advocate 21 for the contracting activity (without 22 further delegation); or 23 ‘‘(II) by an official referred to in 24 clause (ii) or (iii); 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00441 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 442 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(ii) in the case of a contract for an 1 amount exceeding $100,000,000 (but not 2 more than $500,000,000)— 3 ‘‘(I) by the head of the con- 4 tracting activity (without further dele- 5 gation); 6 ‘‘(II) by an official referred to in 7 clause (iii); or 8 ‘‘(III) for the Defense Advanced 9 Research Projects Agency, the De- 10 fense Innovation Unit, or the Missile 11 Defense Agency, by the director of the 12 agency; or 13 ‘‘(iii) in the case of a contract for an 14 amount exceeding $500,000,000— 15 ‘‘(I) by the senior procurement 16 executive for the agency as designated 17 for the purpose of section 1702(c) of 18 title 41 (without further delegation); 19 ‘‘(II) in the case of the Under 20 Secretary of Defense for Acquisition 21 and Sustainment, acting in the capac- 22 ity as the senior procurement execu- 23 tive for the Department of Defense, 24 by the delegate of the Under Sec- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00442 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 443 •S 2296 RS retary as designated pursuant to 1 paragraph (6); or 2 ‘‘(III) for the Defense Advanced 3 Research Projects Agency, the De- 4 fense Innovation Unit, or the Missile 5 Defense Agency, by the director of the 6 agency; and’’; and 7 (B) in paragraph (6)— 8 (i) by striking ‘‘(A) The authority of 9 the head’’ and all that follows through 10 ‘‘(B) The authority of the Under Sec- 11 retary’’ and inserting ‘‘The authority of 12 the Under Secretary’’; 13 (ii) by redesignating clauses (i) and 14 (ii) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respec- 15 tively; and 16 (iii) by redesignating subclauses (I) 17 and (II) as clauses (i) and (ii), respec- 18 tively; 19 (6) in section 3226(d), by amending paragraph 20 (2) to read as follows: 21 ‘‘(2) Funds described in paragraph (1) may be 22 used— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00443 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 444 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(A) to cover any increased program costs iden- 1 tified by a revised cost analysis or target developed 2 pursuant to subsection (b); 3 ‘‘(B) to acquire additional end items in accord- 4 ance with section 3069 of this title; or 5 ‘‘(C) to cover the cost of risk reduction and 6 process improvements.’’; 7 (7) in section 3243(d)— 8 (A) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ‘‘sub- 9 ject to paragraph (2),’’; 10 (B) by striking paragraph (2); and 11 (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 12 paragraph (2); 13 (8) in section 3374(a)— 14 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘CERTAIN 15 REDUCED’’ after ‘‘ALLOWED PROFIT TO RE- 16 FLECT’’; 17 (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’; 18 (C) in paragraph (2), by striking the pe- 19 riod and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 20 (D) by adding at the end the following new 21 paragraph: 22 ‘‘(3) the increased cost risk of the contractor 23 with respect to any costs incurred prior to the award 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00444 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 445 •S 2296 RS of the undefinitized contractual action when such 1 costs— 2 ‘‘(A) would otherwise have been directly 3 chargeable under the contract post-award; and 4 ‘‘(B) were incurred to meet— 5 ‘‘(i) the anticipated contract delivery 6 schedule of the agency; or 7 ‘‘(ii) the anticipated contract price 8 targets of the agency.’’; 9 (9) in section 3703(a)(1)(A), by striking ‘‘com- 10 petition that results in at least two or more respon- 11 sive and viable competing bids’’ and inserting ‘‘price 12 competition’’; 13 (10) in section 3705, by amending subsection 14 (b) to read as follows: 15 ‘‘(b) ALTERNATIVE SOURCES REQUIRED.—In the 16 event the contracting officer is unable to determine pro- 17 posed prices are fair and reasonable by any other means, 18 an offeror who fails to make a good faith effort to comply 19 with a reasonable request to submit data in accordance 20 with subsection (a) is ineligible for award unless the head 21 of the agency initiates the assessment of the offeror as 22 a source of supply for industrial capabilities under the au- 23 thorities provided by sections 865 and 882 of the Service- 24 member Quality of Life Improvement and National De- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00445 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 446 •S 2296 RS fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 1 118–159).’’; 2 (11) in section 4201— 3 (A) in subsection (a)(2)— 4 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 5 ‘‘$300,000,000 (based on fiscal year 1990 6 constant dollars)’’ and inserting 7 ‘‘$1,000,000,000 (based on fiscal year 8 2024 constant dollars)’’; and 9 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 10 ‘‘$1,800,000,000 (based on fiscal year 11 1990 constant dollars)’’ and inserting 12 ‘‘$5,000,000,000 (based on fiscal year 13 2024 constant dollars)’’; and 14 (B) in subsection (b), by adding at the end 15 the following new paragraph: 16 ‘‘(3) An acquisition program for software and 17 covered hardware as described by section 3603 of 18 this title.’’; 19 (12) in section 4882, by striking ‘‘the Presi- 20 dent, through the head of any department,’’ each 21 place it appears and inserting ‘‘the Secretary of De- 22 fense’’; and 23 (13) in section 4884, by striking ‘‘The Presi- 24 dent’’ and inserting ‘‘The Secretary of Defense’’. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00446 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 447 •S 2296 RS (14) in section 4231— 1 (A) by striking subsection (a); 2 (B) by redesignating subsections (b) and 3 (c) as subsections (c) and (d), respectively; 4 (C) by inserting before subsection (c), as 5 redesignated by subparagraph (B), the fol- 6 lowing new subsections: 7 ‘‘(a) CONDITIONS WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN LOW- 8 RATE INITIAL PRODUCTION.—(1) The number of low-rate 9 initial production lots associated with a major defense ac- 10 quisition program may not be more than one if— 11 ‘‘(A) the milestone decision authority author- 12 ized the use of a fixed-price type contract at the 13 time of Milestone B approval; and 14 ‘‘(B) the scope of the work covered by the fixed- 15 price type contract includes the development and the 16 low-rate initial production of items for the major de- 17 fense acquisition program. 18 ‘‘(2) The acquisition executive of the applicable serv- 19 ice, or a designee of the executive, may waive the limita- 20 tion under paragraph (1) if— 21 ‘‘(A) the waiver authority is not delegated to 22 the contracting officer; and 23 ‘‘(B) written notification of the waiver, which 24 includes the associated rationale, is provided to the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00447 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 448 •S 2296 RS congressional defense committees not later than 30 1 days after the date on which the waiver is issued. 2 ‘‘(b) CONDITIONS WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN SHIP- 3 BUILDING CONTRACTS.—(1) With respect to a fixed-price 4 type contract for the procurement of shipbuilding associ- 5 ated with a major defense acquisition program, the num- 6 ber of ships to be procured under the contract, including 7 all options, may not be more than two ships if the scope 8 of the work covered by the contract includes the detail de- 9 sign for the ship and the construction of items for the 10 launch and eventual delivery of the completed ship. 11 ‘‘(2) The Secretary concerned may waive the limita- 12 tion under paragraph (1) if, not later than 30 days after 13 the date on which the waiver is issued, the Secretary sub- 14 mits to the congressional defense committees a written no- 15 tification of the waiver that includes a certification that 16 the basic and functional design of any ship to be procured 17 under the contract described in paragraph (1) is com- 18 plete.’’; and 19 (D) by adding at the end the following new 20 subsection: 21 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 22 ‘‘(1) The term ‘basic and functional design’ has 23 the meaning given such term in section 8669c of 24 this title. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00448 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 449 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(2) The term ‘construction’ means steel cut- 1 ting, module fabrication, assembly, outfitting, keel 2 laying, and module erection. 3 ‘‘(3) The term ‘detail design’ means design 4 using computer-aided modeling to enable the genera- 5 tion of work instructions that show detailed system 6 information and support construction, including— 7 ‘‘(A) guidance for subcontractors and sup- 8 pliers; 9 ‘‘(B) installation drawings; 10 ‘‘(C) schedules; 11 ‘‘(D) material lists; and 12 ‘‘(E) lists of prefabricated materials and 13 parts. 14 ‘‘(4) The term ‘major defense acquisition pro- 15 gram’ has the meaning given such term in section 16 4201 of this title. 17 ‘‘(5) The term ‘Milestone B approval’ has the 18 meaning given such term in section 4172 of this 19 title. 20 ‘‘(6) The term ‘milestone decision authority’ 21 has the meaning given such term in section 4211 of 22 this title.’’. 23 (b) MODIFICATIONS TO NATIONAL DEFENSE AU- 24 THORIZATION ACTS.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00449 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 450 •S 2296 RS (1) JOHN S. MCCAIN NATIONAL DEFENSE AU- 1 THORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019.—Section 2 890 of the John S. McCain National Defense Au- 3 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 4 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 3701) is amended— 5 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘PILOT’’; 6 (B) by striking ‘‘pilot’’ each place it ap- 7 pears; 8 (C) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ‘‘mini- 9 mal reporting’’ and inserting ‘‘no unique report- 10 ing’’; and 11 (D) by striking subsections (c) and (d). 12 (2) SERVICEMEMBER QUALITY OF LIFE IM- 13 PROVEMENT AND NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZA- 14 TION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025.—Section 864(d) 15 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement 16 and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 17 Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159) is amended— 18 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 19 ‘‘CAPACITY-BASED’’ and inserting ‘‘CAPA- 20 BILITY-BASED’’; and 21 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘in- 22 creased capacity’’ and inserting ‘‘increased ca- 23 pability’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00450 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 451 •S 2296 RS SEC. 872. MINIMUM PRODUCTION LEVELS FOR MUNITIONS. 1 Section 222c of title 10, United States Code, is 2 amended— 3 (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 4 following new paragraph: 5 ‘‘(3) The minimum production levels.’’; 6 (2) by redesignating subsection (f) as sub- 7 section (g); and 8 (3) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol- 9 lowing new subsection: 10 ‘‘(f) MINIMUM PRODUCTION LEVELS.—(1) The Sec- 11 retary of Defense, in coordination with the Under Sec- 12 retary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and the 13 chiefs of staff of the armed forces, shall annually deter- 14 mine the minimum production level for each variant of 15 munitions required to meet the Out-Year Unconstrained 16 Total Munitions Requirement reported under subsection 17 (a)(1). 18 ‘‘(2) The minimum production level for each munition 19 shall be calculated based on the Total Out-Year Uncon- 20 strained Total Munitions Requirement, as specified in sub- 21 section (c)(6), and shall account for the following: 22 ‘‘(A) The inventory objective requirements for 23 each category listed in paragraphs (1) through (5) 24 of subsection (c) and paragraph (8) of such sub- 25 section. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00451 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 452 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(B) The out-year worldwide inventory reported 1 under subsection (c)(7). 2 ‘‘(C) The time required to meet the Out-Year 3 Unconstrained Total Munitions Requirement, as re- 4 ported pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) of sub- 5 section (e). 6 ‘‘(3) The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that the 7 minimum production levels determined under this sub- 8 section are incorporated into the planning, programming, 9 budgeting, and execution process of the Department of 10 Defense to align munitions procurement with the Out- 11 Year Unconstrained Total Munitions Requirement.’’. 12 SEC. 873. PROCESSES FOR INCENTIVIZING CONTRACTOR 13 EXPANSION OF SOURCES OF SUPPLY. 14 (a) IN GENERAL.—For critical readiness parts and 15 systems, the Secretary of Defense shall enhance military 16 readiness by incentivizing the design activity to expand 17 sources of supply for critical readiness parts and systems, 18 through expedited qualification processes, advanced manu- 19 facturing techniques, and risk-informed certification. 20 (b) CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SUPPLIER 21 DIVERSIFICATION.— 22 (1) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of Defense 23 shall ensure that all new or modified contracts with 24 a prime contractor shall include contracting incen- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00452 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 453 •S 2296 RS tives to expand sources of supply with each design 1 activity at any tier of the supply chain for systems 2 with critical readiness parts and systems. 3 (2) MANDATORY AMSC RECLASSIFICATION.— 4 For any identified critical readiness part or system, 5 the design activity shall, not later than 60 days after 6 notification by the Department of Defense, conduct 7 a review and propose reclassification of the Acquisi- 8 tion Method Suffix Code (AMSC) to reduce sole- 9 source dependency for any part or system with a 10 lead time greater than, unless the Secretary of De- 11 fense grants a waiver based on national security or 12 operational necessity. 13 (3) IMPLEMENTATION.—The design activity 14 shall submit supplier diversification plans not later 15 than 90 days after contract award, detailing pro- 16 posed supplier qualifications and projected benefits. 17 (4) ENFORCEMENT.—Noncompliance shall re- 18 sult in corrective action requests, reduced contractor 19 performance ratings, or contract termination. 20 (c) EXPEDITED QUALIFICATION.— 21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 22 shall expedite qualification procedures for critical 23 readiness parts and systems in collaboration with 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00453 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 454 •S 2296 RS the design activity at any tier of the contract supply 1 chain. 2 (2) DELEGATION.—The Secretary of Defense 3 may delegate authority to designated engineering 4 representatives (DERs) of the Federal Aviation Ad- 5 ministration or equivalent third-party certified engi- 6 neers for specific tasks for parts approved through 7 the Federal Aviation Administration’s Parts Manu- 8 facturer Approval (PMA) processes. 9 (d) ENHANCED USE OF SIMULATION FOR CERTIFI- 10 CATION.— 11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 12 shall mandate the use of simulation-based 13 verification for certifying critical readiness parts and 14 systems, reducing reliance on physical testing for 15 non-safety critical items, or non-mission critical 16 items, as those terms are defined in section 865 of 17 the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and 18 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 19 2025 (Public Law 118–159; 10 U.S.C. 4811 note). 20 (2) SUBMISSION OF SIMULATION-BASED EVI- 21 DENCE.—Design activities or DERs shall submit to 22 the Department upon request simulation-based evi- 23 dence, such as structural/strength analysis reports 24 and fault trees. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00454 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 455 •S 2296 RS (3) ACCEPTANCE OF SIMULATION-BASED EVI- 1 DENCE.—Engineering Support Activities (ESAs) 2 shall accept simulation data as primary evidence for 3 non-safety critical items, or non-mission critical 4 items, with conditional approvals issued within 14 5 days for critical readiness parts and systems. 6 (4) SIMULATION VALIDATION FRAMEWORK.— 7 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact- 8 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall es- 9 tablish a Department-wide simulation validation 10 framework incorporating third-party lab testing. 11 (e) DATA RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT AND REVERSE EN- 12 GINEERING.—If a design activity is unwilling or unable 13 to initiate expedited qualification or source alternative 14 suppliers for critical readiness parts and systems within 15 30 days of notification, the Secretary of Defense shall— 16 (1) review and enforce government access to 17 technical data deliverables to enable alternative 18 sourcing under subchapter I of chapter 275 of title 19 10, United States Code; or 20 (2) initiate reverse engineering to qualify new 21 suppliers using the pilot program established under 22 section 882 of the Servicemember Quality of Life 23 Improvement and National Defense Authorization 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00455 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 456 •S 2296 RS Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159; 10 1 U.S.C. 3771 note). 2 (f) REPORT.—Not later than December 31, 2027, the 3 Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional de- 4 fense committees report detailing— 5 (1) the number of critical readiness parts and 6 systems addressed through AMSC reclassification, 7 supplier diversification, and reverse engineering; 8 (2) the implementation status of expedited tem- 9 plates, simulation use, and fast-track processes; 10 (3) compliance by design activities, including 11 enforcement actions and data rights disputes; and 12 (4) the impact on critical readiness parts and 13 system resolution times and readiness metrics. 14 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 15 (1) The term ‘‘critical readiness parts and sys- 16 tems’’ has the meaning given the term in section 17 4324 of title 10, United States Code. 18 (2) The term ‘‘design activity’’ has the meaning 19 given the term in Revision C to Military Standard 20 31000 (MIL–STD–31000C), entitled ‘‘Technical 21 Data Packages’’, or successor document. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00456 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 457 •S 2296 RS SEC. 874. DUTY-FREE ENTRY OF SUPPLIES PROCURED BY 1 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 2 (a) ISSUANCE OF DUTY-FREE ENTRY CERTIFI- 3 CATES.— 4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided by para- 5 graph (2), the Secretary of Defense shall issue a 6 duty-free entry certificate for any of the following 7 supplies imported pursuant to a procurement con- 8 tract entered into by the Department of Defense: 9 (A) An end product or component im- 10 ported from a country with which the United 11 States has a memorandum of understanding for 12 reciprocal procurement of defense items in ef- 13 fect under section 4851 of title 10, United 14 States Code. 15 (B) A defense item that is an eligible prod- 16 uct as defined in section 308 of the Trade 17 Agreements Act of 1979 (19 U.S.C. 2518). 18 (2) EXCEPTIONS.—Paragraph (1) does not 19 apply with respect to a product or component de- 20 scribed in that paragraph if— 21 (A) the product or component is eligible 22 for duty-free treatment under the column 1 spe- 23 cial rate of duty column of the Harmonized 24 Tariff Schedule of the United States; or 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00457 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 458 •S 2296 RS (B) the product or component has already 1 entered the customs territory of the United 2 States and the contractor already has paid the 3 duty with respect to the product or component. 4 (b) TRACKING OF SUPPLY CHAIN.—The Secretary 5 shall— 6 (1) track the impact of economic fluctuations, 7 include tariffs, supply chain disruptions and infla- 8 tion, on all major prime contracts entered into by 9 the Department of Defense; and 10 (2) not later than January 30, 2026, submit to 11 the congressional defense committees a report that 12 includes— 13 (A) an assessment of cost increases to both 14 the Department and contractors as a result of 15 tariffs imposed under the International Emer- 16 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et 17 seq.) and section 232 of the Trade Expansion 18 Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. 1862); 19 (B) an assessment of the effects of such 20 tariffs on supply chains and lead times for 21 major defense platforms; and 22 (C) a summary of agreements entered into 23 under section 4851 of title 10, United States 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00458 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 459 •S 2296 RS Code, and an assessment of the application of 1 those agreements to the defense supply chain. 2 (c) REPORT ON DUTY-FREE ENTRY CERTIFI- 3 CATES.—Not later than January 30, 2026, and annually 4 thereafter until January 30, 2030, the Secretary, acting 5 through the Director of the Defense Contract Manage- 6 ment Agency, shall submit to the congressional defense 7 committees a report on articles classified under sub- 8 heading 9808.00.30 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of 9 the United States that includes— 10 (1) a summary of such articles for which the 11 Secretary issued a duty-free entry certificate; and 12 (2) a summary of such articles for which a 13 duty-free entry certificate was requested and denied. 14 SEC. 875. OTHER TRANSACTION AUTHORITY REPORTING. 15 Any project carried out by the Department of De- 16 fense using other transaction authority under section 4021 17 of title 10, United States Code, shall be reported in the 18 same manner as other Department of Defense expendi- 19 tures for inclusion in the searchable public website estab- 20 lished by the Federal Funding Accountability and Trans- 21 parency Act of 2006 (31 U.S.C. 6101 note; Public Law 22 109–282). 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00459 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 460 •S 2296 RS SEC. 876. ASSESSMENT OF COMPETITIVE EFFECTS OF DE- 1 FENSE CONTRACTOR TRANSACTIONS. 2 (a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘Depart- 3 ment’’ means the Department of Defense. 4 (b) RETROSPECTIVE REVIEWS OF APPROVED MERG- 5 ERS.—The Comptroller General of the United States shall 6 conduct an assessment of the competitive effects of de- 7 fense contractor mergers and acquisitions during the 10- 8 year period ending on the date of enactment of this Act 9 that includes— 10 (1) company compliance with recommended 11 remedies; 12 (2) effectiveness of remedies to address com- 13 petition concerns, industrial base sustainability, and 14 national security risks raised by the Department of 15 Justice, Federal Trade Commission, and Depart- 16 ment in the merger review process; 17 (3) information sharing between the Depart- 18 ment of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, and the 19 Department in the merger and acquisition review 20 process; 21 (4) Department processes for measuring the 22 impacts of vertical integration on competition, in- 23 cluding data collection and ability to access industry 24 information to assess anticompetitive practices; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00460 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 461 •S 2296 RS (5) implementation of previous Government Ac- 1 countability Office, Department, and Defense 2 Science Board recommendations to enhance competi- 3 tion. 4 SEC. 877. EVALUATION OF TP-LINK TELECOMMUNICATIONS 5 EQUIPMENT FOR DESIGNATION AS COVERED 6 TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT OR 7 SERVICES. 8 (a) EVALUATION REQUIRED.—The Secretary of De- 9 fense shall evaluate telecommunications equipment and 10 services manufactured or provided by TP-Link Tech- 11 nologies Co., Ltd. and its subsidiaries to determine wheth- 12 er such equipment and services should be designated as 13 covered telecommunications equipment or services under 14 section 889 of the John S. McCain National Defense Au- 15 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115– 16 232; 41 U.S.C. 3901 note prec.). 17 (b) BRIEFING REQUIRED.—Not later than December 18 1, 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall brief the congres- 19 sional defense committees on the determination made 20 under subsection (a). 21 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00461 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 462 •S 2296 RS SEC. 878. COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN DISCLOSURE REQUIRE- 1 MENTS FOR GENERIC DRUGS PURCHASED BY 2 THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 3 The Department of Defense may not procure for re- 4 sale any generic drug unless the seller of such generic drug 5 discloses the country the generic drug was manufactured 6 in and the country of origin for all active pharmaceutical 7 ingredients and key starting materials. 8 SEC. 879. PHASE-OUT OF COMPUTER AND PRINTER ACQUI- 9 SITIONS INVOLVING ENTITIES OWNED OR 10 CONTROLLED BY CHINA. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense may not 12 directly or indirectly acquire any computer or printer if 13 the manufacturer is a covered Chinese entity. 14 (b) PROHIBITION ON INDIRECT SALES.—The Sec- 15 retary of Defense shall ensure that the prohibition under 16 subsection (a) also applies to indirect sales through ex- 17 empt subsidiaries. No covered entity may use an exempt 18 subsidiary to circumvent the prohibition on the acquisition 19 of computers, unified communication devices, or printers. 20 (c) APPLICABILITY.—This section shall apply only 21 with respect to contracts or other agreements entered into, 22 renewed, or extended in accordance with the percentage 23 thresholds specified in subsection (d), for end user com- 24 puting devices such as laptops, desktops, and other phys- 25 ical computing equipment. This section shall not apply to 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00462 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 463 •S 2296 RS contracts or other agreements for cloud-based services, in- 1 cluding virtual desktops, or cellular telephones. 2 (d) REQUIRED PERCENTAGES.—The percentage 3 thresholds referred to in subsection (c) are, for both com- 4 puters and printers, as follows: 5 (1) Not less than 10 percent of the Depart- 6 ment’s total procurement beginning in fiscal year 7 2026. 8 (2) Not less than 25 percent of the Depart- 9 ment’s total procurement beginning in fiscal year 10 2027. 11 (3) Not less than 50 percent of the Depart- 12 ment’s total procurement beginning in fiscal year 13 2028. 14 (4) 100 percent of the Department’s total pro- 15 curement beginning in fiscal year 2029. 16 (e) WAIVER.—The Secretary of Defense may allow 17 acquisition of items not for operational use, to conduct 18 testing, evaluation, exfiltration, and reverse engineering 19 missions on adversarial products and capabilities. 20 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 21 (1) COMPUTER.—The term ‘‘computer’’— 22 (A) means an electronic, magnetic, optical, 23 electrochemical, or other high speed data proc- 24 essing device performing logical, arithmetic, or 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00463 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 464 •S 2296 RS storage functions, and includes any data stor- 1 age facility or communications facility directly 2 related to or operating in conjunction with such 3 device; and 4 (B) does not include an automated type- 5 writer or typesetter, a portable handheld calcu- 6 lator, or other similar device. 7 (2) COUNTRY OF CONCERN.—The term ‘‘coun- 8 try of concern’’ means the Government of the Peo- 9 ple’s Republic of China. 10 (3) COVERED CHINESE ENTITY.—The term 11 ‘‘covered Chinese entity’’ means an entity that the 12 Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Direc- 13 tor of the National Intelligence or the Director of 14 the Federal Bureau of Investigation, determines to 15 be— 16 (A) an entity whose ultimate parent com- 17 pany is domiciled in the People’s Republic of 18 China and therefore required to comply with 19 China’s 2015 National Security Law, China’s 20 2017 National Intelligence Law, and other Chi- 21 nese laws that require such ultimate parent 22 company to cooperate with Chinese national de- 23 fense and national intelligence agencies; or 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00464 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 465 •S 2296 RS (B) an entity or parent company of any 1 entity in which a country of concern has an 2 ownership stake. 3 (4) MANUFACTURER.—The term ‘‘manufac- 4 turer’’ means— 5 (A) the entity that transforms raw mate- 6 rials, miscellaneous parts, or components into 7 the end item; 8 (B) any entity that subcontracts with the 9 entity described in subparagraph (A) for the en- 10 tity described in such subparagraph to trans- 11 form raw materials, miscellaneous parts, or 12 components into the end item; 13 (C) any entity that otherwise directs the 14 entity described in subparagraph (A) to trans- 15 form raw materials, miscellaneous parts, or 16 components into the end item; or 17 (D) any parent company, subsidiary, or af- 18 filiate of the entity described in subparagraph 19 (A). 20 (5) PRINTER.—The term ‘‘printer’’— 21 (A) means desktop printers, multifunction 22 printer copiers, and printer/fax combinations 23 taken out of service that may or may not be de- 24 signed to reside on a work surface, and include 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00465 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 466 •S 2296 RS various print technologies, including laser and 1 light-emitting diode (electrographic), ink jet, 2 dot matrix, thermal, and digital sublimation, 3 and ‘‘multi-function’’ or ‘‘all-in-one’’ devices 4 that perform different tasks, including copying, 5 scanning, faxing, and printing; 6 (B) includes floor-standing printers, print- 7 ers with optional floor stand, or household 8 printers; and 9 (C) does not include point of sale (POS) 10 receipt printers, calculators with printing capa- 11 bilities, label makers, or non-standalone print- 12 ers that are embedded into products that are 13 not covered by the definition in subparagraphs 14 (A) and (B). 15 SEC. 880. PROHIBITION ON OPERATION, PROCUREMENT, 16 AND CONTRACTING RELATED TO FOREIGN- 17 MADE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING MA- 18 CHINES. 19 (a) PROHIBITION ON AGENCY OPERATION OR PRO- 20 CUREMENT.—The Secretary of Defense may not operate, 21 or enter into or renew a contract for the procurement of— 22 (1) a covered additive manufacturing machine 23 that— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00466 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 467 •S 2296 RS (A) is manufactured in a covered foreign 1 country or by an entity domiciled in a covered 2 foreign country; 3 (B) uses operating software developed in a 4 covered foreign country or by an entity domi- 5 ciled in a covered foreign country; or 6 (C) uses network connectivity or data stor- 7 age located in or administered by an entity 8 domiciled in a covered foreign country; or 9 (2) a system or systems that incorporates, 10 interfaces with, or otherwise uses additive manufac- 11 turing systems or machines described in paragraph 12 (1). 13 (b) EXCEPTION.—The prohibition under subsection 14 (a) does not apply to the operation or procurement of ad- 15 ditive manufacturing systems or machines for the pur- 16 poses of testing, analysis, and training related to intel- 17 ligence, electronic warfare, and information warfare oper- 18 ations. 19 (c) WAIVER.—The Secretary of Defense may waive 20 the prohibition under subsection (a) on a case-by-case 21 basis by certifying in writing to the congressional defense 22 committees that the operation or procurement of additive 23 manufacturing systems or machines is required in the na- 24 tional interest of the United States. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00467 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 468 •S 2296 RS (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 1 (1) ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING MACHINE.— 2 The term ‘‘additive manufacturing machine’’ means 3 a system of integrated hardware and software used 4 to realize an additive manufacturing process, includ- 5 ing the deposition of material and the associated 6 post-processing steps as applicable. 7 (2) ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROCESS.—The 8 term ‘‘additive manufacturing process’’ means a 9 process of joining materials to make parts from 3D 10 model data, usually layer upon layer, as opposed to 11 subtractive manufacturing methodologies. 12 (3) COVERED ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING COM- 13 PANY.—The term ‘‘covered additive manufacturing 14 company’’ means any of the following: 15 (A) Any entity that produces or provides 16 additive manufacturing machines and is in- 17 cluded on— 18 (i) the Consolidated Screening List 19 maintained by the International Trade Ad- 20 ministration of the Department of Com- 21 merce; or 22 (ii) the civil-military fusion list main- 23 tained under section 1260H of the William 24 M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00468 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 469 •S 2296 RS Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 1 (Public Law 116–283; 10 U.S.C. 113 2 note). 3 (B) Any entity that produces or provides 4 additive manufacturing machines and— 5 (i) is domiciled in a covered foreign 6 country; or 7 (ii) is subject to unmitigated foreign 8 ownership, control, or influence by a cov- 9 ered foreign country, as determined by the 10 Secretary of Defense in accordance with 11 the National Industrial Security Program 12 or any successor to such program. 13 (4) COVERED ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING MA- 14 CHINE.—The term ‘‘covered additive manufacturing 15 machine’’ means additive manufacturing machines 16 and any related services and equipment manufac- 17 tured by a covered additive manufacturing company. 18 (5) COVERED FOREIGN COUNTRY.—The term 19 ‘‘covered foreign country’’ means the People’s Re- 20 public of China, Iran, the Democratic People’s Re- 21 public of Korea, and the Russian Federation. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00469 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 470 •S 2296 RS TITLE IX—DEPARTMENT OF DE- 1 FENSE ORGANIZATION AND 2 MANAGEMENT 3 Subtitle A—Office of the Secretary 4 of Defense and Related Matters 5 SEC. 901. ECONOMIC DEFENSE UNIT. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 4 of title 10, United 7 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol- 8 lowing new section: 9 ‘‘§ 149a. Economic Defense Unit 10 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 11 Department of Defense an Economic Defense Unit (in this 12 section referred to as the ‘Unit’). 13 ‘‘(b) DIRECTOR.— 14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The head of the Unit shall 15 be the Director (in this section referred to as the 16 ‘Director’). 17 ‘‘(2) APPOINTMENT.—The Director shall be ap- 18 pointed by the Secretary of Defense from among— 19 ‘‘(A) employees in Senior Executive Service 20 positions (as defined in section 3132 of title 5); 21 or 22 ‘‘(B) individuals from outside the civil 23 service who have successfully held equivalent 24 positions. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00470 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 471 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(3) AUTHORITY OF DIRECTOR.—The Direc- 1 tor— 2 ‘‘(A) shall serve as a principal staff assist- 3 ant to the Secretary of Defense on matters 4 within the responsibilities of the Unit; 5 ‘‘(B) shall report directly to the Deputy 6 Secretary of Defense without intervening au- 7 thority; and 8 ‘‘(C) may communicate views on matters 9 within the responsibilities of the Unit directly to 10 the Deputy Secretary without obtaining the ap- 11 proval or concurrence of any other official with- 12 in the Department of Defense. 13 ‘‘(c) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Unit shall be respon- 14 sible for the following: 15 ‘‘(1) Coordinating among, and harmonizing eco- 16 nomic competition activities by, components of the 17 Department of Defense, including by serving as a 18 co-chair of the National Defense Economic Competi- 19 tion Research Council. 20 ‘‘(2) Developing and maintaining requirements 21 for economic competition activities to reinforce mili- 22 tary advantage, including requirements described in 23 subsection (d). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00471 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 472 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(3) Developing and maintaining a campaign 1 plan for economic competition activities to reinforce 2 military advantage. 3 ‘‘(4) Conducting or sponsoring analyses and 4 other net assessment activities to scope economic 5 competition activities, gaps, needs, or requirements 6 related to activities of the United States, allies of 7 the United States, or adversaries. 8 ‘‘(5) Directing the execution of economic com- 9 petition activities. 10 ‘‘(6) Developing programming and budget sub- 11 missions for economic competition activities. 12 ‘‘(7) Advising the Secretary and the Deputy 13 Secretary with respect to economic competition ac- 14 tivities, including with respect to coordinating inte- 15 gration of economic competition requirements or 16 programs into joint and interagency planning activi- 17 ties. 18 ‘‘(8) Acting as the principal interlocutor for 19 interagency activities related to economic competi- 20 tion activities. 21 ‘‘(9) Leading outreach of the Department of 22 Defense to relevant private actors engaged in eco- 23 nomic competition activities, including by liaising 24 with private actors under section 1047 of the James 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00472 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 473 •S 2296 RS M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for 1 Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263; 10 U.S.C. 2 113 note). 3 ‘‘(10) Sponsoring or conducting regular table- 4 top exercises related to economic competition activi- 5 ties in order to— 6 ‘‘(A) assess the economic impacts of deci- 7 sions of the Department of Defense during cri- 8 ses and conflicts; 9 ‘‘(B) evaluate the economic tools available 10 to the United States Government to augment 11 the capabilities of the Department of Defense in 12 competition, crises, and conflicts; or 13 ‘‘(C) evaluate planning scenarios or con- 14 cept development, including to test proposed 15 doctrine, tactics, or other nonmaterial ap- 16 proaches for economic competition activities 17 that might be used by the Department of De- 18 fense. 19 ‘‘(11) Selecting economic competition activities 20 projects to be carried out using funds made available 21 to the Unit, allocating funds to organizations to 22 carry out such projects, and monitoring the execu- 23 tion of such projects. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00473 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 474 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(12) Serving as the co-chair of the National 1 Security Capital Forum. 2 ‘‘(13) Carrying out such other activities as the 3 Deputy Secretary of Defense determines appro- 4 priate. 5 ‘‘(14) Regularly updating the National Security 6 Council and relevant Federal agencies with respect 7 to the economic competition activities of the Depart- 8 ment of Defense. 9 ‘‘(d) ECONOMIC COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS.— 10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The requirements for eco- 11 nomic competition activities developed and main- 12 tained by the Unit under subsection (c)(2) may in- 13 clude requirements for— 14 ‘‘(A) access, basing, and overflight; 15 ‘‘(B) countering mobilization of adver- 16 saries; 17 ‘‘(C) countering defense industrial base ac- 18 tivities by adversaries; 19 ‘‘(D) ensuring the access of the United 20 States to critical materials and capabilities; and 21 ‘‘(E) such other matters as the Director 22 considers appropriate. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00474 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 475 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(2) CONSULTATIONS.—In developing require- 1 ments for economic competition activities under sub- 2 section (c)(2), the Director shall consult— 3 ‘‘(A) integrated priorities lists from com- 4 batant commanders derived from operational 5 plans or theater campaign plans; 6 ‘‘(B) integrated priorities lists of defense 7 industrial base shortfalls or investment opportu- 8 nities; and 9 ‘‘(C) the outcomes of experimentation 10 events, science and technology activities, and 11 examinations of issues of economic competition 12 by concept development organizations. 13 ‘‘(e) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 14 ‘‘(1) QUARTERLY BRIEFINGS.—Not less fre- 15 quently than quarterly, the Director shall provide to 16 the Secretary of Defense and the congressional de- 17 fense committees a briefing on, for the quarter pre- 18 ceding the briefing— 19 ‘‘(A) the activities of the Unit; 20 ‘‘(B) the outcomes of and advances result- 21 ing from such activities; and 22 ‘‘(C) work product of the Unit. 23 ‘‘(2) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not less frequently 24 than annually, the Director shall submit to the con- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00475 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 476 •S 2296 RS gressional defense committees a report on the mat- 1 ters described in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of 2 paragraph (1) for the year preceding submission of 3 the report. 4 ‘‘(f) ECONOMIC COMPETITION ACTIVITIES DE- 5 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘economic competition 6 activities’ means actions that are taken to reinforce mili- 7 tary advantage in and through the economic domain, in- 8 cluding such actions taken— 9 ‘‘(1) to leverage private capital and market ac- 10 tors; 11 ‘‘(2) to acquire or procure items; 12 ‘‘(3) to protect or enhance the economic or 13 technological advantage of the United States or al- 14 lies of the United States; 15 ‘‘(4) in the information environment or cyber 16 environment or as other sensitive operations; or 17 ‘‘(5) to leverage interagency authorities.’’. 18 (b) NATIONAL DEFENSE ECONOMIC COMPETITION 19 RESEARCH COUNCIL.—Section 228(c) of the Servicemem- 20 ber Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense 21 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118– 22 159; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note) is amended— 23 (1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol- 24 lows: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00476 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 477 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(1) CHAIR.—The Director of the Economic 1 Defense Unit shall be the chair of the Council.’’; and 2 (2) in paragraph (2)— 3 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 4 through (N) as clauses (i) through (xiv), respec- 5 tively, and by moving such clauses, as so redes- 6 ignated, two ems to the right; and 7 (B) by striking ‘‘The co-chairs’’ and all 8 that follows through ‘‘the following:’’ and in- 9 serting in the following: ‘‘The Council shall in- 10 clude the following: 11 ‘‘(A) The Under Secretary of Defense for 12 Policy. 13 ‘‘(B) The Under Secretary of Defense for 14 Research and Engineering. 15 ‘‘(C) The Under Secretary of Defense for 16 Acquisition and Sustainment. 17 ‘‘(D) Representatives from each of the fol- 18 lowing:’’. 19 (c) NATIONAL SECURITY CAPITAL FORUM.—Section 20 1092(b) of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improve- 21 ment and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 22 Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159; 10 U.S.C. 149 note) is 23 amended to read as follows: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00477 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 478 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(b) CO-CHAIRS.—The Director of the Office of Stra- 1 tegic Capital and the Director of the Economic Defense 2 Unit shall serve as co-chairs of the forum established 3 under subsection (a).’’. 4 SEC. 902. ADDITIONAL AUTHORITIES FOR OFFICE OF STRA- 5 TEGIC CAPITAL. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 149 of title 10, United 7 States Code, is amended— 8 (1) by redesignating subsection (f) as sub- 9 section (j); and 10 (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol- 11 lowing new subsections: 12 ‘‘(f) FEES.— 13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director may— 14 ‘‘(A) charge and collect fees for the costs 15 of services provided by the Office and associ- 16 ated with administering programs under this 17 section, including for project-specific trans- 18 action costs and direct costs relating to such 19 services; and 20 ‘‘(B) establish those fees at amounts that 21 will ensure recovery of the full costs of admin- 22 istering those programs. 23 ‘‘(2) DEPOSIT INTO CREDIT PROGRAM AC- 24 COUNT.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00478 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 479 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Amounts collected as 1 fees under paragraph (1) shall— 2 ‘‘(i) be deposited into the Credit Pro- 3 gram Account established under subsection 4 (e)(5); and 5 ‘‘(ii) remain available until expended. 6 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION ON USE OF FEES.—Not- 7 withstanding subsection (e)(5)(B), none of the 8 fees collected under paragraph (1) may be used 9 to pay salaries or expenses of civilian employees 10 of the Department of Defense. 11 ‘‘(3) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.— 12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided by 13 subparagraph (B), the authority under para- 14 graph (1) to charge and collect fees shall expire 15 on the date specified in paragraph (9)(A) of 16 subsection (e) for the expiration of the author- 17 ity of the Director to make new loans and pro- 18 vide new loan guarantees under paragraph 19 (3)(A)(i) of that subsection. 20 ‘‘(B) TREATMENT OF CERTAIN ASSETS.— 21 With respect to a loan or loan guarantee pro- 22 vided under this section that is outstanding as 23 of the expiration date under subparagraph (A), 24 the authority of the Director under paragraph 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00479 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 480 •S 2296 RS (1) to charge and collect fees for services relat- 1 ing to the loan or loan guarantee shall remain 2 in effect for the duration of the loan or loan 3 guarantee. 4 ‘‘(4) REPORTS REQUIRED.— 5 ‘‘(A) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 6 March 1 of each year, the Director shall submit 7 to the congressional defense committees a re- 8 port that includes— 9 ‘‘(i) a detailed summary of the fees 10 collected under paragraph (1) in the pre- 11 ceding fiscal year; and 12 ‘‘(ii) a description of how those fees 13 were allocated. 14 ‘‘(B) AUDIT.—The Inspector General of 15 the Department of Defense shall— 16 ‘‘(i) conduct an audit of fees charged 17 and collected under paragraph (1) not less 18 frequently than once every two years; and 19 ‘‘(ii) not later than June 1 of the year 20 in which an audit is conducted under 21 clause (i), submit to the congressional de- 22 fense committees a report on the results of 23 the audit. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00480 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 481 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(g) AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT SERVICES.—Notwith- 1 standing section 1342 of title 31, the Director may accept 2 services, such as legal, financial, technical, or professional 3 services, associated with administering programs under 4 this section, including accepting such services as payment 5 in kind for services provided by the Office. 6 ‘‘(h) PRESUMPTION OF COMPLIANCE.—Each agree- 7 ment for a loan or loan guarantee executed by the Director 8 shall be conclusively presumed to be issued in compliance 9 with the requirements of this section. 10 ‘‘(i) AUTHORITY TO COLLECT DEBTS.—In the case 11 of a default on a loan or loan guarantee provided under 12 this section, the Director may exercise any priority of the 13 United States in collecting debts relating to the default.’’. 14 (b) DETERMINATIONS OF LOAN DEFAULT UNDER 15 PILOT PROGRAM ON CAPITAL ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT 16 DEFENSE INVESTMENT IN INDUSTRIAL BASE.—Sub- 17 section (e)(3)(A)(ii)(VI) of such section is amended by 18 striking ‘‘Secretary’’ and inserting ‘‘Director’’. 19 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO CREDIT PROGRAM 20 ACCOUNT.—Subsection (e)(5)(A)(ii) of such section is 21 amended— 22 (1) by striking ‘‘consist of amounts’’ and insert- 23 ing the following: ‘‘consist of— 24 ‘‘(I) amounts’’; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00481 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 482 •S 2296 RS (2) by striking the period at the end and insert- 1 ing ‘‘; and’’; and 2 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub- 3 clause: 4 ‘‘(II) fees deposited under subsection 5 (f)(2).’’. 6 SEC. 903. MODIFICATIONS TO RESPONSIBILITIES OF DIREC- 7 TOR FOR OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUA- 8 TION. 9 Section 139(b) of title 10, United States Code is 10 amended— 11 (1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 12 inserting a semicolon; 13 (2) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at 14 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 15 (3) by adding at the end the following new 16 paragraph: 17 ‘‘(7) maintain, on behalf of the Secretary of De- 18 fense, enabling and cross-cutting activities that sup- 19 port operational test and evaluation across the De- 20 partment, including— 21 ‘‘(A) the Cyber Assessment Program; 22 ‘‘(B) the Center for Countermeasures; 23 ‘‘(C) the Test and Evaluation Threat Re- 24 source Activity; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00482 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 483 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(D) the Joint Technical Coordinating 1 Group for Munitions Effectiveness Program; 2 ‘‘(E) the Joint Aircraft Survivability Pro- 3 gram; 4 ‘‘(F) the Joint Test and Evaluation Pro- 5 gram; and 6 ‘‘(G) the Test and Evaluation Trans- 7 formation Program.’’. 8 SEC. 904. DIRECTIVE AUTHORITY FOR MATTERS FOR 9 WHICH UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR 10 RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING HAS RESPON- 11 SIBILITY. 12 Section 133a(b) of title 10, United States Code, is 13 amended— 14 (1) in paragraph (2)— 15 (A) by inserting ‘‘elements of the Depart- 16 ment relating to’’ after ‘‘supervising, all’’; and 17 (B) by inserting ‘‘and to enhance 18 jointness’’ after ‘‘and engineering efforts’’; and 19 (C) by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting a 20 semicolon; 21 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at 22 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 23 (3) by adding at the end the following new 24 paragraph: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00483 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 484 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(4) directing the Secretaries of the military de- 1 partments and the heads of all other elements of the 2 Department with regard to matters for which the 3 Under Secretary has responsibility.’’. 4 SEC. 905. MODIFICATION OF ENERGETIC MATERIALS STRA- 5 TEGIC PLAN AND INVESTMENT STRATEGY OF 6 JOINT ENERGETICS TRANSITION OFFICE. 7 Section 148(c)(1) of title 10, United States Code, is 8 amended— 9 (1) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 10 and inserting a semicolon; 11 (2) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period 12 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 13 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub- 14 paragraph: 15 ‘‘(D) identifying raw material waste pro- 16 duced during the explosives manufacturing 17 process and developing plans to reduce waste 18 and optimize production.’’. 19 SEC. 906. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS PEND- 20 ING ESTABLISHMENT OF JOINT ENERGETICS 21 TRANSITION OFFICE. 22 Of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this 23 Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for 24 Operation and Maintenance, Defense-wide, for the Office 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00484 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 485 •S 2296 RS of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 1 Sustainment and the Office of the Under Secretary of De- 2 fense for Research and Engineering for travel expenses, 3 not more than 90 percent may be obligated or expended 4 until the Secretary of Defense notifies the congressional 5 defense committees that the Department of Defense has 6 established the Joint Energetics Transition Office as re- 7 quired by section 148 of title 10, United States Code, and 8 provided that Office with the staff and other resources 9 necessary to effectively carry out the responsibilities speci- 10 fied in subsection (c) of that section. 11 SEC. 907. MODIFICATION OF COVERED TECHNOLOGY CAT- 12 EGORIES FOR OFFICE OF STRATEGIC CAP- 13 ITAL. 14 Paragraph (2) of subsection (j) of section 149 of title 15 10, United States Code, as redesignated by section 16 902(a)(1), is amended— 17 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (U) 18 through (GG) as subparagraphs (V) through (HH), 19 respectively; and 20 (2) by inserting after subparagraph (T) the fol- 21 lowing new subparagraph: 22 ‘‘(U) Nuclear fission and fusion energy, 23 and associated infrastructure, including ad- 24 vanced nuclear reactors.’’. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00485 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 486 •S 2296 RS SEC. 908. MODIFICATION OF ORGANIZATION AND AUTHORI- 1 TIES OF ASSISTANT SECRETARIES OF DE- 2 FENSE WITH DUTIES RELATING TO INDUS- 3 TRIAL BASE POLICY AND READINESS. 4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF 5 DEFENSE FOR INTERNATIONAL ARMAMENTS COOPERA- 6 TION.—Section 138(b) of title 10, United States Code, is 7 amended— 8 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (7) and (8) as 9 paragraphs (8) and (9), respectively; and 10 (2) by inserting after paragraph (6) the fol- 11 lowing new paragraph (7): 12 ‘‘(7) One of the Assistant Secretaries is the Assistant 13 Secretary of Defense for International Armaments Co- 14 operation, who shall report directly to the Under Secretary 15 of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. The principal 16 duty of the Assistant Secretary shall be to carry out sec- 17 tion 133b(b)(10) of this title.’’. 18 (b) RENAMING OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DE- 19 FENSE FOR STRATEGY, PLANS, AND CAPABILITIES AS AS- 20 SISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR STRATEGY, 21 PLANS, CAPABILITIES, AND READINESS.—On and after 22 the date of the enactment of this Act— 23 (1) the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 24 Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities shall be known as 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00486 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 487 •S 2296 RS the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, 1 Plans, Capabilities, and Readiness; and 2 (2) any reference in any law or regulation to 3 the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, 4 Plans, and Capabilities shall be deemed to be a ref- 5 erence to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 6 Strategy, Plans, Capabilities, and Readiness. 7 (c) ELIMINATION OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DE- 8 FENSE FOR READINESS.—The position of Assistant Sec- 9 retary of Defense for Readiness is eliminated. 10 Subtitle B—Other Department of 11 Defense Organization and Man- 12 agement Matters 13 SEC. 911. MODIFICATIONS TO JOINT REQUIREMENTS OVER- 14 SIGHT COUNCIL. 15 (a) MISSION.—Subsection (b) of section 181 of title 16 10, United States Code, is amended by striking para- 17 graphs (1) through (7) and inserting the following: 18 ‘‘(1) evaluating global trends, threats, and ad- 19 versary capabilities to inform understanding of joint 20 operational problems and shape a joint force design; 21 ‘‘(2) coordinating with commanders of combat- 22 ant commands with respect to compiling, refining, 23 and prioritizing joint operational problems; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00487 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 488 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(3) continuously reviewing and assessing mili- 1 tary capabilities of the armed forces, Defense Agen- 2 cies, or other entities of the Department of Defense 3 to meet applicable requirements in the national de- 4 fense strategy under section 113(g) of this title; 5 ‘‘(4) identifying and prioritizing gaps and op- 6 portunities in military capabilities to meet such re- 7 quirements, including making recommendations for 8 changes to address such gaps and leverage such op- 9 portunities; 10 ‘‘(5) identifying advances in technology, innova- 11 tive commercial solutions, and concepts of operation 12 that could improve the ability of the joint force in 13 achieving military advantage for the United States; 14 ‘‘(6) designing the joint force in a manner that 15 addresses joint operational problems and, in doing 16 so, evaluating force design initiatives of the armed 17 forces to recommend acceptance, mitigation, or al- 18 ternative force designs; 19 ‘‘(7) maintaining a repository of joint oper- 20 ational problems and identification of military capa- 21 bilities that are addressing those problems; and 22 ‘‘(8) evaluating impact to joint military capa- 23 bility requirements for the purposes of section 24 4375(b).’’. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00488 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 489 •S 2296 RS (b) COMPOSITION.—Subsection (c)(1) of such section 1 is amended by adding at the end the following new sub- 2 paragraph: 3 ‘‘(G) In any case in which the Council is 4 considering a topic of significant interest to a 5 combatant command, the commander of the 6 combatant command or a designee of the com- 7 mander who is a general or flag officer.’’. 8 (c) ADVISORS.—Subsection (d) of such section is 9 amended— 10 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘paragraphs 11 (1) and (2) of’’; 12 (2) in paragraph (3)— 13 (A) by striking ‘‘, and strongly consider,’’ 14 and inserting ‘‘and consider’’; and 15 (B) by striking ‘‘under subsection (b)(2) 16 and joint performance requirements pursuant to 17 subsection (b)(3)’’; 18 (3) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘, and strong- 19 ly consider,’’ and inserting ‘‘and consider’’; and 20 (4) by adding at the end the following new 21 paragraph: 22 ‘‘(5) INPUT FROM INDUSTRY.—The Council 23 may seek views from industry on commercially avail- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00489 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 490 •S 2296 RS able technology to address joint operational problems 1 or capability gaps.’’. 2 (d) PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS.—Subsection (e) 3 of such section is amended by striking ‘‘and, except’’ and 4 all that follows through ‘‘Council’’. 5 (e) DEFINITIONS.—Subsection (h) of such section is 6 amended— 7 (1) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3); 8 (2) by redesignating paragraph (1) as para- 9 graph (2); 10 (3) by inserting before paragraph (2), as so re- 11 designated, the following new paragraph (1): 12 ‘‘(1) The term ‘capability requirement’ means a 13 capability that is critical or essential to address a 14 joint operational problem.’’; and 15 (4) by inserting after paragraph (2), as so re- 16 designated, the following new paragraph (3): 17 ‘‘(3) The term ‘joint operational problem’— 18 ‘‘(A) means a challenge across the joint 19 force faced by a combatant command in achiev- 20 ing an assigned military objective; and 21 ‘‘(B) may include limitations in capabili- 22 ties, resources, or the ability to effectively and 23 efficiently coordinate across the joint force, with 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00490 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 491 •S 2296 RS another combatant command, or among joint 1 military capabilities.’’. 2 (f) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 3 (1) ACQUISITION-RELATED FUNCTIONS OF 4 CHIEFS OF THE ARMED FORCES.—Section 5 3104(a)(1) of title 10, United States Code, is 6 amended by striking ‘‘(subject, where appropriate, to 7 validation by the Joint Requirements Oversight 8 Council pursuant to section 181 of this title)’’. 9 (2) LIMITATIONS ON DEFENSE MODERNIZATION 10 ACCOUNT.—Section 3136(e)(1)(A) of such title is 11 amended— 12 (A) by striking ‘‘in excess of—’’ and all 13 that follows through ‘‘(i) a specific limitation’’ 14 and inserting ‘‘in excess of a specific limita- 15 tion’’; and 16 (B) by striking clause (ii). 17 (3) FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR MILE- 18 STONE A APPROVAL.—Section 4251(e)(1) of such 19 title is amended by striking ‘‘approved by the Joint 20 Requirements Oversight Council’’. 21 (4) FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR MILE- 22 STONE B APPROVAL.—Section 4252(b) of such title 23 is amended— 24 (A) by striking paragraph (9); and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00491 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 492 •S 2296 RS (B) by redesignating paragraphs (10) 1 through (15) as paragraphs (9) through (14), 2 respectively. 3 (5) BREACH OF CRITICAL COST GROWTH 4 THRESHOLD.—Section 4376 of such title is amend- 5 ed— 6 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘, after 7 consultation with the Joint Requirements Over- 8 sight Council regarding program require- 9 ments,’’; 10 (B) in subsection (b)(2)(B), by striking ‘‘to 11 meet the joint military requirement (as defined 12 in section 181(g)(1) of this title)’’; and 13 (C) in subsection (c)(3), by striking 14 ‘‘joint’’. 15 (6) ACQUISITION ACCOUNTABILITY ON MISSILE 16 DEFENSE SYSTEM.—Section 5514(b)(2)(C)(ii) of 17 such title is amended by striking ‘‘approved’’ and in- 18 serting ‘‘reviewed’’. 19 SEC. 912. TRANSFER OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR COUN- 20 TERING SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYS- 21 TEMS. 22 (a) UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR ACQUISI- 23 TION AND SUSTAINMENT AS EXECUTIVE AGENT.—Sec- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00492 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 493 •S 2296 RS tion 133b(b)(5) of title 10, United States Code, is amend- 1 ed— 2 (1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 3 and inserting a semicolon; 4 (2) in subparagraph (E), by striking the semi- 5 colon and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 6 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub- 7 paragraph: 8 ‘‘(F) the executive agent for the Depart- 9 ment of Defense for oversight of efforts to 10 counter small unmanned aircraft;’’. 11 (b) ELIMINATION OF JOINT COUNTER-SMALL UN- 12 MANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS OFFICE.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Effective on the date that is 14 60 days after the date of the enactment of this 15 Act— 16 (A) the Joint Counter-Small Unmanned 17 Aircraft Systems Office of the Army is termi- 18 nated; and 19 (B) the functions, assets, and civilian em- 20 ployees of the Joint Counter-Small Unmanned 21 Aircraft Systems Office of the Army shall be 22 transferred to the Office of the Under Secretary 23 of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00493 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 494 •S 2296 RS (2) REFERENCES.—On and after the date that 1 is 60 days after the date of the enactment of this 2 Act, any reference in any law or regulation to the 3 Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems 4 Office of the Army shall be deemed to be a reference 5 to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for 6 Acquisition and Sustainment. 7 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 8 (1) PLAN FOR ADDITIONAL KINETIC EFFEC- 9 TORS FOR LOW, SLOW, SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT 10 INTEGRATED DEFEAT SYSTEM.—Section 113 of the 11 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 12 2025 (Public Law 118–159) is amended— 13 (A) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘OF 14 THE ARMY’’; 15 (B) in subsection (a)— 16 (i) by striking ‘‘Secretary of the 17 Army’’ and inserting ‘‘Under Secretary of 18 Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment’’; 19 and 20 (ii) by striking ‘‘of the Army’’; and 21 (C) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘Sep- 22 tember 30, 2025, the Secretary of the Army’’ 23 and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2026, the Under 24 Secretary’’. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00494 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 495 •S 2296 RS (2) COUNTER UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM 1 THREAT LIBRARY.—Section 353 of the National De- 2 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Pub- 3 lic Law 118–159; 10 U.S.C. 130i note) is amend- 4 ed— 5 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘Not 6 later’’ and all that follows through ‘‘Office,’’ 7 and inserting ‘‘Not later than June 30, 2027, 8 the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition 9 and Sustainment’’; and 10 (B) in subsection (c)— 11 (i) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and 12 all that follows through ‘‘Office,’’ and in- 13 serting ‘‘The Under Secretary’’; and 14 (ii) by striking ‘‘the Secretary of the 15 Army’’ and inserting ‘‘the Under Sec- 16 retary’’. 17 SEC. 913. STUDY ON FEASIBILITY AND ADVISABILITY OF ES- 18 TABLISHING A JOINT CAPABILITIES AND 19 PROGRAMMING BOARD. 20 (a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Defense 21 shall conduct a study on the feasibility and advisability 22 of establishing a Joint Capabilities and Programming 23 Board (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Board’’) within 24 the Department of Defense to serve as a consolidated 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00495 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 496 •S 2296 RS forum for addressing joint military capabilities and pro- 1 gram budgeting for investments. 2 (b) ELEMENTS OF STUDY.—The study required by 3 subsection (a) shall assess and provide recommendations 4 on the following elements for the proposed Board: 5 (1) The potential for the Board to act as the 6 primary joint forum for— 7 (A) reviewing and recommending actions 8 on joint military capabilities spanning multiple 9 components of the Department of Defense to 10 address priority capability needs; and 11 (B) evaluating and recommending actions 12 on investment portfolio evaluation and budg- 13 eting matters to prioritize joint military capa- 14 bilities and optimize lethality based on available 15 resources. 16 (2) The feasibility of the Board being co- 17 chaired by the Director of Cost Assessment and Pro- 18 gram Evaluation and the Chairman of the Joint Re- 19 quirements Oversight Council, including the roles, 20 authorities, and responsibilities of the co-chair- 21 persons. 22 (3) The advisability of a Board composition 23 that includes— 24 (A) core membership consisting of— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00496 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 497 •S 2296 RS (i) the co-chairpersons; 1 (ii) representatives from the Joint Re- 2 quirements Oversight Council; 3 (iii) representatives from the Office of 4 the Director of Cost Assessment and Pro- 5 gram Evaluation; 6 (iv) representatives from the Armed 7 Forces and combatant commands to reflect 8 military user perspectives; and 9 (v) representatives of portfolio acquisi- 10 tion executives or equivalent managers to 11 reflect program execution perspectives; 12 (B) a flexible structure permitting the es- 13 tablishment of ad hoc or standing committees 14 to address specific areas or issues, drawing 15 from the core membership; 16 (C) separate staff directly accountable to 17 each co-chairperson to assist in identifying, re- 18 viewing, coordinating, and analyzing matters 19 brought before the Board; and 20 (D) mission engineering and integration 21 analysis cells that evaluate the effectiveness of 22 current and proposed value chains of the De- 23 partment of Defense and inform the assessment 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00497 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 498 •S 2296 RS of alternative courses of action for capability 1 and resource investments. 2 (4) The potential structure for decision-making 3 by the Board, including— 4 (A) maintaining autonomy for the Armed 5 Forces and portfolio acquisition executives to 6 make decisions and execute programs without 7 requiring approval by or the submission of doc- 8 umentation to the Board; 9 (B) issuing recommendations by majority 10 vote of members of the Board, to be forwarded 11 to the Deputy Secretary of Defense unless 12 unanimously rejected by the co-chairpersons; 13 and 14 (C) allowing the members or representa- 15 tives of the Board to submit dissenting opinions 16 alongside recommendations for consideration by 17 the Deputy Secretary of Defense or the Sec- 18 retary of Defense. 19 (5) The feasibility of operational procedures, in- 20 cluding— 21 (A) issue identification processes 22 prioritizing issues— 23 (i) nominated by members of the 24 Board, the Armed Forces, the combatant 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00498 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 499 •S 2296 RS commands, or portfolio acquisition execu- 1 tives; and 2 (ii) addressing capability gaps, re- 3 source constraints, or programmatic chal- 4 lenges requiring joint or departmental ac- 5 tion; and 6 (B) flexible quorum and voting procedures 7 to ensure efficient decision-making and requir- 8 ing participation from representatives of mili- 9 tary users and program acquisition executives 10 directly impacted by any recommendation. 11 (6) The provision of sufficient staff, directly ac- 12 countable to the co-chairpersons, to support the 13 Board’s operations and analysis of issues. 14 (7) The impact of the proposed Board on exist- 15 ing entities of the Department of Defense, including 16 the Joint Requirements Oversight Council and the 17 Office of the Director of Cost Assessment and Pro- 18 gram Evaluation, including potential overlaps, 19 redundancies, or synergies between the missions and 20 responsibilities of those entities and the Board. 21 (8) The anticipated benefits of enhanced joint 22 capability prioritization and resource allocation, in- 23 cluding the ability to consolidate or remove existing 24 processes and decision forums. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00499 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 500 •S 2296 RS (9) Potential barriers to establishing the Board, 1 including resource requirements and alignment with 2 existing acquisition and budgeting processes. 3 (c) REPORT REQUIRED.— 4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than July 1, 2026, 5 the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the con- 6 gressional defense committees a report on the results 7 of the study required by subsection (a). 8 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para- 9 graph (1) shall include— 10 (A) a comprehensive analysis of the feasi- 11 bility and advisability of establishing the Board, 12 addressing each element specified in subsection 13 (b); 14 (B) if establishing the Board is deemed 15 feasible and advisable— 16 (i) specific recommendations for the 17 organizational structure, governance, vot- 18 ing mechanisms, quorum requirements, 19 and operational procedures of the Board; 20 and 21 (ii) an estimation of the costs, re- 22 source requirements, and timeline for es- 23 tablishing and operating the Board; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00500 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 501 •S 2296 RS (C) any additional findings or rec- 1 ommendations to improve joint capability devel- 2 opment, program budgeting, and resource allo- 3 cation within the Department of Defense. 4 (d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec- 5 tion shall be construed to prevent the establishment of a 6 Joint Capabilities and Programming Board before the 7 completion and review of the study required by subsection 8 (a). 9 SEC. 914. BRIEFING ON RESTRUCTURING OF ARMY FU- 10 TURES COMMAND AND TRAINING AND DOC- 11 TRINE COMMAND. 12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not less than 60 days before exe- 13 cuting any plan to merge, consolidate, or otherwise reorga- 14 nize the Army Futures Command and the Training and 15 Doctrine Command of the Army, the Secretary of the 16 Army and the Chief of Staff of the Army shall provide 17 to the congressional defense committees a comprehensive 18 briefing on the merger, consolidation, or other reorganiza- 19 tion. 20 (b) ELEMENTS.—The briefing required by subsection 21 (a) shall include the following: 22 (1) A description of the proposed merger, con- 23 solidation, or other reorganization, including affected 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00501 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 502 •S 2296 RS commands, subordinate entities, and organizational 1 structures. 2 (2) The strategic, operational, and fiscal ration- 3 ale for the proposed merger, consolidation, or other 4 reorganization. 5 (3) An assessment of potential impacts of the 6 proposed merger, consolidation, or other reorganiza- 7 tion on the readiness and mission effectiveness of 8 the Army. 9 (4) An identification of resource reallocations, 10 including installation realignment or closures and 11 personnel movements. 12 (5) A timeline for implementation of the pro- 13 posed merger, consolidation, or other reorganization. 14 SEC. 915. DESIGNATION OF SENIOR OFFICIAL FOR MILI- 15 TARY-TO-CIVILIAN TRANSITION. 16 (a) DESIGNATION.— 17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 18 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under 19 Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness 20 shall designate a senior official of the Department of 21 Defense to oversee policy and programs related to 22 the transition of members of the Armed Forces from 23 active duty to— 24 (A) civilian life; or 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00502 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 503 •S 2296 RS (B) reserve components. 1 (2) QUALIFICATIONS.—The official designated 2 under paragraph (1) shall be designated from among 3 individuals with— 4 (A) extensive experience with veterans 5 services; and 6 (B) knowledge of the transition from active 7 duty to— 8 (i) civilian life; and 9 (ii) reserve components. 10 (b) ROLE, RESPONSIBILITY, AND AUTHORITY.— 11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary of De- 12 fense for Personnel and Readiness, in consultation 13 with the Secretary of Defense, shall prescribe the 14 roles, responsibilities, and authorities of the official 15 designated under subsection (a)(1). 16 (2) ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND AUTHORI- 17 TIES REQUIRED.—The roles, responsibilities, and au- 18 thorities prescribed pursuant to paragraph (1) shall 19 include, with respect to the transition of members of 20 the Armed Forces and their families from active 21 duty to civilian life and reserve components— 22 (A) serving as the principal advisor to the 23 Secretary of Defense, the Deputy Secretary of 24 Defense, and the Under Secretary of Defense 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00503 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 504 •S 2296 RS for Personnel and Readiness on policies, oper- 1 ations, and programs and activities relating to 2 the transition of members; 3 (B) assisting the Secretary of Defense, the 4 Deputy Secretary of Defense, and the Under 5 Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readi- 6 ness with policies, operations, and programs 7 and activities relating to the transition of mem- 8 bers; 9 (C) working, in coordination with the Sec- 10 retary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of 11 Labor, and the Secretary of Education, to im- 12 prove the efficiency and effectiveness of all ac- 13 tivities relating to the transition of members; 14 (D) serving as the chief transition officer 15 of the Department of Defense, with the mission 16 of coordinating and overseeing the effectiveness 17 of transition programs of the Department of 18 Defense and ensuring all members of the 19 Armed Forces are well equipped for civilian life 20 or the reserve components, as the case may be; 21 (E) overseeing the Military-Civilian Transi- 22 tion Office and the implementation of transition 23 programs across the Department of Defense; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00504 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 505 •S 2296 RS (F) conducting a review and assessment of 1 all transition programs and services offered by 2 the Department of Defense, including the Tran- 3 sition Assistance Program and Skillbridge Pro- 4 gram, and proposing legislative or administra- 5 tive action— 6 (i) to improve the efficacy and effi- 7 ciency of the programs; and 8 (ii) to ensure compliance with all legal 9 requirements related to transition assist- 10 ance; and 11 (G) working with Federal agencies, State 12 and local governments, and nongovernmental 13 organizations to improve the delivery of transi- 14 tion support services. 15 (c) BRIEFING ON DESIGNATION AND IMPLEMENTA- 16 TION.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact- 17 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall provide 18 a briefing to the congressional defense committees on— 19 (1) the status of the designation of the official 20 under subsection (a); and 21 (2) the implementation of the roles, responsibil- 22 ities, and authorities of the official under subsection 23 (b). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00505 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 506 •S 2296 RS SEC. 916. REMOVAL OF MEMBERS OF JOINT CHIEFS OF 1 STAFF. 2 Section 151 of title 10, United States Code, is 3 amended by adding at the end the following new sub- 4 section: 5 ‘‘(h) REMOVAL OF MEMBERS OF JOINT CHIEFS OF 6 STAFF.—(1) If the President removes a member of the 7 Joint Chiefs of Staff from office or transfers a member 8 of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to another position or location 9 before the end of the term of the member as specified in 10 statute, the President shall, not later than five days after 11 the removal or transfer takes effect, submit to Congress, 12 including the congressional defense committees, notice 13 that the member is being removed or transferred and a 14 statement of the reason for the removal or transfer. 15 ‘‘(2) Nothing in this subsection prohibits a personnel 16 action authorized by another provision of law.’’. 17 SEC. 917. LONGER TERM AND ELIGIBILITY FOR APPOINT- 18 MENT TO RANK OF ADMIRAL OF COM- 19 MANDER OF NAVAL SEA SYSTEMS COMMAND. 20 (a) TERM.—Section 526 of title 10, United States 21 Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 22 subsection: 23 ‘‘(k)(1) An individual serving as the Commander of 24 the Naval Sea Systems Command— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00506 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 507 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(A) subject to paragraph (2), shall serve for a 1 term of eight years; and 2 ‘‘(B) is eligible to be appointed to the rank of 3 Admiral during the final three years of that term. 4 ‘‘(2) The Secretary of the Navy may terminate the 5 term of an individual serving as the Commander of the 6 Naval Sea Systems Command before the end of the eight- 7 year term specified in paragraph (1)(A) if the Secretary 8 notifies the congressional defense committees of the termi- 9 nation.’’. 10 (b) EXTENSION OF TIME PERIOD FOR RETIREMENT 11 FOR YEARS OF SERVICE.—Section 636(c) of such title is 12 amended— 13 (1) by striking ‘‘In the administration’’ and in- 14 serting ‘‘(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), in 15 the administration’’; and 16 (2) by adding at the end the following new 17 paragraph: 18 ‘‘(2) The officer serving as the Commander of the 19 Naval Sea Systems Command— 20 ‘‘(A) may continue to serve after 40 years of 21 active commissioned service in order to complete the 22 term of the Commander specified in section 23 526(k)(1)(A) of this title; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00507 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 508 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(B) may in no case serve more than 45 years 1 of active commissioned service.’’. 2 (c) REPORT ON OPTIONS FOR NEW PRIVATE SHIP- 3 YARDS.— 4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 5 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 6 of the Navy, acting through the Assistant Secretary 7 of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acqui- 8 sition and in coordination with the Commander of 9 the Naval Sea Systems Command, shall submit to 10 the congressional defense committees a report on in- 11 centives that would promote private investment in 12 the creation of two new private shipyards on the Pa- 13 cific Coast. The incentives should be focused on new 14 construction shipyards. The report may include sug- 15 gested locations based on strategic laydown or other 16 relevant defense industrial base matters. 17 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—In preparing the report 18 required by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 19 (A) give consideration to locations in non- 20 contiguous States; and 21 (B) assess the potential for investment in 22 or establishment of a United States subsidiary 23 of a foreign-owned shipbuilding company, with 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00508 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 509 •S 2296 RS special preference to companies based in Japan 1 and the Republic of Korea. 2 (3) FORM.— 3 (A) IN GENERAL.—The report required by 4 paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified 5 form but may include a classified annex. 6 (B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The unclassi- 7 fied portion of the report required by paragraph 8 (1) shall be made available to the public. 9 SEC. 918. DELAY OF DISESTABLISHMENT OF NAVY EXPEDI- 10 TIONARY COMBAT COMMAND PACIFIC. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—During the one-year period begin- 12 ning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 13 retary of the Navy may not take any action to disestablish 14 the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Pacific located 15 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. 16 (b) BRIEFING REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days 17 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 18 (or a designee of the Secretary) shall brief the Committees 19 on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Rep- 20 resentatives on— 21 (1) the status of the decision of the Secretary 22 with respect to the disestablishment of the Navy Ex- 23 peditionary Combat Command Pacific; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00509 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 510 •S 2296 RS (2) the strategic rationale, cost, and benefits of 1 such disestablishment. 2 SEC. 919. LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR CONSOLIDA- 3 TION, DISESTABLISHMENT, OR ELIMINATION 4 OF GEOGRAPHIC COMBATANT COMMANDS. 5 None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by 6 this Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 7 for the Department of Defense may be obligated or ex- 8 pended to consolidate, disestablish, or otherwise eliminate 9 a geographic combatant command of the Department of 10 Defense until not earlier than 90 days after the Secretary 11 of Defense submits to the congressional defense commit- 12 tees a report that, at a minimum, addresses the following: 13 (1) A detailed plan for consolidation, disestab- 14 lishment, or elimination of the geographic combatant 15 command, including associated timelines and de- 16 tailed accounting of the associated costs. 17 (2) A detailed analysis of the anticipated im- 18 pact of the consolidation, disestablishment, or elimi- 19 nation on the ability of the Department of Defense 20 to accomplish objectives in the affected area of re- 21 sponsibility, including the ability of the Department 22 to effectively deter conflict, maintain peace and secu- 23 rity, and conduct military operations, exercises, and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00510 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 511 •S 2296 RS security cooperation activities with allies and part- 1 ners. 2 SEC. 920. ELIMINATION OF STATUTORY PROVISIONS RE- 3 LATING TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLU- 4 SION IN THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 5 (a) DUTIES OF SECRETARY OF DEFENSE.—Section 6 113 of title 10, United States Code, is amended— 7 (1) in subsection (c)— 8 (A) by striking paragraph (2); and 9 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and 10 (4) as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively; 11 (2) in subsection (g)(1)(B)— 12 (A) by striking clause (vii); and 13 (B) by redesignating clauses (viii), (ix), 14 and (x) as clauses (vii), (viii), and (ix), respec- 15 tively; 16 (3) in subsection (l)— 17 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘to 18 measure—’’ and all that follows through ‘‘(C) 19 the efforts’’ and inserting ‘‘to measure the ef- 20 forts’’: and 21 (B) in paragraph (2)— 22 (i) by striking ‘‘shall—’’ and all that 23 follows through ‘‘(A) ensure that’’ and in- 24 serting ‘‘shall ensure that’’; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00511 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 512 •S 2296 RS (ii) by striking the semicolon after 1 ‘‘extent practicable’’ and inserting a pe- 2 riod: and 3 (iii) by striking subparagraphs (B) 4 through (F); and 5 (4) in subsection (m)— 6 (A) by striking ‘‘, disaggregated by gender, 7 race, and ethnicity,’’ each place it appears; 8 (B) in paragraph (1), by striking 9 ‘‘disaggregated by gender, race, and ethnicity,’’; 10 and 11 (C) in paragraph (9), by striking ‘‘, gen- 12 der, race, and ethnicity’’. 13 (b) CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER OF THE DEPART- 14 MENT OF DEFENSE.—Section 147 of title 10, United 15 States Code, is repealed. 16 (c) DIVERSITY IN SELECTION BOARDS.— 17 (1) PROMOTION SELECTION BOARDS.—Title 10, 18 United States Code, is amended— 19 (A) in section 573(b), by striking ‘‘The 20 members of a selection’’ and all that follows 21 through ‘‘extent practicable.’’; 22 (B) in section 612(a)(1), by striking ‘‘The 23 members of a selection’’ and all that follows 24 through ‘‘extent practicable.’’; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00512 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 513 •S 2296 RS (C) in section 14102(b), by striking ‘‘The 1 members of a selection’’ and all that follows 2 through ‘‘extent practicable.’’. 3 (2) OTHER SELECTION BOARDS.—Section 4 503(c) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National 5 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 6 (Public Law 116–283; 10 U.S.C. 573 note) is re- 7 pealed. 8 (d) DIVERSITY IN MILITARY LEADERSHIP.—Section 9 656 of title 10, United States Code, is repealed. 10 (e) IDENTIFICATION OF GENDER OR PERSONAL PRO- 11 NOUNS IN OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE.—Section 986 of 12 title 10, United States Code, is repealed. 13 (f) HUMAN RELATIONS TRAINING.—Section 14 2001(a)(1)(B) of title 10, United States Code, is amended 15 by striking ‘‘include’’ and all that follows through the pe- 16 riod and inserting ‘‘shall include honor, excellence, cour- 17 age, and commitment.’’. 18 (g) STRATEGIC PLAN FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLU- 19 SION.—Section 529 of the National Defense Authorization 20 Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 116–92; 10 U.S.C. 21 656 note) is repealed. 22 (h) SENIOR ADVISORS FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLU- 23 SION FOR THE MILITARY DEPARTMENTS AND COAST 24 GUARD.—Section 913(b) of the William M. (Mac) Thorn- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00513 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 514 •S 2296 RS berry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1 2021 (Public Law 116–283; 10 U.S.C. 147 note) is re- 2 pealed. 3 (i) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 118(a) of 4 title 10, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘to 5 carry out—’’ and all that follows through ‘‘(2) guidance’’ 6 and inserting ‘‘to carry out guidance’’. 7 SEC. 921. DEFENSE SCIENCE BOARD STUDY ON OPTIMAL 8 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE FOR DIGITAL 9 ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS. 10 (a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Defense 11 shall direct the Defense Science Board to conduct a com- 12 prehensive study to evaluate and recommend the most op- 13 timal organizational structure within the Office of the Sec- 14 retary of Defense to support digital solutions engineering 15 activities across the Office of the Secretary of Defense and 16 the military departments. 17 (b) ELEMENTS.—The study required under sub- 18 section (a) shall include the following elements: 19 (1) An assessment of existing organizational 20 structures and organizations supporting digital solu- 21 tions engineering across the Office of the Secretary 22 of Defense and the military departments, includ- 23 ing— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00514 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 515 •S 2296 RS (A) current responsibilities, requirements, 1 and deliverables of service-based software deliv- 2 ery organizations; 3 (B) responsibilities or authorities imposed 4 by statutory requirements; 5 (C) limitations based on current enterprise 6 data management platforms; 7 (D) effectiveness and efficiency of current 8 approaches; 9 (E) optimization of resource allocation and 10 utilization processes; and 11 (F) integration challenges and opportuni- 12 ties with Department-wide digital initiatives. 13 (2) An evaluation of potential organizational 14 courses of action for supporting digital solutions en- 15 gineering within the Office of the Secretary of De- 16 fense, including— 17 (A) establishment of a new defense agency 18 or Department of Defense field activity; 19 (B) integration into an existing defense 20 agency or Department of Defense field activity; 21 (C) consolidation of digital development 22 functions within existing Office of the Secretary 23 of Defense staff organizations; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00515 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 516 •S 2296 RS (D) optimization of current organizational 1 structures and authorities; 2 (E) hybrid approaches combining elements 3 of the options described in subparagraphs (A), 4 (B), (C), and (D); and 5 (F) any other organizational structures 6 deemed appropriate by the Defense Science 7 Board. 8 (3) Recommendations on the selection of the 9 optimal organizational structure, including— 10 (A) analysis of the advantages and dis- 11 advantages of each course of action evaluated 12 under paragraph (2); 13 (B) assessment of capability requirements 14 and gaps; 15 (C) evaluation of cost-effectiveness and re- 16 source implications; 17 (D) application of lessons from similar in- 18 dustry or academic entities performing similar 19 work; 20 (E) consideration of governance and execu- 21 tion framework requirements; 22 (F) assessment of the implementation of 23 and execution of governance structures, includ- 24 ing artificial intelligence model management; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00516 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 517 •S 2296 RS (G) coordination mechanisms with existing 1 Department components and combatant com- 2 mands; 3 (H) recommendations for unique hiring au- 4 thorities to support digital solutions engineering 5 workforce requirements; and 6 (I) recommendations for unique acquisition 7 authorities to support rapid digital solutions en- 8 gineering and deployment. 9 (4) Transition recommendations for imple- 10 menting the selected organizational structure, in- 11 cluding— 12 (A) detailed implementation timeline and 13 milestones; 14 (B) organizational and personnel changes 15 required; 16 (C) resource requirements and funding 17 mechanisms; 18 (D) legislative or regulatory changes need- 19 ed; 20 (E) risk assessment and mitigation strate- 21 gies; and 22 (F) metrics for evaluating implementation 23 success. 24 (c) REPORT.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00517 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 518 •S 2296 RS (1) TRANSMITTAL TO SECRETARY.—Not later 1 than February 1, 2027, the Board shall transmit to 2 the Secretary of Defense a final report on the study 3 conducted pursuant to subsection (a). 4 (2) TRANSMITTAL TO CONGRESS.—Not later 5 than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary 6 receives the final report under paragraph (1), the 7 Secretary shall submit the report to the congres- 8 sional defense committees, together with such com- 9 ments as the Secretary considers appropriate. 10 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 11 (1) DIGITAL SOLUTIONS ENGINEERING.—The 12 term ‘‘digital solutions engineering’’ means the de- 13 velopment, deployment, and sustainment of artificial 14 intelligence systems, software applications, data en- 15 gineering solutions, data analytics platforms, and 16 other digital technologies for operational and busi- 17 ness purposes within the Department of Defense. 18 (2) SOFTWARE DELIVERY ORGANIZATIONS.— 19 The term ‘‘software delivery organizations’’ means 20 organizational units within the military services 21 dedicated to the rapid development, deployment, and 22 sustainment of software applications and digital so- 23 lutions. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00518 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 519 •S 2296 RS SEC. 922. ESTABLISHMENT OF ADVANCED NUCLEAR TRAN- 1 SITION WORKING GROUP. 2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 3 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 4 shall establish an Advanced Nuclear Transition Working 5 Group (referred to in this section as the ‘‘working 6 group’’). 7 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Working Group shall be 8 composed of the following members: 9 (1) The Assistant Secretary of Defense for En- 10 ergy, Installations, and Environment. 11 (2) The Assistant Secretary of the Army for In- 12 stallations, Energy, and Environment. 13 (3) The Assistant Secretary of the Navy for 14 Energy, Installations, and Environment. 15 (4) The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force 16 for Energy, Installations, and Environment. 17 (5) The Joint Staff Director for Logistics, J4. 18 (6) The Principal Director for Energy Resil- 19 ience of the Office of the Under Secretary of De- 20 fense for Research and Engineering. 21 (7) The Director of the Strategic Capabilities 22 Office. 23 (8) The Director of the Defense Innovation 24 Unit. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00519 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 520 •S 2296 RS (9) The heads of such other components of the 1 Department of Defense, as determined by the Chair. 2 (c) CHAIR.—The Assistant Secretary of Defense for 3 Nuclear Deterrence, Chemical, and Biological Defense 4 Policy and Programs, or a designee, shall serve as the 5 Chair of the Working Group. 6 (d) DUTIES.—The duties of the Working Group shall 7 include the following: 8 (1) To develop and execute a strategy to accel- 9 erate the procurement and fielding of commercial 10 advanced nuclear capabilities, in compliance with 11 laws, regulations, and agreements, and consistent 12 with best practices. 13 (2) To identify and elevate the critical energy 14 requirements of the combatant commands, United 15 States military installations, and the infrastructure 16 and mission capabilities needs of the combatant 17 commands and military installations that may be ad- 18 dressed with advanced nuclear reactors. 19 (3) To connect the combatant commands and 20 military installations with ongoing and planned ef- 21 forts. 22 (4) To create an accelerated pathway to lever- 23 age advanced nuclear technologies to address oper- 24 ational gaps. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00520 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 521 •S 2296 RS (5) To provide a forum for members of the 1 Working Group to coordinate advanced nuclear dem- 2 onstration and transition efforts, including by in- 3 creasing opportunities and venues for government 4 and commercial research and development, testing 5 and evaluation, and procurement activities. 6 (6) To advocate for appropriate levels of 7 resourcing within planning, programming, budg- 8 eting, and execution processes to advance the devel- 9 opment and use of nuclear energy technologies 10 across the Department of Defense. 11 (7) To coordinate interagency activities and de- 12 velop best practices on workforce development, regu- 13 latory pathways, licensing frameworks, access to fuel 14 sources, safety and security standards, and decom- 15 missioning that currently hinder more rapid fielding 16 of advanced nuclear reactors. 17 (8) To establish venues through which to en- 18 gage commercial companies developing advanced re- 19 actors so as to review the technology readiness, 20 timeline, and availability of reactor capabilities for 21 defense applications. 22 (9) To inform and complete the briefings and 23 reports required in subsection (f). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00521 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 522 •S 2296 RS (e) MEETINGS.—The Working Group shall meet at 1 the call of the Chair and not less than once per quarter. 2 (f) REPORT.— 3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than September 4 30, 2026, and annually thereafter until 2029, the 5 Chair shall submit to the appropriate congressional 6 committees a report describing the status of ad- 7 vanced nuclear projects, associated funding and re- 8 quirements, planned program transitions, actions, 9 and milestones of the Working Group, and other 10 matters as determined by the Secretary of Defense 11 and the Working Group during the preceding year. 12 (2) CONTENTS.—Each report required by para- 13 graph (1) shall include the following: 14 (A) A summary on the adequacy of exist- 15 ing energy storage and distribution systems to 16 meet mission requirements in a contested or 17 austere operating environment. 18 (B) An identification of the critical energy 19 requirements of the combatant commands, 20 United States military installations, and the in- 21 frastructure and weapons capabilities needs of 22 the combatant commands and military installa- 23 tions that may be addressed with the use of 24 microreactors or small modular reactors, includ- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00522 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 523 •S 2296 RS ing through expeditionary, transportable, sta- 1 tionary, space-based, or floating power plants. 2 (C) A list of prioritized potential use cases, 3 including— 4 (i) base electric power; 5 (ii) power for operational systems in 6 austere environments; 7 (iii) desalination or other water pro- 8 duction systems; 9 (iv) synthetic fuel production; 10 (v) directed energy weapons; 11 (vi) artificial intelligence at the edge; 12 (vii) defense support of civil authori- 13 ties; 14 (viii) humanitarian response; and 15 (ix) 3D/additive manufacturing. 16 (D) Recommendations for at least 3 pilot 17 projects. 18 (3) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT- 19 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com- 20 mittees’’ means— 21 (A) the Committee on Armed Services of 22 the Senate; and 23 (B) the Committee on Armed Services of 24 the House of Representatives. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00523 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 524 •S 2296 RS (g) TERMINATION.—The Working Group shall termi- 1 nate on September 30, 2029. 2 TITLE X—GENERAL PROVISIONS 3 Subtitle A—Financial Matters 4 SEC. 1001. GENERAL TRANSFER AUTHORITY. 5 (a) AUTHORITY TO TRANSFER AUTHORIZATIONS.— 6 (1) AUTHORITY.—Upon determination by the 7 Secretary of Defense that such action is necessary in 8 the national interest, the Secretary may transfer 9 amounts of authorizations made available to the De- 10 partment of Defense in this division for fiscal year 11 2026 between any such authorizations for that fiscal 12 year (or any subdivisions thereof). Amounts of au- 13 thorizations so transferred shall be merged with and 14 be available for the same purposes as the authoriza- 15 tion to which transferred. 16 (2) LIMITATION.—Except as provided in para- 17 graph (3), the total amount of authorizations that 18 the Secretary may transfer under the authority of 19 this section may not exceed $6,000,000,000. 20 (3) EXCEPTION FOR TRANSFERS BETWEEN 21 MILITARY PERSONNEL AUTHORIZATIONS.—A trans- 22 fer of funds between military personnel authoriza- 23 tions under title IV shall not be counted toward the 24 dollar limitation in paragraph (2). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00524 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 525 •S 2296 RS (b) LIMITATIONS.—The authority provided by sub- 1 section (a) to transfer authorizations— 2 (1) may only be used to provide authority for 3 items that have a higher priority than the items 4 from which authority is transferred; and 5 (2) may not be used to provide authority for an 6 item that has been denied authorization by Con- 7 gress. 8 (c) EFFECT ON AUTHORIZATION AMOUNTS.—A 9 transfer made from one account to another under the au- 10 thority of this section shall be deemed to increase the 11 amount authorized for the account to which the amount 12 is transferred by an amount equal to the amount trans- 13 ferred. 14 (d) NOTICE TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary shall 15 promptly notify Congress of each transfer made under 16 subsection (a). 17 SEC. 1002. AMENDMENTS AND REPEALS TO BUDGETARY 18 REQUIREMENTS FOR DEFENSE ACQUISITION. 19 (a) AMENDMENTS TO EXISTING LAW.— 20 (1) BODY ARMOR PROCUREMENT.—Section 141 21 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 22 Year 2010 (Public Law 111–84; 10 U.S.C. 221 23 note) is amended to read as follows: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00525 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 526 •S 2296 RS ‘‘SEC. 141. BODY ARMOR PROCUREMENT. 1 ‘‘The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that body 2 armor is procured using funds authorized to be appro- 3 priated by this title.’’. 4 (2) EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL DEFENSE 5 PROGRAM.—Section 2284 of title 10, United States 6 Code, is amended— 7 (A) by striking subsection (c); and 8 (B) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub- 9 section (c). 10 (b) REPEALS OF EXISTING LAW.—The following pro- 11 visions are hereby repealed: 12 (1) EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT OF THE 13 DISTRIBUTED COMMON GROUND SYSTEM.—Section 14 219 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 15 Fiscal Year 2013 (Public Law 113–66; 10 U.S.C. 16 221 note). 17 (2) SEPARATE PROGRAM ELEMENTS REQUIRED 18 FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF JOINT LIGHT 19 TACTICAL VEHICLE.—Section 213 of the Ike Skelton 20 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 21 2011 (Public Law 111–383; 10 U.S.C. 221 note). 22 (3) SEPARATE PROCUREMENT LINE ITEMS FOR 23 FUTURE COMBAT SYSTEMS PROGRAM.—Section 111 24 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authoriza- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00526 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 527 •S 2296 RS tion Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110–417; 1 10 U.S.C. 221 note). 2 (4) SEPARATE PROCUREMENT AND RESEARCH, 3 DEVELOPMENT, TEST, AND EVALUATION LINE ITEMS 4 AND PROGRAM ELEMENTS FOR SKY WARRIOR UN- 5 MANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS PROJECT.—Section 214 6 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authoriza- 7 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110–417; 8 10 U.S.C. 221 note). 9 (5) REQUIREMENT FOR SEPARATE DISPLAY OF 10 BUDGETS FOR AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ.—Section 11 1502 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Au- 12 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 13 110–417; 10 U.S.C. 221 note). 14 SEC. 1003. BRIEFING ON BEGINNING BALANCE ISSUES FOR 15 AUDIT PURPOSES. 16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than March 1, 2026, the 17 Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) shall submit to 18 the congressional defense committees a one-time briefing 19 on any anticipated issues in establishing beginning bal- 20 ances for audits of the financial statements of the Depart- 21 ment of Defense. 22 (b) ELEMENTS.—The briefing required under sub- 23 section (a) shall include— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00527 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 528 •S 2296 RS (1) a detailed identification of each budgetary 1 account known to have and anticipated to have un- 2 supported beginning balances; 3 (2) a description of the specific issues pre- 4 venting the establishment of supported beginning 5 balances for each identified account; 6 (3) an explanation of whether generally accept- 7 ed accounting principles provide sufficient authority, 8 processes, and procedures to resolve such issues, and 9 if not, the alternative sources or methods proposed 10 to establish beginning balances; and 11 (4) the projected impact to receiving an un- 12 modified audit opinion of that account without a 13 supported beginning balance. 14 SEC. 1004. DEFENSE BUSINESS AUDIT REMEDIATION PLAN 15 REPORTING. 16 Section 240g(b) of title 10, United States Code, is 17 amended to read as follows: 18 ‘‘(b) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—On the same 19 date as the submission of audited financial statements re- 20 quired pursuant to section 240a of this title, the Secretary 21 of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense com- 22 mittees an updated report on the Defense Business Sys- 23 tems Audit Remediation Plan under subsection (a).’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00528 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 529 •S 2296 RS Subtitle B—Naval Vessels 1 SEC. 1011. REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO MEDIUM LANDING 2 SHIPS AND LIGHT REPLENISHMENT OILERS. 3 (a) DESIGN STANDARDS AND CONSTRUCTION PRAC- 4 TICES.—The Secretary of the Navy shall ensure that cov- 5 ered vessels procured by the Secretary are, to the max- 6 imum extent practical, constructed using commercial de- 7 sign standards and commercial construction practices that 8 are consistent with the best interests of the Federal Gov- 9 ernment. 10 (b) VESSEL CONSTRUCTION MANAGER.—The Sec- 11 retary of the Navy shall provide for an entity other than 12 the Department of the Navy to contract for the construc- 13 tion of covered vessels. 14 (c) COVERED VESSEL DEFINED.—In this section, the 15 term ‘‘covered vessel’’ means any of the following: 16 (1) A medium landing ship. 17 (2) A light replenishment oiler (TAO–L). 18 SEC. 1012. MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY TO PURCHASE 19 USED VESSELS UNDER THE NATIONAL DE- 20 FENSE SEALIFT FUND. 21 Section 2218(f)(3)(C) of title 10, United States Code, 22 is amended by striking ‘‘10’’ and inserting ‘‘12’’. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00529 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 530 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1013. EXEMPTION OF UNMANNED SURFACE VESSELS 1 AND UNMANNED UNDERWATER VEHICLES 2 FROM CERTAIN TECHNICAL AUTHORITY RE- 3 QUIREMENTS. 4 (a) EXEMPTION FROM SENIOR TECHNICAL AUTHOR- 5 ITY REQUIREMENTS.—Unmanned surface vessels and un- 6 manned underwater vehicles acquired or developed by the 7 Department of the Navy are exempt from any requirement 8 for oversight by a senior technical authority established 9 under section 8669b of title 10, United States Code, ex- 10 cept the requirements, specifications, and approvals de- 11 scribed in subsection (c). 12 (b) LIMITATION RELATING TO OFFICE OF THE 13 CHIEF ENGINEER.—Subject to subsection (c), the Chief 14 Engineer of the Naval Sea Systems Command may not 15 establish any requirement, specification, or approval for 16 an unmanned surface vessel or an unmanned underwater 17 vehicle unless such action is approved in advance by the 18 program manager responsible for the respective unmanned 19 system. 20 (c) EXCEPTIONS.—As the Secretary of the Navy con- 21 siders appropriate, unmanned surface vessels and un- 22 manned underwater vehicles may be subject to require- 23 ments, specifications, and approvals established by tech- 24 nical domain managers or technical warrant holders with 25 responsibility for cybersecurity, ordnance and explosives, 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00530 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 531 •S 2296 RS or warfare systems, without advanced approval described 1 in subsection (b). 2 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 3 (1) UNMANNED SURFACE VESSEL.—The term 4 ‘‘unmanned surface vessel’’ means a vessel designed 5 to operate on the surface of the water without an 6 onboard human crew. 7 (2) UNMANNED UNDERWATER VEHICLE.—The 8 term ‘‘unmanned underwater vehicle’’ means a vehi- 9 cle designed to operate below the surface of the 10 water without an onboard human crew. 11 SEC. 1014. PROHIBITION ON RETIRING AND DECOMMIS- 12 SIONING OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH VES- 13 SELS OF THE NAVY. 14 None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by 15 this Act for fiscal year 2026 may be obligated or expended 16 to retire or decommission, prepare to retire or decommis- 17 sion, or place in storage any oceanographic research vessel 18 of the Navy unless the Secretary of the Navy has identi- 19 fied and acquired a suitable replacement vessel for con- 20 ducting the research that has been conducted by the vessel 21 selected for retirement or decommissioning. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00531 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 532 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1015. REPORT ACCOMPANYING REQUESTS FOR NEW 1 FLIGHTS OR BLOCKS OF MAJOR SHIP- 2 BUILDING PROGRAMS. 3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 863 of title 10, United 4 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 8669c 5 the following new section: 6 ‘‘§ 8669d. Report accompanying requests for new 7 flights or blocks of major shipbuilding 8 programs 9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—If the budget justification mate- 10 rials submitted to Congress in support of the budget of 11 the President for a fiscal year pursuant to section 1105 12 of title 31 includes a request for a new flight or block 13 of ships, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit a report 14 accompanying such request. 15 ‘‘(b) ELEMENTS.—Each report required by sub- 16 section (a) shall include the following: 17 ‘‘(1) The results of any production readiness re- 18 view, including the following: 19 ‘‘(A) An identification of the degree to 20 which detail design and production design 21 drawings and related documents have been com- 22 pleted in accordance with the shipbuilding con- 23 tract. 24 ‘‘(B) An identification of the number of 25 changes to the new flight or block of ships from 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00532 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 533 •S 2296 RS the previous multiyear procurement authoriza- 1 tion for the class of ship concerned. 2 ‘‘(C) An identification of the risks associ- 3 ated with any design changes to the new flight 4 or block of ships from the previous multiyear 5 procurement authorization for the class of ship 6 concerned. 7 ‘‘(2) A certification that the findings of any 8 such review support the start of construction. 9 ‘‘(3) An assessment of the readiness of the 10 shipyard facilities and workforce to begin construc- 11 tion. 12 ‘‘(4) The Navy’s estimated delivery date and a 13 description of any risks that could affect such deliv- 14 ery date. 15 ‘‘(5) An assessment of the extent to which ade- 16 quate processes and metrics are in place to measure 17 and manage program risks. 18 ‘‘(6) With respect to the first ship, a description 19 of the plans of the Navy to oversee and document 20 the construction of the ship to ensure that the detail 21 design supports the construction schedule for the 22 ship. 23 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00533 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 534 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(1) FIRST SHIP.—The term ‘first ship’ applies 1 to a ship if— 2 ‘‘(A) the ship is the first ship to be con- 3 structed under the new flight or block of ships; 4 or 5 ‘‘(B) the shipyard at which the ship is to 6 be constructed has not previously started con- 7 struction on a ship under the new flight or 8 block of ships. 9 ‘‘(2) MAJOR SHIPBUILDING PROGRAM; PRODUC- 10 TION READINESS REVIEW.—The terms ‘major ship- 11 building program’ and ‘production readiness review’ 12 have the meanings given those terms in section 13 8669c(c) of this title. 14 ‘‘(3) NEW FLIGHT OR BLOCK OF SHIPS.—The 15 term ‘new flight or block of ships’ means a new 16 flight, block, or major modification to a current ship 17 class under a major shipbuilding program that was 18 previously authorized and met the previous require- 19 ments as a new ship class.’’. 20 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 21 at the beginning of chapter 863 of such title is amended 22 by inserting after the item relating to section 8669c the 23 following new item: 24 ‘‘8669d. Report accompanying requests for new flights or blocks of major ship- building programs.’’. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00534 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 535 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1016. REPORT ON AUXILIARY VESSEL CO-PRODUC- 1 TION. 2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 3 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 4 Navy and the Secretary of the Army, in consultation with 5 the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 6 Sustainment, the Secretary of Transportation, and the 7 Secretary of State, shall jointly submit to the Committee 8 on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on 9 Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report 10 on co-production of non-nuclear auxiliary vessels across 11 the Armed Forces. 12 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection 13 (a) shall include the following: 14 (1) A list of non-nuclear auxiliary vessels suit- 15 able for co-production with foreign governments and 16 industry, including details related to operational 17 roles, prospects for co-production, and compatibility 18 with the Navy, the Army, and the Marine Corps. 19 (2) A plan for implementing co-production for 20 each type of vessel on the list required by paragraph 21 (1), including estimated timelines and costs. 22 (3) A description of authorities needed to co- 23 produce such vessels, including statutory or regu- 24 latory changes. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00535 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 536 •S 2296 RS (4) A description of barriers to co-production, 1 including operational, regulatory, security, and eco- 2 nomic challenges and challenges related to inter- 3 national agreements, with recommendations for reso- 4 lution. 5 (5) A description of input from industry and 6 private capital stakeholders on joint venture terms, 7 incentives, and opportunities. 8 (6) A list of foreign partners with the willing- 9 ness and capacity to engage in joint ventures to co- 10 produce each vessel on the list required by para- 11 graph (1) and the associated shipyard. 12 (c) FORM.—The report required by subsection (a) 13 shall be submitted in unclassified form, with a classified 14 annex if necessary. 15 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00536 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 537 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1017. REPORT ON VESSEL LEASING PROGRAM. Not 1 later than December 31, 2025, the Secretary of 2 the Navy, in consultation with the Under Sec- 3 retary of Defense for Acquisition and 4 Sustainment, shall submit to the Committee on 5 Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee 6 on Armed Services of the House of Representa- 7 tives a report that includes the following: 8 (1) A list of non-nuclear vessels that could be 9 suitable for contracting under a long-term leasing 10 program. 11 (2) A plan outlining how the Navy would imple- 12 ment a leasing program for surface vessels. 13 (3) A description of authorities necessary for 14 the Navy to lease commercially built and privately 15 owned vessels. 16 (4) A description of input from industry and 17 private capital stakeholders on suggested lease terms 18 and incentives to encourage industry to participate 19 in such a leasing program. 20 SEC. 1018. PILOT PROGRAM ON USE OF AUTOMATED SHIP- 21 BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES AND CAPABILI- 22 TIES. 23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 24 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 25 Navy shall establish a pilot program on the use of auto- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00537 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 538 •S 2296 RS mated assembly technologies and capabilities in naval 1 shipbuilding to reduce overall construction times and al- 2 leviate workforce constraints (in this section referred to 3 as the ‘‘pilot program’’). 4 (b) ELEMENTS OF PILOT PROGRAM.—In carrying 5 out the pilot program, the Secretary of the Navy shall— 6 (1) identify and select available novel auto- 7 mated hull assembly technologies for incorporation 8 and demonstration; 9 (2) designate at least one surface ship or sub- 10 marine program to demonstrate the automated tech- 11 nologies identified under paragraph (1); 12 (3) carry out such demonstrations; 13 (4) evaluate the demonstrated automated tech- 14 nologies— 15 (A) across a range of functions, including 16 plate preparation, welding, and block assembly; 17 and 18 (B) for compatibility and ease of adoption 19 into the existing shipbuilding value chain; and 20 (5) assess the feasibility and effectiveness of 21 automated approaches in improving subassembly 22 construction times, overall ship construction sched- 23 ules, and workforce efficiency and safety. 24 (c) REPORTS.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00538 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 539 •S 2296 RS (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than September 1 30, 2026, and annually thereafter until the pilot 2 program terminates, the Secretary of the Navy shall 3 submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the 4 Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the 5 House of Representatives a report on the implemen- 6 tation and results of the pilot program. 7 (2) ELEMENTS OF REPORTS.—Each report re- 8 quired by paragraph (1) shall include the following: 9 (A) An identification of the time required 10 to adapt specific technologies and processes. 11 (B) A description of the impact of the pilot 12 program on workforce and construction sched- 13 ules. 14 (d) TERMINATION.—The pilot program shall termi- 15 nate on the date that is three years after the date of the 16 enactment of this Act. 17 Subtitle C—Counterterrorism 18 SEC. 1021. EXTENSION OF PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS 19 FOR TRANSFER OR RELEASE OF INDIVID- 20 UALS DETAINED AT UNITED STATES NAVAL 21 STATION, GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA, TO THE 22 UNITED STATES. 23 Section 1033 of the John S. McCain National De- 24 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00539 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 540 •S 2296 RS 115–232; 132 Stat. 1953), as most recently amended by 1 section 1041 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Im- 2 provement and National Defense Authorization Act for 3 Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159), is further 4 amended— 5 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 6 striking ‘‘December 31, 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘De- 7 cember 31, 2026’’; and 8 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘is or was 9 held on or after January 20, 2009’’ and inserting 10 ‘‘has been held since any date that is on or before 11 October 1, 2009’’. 12 SEC. 1022. EXTENSION OF PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS 13 TO CONSTRUCT OR MODIFY FACILITIES IN 14 THE UNITED STATES TO HOUSE DETAINEES 15 TRANSFERRED FROM UNITED STATES NAVAL 16 STATION, GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA. 17 Section 1034 of the John S. McCain National De- 18 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 19 115–232; 132 Stat. 1954), as most recently amended by 20 section 1042 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Im- 21 provement and National Defense Authorization Act for 22 Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159), is further 23 amended— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00540 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 541 •S 2296 RS (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘December 1 31, 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2026’’; and 2 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘(Public Law 3 114–92; 129 Stat. 971; 10 U.S.C. 801 note)’’ and 4 inserting ‘‘(10 U.S.C. 801 note; Public Law 114– 5 92)’’. 6 SEC. 1023. EXTENSION OF PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS 7 FOR TRANSFER OR RELEASE OF INDIVID- 8 UALS DETAINED AT UNITED STATES NAVAL 9 STATION, GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA, TO CER- 10 TAIN COUNTRIES. 11 Section 1035 of the John S. McCain National De- 12 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 13 115–232; 132 Stat. 1954), as most recently amended by 14 section 1043 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Im- 15 provement and National Defense Authorization Act for 16 Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159), is further 17 amended— 18 (1) by inserting ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’ before 19 ‘‘No amounts’’; 20 (2) by striking ‘‘December 31, 2025’’ and in- 21 serting ‘‘December 31, 2026’’; 22 (3) by striking ‘‘any individual detained in the 23 custody or under the control of the Department of 24 Defense at United States Naval Station, Guanta- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00541 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 542 •S 2296 RS namo Bay, Cuba,’’ and inserting ‘‘any individual de- 1 tained at Guantanamo’’; and 2 (4) by adding at the end the following new sub- 3 section: 4 ‘‘(b) INDIVIDUAL DETAINED AT GUANTANAMO DE- 5 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘individual detained at 6 Guantanamo’ has the meaning given that term in section 7 1034(f)(2) of the National Defense Authorization Act for 8 Fiscal Year 2016 (10 U.S.C. 801 note; Public Law 114– 9 92).’’. 10 SEC. 1024. EXTENSION OF PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS 11 TO CLOSE OR RELINQUISH CONTROL OF 12 UNITED STATES NAVAL STATION, GUANTA- 13 NAMO BAY, CUBA. 14 Section 1036 of the National Defense Authorization 15 Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115–91; 131 Stat. 16 1551), as most recently amended by section 1044 of the 17 Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National 18 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public 19 Law 118–159), is further amended by striking ‘‘2025’’ 20 and inserting ‘‘2026’’. 21 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00542 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 543 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1025. CLARIFICATION REGARDING DEFINITION OF IN- 1 DIVIDUAL DETAINED AT GUANTANAMO. 2 Section 1034(f)(2) of the National Defense Author- 3 ization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114–92; 129 4 Stat. 971; 10 U.S.C. 801 note) is amended— 5 (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), 6 by striking ‘‘as of’’ and inserting ‘‘on or before’’; 7 and 8 (2) in subparagraph (B)(i), by inserting ‘‘at 9 United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, 10 Cuba’’ after ‘‘Department of Defense’’. 11 Subtitle D—Miscellaneous 12 Authorities and Limitations 13 SEC. 1031. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS TO SUPPORT 14 ENTERTAINMENT PROJECTS WITH TIES TO 15 THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUB- 16 LIC OF CHINA. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—None of the funds authorized to 18 be appropriated by this Act for the Department of Defense 19 may be used to knowingly provide active and direct sup- 20 port to any film, television, or other entertainment project 21 if the Secretary of Defense has demonstrable evidence that 22 the project has complied or is likely to comply with a de- 23 mand from the Government of the People’s Republic of 24 China or the Chinese Communist Party, or an entity 25 under the direction of the People’s Republic of China or 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00543 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 544 •S 2296 RS the Chinese Communist Party, to censor the content of 1 the project in a material manner to advance the national 2 interest of the People’s Republic of China. 3 (b) WAIVER.—The Secretary of Defense may waive 4 the prohibition under subsection (a) if the Secretary sub- 5 mits to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate 6 and House of Representatives a written certification that 7 such a waiver is in the national interest of the United 8 States. 9 SEC. 1032. PROHIBITION ON DESTRUCTION OR SCRAPPING 10 OF WORLD WAR II–ERA AIRCRAFT. 11 (a) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary of Defense may 12 not destroy, dismantle, scrap, cannibalize, or otherwise 13 render permanently inoperable any aircraft that— 14 (1) was manufactured prior to December 31, 15 1945; and 16 (2) is in the custody or administrative control 17 of the Department of the Air Force as of the date 18 of the enactment of this Act. 19 (b) AUTHORIZED DISPOSITIONS.—Aircraft described 20 in subsection (a) may only be— 21 (1) retained in the inventory of the Department 22 of the Air Force; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00544 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 545 •S 2296 RS (2) transferred to the National Museum of the 1 United States Air Force or other official Depart- 2 ment of Defense museums; 3 (3) transferred to qualified Federal agencies, 4 nonprofit institutions, or museums with dem- 5 onstrated indoor preservation and public display ca- 6 pabilities; or 7 (4) de-accessioned under a plan approved by 8 the Secretary of Defense that supports long-term 9 preservation of such aircraft, and consistent with 10 guidelines established in the committee report ac- 11 companying this Act. 12 (c) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Defense 13 may waive the restriction under subsection (a) on a case- 14 by-case basis only if— 15 (1) the aircraft is determined by qualified per- 16 sonnel to be beyond practical restoration or preser- 17 vation; 18 (2) no eligible institution expresses interest in 19 accepting the aircraft within 12 months following 20 public notice of its availability; and 21 (3) written notification and justification of the 22 waiver is submitted to the congressional defense 23 committees not less than 30 days prior to execution 24 of any disposal action. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00545 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 546 •S 2296 RS (d) AIRCRAFT DEFINED.—In this section, the term 1 ‘‘aircraft’’ includes any fixed-wing or rotary-wing manned 2 aircraft in military service prior to December 31, 1945. 3 SEC. 1033. SUPPORT FOR COUNTERDRUG ACTIVITIES AND 4 ACTIVITIES TO COUNTER TRANSNATIONAL 5 ORGANIZED CRIME. 6 (a) QUARTERLY REPORTING.—Subsection (h) of sec- 7 tion 284 of title 10, United States Code, is amended— 8 (1) in paragraph (1)— 9 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 10 and (B) as subparagraphs (B) and (C), respec- 11 tively; and 12 (B) by inserting before subparagraph (B), 13 as redesignated by subparagraph (A) of this 14 paragraph, the following new subparagraph: 15 ‘‘(A) In the case of support for a purpose 16 described in subsection (b)— 17 ‘‘(i) the agency to which support is 18 provided; 19 ‘‘(ii) the budget, implementation 20 timeline with milestones, anticipated deliv- 21 ery schedule for support, and completion 22 date for the purpose or project for which 23 support is provided; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00546 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 547 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(iii) the source and planned expendi- 1 ture of funds provided for the project or 2 purpose; 3 ‘‘(iv) a description of the arrange- 4 ments, if any, for the sustainment of the 5 project or purpose and the source of funds 6 to support sustainment of the capabilities 7 and performance outcomes achieved using 8 such support, if applicable; 9 ‘‘(v) a description of the objectives for 10 the project or purpose and evaluation 11 framework to be used to develop capability 12 and performance metrics associated with 13 operational outcomes for the recipient; 14 ‘‘(vi) information, including the 15 amount, type, and purpose, about the sup- 16 port provided the agency during the three 17 fiscal years preceding the fiscal year for 18 which the support covered by the notice is 19 provided under this section with respect 20 to— 21 ‘‘(I) this section; 22 ‘‘(II) counterdrug activities au- 23 thorized by section 1033 of the Na- 24 tional Defense Authorization Act for 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00547 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 548 •S 2296 RS Fiscal Year 1998 (Public Law 105– 1 85; 111 Stat. 1811); or 2 ‘‘(III) any other significant pro- 3 gram, account, or activity for the pro- 4 vision of security assistance that the 5 Secretary of Defense and the Sec- 6 retary of State consider appropriate.’’; 7 and 8 (2) in paragraph (3)(B)(i), by striking ‘‘the 9 Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and 10 House of Representatives’’ and inserting ‘‘the con- 11 gressional defense committees’’. 12 (b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION REGARDING USE OF 13 AUTHORITY FOR IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT.—Such 14 section is further amended— 15 (1) by redesignating subsection (i) as subsection 16 (j); and 17 (2) by inserting after subsection (h) the fol- 18 lowing new subsection: 19 ‘‘(i) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION REGARDING USE OF 20 AUTHORITY FOR IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT.—No sup- 21 port for the counterdrug activities or activities to counter 22 transnational organized crime of any other department or 23 agency of the Federal Government or of any State, local, 24 tribal, or foreign law enforcement agency may be provided 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00548 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 549 •S 2296 RS under this section for the detention of an individual at 1 a military installation, Department of Defense facility, or 2 Department of Defense-funded facility unless the Sec- 3 retary of Defense independently verifies the nexus to drug 4 activities or transnational organized crime prior to the 5 transfer of such individual to such installation or facil- 6 ity.’’. 7 SEC. 1034. SENIOR LEADERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DE- 8 FENSE AND OTHER SPECIFIED PERSONS: AU- 9 THORITY TO PROVIDE PROTECTION. 10 Section 714 of title 10, United States Code, is 11 amended— 12 (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 13 following new paragraph: 14 ‘‘(8) Former or retired officials who— 15 ‘‘(A) previously served in the positions 16 identified in paragraphs (1) through (7); and 17 ‘‘(B) face serious and credible threats aris- 18 ing from duties performed while employed by 19 the Department of Defense.’’; 20 (2) in subsection (b)— 21 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘para- 22 graphs (1) through (7) of’’; 23 (B) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘or re- 24 imbursement’’ after ‘‘personal security’’; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00549 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 550 •S 2296 RS (C) in paragraph (6)— 1 (i) by amending subparagraph (A) to 2 read as follows: 3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.— Except as provided in 4 subparagraph (D), the Secretary of Defense 5 shall submit to the congressional defense com- 6 mittee determinations made pursuant to this 7 subsection as follows: 8 ‘‘(i) An initial determination made 9 under paragraph (4), not later than 15 10 days after the date on which the deter- 11 mination is made, including the justifica- 12 tion for such determination and a current 13 threat assessment by an appropriate law 14 enforcement, security, or intelligence orga- 15 nization. 16 ‘‘(ii) A determination to deny the re- 17 newal of physical protection and security 18 or reimbursement, not later than 15 days 19 after the date on which the determination 20 is made, including— 21 ‘‘(I) the justification for such de- 22 termination; 23 ‘‘(II) a current threat assessment 24 by an appropriate law enforcement, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00550 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 551 •S 2296 RS security, or intelligence organization; 1 and 2 ‘‘(III) a certification that threats 3 to the individual arising from duties 4 performed while employed by the De- 5 partment of Defense can be suffi- 6 ciently mitigated without physical pro- 7 tection and security or reimburse- 8 ment. 9 ‘‘(iii) A determination to terminate 10 physical protection and security or reim- 11 bursement during a previously authorized 12 period of protection, not later than 48 13 hours after the date on which the deter- 14 mination is made, including— 15 ‘‘(I) the justification for such de- 16 termination; 17 ‘‘(II) a current threat assessment 18 by an appropriate law enforcement, 19 security, or intelligence organization; 20 and 21 ‘‘(III) a certification that threats 22 to the individual arising from duties 23 performed while employed by the De- 24 partment of Defense can be suffi- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00551 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 552 •S 2296 RS ciently mitigated without protection 1 and security or reimbursement. 2 ‘‘(iv) A determination to deny a re- 3 quest for reimbursement of an individual 4 described in subsection (a)(8), not later 5 than 15 days after the date on which the 6 determination is made, including— 7 ‘‘(I) the justification for such de- 8 termination; 9 ‘‘(II) a current threat assessment 10 by an appropriate law enforcement, 11 security, or intelligence organization; 12 and 13 ‘‘(III) a certification that threats 14 to the individual arising from duties 15 performed while employed by the De- 16 partment of Defense can be suffi- 17 ciently mitigated without reimburse- 18 ment.’’; and 19 (ii) in subparagraph (C), by inserting 20 ‘‘and a description of any changes to such 21 guidelines’’ after ‘‘paragraph (1)’’; and 22 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub- 23 section: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00552 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 553 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(f) NOTIFICATION TO PROTECTED PERSONNEL.— 1 The Secretary of Defense shall provide written notification 2 to individuals receiving physical protection and personal 3 security under subsection (a) or reimbursement under sub- 4 section (e) at least 90 days before terminating or denying 5 the renewal of protection and security protection or reim- 6 bursement for such individuals.’’. 7 SEC. 1035. NOTIFICATION OF THE USE OF MILITARY AIR- 8 CRAFT FOR IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT 9 OPERATIONS. 10 Not later than seven calendar days after military air- 11 craft, installations, or personnel are used in support of the 12 Department of Homeland Security, the Secretary of De- 13 fense shall provide written notification to the Committee 14 on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on 15 Armed Services of the House of Representatives of the fol- 16 lowing: 17 (1) The type and variant of military aircraft 18 used to support the enforcement operation. 19 (2) The number of individuals on board the 20 military aircraft employed by the Department of De- 21 fense. 22 (3) The type, variant, and number of any mili- 23 tary aircraft utilized to support the military aircraft 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00553 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 554 •S 2296 RS being used in the enforcement operation, including 1 aerial refueling aircraft. 2 (4) The estimated cost of supporting the en- 3 forcement operation, including— 4 (A) the aircraft utilized to transport those 5 subject to a removal order; 6 (B) the number of flights hours required to 7 complete the round-trip mission; 8 (C) the use of any supporting aircraft, in- 9 cluding aerial refueling aircraft; and 10 (D) the number of flight hours required to 11 complete the round-trip mission of the sup- 12 porting aircraft. 13 (5) The destination country of the military air- 14 craft. 15 (6) When the destination country of the mili- 16 tary aircraft is Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, 17 Cuba, reporting on both inbound and outbound 18 flights in accordance with the requirements of para- 19 graphs (1) through (5). 20 (7) Reassignment of Department of Defense 21 personnel from Joint Task Force Guantanamo or 22 another Department of Defense entity to support 23 alien detention operations. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00554 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 555 •S 2296 RS (8) Facility maintenance or upgrades to sup- 1 port operations and costs of any Federal agency. 2 SEC. 1036. MODIFICATION OF REQUIREMENTS RELATING 3 TO SUPPORT OF CIVIL AUTHORITIES BY 4 ARMED FORCES. 5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 723 of title 10, United 6 States Code, is amended— 7 (1) in subsection (a), in the subsection heading, 8 by striking ‘‘REQUIREMENT’’ and inserting ‘‘RE- 9 SPONSE TO CIVIL DISTURBANCES’’; 10 (2) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub- 11 section (c); 12 (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol- 13 lowing new subsection (b): 14 ‘‘(b) SUPPORT TO CIVILIAN LAW ENFORCEMENT 15 AGENCIES BY MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.— 16 Whenever a member of the armed forces (including the 17 National Guard) provides support to civilian law enforce- 18 ment agencies, each such member providing such support 19 shall visibly display the name of the armed force in which 20 such member operates.’’; and 21 (4) in subsection (c), as redesignated by para- 22 graph (2)— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00555 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 556 •S 2296 RS (A) by striking ‘‘requirement under sub- 1 section (a)’’ and inserting ‘‘requirements under 2 subsections (a) and (b)’’; and 3 (B) by striking ‘‘such subsection’’ and in- 4 serting ‘‘any such subsection’’. 5 (b) CONFORMING AND CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 6 (1) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The heading 7 for section 723 of title 10, United States Code, is 8 amended by striking ‘‘Federal authorities in 9 response to civil disturbances’’ and inserting 10 ‘‘civil authorities’’. 11 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec- 12 tions at the beginning of chapter 41 of title 10, 13 United States Code, is amended by striking the item 14 relating to section 723 and inserting the following 15 new item: 16 ‘‘723. Support of civil authorities: requirement for use of members of the Armed Forces and Federal law enforcement personnel.’’. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00556 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 557 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1037. PROHIBITION ON OPERATION OF CONNECTED 1 VEHICLES DESIGNED, DEVELOPED, MANU- 2 FACTURED, OR SUPPLIED BY PERSONS 3 OWNED BY, CONTROLLED BY, OR SUBJECT 4 TO THE JURISDICTION OF A FOREIGN ENTITY 5 OF CONCERN ON DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 6 PROPERTY. 7 (a) IN GENERAL.—After January 1, 2028, no con- 8 nected vehicle on the list required under subsection (b) 9 may be operated on a military installation or on any other 10 property of the Department of Defense. 11 (b) LIST REQUIRED.— 12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 1, 13 2027, the Secretary of Defense shall establish and 14 publish on a publicly available website of the Depart- 15 ment of Defense a list of prohibited connected vehi- 16 cles that— 17 (A) are designed, developed, manufactured, 18 or supplied by persons owned by, controlled by, 19 or subject to the jurisdiction of a foreign entity 20 of concern; and 21 (B) pose— 22 (i) an undue risk of sabotage to or 23 subversion of the design, integrity, manu- 24 facturing, production, distribution, installa- 25 tion, operation, or maintenance of informa- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00557 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 558 •S 2296 RS tion and communications technology and 1 services in the United States; 2 (ii) an undue risk of catastrophic ef- 3 fects on the security or resiliency of critical 4 infrastructure in the United States or the 5 digital economy of the United States; or 6 (iii) an unacceptable risk to the na- 7 tional security of the United States or the 8 security and safety of United States per- 9 sons. 10 (2) INCORPORATION OF EXISTING FEDERAL 11 RULES.—In establishing the list required under 12 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall incorporate exist- 13 ing Federal rules for identifying prohibited con- 14 nected vehicles. 15 (3) ANNUAL REVIEW.— 16 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall re- 17 view the list required under paragraph (1) not 18 less frequently than once each year and shall 19 make such additions, subtractions, supplements, 20 or amendments to the list as the Secretary de- 21 termines appropriate. 22 (B) EXPLANATION OF SUBTRACTIONS.— 23 Any review under subparagraph (A) that makes 24 subtractions from the list required under para- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00558 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 559 •S 2296 RS graph (1) shall include an explanation of why 1 the subtraction was made. 2 (4) CONSULTATION.— 3 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 4 consult with the head of any Federal depart- 5 ment or agency that the Secretary determines is 6 appropriate in making the list required under 7 paragraph (1) and conducting any annual re- 8 view under paragraph (3). 9 (B) TRANSMITTAL OF LIST.—The Sec- 10 retary shall transmit a copy of the list required 11 under paragraph (1), and any modification to 12 that list, to the heads of each Federal depart- 13 ment or agency determined appropriate under 14 subparagraph (A). 15 (c) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND BRIEFING.— 16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than June 1, 17 2027, the Secretary of Defense shall establish and 18 provide to the congressional defense committees a 19 briefing on an implementation plan for carrying out 20 the prohibition under subsection (a). 21 (2) ELEMENTS.—The implementation plan re- 22 quired under paragraph (1) shall include— 23 (A) an identification of the lead organiza- 24 tion within the Department of Defense respon- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00559 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 560 •S 2296 RS sible for implementing and overseeing the prohi- 1 bition under subsection (a); 2 (B) a description of the process by which 3 the Department will identify and assess prohib- 4 ited connected vehicles; 5 (C) a description of the means by which 6 the Department will conduct coordination with 7 appropriate Federal departments and agencies; 8 (D) an identification of the metrics by 9 which the Department will assess connected ve- 10 hicles for threats to national security; 11 (E) a description of the means by which 12 military installations will ensure compliance 13 with such prohibition; and 14 (F) an assessment of resource require- 15 ments necessary to implement and maintain 16 such prohibition. 17 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 18 (1) CONNECTED VEHICLE.—The term ‘‘con- 19 nected vehicle’’ has the meaning given that term in 20 section 791.301 of title 15, Code of Federal Regula- 21 tions, or successor regulations. 22 (2) FOREIGN ENTITY OF CONCERN.—The term 23 ‘‘foreign entity of concern’’ has the meaning given 24 that term in section 9901 of the William M. (Mac) 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00560 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 561 •S 2296 RS Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for 1 Fiscal Year 2021 (15 U.S.C. 4651). 2 (3) MILITARY INSTALLATION.—The term ‘‘mili- 3 tary installation’’ has the meaning given that term 4 in section 2801(c) of title 10, United States Code. 5 Subtitle E—Studies and Reports 6 SEC. 1041. ANNUAL REPORT ON CONTRACT CANCELLA- 7 TIONS. 8 (a) REPORT REQUIRED.— 9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 10 days after 10 the date on which the President submits a budget of 11 the United States Government for each of fiscal 12 years 2027 through 2031 to Congress pursuant to 13 section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, the 14 Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congres- 15 sional defense committees a report on any cancella- 16 tions of contracts during the preceding fiscal year. 17 (2) REPORTING ON FISCAL YEAR 2025 CAN- 18 CELLATIONS.—The Secretary of Defense shall in- 19 clude in the first report submitted under paragraph 20 (1) reporting on any cancellations of contracts dur- 21 ing fiscal year 2025. 22 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required under sub- 23 section (a) shall include the following elements: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00561 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 562 •S 2296 RS (1) Identification of the Contract Line Item 1 Number affected. 2 (2) Total value of such Contract Line Item 3 Number. 4 (3) Total existing obligations against that Con- 5 tract Line Item Number. 6 (4) Any fee paid, if applicable, for cancelling 7 the contract. 8 (5) A brief justification of the rationale for can- 9 cellation, tagged by— 10 (A) non-alignment with the priorities of 11 the Secretary of Defense; 12 (B) requirement no longer exists; 13 (C) requirement has decreased; 14 (D) requirement exists, but the contract 15 did not meet requirements for cost or the 16 schedule or performance are unacceptable; or 17 (E) any other rationale as determined by 18 the Secretary. 19 (6) For any Contract Line Item Number tagged 20 pursuant to paragraph (5)(E), a brief proposed 21 timeline for issuing a new contract to meet the spec- 22 ified requirement. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00562 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 563 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1042. STREAMLINING OF TOTAL FORCE REPORTING 1 REQUIREMENTS. 2 (a) REPEAL OF ANNUAL REPORT ON MILITARY 3 TECHNICIANS.—Section 115a of title 10, United States 4 Code, is amended by striking subsection (g). 5 (b) INCORPORATION OF ANNUAL CIVILIAN PER- 6 SONNEL MANAGEMENT REPORT INTO ANNUAL DEFENSE 7 MANPOWER PROFILE REPORT.— 8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Such section is further 9 amended— 10 (A) by redesignating subsections (d) 11 through (f) as subsections (e) through (g), re- 12 spectively; and 13 (B) by inserting after subsection (c) the 14 following new subsection: 15 ‘‘(d)(1) The Secretary shall include in each report re- 16 quired under subsection (a) a detailed discussion of the 17 management of the civilian workforce of the Department 18 of Defense. The discussion shall include the matter speci- 19 fied in paragraph (2) for the civilian workforce of each 20 of the following: 21 ‘‘(A) The Office of the Secretary of Defense 22 and the Defense Agencies and Department of De- 23 fense Field Activities. 24 ‘‘(B) The military departments.’’. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00563 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 564 •S 2296 RS (2) TRANSFER OF REPORTING REQUIRE- 1 MENTS.—Such title is further amended by transfer- 2 ring paragraph (2) of section 129(c) of such title to 3 section 115a, inserting such paragraph at the end of 4 subsection (d) of such section 115a, as added by 5 paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection, and amending 6 such paragraph (2)— 7 (A) by striking ‘‘Each report under para- 8 graph (1) shall contain’’ and inserting ‘‘The 9 matter to be included in each discussion under 10 paragraph (1)’’; and 11 (B) by striking ‘‘under the jurisdiction of 12 the official submitting the report’’ and inserting 13 ‘‘of each element of the Department of Defense 14 named in that paragraph’’. 15 (3) CONFORMING REPEAL OF REQUIREMENT 16 FOR SEPARATE ANNUAL CIVILIAN PERSONNEL MAN- 17 AGEMENT REPORT.—Section 129 of such title is 18 amended by striking subsection (c). 19 SEC. 1043. REPORT ON NATIONAL GUARD SEXUAL ASSAULT 20 PREVENTION AND RESPONSE TRAINING. 21 The Chief of the National Guard Bureau, in coordi- 22 nation with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the 23 Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 24 House of Representatives a report containing the number 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00564 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 565 •S 2296 RS of members of the National Guard, disaggregated by 1 State, that received sexual assault prevention and re- 2 sponse training in the preceding calendar year— 3 (1) not later than 180 days after the date of 4 the enactment of this Act; and 5 (2) annually, beginning in 2027 and ending in 6 2031, by not later than March 30 of each year. 7 SEC. 1044. REPORTS TO CONGRESS ON DEPARTMENT OF 8 DEFENSE SUPPORT FOR IMMIGRATION EN- 9 FORCEMENT OPERATIONS. 10 Section 1707 of the National Defense Authorization 11 Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 116–92; 133 Stat. 12 1799; 10 U.S.C. 113 note) is amended by adding at the 13 end the following new subsection: 14 ‘‘(c) REPORTS ON SUPPORT FOR IMMIGRATION EN- 15 FORCEMENT OPERATIONS.— 16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If the Department of De- 17 fense approves a Request for Assistance for support 18 for immigration enforcement operations, the Sec- 19 retary of Defense shall electronically transmit to the 20 Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and 21 the House of Representatives a report on such sup- 22 port not later than 30 calendar days after the date 23 on which the Secretary approves the Request for As- 24 sistance and every 30 calendar days thereafter. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00565 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 566 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(2) ELEMENTS.—Each report required by 1 paragraph (1) shall include information on the fol- 2 lowing: 3 ‘‘(A) The use of transportation support 4 provided by the Department of Defense, the 5 type of such support, and the cost of such sup- 6 port. 7 ‘‘(B) The use of installation or facility sup- 8 port provided by the Department of Defense, 9 the name of the installation or facility, and the 10 cost of such support. 11 ‘‘(C) The reassignment of Department of 12 Defense personnel to conduct support for immi- 13 gration enforcement operations, the units from 14 which such personnel were reassigned, the dura- 15 tion of the orders, and the cost of such reas- 16 signment.’’. 17 SEC. 1045. MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND. 18 (a) REPORT ON RECRUITING AND RETENTION EF- 19 FORTS.— 20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 21 after the date of the enactment of this section, and 22 annually thereafter, the Secretary of the Navy, in 23 coordination with the Commander of the Military 24 Sealift Command, and in consultation with the Com- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00566 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 567 •S 2296 RS mander of United States Transportation Command, 1 the Commander of United States Fleet Forces Com- 2 mand, and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for 3 Research, Development and Acquisition, shall submit 4 to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate 5 and the Committee on Armed Services of the House 6 of Representatives a report on efforts to improve re- 7 cruitment and retention of Military Sealift Com- 8 mand Mariners. 9 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required under 10 paragraph (1) shall consider— 11 (A) opportunities to enhance the integra- 12 tion of Military Sealift Command civilian mari- 13 ners into the military command structure; 14 (B) providing training on the roles and sig- 15 nificance of Military Sealift Command civilian 16 mariner workforce to relevant military com- 17 mands; and 18 (C) authorities required to improve recruit- 19 ment and retention of civilian mariners in Mili- 20 tary Sealift Command. 21 (b) REPORT ON EXTENDING CHARTER DURA- 22 TIONS.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the en- 23 actment of this section, the Secretary of the Navy shall 24 submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00567 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 568 •S 2296 RS and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 1 Representatives a report assessing the merits of extending 2 the maximum charter durations of commercial and spe- 3 cialty vessels for the Military Sealift Command. 4 SEC. 1046. REPORT ON ALIENS HELD AT INSTALLATIONS OF 5 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 6 (a) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after the date 7 of the enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than 8 monthly thereafter, the Secretary of Defense shall submit 9 to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and 10 the House of Representatives a report containing— 11 (1) the number of aliens held at installations of 12 the Department of Defense, disaggregated by loca- 13 tion; and 14 (2) the total cost of detention of aliens at in- 15 stallations of the Department of Defense, regardless 16 of location. 17 (b) ALIEN DEFINED.—In this section, the term 18 ‘‘alien’’ has the meaning given that term in section 101 19 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101). 20 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00568 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 569 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1047. BRIEFING ON EXPENDITURES OR PLANNED EX- 1 PENDITURES OF FUNDS ALLOCATED FOR EX- 2 PLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF EXIST- 3 ING ARCTIC INFRASTRUCTURE. 4 Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact- 5 ment of this Act, and every 90 days thereafter, the Sec- 6 retary of Defense, in consultation with the Commander 7 of the United States Indo-Pacific Command and the Com- 8 mander of the United States Northern Command, shall 9 provide a briefing to the congressional defense committees 10 on the expenditures or planned expenditures of funds allo- 11 cated pursuant to section 20009(12) of the Act entitled 12 ‘‘An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II 13 of H. Con. Res. 14’’, approved July 4, 2025 (Public Law 14 119–21), for exploration and development of existing Arc- 15 tic infrastructure. The briefing should include amount of 16 funds expended to date, a timeline for future use of funds, 17 and an assessment of the feasibility of any viable infra- 18 structure options in the Arctic region. 19 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00569 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 570 •S 2296 RS Subtitle F—Other Matters 1 SEC. 1051. MODIFICATION OF LIMITATION ON ASSISTANCE 2 IN SUPPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 3 ACCOUNTING FOR MISSING UNITED STATES 4 GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL. 5 Section 408(d)(1) of title 10, United States Code, is 6 amended by striking ‘‘$5,000,000’’ and inserting 7 ‘‘$15,000,000’’. 8 SEC. 1052. EXTENSION OF ADMISSION TO GUAM OR THE 9 COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MAR- 10 IANA ISLANDS FOR CERTAIN H–2B NON- 11 IMMIGRANTS. 12 Section 6(b)(1)(B) of the Joint Resolution entitled 13 ‘‘A Joint Resolution to approve the ‘Covenant to Establish 14 a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Po- 15 litical Union with the United States of America’, and for 16 other purposes’’, approved March 24, 1976 (48 U.S.C. 17 1806(b)(1)(B)), is amended, in the matter preceding 18 clause (i), by striking ‘‘December 31, 2029’’ and inserting 19 ‘‘December 31, 2031’’. 20 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00570 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 571 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1053. PROHIBITING SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FROM 1 DEVELOPING VOTING TECHNOLOGY OR 2 METHODOLOGY. 3 The Secretary of Defense may not develop, or facili- 4 tate the development of, any voting technology or method- 5 ology for voting in Federal and State elections. 6 SEC. 1054. ASSESSMENT OF THE FEASIBILITY AND ADVIS- 7 ABILITY OF USING PERSONNEL OF THE DE- 8 PARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO SUPPORT U.S. 9 CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION. 10 (a) ASSESSMENT AND REPORT.—Not later than 180 11 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 12 retary of Defense shall, in consultation with the Secretary 13 of Homeland Security— 14 (1) conduct an assessment of the advisability, 15 feasibility, and cost of using personnel of the De- 16 partment of Defense to support U.S. Customs and 17 Border Protection by providing translation and in- 18 terpretation services in connection with border secu- 19 rity operations; and 20 (2) submit to the congressional defense commit- 21 tees a report on the findings of the Secretary with 22 respect to the assessment conducted pursuant to 23 paragraph (1). 24 (b) CONTENTS.—The report submitted pursuant to 25 subsection (a)(2) shall include the following: 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00571 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 572 •S 2296 RS (1) An assessment of the current capabilities 1 and availability of Department personnel with rel- 2 evant language skills to support the needs of U.S. 3 Customs and Border Protection and assist with 4 interviews, including with respect to Mandarin Chi- 5 nese, Arabic, Russian, Swahili, Korean, Urdu, Farsi, 6 and other languages that may be encountered at the 7 United States border. 8 (2) An evaluation on the potential impact of the 9 use of personnel described in subsection (a)(1) on 10 Department readiness, operations, and personnel. 11 (3) An evaluation of the impact of such use of 12 personnel on operations at the United States border. 13 (4) A cost estimate for such use of personnel, 14 including administrative, training, deployment, and 15 sustainment costs; 16 (5) A summary of any prior or ongoing inter- 17 agency efforts or agreements relating to foreign lan- 18 guage support between the Department of Defense 19 and the Department of Homeland Security and if 20 such support was provided on a reimbursable or 21 nonreimbursable basis. 22 (6) Such recommendations as the Secretary of 23 Defense may have for legislative or administrative 24 action to facilitate such use of personnel. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00572 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 573 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1055. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 1 TRAVEL EXPENSES OF THE OFFICE OF THE 2 SECRETARY OF DEFENSE. 3 Of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this 4 Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for 5 operation and maintenance, defense-wide, and available 6 for the Office of the Secretary of Defense for travel ex- 7 penses, not more than 75 percent may be obligated or ex- 8 pended until the Secretary of Defense— 9 (1) submits to the Committee on Armed Serv- 10 ices of the Senate unredacted copies of documents 11 requested by the committee during the period begin- 12 ning on January 1, 2024, and ending on June 1, 13 2024; 14 (2) submits to the congressional defense com- 15 mittees overdue notifications regarding sensitive 16 military operations required by section 130f of title 17 10, United States Code; 18 (3) submits to the requesting committee over- 19 due quarterly reports regarding execute orders of the 20 Department of Defense required by section 1744 of 21 the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 22 Year 2020 (Public Law 116–92; 10 U.S.C. 113 23 note); 24 (4) submits to the congressional defense com- 25 mittees the plan for integrating signals intelligence 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00573 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 574 •S 2296 RS capabilities on fielded armed overwatch aircraft re- 1 quired by section 167 of the Servicemember Quality 2 of Life Improvement and National Defense Author- 3 ization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118– 4 159); 5 (5) issues guidance on the governance and over- 6 sight of the contracts of the Department of Defense 7 that support or enable sensitive activities required by 8 section 867 of the Servicemember Quality of Life 9 Improvement and National Defense Authorization 10 Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159); 11 (6) submits to the congressional defense com- 12 mittees the review of authorities relevant to the con- 13 duct of irregular warfare activities by the Depart- 14 ment of Defense required by section 1065 of the 15 Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and 16 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 17 2025 (Public Law 118–159); 18 (7) submits to the congressional defense com- 19 mittees the plan for implementing and institutional- 20 izing the responsibilities of the Assistant Secretary 21 of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity 22 Conflict, and other matters, required by section 23 907(b) of the Servicemember Quality of Life Im- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00574 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 575 •S 2296 RS provement and National Defense Authorization Act 1 for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159); and 2 (8) submits to the Committees on Armed Serv- 3 ices of the Senate and the House of Representatives 4 the report on Department of Defense efforts to iden- 5 tify, disseminate, and implement throughout the De- 6 partment lessons learned from the war in Ukraine 7 required by the conference report accompanying the 8 Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and 9 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 10 2025 (Public Law 118–159). 11 SEC. 1056. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SENSITIVE ACTIVI- 12 TIES. 13 (a) OVERSIGHT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SEN- 14 SITIVE ACTIVITIES.—Chapter 3 of title 10, United States 15 Code, is amended by inserting after section 130f the fol- 16 lowing new section: 17 ‘‘§ 103g. Oversight of Department of Defense sensitive 18 activities. 19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall 20 keep the congressional defense committees fully and cur- 21 rently informed of Department of Defense sensitive activi- 22 ties. 23 ‘‘(b) NOTIFICATION.—The Secretary of Defense shall 24 submit to the congressional defense committees notice in 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00575 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 576 •S 2296 RS writing of a compromise or failure of any Department of 1 Defense sensitive activity not later than 48 hours following 2 the compromise or failure. 3 ‘‘(c) PROCEDURES.—The Secretary of Defense, in co- 4 ordination with the congressional defense committees, 5 shall establish and submit to such committees procedures 6 for complying with the requirements of subsection (a) and 7 (b) consistent with the national security of the United 8 States and the protection of operational integrity. The 9 Secretary shall promptly notify the congressional defense 10 committees in writing of any changes to such procedures 11 at least 14 days prior to the adoption of any such changes. 12 ‘‘(d) SENSITIVE ACTIVITY DEFINED.—In this sec- 13 tion, the term ‘sensitive activity’ means operations, ac- 14 tions, activities, or programs that, if compromised, could 15 have enduring adverse effects on United States foreign 16 policy, Department of Defense activities, or military oper- 17 ations, or cause significant embarrassment to the United 18 States, United States allies, or the Department of De- 19 fense.’’. 20 (b) PROCESS FOR COORDINATING AND 21 DECONFLICTING CONTRACTS.—Consistent with section 22 867 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement 23 and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 24 2025 (Public Law 118–159; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4601), 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00576 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 577 •S 2296 RS the Secretary of Defense shall establish a process for co- 1 ordinating and deconflicting contracts of the Department 2 of Defense that support or enable sensitive activities with 3 other departments and agencies of the Federal govern- 4 ment, as appropriate. 5 SEC. 1057. IRREGULAR WARFARE EXERCISE LABORATORY. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense may es- 7 tablish and maintain an Irregular Warfare Exercise Lab- 8 oratory to— 9 (1) support the training, experimentation, prep- 10 aration, and validation of the United States Armed 11 Forces to conduct full-spectrum irregular warfare 12 activities; and 13 (2) enable activities to build the capacity and 14 interoperability of the security forces of friendly for- 15 eign countries. 16 (b) AUTHORITIES.—In carrying out the activities au- 17 thorized under subsection (a), the Secretary may use the 18 authorities under chapter 16 of title 10, United States 19 Code, and other applicable statutory authorities available 20 to the Secretary of Defense. 21 SEC. 1058. SEMIANNUAL REPORT ON DEPARTMENT OF DE- 22 FENSE OPERATIONS AT THE SOUTHERN 23 LAND BORDER. 24 (a) REPORT.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00577 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 578 •S 2296 RS (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 1 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 2 retary of Defense shall submit to the Committee on 3 Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on 4 Armed Services of the House of Representatives a 5 report on operations at the southern land border. 6 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required under 7 paragraph (1) shall include a detailed description 8 of— 9 (A) the Department of Defense’s efforts 10 with respect to— 11 (i) combating transnational organized 12 crime in the United States Northern Com- 13 mand and the United States Southern 14 Command areas of responsibility; 15 (ii) reducing the cross-border flow of 16 illicit synthetic drugs, including fentanyl, 17 fentanyl analogs, and fentanyl precursors; 18 and 19 (iii) reducing the cross-border illicit 20 trade of firearms and human trafficking; 21 (B) the Department of Defense’s steady- 22 state plan and posture on the southern land 23 border; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00578 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 579 •S 2296 RS (C) the Department of Defense’s assess- 1 ment of the operational and readiness impact 2 under the Department’s steady-state plan and 3 posture on the southern land border, and any 4 revisions of such plan and posture; 5 (D) each military installation and each De- 6 partment of Defense facility on or off the in- 7 stallation that is being used to support— 8 (i) the Department of Defense’s oper- 9 ations along the southern land border; or 10 (ii) the Department of Homeland Se- 11 curity or any of its components; 12 (E) the funding sources for the Depart- 13 ment of Defense’s current operations along the 14 southern land border; 15 (F) the Department of Defense’s use of 16 force policy and related training; 17 (G) the Department of Defense’s assess- 18 ment of its compliance with section 1385 of 19 title 18, United States Code (commonly known 20 as the ‘‘Posse Comitatus Act of 1878’’), in its 21 execution of— 22 (i) any efforts along the southern land 23 border; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00579 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 580 •S 2296 RS (ii) any efforts in support of the De- 1 partment of Homeland Security; and 2 (H) any challenges the Department of De- 3 fense has faced in the execution of the efforts 4 described in subparagraphs (A) and (F). 5 (b) SEMIANNUAL UPDATES.—Not less frequently 6 than once every 180 days after submitting the report re- 7 quired under subsection (a) and during the effective period 8 of the national emergency declared by Proclamation 9 100886 (90 Fed. Reg. 8327; relating to a Declaration of 10 a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the 11 United States), Executive Order 14165 (90 Fed. Reg. 12 8467; relating to Security Our Borders), and Executive 13 Order 14167 (90 Fed. Reg. 8613; relating to Clarifying 14 the Military’s Role in Protecting the Territorial Integrity 15 of the United States), the Commander of the United 16 States Northern Command shall submit to the congres- 17 sional defense committees updates to the information in- 18 cluded in such report. 19 SEC. 1059. UNIVERSITY-BASED SECURE INNOVATION INCU- 20 BATOR PROGRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF DE- 21 FENSE. 22 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Defense 23 shall establish a program to develop, operate, and main- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00580 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 581 •S 2296 RS tain incubator programs for secure facilities and networks 1 at select universities across the United States— 2 (1) to accelerate the development and transition 3 of innovative technologies to meet national security 4 needs; 5 (2) to increase the availability of secure facili- 6 ties and networks for classified work at university lo- 7 cations; 8 (3) to foster collaboration between academic re- 9 searchers, private sector entities, and Department of 10 Defense personnel; 11 (4) to expand the pool of security-cleared tech- 12 nical talent available to support defense organiza- 13 tions and personnel in critical defense technology 14 areas; and 15 (5) to create regional innovation hubs that 16 strengthen the national security innovation base. 17 (b) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—The program established 18 pursuant to subsection (a) shall include the following ele- 19 ments: 20 (1) FACILITY REQUIREMENTS.—Each univer- 21 sity-based secure facility and network shall— 22 (A) meet all physical, technical, and per- 23 sonnel security requirements for handling clas- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00581 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 582 •S 2296 RS sified information up to the Top Secret or Sen- 1 sitive Compartmented Information level; 2 (B) be designed to accommodate diverse 3 use cases, including secure meetings, classified 4 research, and technology development activities; 5 (C) include collaborative workspaces appro- 6 priate for innovation activities; and 7 (D) leverage modern design principles to 8 maximize utilization and effectiveness. 9 (2) UNIVERSITY SELECTION CRITERIA.—The 10 Secretary shall select universities based on— 11 (A) the absence of a fully functional secure 12 facility and network on the university campus; 13 (B) demonstrated commitment to national 14 security-relevant research and development; 15 (C) existing relationships with the Depart- 16 ment of Defense; 17 (D) technical capabilities relevant to de- 18 fense innovation priorities; 19 (E) geographic distribution to ensure na- 20 tionwide access; and 21 (F) capacity to support the administrative 22 and security requirements of operating a secure 23 facility and network. 24 (3) ACCESS TO FACILITIES AND NETWORKS.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00582 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 583 •S 2296 RS (A) ACCESS MODEL.—The Secretary shall 1 establish a flexible subscription-based system 2 for access to the university-based secure facili- 3 ties and networks, with— 4 (i) tiered access levels calibrated to 5 different user needs and security require- 6 ments; 7 (ii) pricing structures that may vary 8 based on organizational size, usage pat- 9 terns, and security clearance-processing 10 needs; and 11 (iii) priority access for Department 12 components and entities working on 13 projects sponsored by the Department. 14 (B) ACCESS PROTOCOLS AND SECURITY 15 CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS.— 16 (i) IN GENERAL.—Access to classified 17 information and secure facilities within the 18 program established pursuant to sub- 19 section (a) shall be strictly controlled and 20 granted consistent with Executive Order 21 12968 (50 U.S.C. 3161 note; relating to 22 access to classified information). 23 (ii) AUTHORIZED USERS.—Authorized 24 users of classified information and secure 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00583 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 584 •S 2296 RS facilities within the program established 1 pursuant to subsection (a) may include— 2 (I) university faculty, staff, and 3 students; 4 (II) private sector entities, par- 5 ticularly small businesses and 6 startups, that are participating in spe- 7 cific defense innovation programs; 8 (III) personnel and contractors of 9 the Department of Defense; and 10 (IV) personnel from other Fed- 11 eral agencies engaged in work related 12 to national security. 13 (c) IMPLEMENTATION.— 14 (1) PILOT PROGRAM.—In carrying out the pro- 15 gram required by subsection (a), the Secretary 16 shall— 17 (A) not later than 540 days after the date 18 of the enactment of this Act, establish an initial 19 pilot program with not fewer than three univer- 20 sity partners; 21 (B) ensure that at least one of the loca- 22 tions for the pilot program established pursuant 23 to subparagraph (A) is at a university located 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00584 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 585 •S 2296 RS within 100 miles of the geographic center of the 1 United States; 2 (C) evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot 3 program established pursuant to subparagraph 4 (A) based on metrics, including utilization 5 rates, project outcomes, and participant feed- 6 back; and 7 (D) not more than 900 days after the date 8 of the enactment of this Act, submit to the con- 9 gressional defense committees a report on— 10 (i) the findings of the Secretary with 11 respect to the pilot program established 12 pursuant to subparagraph (A); and 13 (ii) such recommendations as the Sec- 14 retary may have for expanding the pilot 15 program. 16 (2) PROGRAM EXPANSION.—Subject to success- 17 ful evaluation of the pilot program established pur- 18 suant to paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall, not 19 later than four years after the date of the enactment 20 of this Act, expand the program required by sub- 21 section (a) to not fewer than 10 universities. 22 (d) COST-SHARING.—The Secretary may enter into 23 cost-sharing agreements or other appropriate agreements 24 with universities participating in the program established 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00585 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 586 •S 2296 RS pursuant to subsection (a), other Federal departments and 1 agencies, State and local governments, Tribal govern- 2 ments, and private sector partners to support the estab- 3 lishment and operation of the secure facilities and net- 4 works under the program. 5 (e) ANNUAL REPORT.— 6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each year, the Secretary 7 shall submit to the congressional defense committees 8 an annual report on the program established pursu- 9 ant to subsection (a). 10 (2) CONTENTS.—Each report submitted pursu- 11 ant to paragraph (1) shall cover the following: 12 (A) Current locations and expansion plans. 13 (B) Utilization metrics and user demo- 14 graphics. 15 (C) Financial information, including fees 16 collected and program costs. 17 (D) Measurable outcomes from activities 18 conducted within the secure facilities and net- 19 works included in the program. 20 (E) Recommendations for legislative or ad- 21 ministrative action relating to the program. 22 (f) PROGRAM AND REPORT EXPIRATION.—The pro- 23 gram authorized under subsection (a) and the annual re- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00586 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 587 •S 2296 RS port requirement under subsection (e) shall terminate 10 1 years after the date of the enactment of this Act. 2 SEC. 1060. PRIORITY CONSIDERATION OF ENERGY 3 PROJECTS THAT ARE LIKELY TO EXPERI- 4 ENCE SIGNIFICANT TEMPORAL IMPACT DUE 5 TO SEASONAL ARCTIC CLIMATE CONDITIONS. 6 The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 7 Sustainment shall, to the maximum extent possible, 8 prioritize, for purposes of consideration by the Manufac- 9 turing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization 10 (MCEIP) office, the clearance of mining and energy 11 project applications and white papers for projects the op- 12 eration or completion of which is likely to experience sig- 13 nificant temporal impact due to seasonal Arctic climate 14 conditions. 15 SEC. 1061. NON-REIMBURSABLE SUPPORT FOR AFGHANI- 16 STAN WAR COMMISSION. 17 Section 1094(f)(2) of the Afghanistan War Commis- 18 sion Act of 2021 (Public Law 117–81; 135 Stat. 1938) 19 is amended by adding at the end the following new sub- 20 paragraph: 21 ‘‘(D) SERVICES.— 22 ‘‘(i) DOD SERVICES.—The Secretary 23 of Defense may provide to the Commission, 24 on a nonreimbursable basis, such adminis- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00587 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 588 •S 2296 RS trative services, funds, staff, facilities, and 1 other support services as are necessary for 2 the performance of the Commission’s du- 3 ties under this section. 4 ‘‘(ii) OTHER AGENCIES.—In addition 5 to any support provided under clause (i), 6 the heads of other Federal departments 7 and agencies may provide to the Commis- 8 sion such services, funds, facilities, staff, 9 and other support as the heads of such de- 10 partments and agencies determine advis- 11 able and as may be authorized by law.’’. 12 SEC. 1062. CONTRACTING AUTHORITY FOR AFGHANISTAN 13 WAR COMMISSION. 14 Section 1094(g) of the Afghanistan War Commission 15 Act of 2021 (Public Law 117–81; 135 Stat. 1938) is 16 amended by adding at the end the following new para- 17 graph: 18 ‘‘(7) CONTRACTING.—The Co-Chairpersons of 19 the Commission may, to such extent and in such 20 amounts as are provided in appropriation Acts, enter 21 into contracts to enable the Commission to discharge 22 its duties under this section.’’. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00588 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 589 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1063. COMMISSION ON THE NATIONAL DEFENSE 1 STRATEGY. 2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 3 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is established as of 4 January 5, 2026, an independent commission in the 5 legislative branch to be known as the ‘‘Commission 6 on the National Defense Strategy’’ (in this section 7 referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’). 8 (2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Commission 9 is to examine and make recommendations with re- 10 spect to the national defense strategy of the United 11 States. 12 (3) SCOPE AND DUTIES.—In order to provide 13 the fullest understanding of the national defense 14 strategy the Commission shall perform the following 15 duties: 16 (A) NATIONAL DEFENSE STRATEGY RE- 17 VIEW.—The Commission shall review the most 18 recent national defense strategy of the United 19 States including the assumptions, strategic ob- 20 jectives, priority missions, major investments in 21 defense capabilities, force posture and struc- 22 ture, operational concepts, and strategic and 23 military risks associated with the strategy. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00589 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 590 •S 2296 RS (B) ASSESSMENT.—The Commission shall 1 conduct a comprehensive assessment of the 2 strategic environment, including— 3 (i) United States interests; 4 (ii) the threats to the national secu- 5 rity of the United States, including both 6 traditional and non-traditional threats; 7 (iii) the size and shape of the force; 8 (iv) the readiness of the force; 9 (v) the posture, structure, and capa- 10 bilities of the force; 11 (vi) allocation of resources; and 12 (vii) the strategic and military risks 13 present in the national defense strategy. 14 (4) COMMISSION REPORT AND RECOMMENDA- 15 TIONS.— 16 (A) REPORT.— 17 (i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one 18 year after the date of establishment of the 19 Commission, the Commission shall trans- 20 mit to the President and Congress a report 21 containing the review and assessment con- 22 ducted under paragraph (3), together with 23 any recommendations of the Commission. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00590 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 591 •S 2296 RS (ii) CONTENTS.—The report required 1 by clause (i) shall include the following ele- 2 ments: 3 (I) An appraisal of the strategic 4 environment, including an examina- 5 tion of the traditional and non-tradi- 6 tional threats to the United States, 7 and the potential for conflicts arising 8 from such threats and security chal- 9 lenges. 10 (II) An evaluation of the stra- 11 tegic objectives of the Department of 12 Defense for near-peer competition in 13 support of the national security inter- 14 ests of the United States. 15 (III) A review of the military 16 missions for which the Department of 17 Defense should prepare, including 18 missions that support the interagency 19 and a whole-of-government strategy. 20 (IV) An identification of any 21 gaps or redundancies in the roles and 22 missions assigned to the Armed 23 Forces necessary to carry out military 24 missions identified in subclause (III), 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00591 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 592 •S 2296 RS and the roles and capabilities provided 1 by other Federal agencies and by al- 2 lies and international partners. 3 (V) An assessment of how the 4 national defense strategy leverages 5 other elements of national power 6 across the interagency to counter 7 near-peer competitors. 8 (VI) An evaluation of the re- 9 sources necessary to support the 10 strategy, including budget rec- 11 ommendations. 12 (VII) An examination of the ef- 13 forts by the Department of Defense to 14 develop new and innovative oper- 15 ational concepts to enable the United 16 States to more effectively counter 17 near-peer competitors. 18 (VIII) An analysis of the force 19 planning construct, including— 20 (aa) the size and shape of 21 the force; 22 (bb) the posture, structure, 23 and capabilities of the force; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00592 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 593 •S 2296 RS (cc) the readiness of the 1 force; 2 (dd) infrastructure and or- 3 ganizational adjustments to the 4 force; 5 (ee) modifications to per- 6 sonnel requirements, including 7 professional military education; 8 and 9 (ff) other elements of the de- 10 fense program necessary to sup- 11 port the strategy. 12 (IX) An assessment of the risks 13 associated with the strategy, including 14 the relationships and tradeoffs be- 15 tween missions, risks, and resources. 16 (X) Any other elements the Com- 17 mission considers appropriate. 18 (B) BRIEFINGS.— 19 (i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 20 days after the date of the establishment of 21 the Commission, the Commission shall pro- 22 vide to the Committees on Armed Services 23 of the Senate and the House of Represent- 24 atives a briefing on the status of the review 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00593 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 594 •S 2296 RS and assessment required by paragraph (3), 1 including a discussion of any interim rec- 2 ommendations. 3 (ii) INTERIM BRIEFINGS.—At the re- 4 quest of the Chair and Ranking Member of 5 the Committee on Armed Services of the 6 Senate, or the Chair and Ranking Member 7 of the Committee on Armed Services of the 8 House of Representatives, the Commission 9 shall provide the requesting Committee 10 with interim briefings in addition to the 11 briefing required by clause (i). 12 (5) POWERS OF COMMISSION.— 13 (A) HEARINGS.—The Commission may 14 hold such hearings, sit and act at such times 15 and places, take such testimony, and receive 16 such evidence as the Commission considers ad- 17 visable to carry out its duties under this sec- 18 tion. 19 (B) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGEN- 20 CIES.—The Commission may secure directly 21 from any Federal department or agency such 22 information as the Commission considers nec- 23 essary to carry out its duties under this section. 24 Upon request of the Chair of the Commission, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00594 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 595 •S 2296 RS the head of such department or agency shall 1 furnish such information to the Commission. 2 (C) USE OF POSTAL SERVICE.—The Com- 3 mission may use the United States mails in the 4 same manner and under the same conditions as 5 other departments and agencies of the Federal 6 Government. 7 (D) AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT GIFTS.— 8 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Commission 9 may accept, use, and dispose of gifts or do- 10 nations of services, goods, and property 11 from non-Federal entities for the purposes 12 of aiding and facilitating the work of the 13 Commission. The authority under this 14 paragraph does not extend to gifts of 15 money. 16 (ii) DOCUMENTATION; CONFLICTS OF 17 INTEREST.—The Commission shall docu- 18 ment gifts accepted under the authority 19 provided by clause (i) and shall avoid con- 20 flicts of interest or the appearance of con- 21 flicts of interest. 22 (iii) COMPLIANCE WITH CONGRES- 23 SIONAL ETHICS RULES.—Except as specifi- 24 cally provided in this section, a member of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00595 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 596 •S 2296 RS the Commission shall comply with rules set 1 forth by the Select Committee on Ethics of 2 the Senate and the Committee on Ethics of 3 the House of Representatives governing 4 employees of the Senate and the House of 5 Representatives, respectively. 6 (6) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than Feb- 7 ruary 5, 2027, the Commission shall submit to the 8 Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and 9 House of Representatives an unclassified report, 10 with classified annexes if necessary, that includes 11 the findings and conclusions of the Commission as 12 a result of the studies required under this section, 13 together with its recommendations for such legisla- 14 tive actions as the Commission considers appropriate 15 in light of the results of the studies. 16 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 17 (1) COMPOSITION.—The Commission shall be 18 composed of 8 members, of whom— 19 (A) one shall be appointed by the Speaker 20 of the House of Representatives; 21 (B) one shall be appointed by the Minority 22 Leader of the House of Representatives; 23 (C) one shall be appointed by the Majority 24 Leader of the Senate; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00596 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 597 •S 2296 RS (D) one shall be appointed by the Minority 1 Leader of the Senate; 2 (E) one shall be appointed by the Chair- 3 man of the Committee on Armed Services of 4 the Senate; 5 (F) one shall be appointed by the Ranking 6 Member of the Committee on Armed Services of 7 the Senate; 8 (G) one shall be appointed by the Chair- 9 man of the Committee on Armed Services of 10 the House of Representatives; and 11 (H) one shall be appointed by the Ranking 12 Member of the Committee on Armed Services of 13 the House of Representatives. 14 (2) CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR.— 15 (A) CHAIR.—The Chair of the Committee 16 on Armed Services of the Senate and the Chair 17 of the Committee on Armed Services of the 18 House of Representatives, with the concurrence 19 of the Majority Leader of the Senate and the 20 Speaker of the House of Representatives, shall 21 jointly designate 1 member of the Commission 22 to serve as Chair of the Commission. 23 (B) VICE CHAIR.—The Ranking Member 24 of the Committee on Armed Services of the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00597 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 598 •S 2296 RS Senate and the Ranking Member of the Com- 1 mittee on Armed Services of the House of Rep- 2 resentatives, with the concurrence of the Minor- 3 ity Leader of the Senate and the Minority 4 Leader of the House of Representatives, shall 5 jointly designate 1 member of the Commission 6 to serve as Vice Chair of the Commission. 7 (3) APPOINTMENTS.— 8 (A) APPOINTMENT DATE.—Members shall 9 be appointed to the Commission under para- 10 graph (1) by not later than 30 days after the 11 date of the establishment of the Commission. 12 (B) NOTIFICATIONS.—Individuals making 13 appointments under paragraph (1) shall provide 14 notice of the appointments to the Secretary of 15 Defense (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Sec- 16 retary’’), the Chairman of the Committee on 17 Armed Services of the Senate, and the Chair- 18 man of the Committee on Armed Services of 19 the House of Representatives. 20 (C) EFFECT OF NON-APPOINTMENT.— 21 (i) IN GENERAL.—If an appointment 22 under this subsection is not made by the 23 date specified under paragraph (3)(A), the 24 authority to make such appointment shall 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00598 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 599 •S 2296 RS devolve to a member of Congress of the 1 same party and same chamber eligible to 2 appoint under this subsection. 3 (ii) EXPIRATION OF APPOINTMENT 4 AUTHORITY.—If an appointment is not 5 made within 60 days of establishment, the 6 authority to make such appointment shall 7 expire. 8 (D) RESTRICTION ON APPOINTMENT.—Of- 9 ficers or employees of the Federal Government 10 (other than experts or consultants the services 11 of which are procured under section 3109 of 12 title 5, United States Code) may not be ap- 13 pointed as members of the Commission. 14 (E) RESTRICTION ON MEMBERS OF CON- 15 GRESS.—Members of Congress may not serve 16 on the Commission. 17 (4) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES; RE- 18 MOVAL OF MEMBERS.— 19 (A) APPOINTMENT DURATION.—Members 20 shall be appointed for the life of the Commis- 21 sion. 22 (B) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the 23 Commission shall not affect its powers, but 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00599 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 600 •S 2296 RS shall be filled in the same manner as the origi- 1 nal appointment. 2 (C) REMOVAL OF MEMBERS.—A member 3 may be removed from the Commission for cause 4 by the individual serving in the position respon- 5 sible for the original appointment of such mem- 6 ber under subsection (b)(1), provided that no- 7 tice has first been provided to such member of 8 the cause for removal and voted and agreed 9 upon by three quarters of the members serving. 10 A vacancy created by the removal of a member 11 under this subsection shall not affect the pow- 12 ers of the Commission, and shall be filled in the 13 same manner as the original appointment was 14 made. 15 (5) QUORUM.—.A majority of the members 16 serving on the Commission shall constitute a 17 quorum. 18 (6) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 30 days 19 after the date on which all members of the Commis- 20 sion have been appointed as published in the Con- 21 gressional Record, the Commission shall hold its ini- 22 tial meeting. 23 (c) PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00600 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 601 •S 2296 RS (1) STATUS AS FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—Not- 1 withstanding the requirements of section 2105 of 2 title 5, United States Code, including the required 3 supervision under subsection (a)(3) of such section, 4 members of the Commission shall be deemed to be 5 Federal employees in the legislative branch subject 6 to all the laws and policies applicable to legislative 7 branch employees. 8 (2) OATH OF OFFICE.—Notwithstanding the 9 provision of section 2903(b) of title 5, United States 10 Code, an employee of an Executive Branch agency, 11 otherwise authorized to administer oaths under sec- 12 tion 2903 of title 5, United States Code, may ad- 13 minister the oath of office to Commissioners for the 14 purpose of their service to the Commission. 15 (3) SECURITY CLEARANCES.—The appropriate 16 Federal departments or agencies shall cooperate 17 with the Commission in expeditiously providing to 18 the Commission members and staff appropriate se- 19 curity clearances to the extent possible pursuant to 20 existing procedures and requirements, except that no 21 person may be provided with access to classified in- 22 formation under this Act without the appropriate se- 23 curity clearances. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00601 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 602 •S 2296 RS (4) PAY FOR MEMBERS.—Each member of the 1 Commission may be compensated at a rate not to 2 exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of 3 basic pay payable for level IV of the Executive 4 Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United 5 States Code, for each day (including travel time) 6 during which such member is engaged in the per- 7 formance of the duties of the Commission. All mem- 8 bers of the Commission who are officers or employ- 9 ees of the United States shall serve without com- 10 pensation additional to that received for their serv- 11 ices as officers or employees of the United States. 12 (5) STAFF.— 13 (A) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The Chair of 14 the Commission may appoint and fix the rate of 15 basic pay for an Executive Director in accord- 16 ance with section 3161 of title 5, United States 17 Code. 18 (B) COMMISSION STAFF.—The Executive 19 Director may appoint and fix the rate of basic 20 pay for additional personnel as staff of the 21 Commission in accordance with section 3161 of 22 title 5, United States Code. 23 (C) DETAILEES AUTHORIZED.—On a reim- 24 bursable or non-reimbursable basis, the heads 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00602 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 603 •S 2296 RS of departments and agencies of the Federal 1 Government may provide, and the Commission 2 may accept personnel detailed from such de- 3 partments and agencies, including active-duty 4 military personnel. 5 (D) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members 6 and staff of the Commission shall be allowed 7 travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 8 subsistence, at rates authorized for employees 9 of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of 10 title 5, United States Code, while away from 11 their homes or regular places of business in the 12 performance of services for the Commission. 13 (d) SUPPORT.— 14 (1) ASSISTANCE FROM DEPARTMENT OF DE- 15 FENSE.— 16 (A) IN GENERAL.—Of the amounts author- 17 ized to be appropriated for the Department of 18 Defense for support of the Commission, the 19 Secretary may make transfers to the Commis- 20 sion for Commission expenses, including com- 21 pensation of Commission members, officers, and 22 employees, and provision of other such services, 23 funds, facilities, and other support services as 24 necessary for the performance of the Commis- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00603 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 604 •S 2296 RS sion’s functions. Funds made available to sup- 1 port and provide assistance to the Commission 2 may be used for payment of compensation of 3 members, officers, and employees of the Com- 4 mission without transfer under this subpara- 5 graph. Amounts transferred under this sub- 6 paragraph shall remain available until ex- 7 pended. Transfer authority provided by this 8 subparagraph is in addition to any other trans- 9 fer authority provided by law. Section 2215 of 10 title 10, United States Code, shall not apply to 11 a transfer of funds under this subparagraph. 12 (B) TREASURY ACCOUNT AUTHORIZED.— 13 The Secretary of the Treasury may establish an 14 account or accounts for the Commission from 15 which any amounts transferred under this 16 clause may be used for activities of the Com- 17 mission. 18 (2) LIAISON.—The Secretary shall designate at 19 least one officer or employee of the Department of 20 Defense to serve as a liaison officer between the De- 21 partment and the Commission. 22 (3) ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.—To the extent that 23 funds are available for such purpose, or on a reim- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00604 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 605 •S 2296 RS bursable basis, the Secretary may, at the request of 1 the Chair of the Commission— 2 (A) enter into contracts for the acquisition 3 of administrative supplies and equipment for 4 use by the Commission; and 5 (B) make available the services of a Fed- 6 eral funded research and development center or 7 an independent, nongovernmental organization, 8 described under section 501(c)(3) of the Inter- 9 nal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from 10 taxation under section 501(a) of such Code. 11 (4) PRELIMINARY ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT 12 AUTHORIZED.—Upon the appointment of the Chair 13 and Vice Chair under subsection (b), the Secretary 14 may provide administrative support authorized 15 under this section necessary to facilitate the stand- 16 ing up of the Commission. 17 (e) TERMINATION OF COMMISSION.—The Commis- 18 sion shall terminate 90 days after the submission of the 19 report required by subsection (a). 20 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00605 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 606 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1064. PROVISION BY AIR FORCE OF METEOROLOGICAL 1 AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES FOR INTEL- 2 LIGENCE COMMUNITY. 3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Air Force 4 shall provide meteorological and environmental services for 5 operations of the intelligence community. 6 (b) INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY DEFINED.—In this 7 section, the term ‘‘intelligence community’’ has the mean- 8 ing given that term in section 3 of the National Security 9 Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003). 10 SEC. 1065. EXPANSION OF INDIVIDUAL LONGITUDINAL EX- 11 POSURE RECORD. 12 (a) ALL EXPOSURES.—The Secretary of Defense 13 shall expand the Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record 14 (in this section referred to as ‘‘ILER’’) to document all 15 exposures of members of the Armed Forces, including 16 those that occur within the United States, so it can be 17 available for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs when such 18 members transition to civilian life, including the following: 19 (1) All-hazard occupational data. 20 (2) Environmental hazards that were known or 21 found later to which the member was exposed, in- 22 cluding through conducting any monitoring in the 23 area. 24 (b) MEDICAL INFORMATION.—The Secretary of De- 25 fense shall expand the ILER to include the following med- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00606 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 607 •S 2296 RS ical information of members of the Armed Forces so it 1 can be available for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 2 when such members transition to civilian life: 3 (1) Medical encounter information relating to 4 exposures (such as diagnosis, treatment, and labora- 5 tory data). 6 (2) Medical concerns that should be addressed 7 regarding possible exposures. 8 (c) AVAILABILITY TO CERTAIN PROFESSIONALS.— 9 The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that the ILER is 10 available, for purposes of improving internal processes, to 11 the following: 12 (1) Health care providers of the Department of 13 Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. 14 (2) Epidemiologists and researchers of the De- 15 partment of Defense and the Department of Vet- 16 erans Affairs. 17 (3) Disability evaluation and benefits deter- 18 minations specialists of the Department of Veterans 19 Affairs. 20 (d) INCLUSION IN SERVICE RECORDS.— 21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 22 shall document in the service records of a member 23 of the Armed Forces whether such member served at 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00607 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 608 •S 2296 RS a location where there was a potential of toxic expo- 1 sure. 2 (2) PROTECTION OF CLASSIFIED INFORMA- 3 TION.—In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary 4 of Defense shall ensure that service at any location 5 that is classified is protected from disclosure. 6 SEC. 1066. CLASSIFICATION OF NEVADA TEST AND TRAIN- 7 ING RANGE AS LOCATION WHERE CONTAMI- 8 NATION OCCURRED AND MEMBERS OF THE 9 ARMED FORCES WERE EXPOSED TO TOXIC 10 SUBSTANCES. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall 12 classify the Nevada Test and Training Range as a location 13 where contamination occurred. 14 (b) IDENTIFICATION PROCESS.— 15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Air 16 Force shall establish a process to identify members 17 of the Armed Forces and former members of the 18 Armed Forces that were stationed at the Nevada 19 Test and Training Range since January 27, 1951. 20 (2) DOCUMENTATION.—The Secretary of the 21 Air Force shall establish a process to permit mem- 22 bers of the Armed Forces and former members of 23 the Armed Forces to provide documentation or evi- 24 dence of their assignment within the Nevada Test 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00608 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 609 •S 2296 RS and Training Range to assist the Secretary in iden- 1 tifying those members and former members under 2 paragraph (1). 3 (3) EFFORTS.—The Secretary of the Air Force 4 shall make all efforts to identify individuals de- 5 scribed in paragraph (1) and shall not require mem- 6 bers of the Armed Forces or former members of the 7 Armed Forces to submit evidence of their stationing. 8 Subtitle G—Defense Workforce 9 Integration 10 SEC. 1081. INTEGRATION OF MILITARY AND CIVILIAN HIR- 11 ING PROCESSES. 12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 13 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of De- 14 fense, in coordination with the Secretaries concerned shall 15 establish a pathway for medically disqualified entry-level 16 service members to enter civilian positions for which they 17 are qualified in the Department of Defense or any of its 18 components. 19 (b) AIR FORCE DRIVE PROGRAM.—The Air Force’s 20 Develop, Redistribute, Improve, Vault, Expose (DRIVE) 21 program shall be considered sufficient to meet the require- 22 ments of subsection (a) and may, but need not, serve as 23 a baseline from which the other military departments de- 24 sign their programs. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00609 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 610 •S 2296 RS (c) ENTRY-LEVEL SERVICE MEMBER DEFINED.—In 1 this section, the term ‘‘entry-level service member’’ means 2 a regular or reserve member of the Armed Forces who 3 is currently attending or has military orders to attend 4 within 90 days— 5 (1) basic training; 6 (2) a technical school of the Armed Forces; 7 (3) a service academy; 8 (4) the Reserve Officer Training Corps 9 (ROTC); 10 (5) an officer accession program, including offi- 11 cer candidate school, officer training school, officer 12 development school, or equivalent program. 13 SEC. 1082. PROVISION OF INFORMATION ON CAREER OP- 14 PORTUNITIES IN THE DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL 15 BASE TO PERSONS INELIGIBLE FOR MILI- 16 TARY SERVICE. 17 Chapter 50 of title 10, United States Code, is amend- 18 ed by adding at the end the following new section: 19 ‘‘§ 996. Provision of information on career opportuni- 20 ties in the defense industrial base to per- 21 sons medically disqualified for military 22 service 23 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Defense 24 shall establish and implement a program to provide indi- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00610 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 611 •S 2296 RS viduals who are not medically qualified for military service 1 with information on employment opportunities in the de- 2 fense industrial base or other employment opportunities 3 in support of the national interests of the United States. 4 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM.—The program established under 5 subsection (a) shall inform and refer persons described in 6 subsection (a) to employment, apprenticeship, and train- 7 ing opportunities in— 8 ‘‘(1) the defense industrial base; 9 ‘‘(2) cybersecurity or intelligence support roles; 10 ‘‘(3) research and development in defense tech- 11 nologies; 12 ‘‘(4) national emergency and disaster prepared- 13 ness; or 14 ‘‘(5) any other non-military opportunity the 15 Secretary considers in the national interests of the 16 United States. 17 ‘‘(c) COLLABORATION.—The Secretary of Defense 18 shall consult with entities in the defense industrial base, 19 other Federal agencies, and academic institutions to carry 20 out this section.’’. 21 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00611 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 612 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1083. PROVISION TO NAVY PERSONNEL OF INFORMA- 1 TION ON CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AT MILI- 2 TARY SEALIFT COMMAND. 3 The Secretary of the Navy shall provide information 4 about career opportunities at Military Sealift Command 5 and workforce training programs for shipbuilders to Navy 6 personnel. 7 SEC. 1084. REPORT ON DEFENSE WORKFORCE INTEGRA- 8 TION. 9 Not later than one year after the date of the enact- 10 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit 11 to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and 12 the House of Representatives a report describing imple- 13 mentation of the requirements under this subtitle. 14 TITLE XI—CIVILIAN PERSONNEL 15 MATTERS 16 SEC. 1101. EDUCATIONAL TRAVEL AUTHORITY FOR DE- 17 PENDENTS OF CERTAIN EMPLOYEES. 18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 1599b of 19 title 10, United States Code, the Secretary of Defense 20 shall direct the Director of the Defense Travel Manage- 21 ment Office to update the Joint Travel Regulations, not 22 later than February 1, 2026, to authorize educational 23 travel for a dependent of a covered employee without re- 24 gard to whether the Federal agency responsible for the 25 employment of the covered employee anticipates that the 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00612 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 613 •S 2296 RS covered employee will, during the 30-day period following 1 the scheduled date of the dependent’s departure for the 2 travel, be transferred to a location in the United States 3 or travel to the United States for home leave. 4 (b) BRIEFINGS REQUIRED.— 5 (1) INITIAL BRIEFING.—Not later than Feb- 6 ruary 1, 2026, the Secretary shall brief the Commit- 7 tees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House 8 of Representatives on the update to the Joint Travel 9 Regulations required by subsection (a). 10 (2) SUBSEQUENT BRIEFINGS.—Not later than 11 one year after providing the briefing required by 12 paragraph (1) and annually thereafter until Feb- 13 ruary 1, 2029, the Secretary shall brief the Commit- 14 tees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House 15 of Representatives on the use of the authority de- 16 scribed in subsection (a) and the cost to the Federal 17 Government of the use of that authority. 18 (c) COVERED EMPLOYEE DEFINED.—In this section, 19 the term ‘‘covered employee’’ means an employee of the 20 Department of Defense Education Activity assigned to 21 United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00613 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 614 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1102. ONE-YEAR EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO WAIVE 1 ANNUAL LIMITATION ON PREMIUM PAY AND 2 AGGREGATE LIMITATION ON PAY FOR FED- 3 ERAL CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES WORKING OVER- 4 SEAS. 5 Subsection (a) of section 1101 of the Duncan Hunter 6 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 7 (Public Law 110–417; 122 Stat. 4615), as most recently 8 amended by section 1104 of the Servicemember Quality 9 of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization 10 Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159), is fur- 11 ther amended by striking ‘‘through 2025’’ and inserting 12 ‘‘through 2026’’. 13 SEC. 1103. ONE-YEAR EXTENSION OF TEMPORARY AUTHOR- 14 ITY TO GRANT ALLOWANCES, BENEFITS, AND 15 GRATUITIES TO CIVILIAN PERSONNEL ON OF- 16 FICIAL DUTY IN A COMBAT ZONE. 17 Paragraph (2) of section 1603(a) of the Emergency 18 Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global 19 War on Terror, and Hurricane Recovery, 2006 (Public 20 Law 109–234; 120 Stat. 443), as added by section 1102 21 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization 22 Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110–417; 122 Stat. 23 4616) and as most recently amended by section 1105 of 24 the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and Na- 25 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00614 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 615 •S 2296 RS (Public Law 118–159), is further amended by striking 1 ‘‘2026’’ and inserting ‘‘2027’’. 2 SEC. 1104. MODIFICATIONS TO DEFENSE CIVILIAN TRAIN- 3 ING CORPS. 4 Section 2200h of title 10, United States Code, is 5 amended— 6 (1) in paragraph (8), by inserting ‘‘, in accord- 7 ance with subsection (b)’’ before the period; 8 (2) by striking ‘‘In establishing’’ and inserting 9 the following: 10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In establishing’’; and 11 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub- 12 section: 13 ‘‘(b) HIRING AUTHORITY.— 14 ‘‘(1) STUDENTS.—The head of a Department of 15 Defense organization that partners with the program 16 may, without regard to the provisions of subchapter 17 I of chapter 33 of title 5, noncompetitively appoint 18 a member of the program to a position in such orga- 19 nization for a term of one year, renewable for not 20 more than a total of four one-year terms. 21 ‘‘(2) GRADUATES.— 22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The head of an orga- 23 nization described in paragraph (1) may— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00615 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 616 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(i) renew the appointment a success- 1 ful graduate of the program serving a one- 2 year term under such paragraph until such 3 graduate is appointed to a permanent posi- 4 tion in such organization, except that the 5 appointment may not be renewed for more 6 than a total of four one-year terms; and 7 ‘‘(ii) noncompetitively appoint the 8 graduate from a one-year term appoint- 9 ment renewed under clause (i) into a va- 10 cant position in the competitive or excepted 11 service of the Department. 12 ‘‘(B) LEVEL.—The position of a graduate 13 in a term or permanent position described in 14 subparagraph (A) shall be at the level of GS– 15 9 of the General Schedule or an equivalent level 16 for which the participant is qualified, without 17 regard to any minimum time-in-grade or time- 18 based experience requirements. 19 ‘‘(C) LIMIT.—The authority under this 20 section may not be used for more than 60 grad- 21 uates of the program in any calendar year. 22 ‘‘(3) SUNSET.—The authority under this sub- 23 section shall terminate on December 31, 2029. 24 ‘‘(4) REPORTS.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00616 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 617 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than Janu- 1 ary 31, 2026, and annually thereafter until 2 January 31, 2030, the Secretary of Defense 3 shall submit to the appropriate congressional 4 committees a report on the use of the authority 5 under this subsection. 6 ‘‘(B) ELEMENTS.—Each report required 7 by subparagraph (A) shall include the following: 8 ‘‘(i) The number of graduates of the 9 program for which the authority under this 10 section was used in the prior year. 11 ‘‘(ii) An identification of the Depart- 12 ment of Defense organizations that used 13 the authority to appoint graduates of the 14 program under paragraph (2)(ii). 15 ‘‘(C) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COM- 16 MITTEES DEFINED.—In this section, the term 17 ‘appropriate congressional committees’ means— 18 ‘‘(i) the Committee on Armed Services 19 and the Committee on Homeland Security 20 and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; 21 and 22 ‘‘(ii) the Committee on Armed Serv- 23 ices and the Committee on Oversight and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00617 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 618 •S 2296 RS Government Reform of the House of Rep- 1 resentatives.’’. 2 SEC. 1105. MODIFICATIONS TO REQUIREMENTS FOR THE 3 PRESIDENT OF THE DEFENSE ACQUISITION 4 UNIVERSITY. 5 Section 1746(e)(3) of title 10, United States Code, 6 is amended by striking ‘‘term’’ each place it appears and 7 inserting ‘‘tenure’’. 8 SEC. 1106. MODIFICATION OF DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY 9 FOR DOMESTIC DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE 10 FACILITIES. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1125(a) of the National 12 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (10 13 U.S.C. 1580 note prec.) is amended by inserting ‘‘, includ- 14 ing to Navy Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and 15 Repair positions’’ after ‘‘Facilities Base’’. 16 (b) ANNUAL REPORT.—At the end of each fiscal 17 year, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit to the rel- 18 evant congressional committees a report that includes the 19 following elements: 20 (1) The number of Navy Supervisor of Ship- 21 building, Conversion, and Repair positions filled in 22 comparison to the previous fiscal year. 23 (2) The extent to which direct hire authority 24 has affected recruitment and retention for Navy Su- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00618 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 619 •S 2296 RS pervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair po- 1 sitions. 2 (3) Other data and information related to the 3 hiring process for the Navy Supervisor of Ship- 4 building, Conversion, and Repair that the Secretary 5 of the Navy considers appropriate. 6 (c) RELEVANT CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE- 7 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘relevant congressional 8 committees’’ means— 9 (1) the Committee on Armed Services and the 10 Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 11 Affairs of the Senate; and 12 (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the 13 Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of 14 the House of Representatives. 15 SEC. 1107. CYBER WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT AND RETEN- 16 TION. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1599f of title 10, United 18 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 19 ‘‘§ 1599f. Cyber workforce recruitment and retention 20 ‘‘(a) GENERAL AUTHORITY.— 21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 22 may— 23 ‘‘(A) establish, as positions in the excepted 24 service, such qualified positions in the Depart- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00619 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 620 •S 2296 RS ment of Defense as the Secretary considers nec- 1 essary to carry out the cyber mission of the De- 2 partment and are not in the Defense Civilian 3 Intelligence Personnel System, including— 4 ‘‘(i) positions in the Defense Digital 5 Executive Service established under sub- 6 section (c); and 7 ‘‘(ii) Defense Digital Senior Level po- 8 sitions designated under subsection (d); 9 ‘‘(B) carry out a program of personnel 10 management authority provided in subsection 11 (b) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent 12 experts in cyber for the Department; and 13 ‘‘(C) implement an interagency transfer 14 agreement between qualified positions in the ex- 15 cepted service established under this section 16 and positions in the competitive service in the 17 Department, including the military depart- 18 ments. 19 ‘‘(2) APPLICABILITY.—Unless explicitly pro- 20 vided otherwise by law, the authority of the Sec- 21 retary under this section applies without regard to 22 any other provision of law relating to the appoint- 23 ment, number, classification, or compensation of em- 24 ployees that the Secretary determines is incompat- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00620 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 621 •S 2296 RS ible with the approach to talent management under 1 this section. 2 ‘‘(b) PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY.— 3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may— 4 ‘‘(A) without regard to any provision of 5 title 5 governing the appointment of employees 6 in the civil service, appoint individuals to quali- 7 fied positions established under subsection 8 (a)(1); and 9 ‘‘(B) subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), fix 10 the compensation of employees appointed under 11 subparagraph (A). 12 ‘‘(2) RATES OF BASIC PAY.—The Secretary— 13 ‘‘(A) shall fix the rates of basic pay for 14 employees appointed under paragraph (1)(A)— 15 ‘‘(i) with the rates of pay provided for 16 employees in comparable positions in the 17 Federal Government; and 18 ‘‘(ii) subject to the same limitations 19 on maximum rates of pay established for 20 such employees by statute or regulation; 21 and 22 ‘‘(B) may prescribe the rates of basic pay 23 for employees appointed under paragraph 24 (1)(A) at rates not in excess of a rate equal to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00621 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 622 •S 2296 RS 150 percent of the maximum rate of basic pay 1 authorized for positions at Level I of the Exec- 2 utive Schedule under section 5312 of title 5. 3 ‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION.— 4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara- 5 graph (C), the Secretary may, with respect to 6 an employee appointed under paragraph (1)(A), 7 other than such an employee receiving the max- 8 imum rate of basic pay prescribed under para- 9 graph (2)(B), provide the employee compensa- 10 tion (in addition to basic pay), including pay- 11 ments, benefits, sabbaticals, incentives, awards, 12 and allowances— 13 ‘‘(i) in accordance with relevant provi- 14 sions of other laws, including provisions of 15 title 5; 16 ‘‘(ii) consistent with, and not in excess 17 of the level authorized for, comparable po- 18 sitions in the Federal Government; and 19 ‘‘(iii) to the extent compatible with 20 the approach to talent management under 21 this section. 22 ‘‘(B) ALLOWANCES.—An employee ap- 23 pointed under paragraph (1)(A) shall be eligible 24 for an allowance under section 5941 of title 5, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00622 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 623 •S 2296 RS in addition to such basic pay, on the same basis 1 and at least to the same extent as if the em- 2 ployee was an employee covered by such section, 3 including eligibility conditions, allowance rates, 4 and all other terms and conditions in statute or 5 regulation. 6 ‘‘(C) MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF ADDITIONAL 7 COMPENSATION.—No additional compensation 8 may be provided to an employee under this 9 paragraph in any calendar year if, or to the ex- 10 tent that, the employee’s total annual com- 11 pensation in such calendar year will exceed the 12 maximum amount of total annual compensation 13 payable at the salary set in accordance with 14 section 104 of title 3. 15 ‘‘(c) DEFENSE DIGITAL EXECUTIVE SERVICE.—The 16 Secretary may establish a Defense Digital Executive Serv- 17 ice for positions established under subsection (a)(1)(A)(i) 18 that are comparable to Senior Executive Service positions. 19 ‘‘(d) DEFENSE DIGITAL SENIOR LEVEL POSI- 20 TIONS.—The Secretary may designate as a Defense Dig- 21 ital Senior Level position any defense cyber position that, 22 as determined by the Secretary— 23 ‘‘(1) is classified above the grade of GG–15 of 24 the excepted service; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00623 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 624 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(2) does not satisfy functional or program 1 management criteria for being designated as a posi- 2 tion in the Defense Digital Executive Service; and 3 ‘‘(3) has no more than minimal supervisory re- 4 sponsibilities. 5 ‘‘(e) TWO-YEAR PROBATIONARY PERIOD.—The pro- 6 bationary period for all employees hired under the author- 7 ity provided by this section shall be two years. 8 ‘‘(f) INCUMBENTS OF EXISTING COMPETITIVE SERV- 9 ICE POSITIONS.— 10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An individual occupying a 11 position on the date of the enactment of this section 12 that is selected to be converted to a position in the 13 excepted service under this section shall have the 14 right to refuse such conversion. 15 ‘‘(2) POSITION CONVERSION.—After the date on 16 which an individual who refuses a conversion under 17 paragraph (1) stops serving in the position selected 18 to be converted, the position shall be converted to a 19 position in the excepted service. 20 ‘‘(g) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN; EFFECTIVE DATE OF 21 AUTHORITY.— 22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The authority provided by 23 this section shall become effective 30 days after the 24 date on which the Secretary submits to the congres- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00624 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 625 •S 2296 RS sional defense committees a plan for the implemen- 1 tation of such authority. 2 ‘‘(2) ELEMENTS.—The plan described in para- 3 graph (1) shall include the following: 4 ‘‘(A) An assessment of the current scope of 5 the positions covered by the authority provided 6 by subsection (a). 7 ‘‘(B) A plan for the use of the authority. 8 ‘‘(C) An assessment of the anticipated 9 workforce needs for the cyber mission of the 10 Department across the future-years defense 11 program. 12 ‘‘(D) Other matters as appropriate. 13 ‘‘(h) COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS.— 14 Nothing in subsection (a) may be construed to impair the 15 continued effectiveness of a collective bargaining agree- 16 ment with respect to an office, component, subcomponent, 17 or equivalent of the Department that is a successor to an 18 office, component, subcomponent, or equivalent of the De- 19 partment covered by the agreement before the succession. 20 ‘‘(i) REQUIRED REGULATIONS.—The Secretary, in 21 coordination with the Director of the Office of Personnel 22 Management, shall prescribe regulations for the adminis- 23 tration of this section. 24 ‘‘(j) ANNUAL REPORT.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00625 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 626 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 1 after the date of the enactment of this section and 2 not less frequently than once each year thereafter 3 until the date that is five years after the date of the 4 enactment of this section, the Director of the Office 5 of Personnel Management, in coordination with the 6 Secretary, shall submit to the appropriate commit- 7 tees of Congress a detailed report on the administra- 8 tion of this section during the most recent one-year 9 period. 10 ‘‘(2) ELEMENTS.—Each report submitted under 11 paragraph (1) shall include, for the period covered 12 by the report, the following: 13 ‘‘(A) A discussion of the process used in 14 accepting applications, assessing candidates, en- 15 suring adherence to veterans’ preference, and 16 selecting applicants for vacancies to be filled by 17 an individual for a qualified position. 18 ‘‘(B) A description of the following: 19 ‘‘(i) How the Secretary plans to fulfill 20 the critical need of the Department to re- 21 cruit and retain employees in qualified po- 22 sitions. 23 ‘‘(ii) The measures that will be used 24 to measure progress. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00626 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 627 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(iii) Any actions taken during the re- 1 porting period to fulfill such critical need. 2 ‘‘(C) A discussion of how the planning and 3 actions taken under subparagraph (B) are inte- 4 grated into the strategic workforce planning of 5 the Department. 6 ‘‘(D) The metrics on actions occurring 7 during the reporting period, including the fol- 8 lowing: 9 ‘‘(i) The number of employees in 10 qualified positions hired, disaggregated by 11 occupation and grade and level or pay 12 band. 13 ‘‘(ii) The placement of employees in 14 qualified positions, disaggregated by mili- 15 tary department, Defense Agency, or other 16 component within the Department. 17 ‘‘(iii) The total number of veterans 18 hired. 19 ‘‘(iv) The number of separations of 20 employees in qualified positions, 21 disaggregated by occupation and grade and 22 level or pay band. 23 ‘‘(v) The number of retirements of 24 employees in qualified positions, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00627 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 628 •S 2296 RS disaggregated by occupation and grade and 1 level or pay band. 2 ‘‘(vi) The number and amounts of re- 3 cruitment, relocation, and retention incen- 4 tives paid to employees in qualified posi- 5 tions, disaggregated by occupation and 6 grade and level or pay band. 7 ‘‘(vii) The number of employees in 8 qualified positions who held an appoint- 9 ment related to cybersecurity at a Federal 10 agency outside of the Department during 11 the three-year period prior to being ap- 12 pointed under this section. 13 ‘‘(k) COMPTROLLER GENERAL ASSESSMENT.— 14 ‘‘(1) AVAILABILITY OF ANNUAL REPORT.—The 15 Director of the Office of Personnel Management 16 shall make available to the Comptroller General of 17 the United States each report required by subsection 18 (j). 19 ‘‘(2) ASSESSMENT.—The Comptroller General 20 shall— 21 ‘‘(A) assess any differences in recruitment 22 and retention for cyber positions experienced by 23 Federal agencies based on unique hiring and 24 pay authorities for cyber professionals, includ- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00628 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 629 •S 2296 RS ing with respect to Senior Executive Service po- 1 sitions and Senior Level positions; and 2 ‘‘(B) not later than five years after the 3 date of the enactment of this section, submit to 4 the appropriate committees of Congress the re- 5 sults of that assessment. 6 ‘‘(l) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 7 ‘‘(1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON- 8 GRESS.—The term ‘appropriate committees of Con- 9 gress’ means— 10 ‘‘(A) the Committee on Armed Services, 11 the Committee on Homeland Security and Gov- 12 ernmental Affairs, and the Committee on Ap- 13 propriations of the Senate; and 14 ‘‘(B) the Committee on Armed Services, 15 the Committee on Oversight and Government 16 Reform, and the Committee on Appropriations 17 of the House of Representatives. 18 ‘‘(2) COMPETITIVE SERVICE.—The term ‘com- 19 petitive service’ has the meaning given that term in 20 section 2102 of title 5. 21 ‘‘(3) EXCEPTED SERVICE.—The term ‘excepted 22 service’ has the meaning given that term in section 23 2103 of title 5. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00629 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 630 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(4) QUALIFIED POSITION.—The term ‘quali- 1 fied position’ means a position, designated by the 2 Secretary for the purpose of this section, in which 3 the individual occupying such position performs, 4 manages, or supervises functions that execute the 5 cyber mission of the Department. 6 ‘‘(5) SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE POSITION.— 7 The term ‘Senior Executive Service position’ has the 8 meaning given that term in section 3132(a) of title 9 5.’’. 10 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 11 at the beginning of chapter 81 of such title is amended 12 by striking the item relating to section 1599f and inserting 13 the following new item: 14 ‘‘1599f. Cyber workforce recruitment and retention.’’. SEC. 1108. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS TO REDUCE 15 THE WORKFORCE AT PUBLIC SHIPYARDS. 16 (a) IN GENERAL.—None of the funds authorized to 17 be appropriated by this Act may be used to reduce the 18 workforce at public shipyards, including probationary em- 19 ployees. 20 (b) EXEMPTION.—The workforce at public shipyards 21 and any other positions at a public shipyard not specified 22 in subsection (c) shall be exempt from any workforce re- 23 ductions related to spending cuts, reprogramming of 24 funds, or the probationary status of employees. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00630 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 631 •S 2296 RS (c) WORKFORCE AT PUBLIC SHIPYARDS DEFINED.— 1 In this section, the term ‘‘workforce at public shipyards’’ 2 includes any of the following positions at a public ship- 3 yard: 4 (1) Welders. 5 (2) Pipefitters. 6 (3) Shipfitters. 7 (4) Radiological technicians and engineers. 8 (5) Engineers and engineer technicians. 9 (6) Apprentices. 10 (7) Positions supporting a workforce develop- 11 ment pipeline. 12 (8) Positions supporting nuclear maintenance 13 and refueling. 14 (9) Mechanics. 15 (10) Painters and blasters. 16 (11) Positions supporting maintenance and op- 17 erations of infrastructure. 18 (12) Positions supporting implementation of the 19 Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program. 20 (d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec- 21 tion may be construed to restrict the authority of the Sec- 22 retary of Defense to manage the workforce of the Depart- 23 ment of Defense under existing procedures in cases of mis- 24 conduct or poor performance. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00631 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 632 •S 2296 RS (e) SUNSET.—This section shall cease to be effective 1 December 31, 2029. 2 TITLE XII—MATTERS RELATING 3 TO FOREIGN NATIONS 4 Subtitle A—Assistance and 5 Training 6 SEC. 1201. MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITIES. 7 (a) TRAINING WITH FRIENDLY FOREIGN COUN- 8 TRIES: PAYMENT OF TRAINING AND EXERCISE EX- 9 PENSES.— 10 (1) TRAINING AUTHORIZED.—Subsection (a) of 11 section 321 of title 10, United States Code, is 12 amended— 13 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘or other 14 security forces’’ and inserting ‘‘, or other secu- 15 rity forces that perform a similar function,’’; 16 (B) by striking paragraph (2); and 17 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and 18 (4) as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively. 19 (2) AUTHORITY TO PAY TRAINING AND EXER- 20 CISE EXPENSES.—Subsection (b) of such section is 21 amended— 22 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 23 by striking ‘‘subsection (e)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub- 24 section (f)’’; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00632 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 633 •S 2296 RS (B) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 1 follows: 2 ‘‘(1) Expenses of forces assigned or allocated to 3 that command in conjunction with activities con- 4 ducted under this section.’’; 5 (C) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘that 6 training’’ and inserting ‘‘such activities’’; 7 (D) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘train- 8 ing’’ and inserting ‘‘activities’’; 9 (E) by striking paragraph (4); 10 (F) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘training 11 described in’’ and all that follows through 12 ‘‘paragraph (4)’’ and inserting ‘‘training and 13 exercises under this section’’; and 14 (G) by redesignating paragraph (5) as 15 paragraph (4). 16 (3) SEMIANNUAL REPORT.—Subsection (e) of 17 such section is amended to read as follows: 18 ‘‘(e) SEMIANNUAL REPORT.—Not less frequently 19 than semiannually, the Secretary of Defense shall submit 20 to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on 21 training and exercises conducted under this section during 22 the preceding 180-day period.’’. 23 (4) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00633 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 634 •S 2296 RS (A) SECTION HEADING.—Section 321 of 1 title 10, United States Code, is amended, in the 2 section heading, by inserting ‘‘and exer- 3 cises’’ after ‘‘Training’’. 4 (B) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of 5 sections for subchapter III of chapter 16 of title 6 10, United States Code, is amended by striking 7 the item relating to section 321 and inserting 8 the following: 9 ‘‘321. Training and exercises with friendly foreign countries: payment of train- ing and exercise expenses.’’. (b) REPEAL OF SECRETARY OF DEFENSE STRATEGIC 10 COMPETITION INITIATIVE.—Section 1332 of the National 11 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public 12 Law 117–81; 135 Stat. 2007; 10 U.S.C. 301 note) is re- 13 pealed. 14 SEC. 1202. MODIFICATION OF PAYMENT OF COSTS FOR RE- 15 GIONAL CENTERS FOR SECURITY STUDIES. 16 Section 342(f)(3)(A) of title 10, United States Code, 17 is amended, in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘from a de- 18 veloping country’’. 19 SEC. 1203. MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY FOR NAVAL 20 SMALL CRAFT INSTRUCTION AND TECHNICAL 21 TRAINING SCHOOL. 22 Section 352 of title 10, United States Code, is 23 amended— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00634 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 635 •S 2296 RS (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘may’’ and in- 1 serting ‘‘shall’’; and 2 (2) in subsection (e), by adding at the end the 3 following new paragraph: 4 ‘‘(3) Tuition fees charged for personnel who attend 5 the School may not include any amount for the fixed costs 6 of operating and maintaining the School.’’. 7 SEC. 1204. PERMANENT EXTENSION OF ACCEPTANCE AND 8 EXPENDITURE OF CONTRIBUTIONS FOR MUL- 9 TILATERAL SECURITY COOPERATION PRO- 10 GRAMS AND ACTIVITIES. 11 Section 1208 of the Servicemember Quality of Life 12 Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for 13 Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159) is amended by 14 striking subsection (i). 15 SEC. 1205. BUILDING CAPACITY OF THE ARMED FORCES OF 16 MEXICO TO COUNTER TRANSNATIONAL 17 CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS. 18 (a) PLAN.—Not later than 180 days after the date 19 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, 20 in consultation with the Secretary of State and with the 21 agreement of the Government of Mexico, shall submit to 22 the appropriate congressional committees a plan for a pilot 23 program under which the armed forces of Mexico and the 24 United States Armed Forces will train jointly in the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00635 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 636 •S 2296 RS United States on tactics, techniques, and procedures for 1 countering the threat posed by transnational criminal or- 2 ganizations, including through— 3 (1) operations involving the use of rotary-wing 4 aircraft; and 5 (2) in consultation with the appropriate civilian 6 government agencies specializing in countering 7 transnational criminal organizations— 8 (A) joint network analysis; 9 (B) counter threat financing; 10 (C) counter illicit trafficking (including 11 narcotics, weapons, and human trafficking, and 12 illicit trafficking in natural resources); and 13 (D) assessments of key nodes of activity of 14 transnational criminal organizations. 15 (b) IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 15 days after 16 the date on which the plan required by subsection (a) is 17 submitted under such subsection, the Secretary of Defense 18 shall begin implementing the pilot program described in 19 the plan. 20 (c) DEFINITION OF APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL 21 COMMITTEES.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate 22 congressional committees’’ means— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00636 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 637 •S 2296 RS (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 1 Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Committee 2 on Appropriations of the Senate; and 3 (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the 4 Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee 5 on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. 6 SEC. 1206. CYBERSECURITY COOPERATION WITH THE GOV- 7 ERNMENT OF PANAMA AND THE PANAMA 8 CANAL AUTHORITY. 9 (a) CYBERSECURITY INTEGRATION.— 10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, 11 using existing authorities of the Secretary, may es- 12 tablish a pilot program in Panama— 13 (A) to enhance the cybersecurity capabili- 14 ties of the Panama Canal Authority and the na- 15 tional security forces of Panama; and 16 (B) to increase cybersecurity cooperation 17 measures between the United States and Pan- 18 ama in current and future joint military train- 19 ing exercises. 20 (2) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the cybersecu- 21 rity cooperation under paragraph (1) are— 22 (A) to assist in implementing the Cyber 23 Cooperation Arrangement; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00637 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 638 •S 2296 RS (B) to provide training and technical as- 1 sistance to, and enhance joint cooperation with, 2 the national security forces of Panama so as to 3 improve mitigation, deterrence, and detection of 4 ransomware attacks on, and vulnerabilities of, 5 critical infrastructure in and around the Pan- 6 ama Canal; and 7 (C) to incorporate cybersecurity coopera- 8 tion measures into current and potential United 9 States-Panama joint military training exercises 10 so as to improve the security of the Panama 11 Canal. 12 (3) ACTIVITIES.—Activities of the Department 13 of Defense to further the purposes described in 14 paragraph (2) may include the following: 15 (A) Provision of education and training to, 16 and information sharing with, the Panama 17 Canal Authority and the national security 18 forces of Panama. 19 (B) Collaboration on cyber incident re- 20 sponse best practices with the Panama Canal 21 Authority and the national security forces of 22 Panama. 23 (C) Provision of technical assistance to the 24 Panama Canal Authority and the national secu- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00638 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 639 •S 2296 RS rity forces of Panama to detect and mitigate cy- 1 bersecurity attacks. 2 (D) Development of supply chain security 3 best practices and building a trusted vendor 4 network with the Panama Canal Authority and 5 the national security forces of Panama. 6 (E) Engagement with the national security 7 forces of Panama on joint cybersecurity train- 8 ing exercises and other information-sharing and 9 domain awareness activities relating to cyberse- 10 curity, including by— 11 (i) encouraging the participation of 12 the Government of Panama in existing cy- 13 bersecurity training facilitated or managed 14 by the Department and approved by the 15 Secretary; 16 (ii) incorporating cybersecurity into 17 existing joint training exercises, such as 18 PANAMAX; and 19 (iii) conducting an annual joint table- 20 top cybersecurity exercise. 21 (4) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the 22 date of the enactment of this Act, and annually 23 thereafter through 2030, the Secretary shall— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00639 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 640 •S 2296 RS (A) submit to the congressional defense 1 committees a report on— 2 (i) the implementation of this section 3 and any challenges relating to such imple- 4 mentation; 5 (ii) any known cyber threats relating 6 to Panama, such as incidents of 7 ransomware attacks on critical infrastruc- 8 ture in and around the Panama Canal; and 9 (iii) actions taken to address and miti- 10 gate such threats; and 11 (B) provide the congressional defense com- 12 mittees with a briefing on such report. 13 (5) PROTECTION OF SENSITIVE INFORMA- 14 TION.—Any activity carried out under this section 15 shall be conducted in a manner that appropriately 16 protects sensitive information and the national secu- 17 rity interests of the United States. 18 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 19 (1) CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term 20 ‘‘critical infrastructure’’ has the meaning given such 21 term in section 1016(e) of the Critical Infrastruc- 22 ture Protection Act of 2001 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)). 23 (2) PANAMA CANAL AUTHORITY.—The term 24 ‘‘Panama Canal Authority’’ has the meaning given 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00640 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 641 •S 2296 RS such term in section 3(d) of the Panama Canal Act 1 of 1979 (22 U.S.C. 3602(d)). 2 (3) PANAMAX.—The term ‘‘PANAMAX’’ re- 3 fers to— 4 (A) an annual bilateral and multinational 5 military exercise and training series relating to 6 the security of the Panama Canal carried out in 7 coordination with United States Southern Com- 8 mand and the military or security forces of— 9 (i) the governments of countries in 10 Latin America and the Caribbean; and 11 (ii) certain European countries; and 12 (B) any related exercises conducted in 13 Panama. 14 (4) RANSOMWARE ATTACK.—The term 15 ‘‘ransomware attack’’ has the meaning given such 16 term in section 2200 of the Homeland Security Act 17 of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 650). 18 SEC. 1207. STATE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM SELECTION 19 ANALYSIS. 20 The Secretary of Defense shall make such changes 21 to Department of Defense Instruction 5111.20 (relating 22 to the State Partnership Program) (or a successor instruc- 23 tion) as may be necessary to ensure that, in performing 24 selection analysis for the State Partnership Program 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00641 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 642 •S 2296 RS under section 341 of title 10, United States Code, the 1 Chief of the National Guard Bureau— 2 (1) considers the number of current partner- 3 ships assigned to the National Guard of a State; and 4 (2) gives preference to States that have only 5 one active assigned country under the program. 6 SEC. 1208. MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY TO BUILD CAPAC- 7 ITY OF FOREIGN SECURITY FORCES. 8 Section 333 of title 10, United States Code, is 9 amended— 10 (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 11 following new paragraphs: 12 ‘‘(10) Disaster risk reduction or response oper- 13 ations. 14 ‘‘(11) Space domain awareness and space oper- 15 ations. 16 ‘‘(12) Foreign internal defense operations.’’; 17 and 18 (2) in subsection (g)(2), by striking ‘‘made’’. 19 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00642 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 643 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1209. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF PILOT PRO- 1 GRAM TO IMPROVE CYBER COOPERATION 2 WITH FOREIGN MILITARY PARTNERS IN 3 SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. 4 Section 1256 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry 5 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 6 (10 U.S.C. 333 note) is amended— 7 (1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘AND 8 THE PACIFIC ISLANDS’’ before the period; 9 (2) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘2027’’ and 10 inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 11 (3) in subsection (f)(2), by adding at the end 12 the following: 13 ‘‘(F) Each member country of the Pacific 14 Islands Forum.’’. 15 Subtitle B—Matters Relating to 16 Syria, Iraq, and Iran 17 SEC. 1211. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR REIMBURSE- 18 MENT OF CERTAIN COALITION NATIONS FOR 19 SUPPORT PROVIDED TO UNITED STATES 20 MILITARY OPERATIONS. 21 Section 1233 of the National Defense Authorization 22 Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 110–181; 122 Stat. 23 393) is amended— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00643 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 644 •S 2296 RS (1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding 1 paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘December 31, 2025’’ and 2 inserting ‘‘December 31, 2026,’’; and 3 (2) in subsection (d)(1), by striking ‘‘December 4 31, 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2026’’. 5 SEC. 1212. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY 6 TO SUPPORT OPERATIONS AND ACTIVITIES 7 OF THE OFFICE OF SECURITY COOPERATION 8 IN IRAQ. 9 Section 1215 of the National Defense Authorization 10 Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (10 U.S.C. 113 note) is amend- 11 ed— 12 (1) by striking subsection (c); 13 (2) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘fiscal year 14 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2026’’; and 15 (3) by redesignating subsections (d) through (h) 16 as subsections (c) through (g), respectively. 17 SEC. 1213. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE ASSIST- 18 ANCE TO VETTED SYRIAN GROUPS AND INDI- 19 VIDUALS. 20 Section 1209 of the Carl Levin and Howard P. 21 ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for 22 Fiscal Year 2015 (Public Law 113–291; 128 Stat. 3541) 23 is amended— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00644 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 645 •S 2296 RS (1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding 1 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘December 31, 2025’’ 2 and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2026’’; and 3 (2) in subsection (l)(3)(E), by striking ‘‘Decem- 4 ber 31, 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2026’’. 5 SEC. 1214. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY 6 TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO COUNTER THE 7 ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ AND SYRIA. 8 Section 1236 of the Carl Levin and Howard P. 9 ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for 10 Fiscal Year 2015 (Public Law 113–291; 128 Stat. 3558) 11 is amended— 12 (1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding 13 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘December 31, 2025’’ 14 and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2026’’; 15 (2) by striking subsection (g); 16 (3) by redesignating subsections (h) through (o) 17 as subsections (g) through (n), respectively; 18 (4) in subsection (i)(1)(C), as redesignated, by 19 striking ‘‘subsection (l)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub- 20 section (k)(2)’’; 21 (5) in subsection (k)(2), as redesignated— 22 (A) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking 23 ‘‘subsection (j)(1)(C)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub- 24 section (i)(1)(C)’’; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00645 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 646 •S 2296 RS (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘sub- 1 section (k)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (j)’’; and 2 (6) in subsection (n)(6), as redesignated, by 3 striking ‘‘December 31, 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘De- 4 cember 31, 2026’’. 5 SEC. 1215. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY 6 TO PROVIDE CERTAIN SUPPORT. 7 Section 1226 of the National Defense Authorization 8 Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (22 U.S.C. 2151 note) is amend- 9 ed— 10 (1) in subsection (a)(1)— 11 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘with 12 Syria and Iraq’’; and 13 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘with 14 Syria’’; 15 (2) in subsection (c)— 16 (A) by striking paragraph (1); and 17 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) 18 through (4) as paragraphs (1) through (3), re- 19 spectively; and 20 (3) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘December 21 31, 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2027’’. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00646 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 647 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1216. SECURITY AND OVERSIGHT OF AL-HOL AND ROJ 1 CAMPS. 2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, in con- 3 sultation with the Secretary of State and pursuant to au- 4 thorities available to the Secretary of Defense, shall take 5 appropriate measures to support the defenses of al-Hol 6 and Roj camps and security for detainees within such 7 camps, including through support for vetted foreign part- 8 ner security forces, so as to prevent escape and 9 radicalization efforts that could contribute to a resurgence 10 of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. 11 (b) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than March 31, 12 2026, and annually thereafter through March 31, 2028, 13 the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional 14 defense committees a report that— 15 (1) assesses the status of United States Armed 16 Forces operations in northeast Syria related to 17 counterterrorism and security efforts; 18 (2) describes the conditions and security of de- 19 tainees at al-Hol and Roj camps; 20 (3) describes support to vetted foreign security 21 partners responsible for the administration and secu- 22 rity of al-Hol and Roj camps and surrounding areas; 23 (4) assesses the effectiveness of support to vet- 24 ted foreign security partners in maintaining the sta- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00647 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 648 •S 2296 RS bility and security of al-Hol and Roj camps and sur- 1 rounding areas; 2 (5) describes efforts to repatriate detainees 3 from al-Hol and Roj camps to the home countries of 4 such detainees or to third countries; 5 (6) describes plans for the long-term security of 6 al-Hol and Roj camps; and 7 (7) includes recommendations for further ac- 8 tions to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State 9 of Iraq and Syria. 10 SEC. 1217. LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR REDUCTION 11 OR CONSOLIDATION OF UNITED STATES 12 ARMED FORCES BASES IN SYRIA. 13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Until the date that is 15 days 14 after the date on which the certification described in sub- 15 section (b) is submitted to the congressional defense com- 16 mittees, amounts authorized to be appropriated by this 17 Act may not be obligated or expended to reduce the num- 18 ber of, or consolidate, bases of the United States Armed 19 Forces located in Syria. 20 (b) CERTIFICATION DESCRIBED.— 21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The certification described 22 in this subsection is a certification by the Secretary 23 of Defense, in consultation with the Commander of 24 the United States Central Command that a reduc- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00648 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 649 •S 2296 RS tion of the number, or consolidation, of bases of the 1 United States Armed Forces located in Syria result- 2 ing in an updated force posture or basing locations 3 would continue to sufficiently meet objectives con- 4 sistent with the purposes outlined in section 1209(a) 5 of the Carl Levin and Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon 6 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 7 2015 (Public Law 113–291; 128 Stat. 354). 8 (2) ELEMENTS.—The certification described in 9 this subsection shall include the following: 10 (A) A description of the current posture of 11 United States Armed Forces in Syria and levels 12 of engagement by the United States Armed 13 Forces with Syrian groups and individuals. 14 (B) A description of the planned posture of 15 the United States Armed Forces in Syria and 16 projected levels of engagement by such forces 17 with Syrian groups and individuals that would 18 result from such a reduction or consolidation. 19 (C) An assessment of any gaps that the 20 planned posture of United States Armed Forces 21 as a result of such a reduction or consolidation 22 would generate, including in assistance, train- 23 ing, or enabling authorized for Syrian groups 24 and individuals. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00649 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 650 •S 2296 RS (D) A description of mitigation measures 1 being taken to address any identified gaps in 2 assistance, training, or enabling for Syrian 3 groups. 4 (E) A plan to balance consolidation with 5 an offshore presence to sustain counterter- 6 rorism operations. 7 SEC. 1218. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 8 THE OFFICE OF SECURITY COOPERATION IN 9 IRAQ. 10 (a) LIMITATION ON OBLIGATION OF FUNDS.—Not 11 more than 50 percent of the funds authorized to be appro- 12 priated by this Act or otherwise made available for fiscal 13 year 2026 for the Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq 14 may be obligated or expended until the date on which the 15 Secretary of Defense submits to the congressional defense 16 committees a certification that the Government of Iraq 17 has taken credible steps— 18 (1) to reduce the operational capacity of Iran- 19 aligned militia groups not integrated into the Iraqi 20 Security Forces through a publicly verifiable disar- 21 mament, demobilization, and reintegration process; 22 (2) to strengthen the authority and operational 23 control of the Prime Minister of Iraq as Com- 24 mander-in-Chief over the Iraqi Security Forces; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00650 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 651 •S 2296 RS (3) to investigate and hold accountable mem- 1 bers of militias or members of security forces oper- 2 ating outside the formal chain of command of the 3 Iraqi Security Forces who engage in attacks on 4 United States or Iraqi personnel or otherwise act in 5 an illegal or destabilizing manner. 6 (b) WAIVER.—The Secretary of Defense may waive 7 the limitation in subsection (a) for a period of not more 8 than 180 days if the Secretary determines that such waiv- 9 er is in the national security interest of the United States. 10 Any such waiver shall be submitted in writing to the con- 11 gressional defense committees not later than 15 days after 12 issuance, along with a justification and a description of 13 the steps being taken to achieve the objectives described 14 in subsection (a). 15 Subtitle C—Matters Relating to Eu- 16 rope and the Russian Federa- 17 tion 18 SEC. 1221. EXTENSION OF PROHIBITION ON AVAILABILITY 19 OF FUNDS RELATING TO SOVEREIGNTY OF 20 THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION OVER INTER- 21 NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED TERRITORY OF 22 UKRAINE. 23 Section 1245(a) of the James M. Inhofe National De- 24 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00651 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 652 •S 2296 RS 117–263; 136 Stat. 2847) is amended by striking ‘‘or 1 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘2025, or 2026’’. 2 SEC. 1222. EXTENSION OF ANNUAL REPORT ON MILITARY 3 AND SECURITY DEVELOPMENTS INVOLVING 4 THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. 5 Section 1234(g) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry 6 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 7 (Public Law 116–283; 134 Stat. 3938) is amended by 8 striking ‘‘January 31, 2026’’ and inserting ‘‘January 31, 9 2031’’. 10 SEC. 1223. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF UKRAINE SE- 11 CURITY ASSISTANCE INITIATIVE. 12 Section 1250 of the National Defense Authorization 13 Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114–92; 129 Stat. 14 1068) is amended— 15 (1) in subsection (c)— 16 (A) by redesignating paragraph (6) as 17 paragraph (5); and 18 (B) by adding at the end the following new 19 paragraphs (6) and (7): 20 ‘‘(6) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR PROGRAMS 21 ACROSS FISCAL YEARS.—Amounts available in a fis- 22 cal year to carry out the authority in subsection (a) 23 may be used for programs under that authority that 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00652 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 653 •S 2296 RS begin in such fiscal year and end not later than the 1 end of the second fiscal year thereafter. 2 ‘‘(7) AUTHORITY FOR INTERCHANGE OF SUP- 3 PLIES AND SERVICES.—The limitation in subsection 4 (b)(2) of section 2571 of title 10, United States 5 Code, shall not apply with respect to reimbursable 6 support for the purpose of providing assistance 7 under this section.’’; 8 (2) in subsection (f), by adding at the end the 9 following new paragraph: 10 ‘‘(11) For fiscal year 2026, $500,000,000.’’; 11 and 12 (3) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘December 13 31, 2026’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2028’’. 14 SEC. 1224. WEAPONS DEPOT MAINTENANCE STRATEGIC 15 PLAN FOR UKRAINE. 16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 17 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 18 shall seek to partner with the Minister of Defense of 19 Ukraine to develop a weapons depot maintenance strategic 20 plan for Ukraine that includes, at a minimum— 21 (1) an outline of the planning and management 22 processes necessary to establish for Ukraine a robust 23 weapons depot maintenance capability, including the 24 steps necessary to achieve such capability; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00653 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 654 •S 2296 RS (2) a detailed plan for restoring the readiness 1 of the military forces of Ukraine by repairing, re- 2 placing, or divesting the substantial quantities and 3 wide variety of weapons systems and equipment that 4 have been donated or procured to sustain the mili- 5 tary operations of Ukraine; and 6 (3) the estimated resources, manpower, and 7 timeline required to fully implement the strategic 8 plan. 9 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 10 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 11 to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and 12 the House of Representatives a detailed report on the stra- 13 tegic plan developed under subsection (a) that includes 14 each element described in paragraphs (1) through (3) of 15 that subsection. 16 SEC. 1225. OVERSIGHT OF UNITED STATES MILITARY POS- 17 TURE IN EUROPE. 18 (a) PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS.—Until the 19 date that is 90 days after the date on which the certifi- 20 cation described in subsection (b) and the assessment de- 21 scribed in subsection (c) are submitted to the congres- 22 sional defense committees, amounts authorized to be ap- 23 propriated by this Act may not be obligated or expended— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00654 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 655 •S 2296 RS (1) to reduce the total number of members of 1 the Armed Forces permanently stationed in or de- 2 ployed to the area of responsibility of the United 3 States European Command below 76,000; 4 (2) to divest, consolidate, or otherwise return to 5 a host country any site on the real property inven- 6 tory of the United States European Command as of 7 June 1, 2025; 8 (3) to divest, redeploy, withdraw, or otherwise 9 permanently move out of the area of responsibility of 10 the United States European Command any Depart- 11 ment of Defense equipment or physical property po- 12 sitioned in such area of responsibility as of June 1, 13 2025, with an initial purchase value of more than 14 $500,000; or 15 (4) to relinquish the role of the Commander of 16 the United States European Command as North At- 17 lantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Supreme Allied 18 Commander Europe. 19 (b) CERTIFICATION DESCRIBED.—The certification 20 described in this subsection is a certification by the Sec- 21 retary of Defense, in consultation with the Commander 22 of the United States European Command, the Secretary 23 of State, and the Director of National Intelligence, to the 24 congressional defense committees that, as applicable, a re- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00655 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 656 •S 2296 RS duction of the total number of members of the Armed 1 Forces permanently stationed in or deployed to the area 2 of responsibility of the United States European Command 3 below 76,000, the divestment, consolidation, or return to 4 a host country of any site on the real property inventory 5 of the United States European Command as of June 1, 6 2025, the divestment, redeployment, withdrawal, or other- 7 wise permanent moving of equipment or property de- 8 scribed in subsection (a)(3), or the relinquishment of the 9 role of the Commander of the United States European 10 Command as NATO Supreme Allied Commander Eu- 11 rope— 12 (1) is in the national security interest of the 13 United States; and 14 (2) is being undertaken only after appropriate 15 consultations with all North Atlantic Treaty Organi- 16 zation allies and relevant non-NATO partners. 17 (c) ASSESSMENT DESCRIBED.— 18 (1) IN GENERAL.—An assessment described in 19 this subsection is the following: 20 (A) In the case of a reduction of the total 21 number of members of the Armed Forces per- 22 manently stationed in or deployed to the area of 23 responsibility of the United States European 24 Command below 76,000, the divestment, con- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00656 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 657 •S 2296 RS solidation, or return to a host country of any 1 site on the real property inventory of the 2 United States European Command, or the di- 3 vestment, redeployment, withdrawal or other- 4 wise permanent moving of equipment or prop- 5 erty described in subsection (a)(3)— 6 (i) an analysis of the impact of such 7 an action on— 8 (I) the security of the United 9 States; 10 (II) the security of North Atlan- 11 tic Treaty Organization allies and the 12 strength and security of the North At- 13 lantic Treaty Organization as a whole; 14 and 15 (III) the ability of the United 16 States to meet national North Atlan- 17 tic Treaty Organization capability tar- 18 gets, regional and theater campaign 19 plans, and other warfighting require- 20 ments, as determined by the Com- 21 mander of the United States Euro- 22 pean Command and the NATO Su- 23 preme Allied Commander Europe; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00657 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 658 •S 2296 RS (ii) an assessment of the threat posed 1 by the Russian Federation to the North 2 Atlantic Treaty Organization in the near 3 term, medium term, and long term; 4 (iii) an analysis of the impact of such 5 an action on the ability of the Armed 6 Forces to execute contingency plans of the 7 Department of Defense, including in sup- 8 port of operations and crisis response in 9 the areas of responsibility of the United 10 States Central Command and the United 11 States Africa Command; 12 (iv) a detailed analysis of the costs for 13 relocation of personnel, equipment, and as- 14 sociated infrastructure; 15 (v) an analysis of the impact of such 16 an action on military training and major 17 military exercises, including on interoper- 18 ability and joint activities with North At- 19 lantic Treaty Organization allies and part- 20 ners; 21 (vi) a description of consultations with 22 each North Atlantic Treaty Organization 23 ally and all relevant non-NATO partners; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00658 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 659 •S 2296 RS (vii) an assessment of the impact of 1 such an action on the credibility of United 2 States extended deterrence commitments 3 to North Atlantic Treaty Organization al- 4 lies, and the potential for nuclear prolifera- 5 tion in the European theater; 6 (viii) an assessment of the impact of 7 such an action on transatlantic cooperation 8 to deter potential threats from the People’s 9 Republic of China; and 10 (ix) an independent risk assessment 11 by the Commander of the United States 12 European Command and the Chairman of 13 the Joint Chiefs of Staff of— 14 (I) the impact of such a reduc- 15 tion or divestment, consolidation, or 16 return on the security of the United 17 States; 18 (II) the ability of the Armed 19 Forces to provide forward defense of 20 the United States; 21 (III) the ability of the Armed 22 Forces to execute contingency plans of 23 the Department of Defense, including 24 in support of operations outside the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00659 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 660 •S 2296 RS area of responsibility of the United 1 States European Command; and 2 (IV) the impact of such a reduc- 3 tion or divestment, consolidation, or 4 return on military training and major 5 military exercises, including on inter- 6 operability and joint activities with 7 North Atlantic Treaty Organization 8 allies and partners. 9 (B) In the case of the relinquishment of 10 the role of the Commander of the United States 11 European Command as the NATO Supreme Al- 12 lied Commander Europe— 13 (i) a classified explanation of the role 14 of United States nuclear weapons in sup- 15 porting North Atlantic Treaty Organiza- 16 tion operations and activities after having 17 relinquished such role, including changes 18 to command and control relationships and 19 adjustments to United States nuclear pos- 20 ture; 21 (ii) a description of consultations with 22 all North Atlantic Treaty Organization al- 23 lies and relevant non-NATO partners, in- 24 cluding through the Nuclear Planning 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00660 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 661 •S 2296 RS Group of the North Atlantic Treaty Orga- 1 nization; 2 (iii) an assessment of the impact of 3 the withdrawal of a United States official 4 as the NATO Supreme Allied Commander 5 Europe on— 6 (I) the effectiveness of North At- 7 lantic Treaty Organization nuclear de- 8 terrence; and 9 (II) the potential for nuclear pro- 10 liferation in Europe; 11 (iv) an independent risk assessment 12 by the Commander of the United States 13 European Command and the Chairman of 14 the Joint Chiefs of Staff of— 15 (I) the nuclear capabilities of 16 North Atlantic Treaty Organization 17 allies; and 18 (II) the potential for nuclear pro- 19 liferation in Europe; and 20 (v) an independent assessment by the 21 Commander of the United States Strategic 22 Command of— 23 (I) the capability and capacity of 24 nuclear-armed North Atlantic Treaty 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00661 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 662 •S 2296 RS Organization allies to effectively deter 1 and, if necessary, defeat likely adver- 2 saries in the nuclear domain absent a 3 United States commander serving in 4 the role of Supreme Allied Com- 5 mander Europe; 6 (II) changes to be made to exist- 7 ing United States contingency plans if 8 other North Atlantic Treaty Organiza- 9 tion member countries with nuclear 10 capabilities were to provide extended 11 nuclear deterrence to the North At- 12 lantic Treaty Organization; and 13 (III) the impact of such provision 14 of extended nuclear deterrence on 15 United States nuclear posture and de- 16 terrence planning requirements. 17 (2) SUBMISSION OF INDEPENDENT ASSESS- 18 MENTS.—Any independent assessment required 19 under paragraph (1) shall be submitted to the con- 20 gressional defense committees without modification 21 or alteration. 22 (d) FORM.— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00662 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 663 •S 2296 RS (1) CERTIFICATION.—A certification described 1 in subsection (b) shall be submitted in unclassified 2 form. 3 (2) ASSESSMENT.—An assessment described in 4 subsection (c) shall be submitted in unclassified 5 form but may include a classified annex. 6 SEC. 1226. ACCEPTANCE BACK INTO STOCK OF EQUIPMENT 7 PROCURED UNDER UKRAINE SECURITY AS- 8 SISTANCE INITIATIVE. 9 Section 1250 of the National Defense Authorization 10 Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114–92; 129 Stat. 11 1068) is amended by adding at the end the following new 12 subsection: 13 ‘‘(k) ACCEPTING EQUIPMENT BACK INTO STOCK.— 14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Equipment procured to 15 carry out this authority pursuant to subsection (a) 16 may only be treated as stocks of the Department of 17 Defense if— 18 ‘‘(A) the equipment procured has not yet 19 been transferred to the Government of Ukraine 20 and is no longer needed to support a program 21 carried out pursuant to such subsection; or 22 ‘‘(B) the equipment procured has been 23 transferred to the Government of Ukraine and 24 is returned by Ukraine to the United States. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00663 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 664 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(2) NOTIFICATION.—The Secretary may not 1 transfer back into stock equipment described in 2 paragraph (1) until the date that is 15 days after 3 the date on which the Secretary submits a notifica- 4 tion to Congress describing how the conditions of 5 such paragraph were met.’’. 6 SEC. 1227. STATEMENT OF POLICY RELATING TO UKRAINE 7 SECURITY ASSISTANCE INITIATIVE. 8 Section 1250 of the National Defense Authorization 9 Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114–92; 129 Stat. 10 1068), as amended by this Act, is further amended by 11 adding at the end the following new subsection: 12 ‘‘(l) STATEMENT OF POLICY.— 13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—It is the policy of the 14 United States— 15 ‘‘(A) to assist Ukraine in maintaining a 16 credible defense and deterrence capability; 17 ‘‘(B) to bolster defense and security co- 18 operation with Ukraine as a means of building 19 a future force of Ukraine that is capable of de- 20 fending Ukraine today and deterring future ag- 21 gression; and 22 ‘‘(C) to advance continued reform of the 23 democratic, economic, defense, and security in- 24 stitutions of Ukraine in order to advance the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00664 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 665 •S 2296 RS Euro-Atlantic integration and modernization of 1 Ukraine. 2 ‘‘(2) CREDIBLE DEFENSE AND DETERRENCE 3 CAPABILITY DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term 4 ‘credible defense and deterrence capability’ means 5 the ability to defend against and deter any credible 6 conventional military threat from the Russian Fed- 7 eration acting unilaterally or in concert with part- 8 ners, through the use of conventional military 9 means, possessed in sufficient quantity, including 10 weapons platforms and munitions, command, con- 11 trol, communication, intelligence, surveillance, and 12 reconnaissance capabilities.’’. 13 SEC. 1228. INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE. 14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall 15 provide intelligence support, including information, intel- 16 ligence, and imagery collection authorized under title 10, 17 United States Code, to the Government of Ukraine for the 18 purpose of supporting military operations of the Govern- 19 ment of Ukraine that are specifically intended or reason- 20 ably expected to defend and retake the territory of 21 Ukraine. 22 (b) TERRITORY OF UKRAINE DEFINED.—In this sec- 23 tion, the term ‘‘territory of Ukraine’’ includes all territory 24 internationally recognized to be the sovereign territory of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00665 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 666 •S 2296 RS Ukraine, including Crimea and the territory the Russian 1 Federation claims to have annexed in Kherson Oblast, 2 Zaporizhzia Oblast, Donetsk Oblast, and Luhansk Oblast. 3 SEC. 1229. INTERNATIONAL SECURITY COOPERATION PRO- 4 GRAM FUNDING FOR UNITED STATES EURO- 5 PEAN COMMAND. 6 Not less than 15 percent of the funds authorized to 7 be appropriated by this Act for the International Security 8 Cooperation Program shall be available for use by the 9 United States European Command. 10 SEC. 1230. PROMOTION OF THE JOINT UKRAINIAN MULTI- 11 NATIONAL PROGRAM—SERVICES, TRAINING 12 AND ARTICLES RAPID TIMELINE 13 (JUMPSTART). 14 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con- 15 gress that the Department of Defense should leverage ex- 16 isting programs and authorities, including JUMPSTART, 17 to employ resources from European partners via multi- 18 nation co-financing to support and expedite the delivery 19 of weapons, training, and logistics to Ukraine. 20 (b) REPORT.— 21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 1, 22 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 23 congressional defense committees a report that in- 24 cludes— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00666 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 667 •S 2296 RS (A) an assessment of opportunities for 1 leveraging JUMPSTART to deliver critical 2 technologies to Ukraine, including technologies 3 that also meet United States operational re- 4 quirements; 5 (B) a summary of Department efforts to 6 accelerate the rapid delivery of articles, train- 7 ing, and logistics through FMS; 8 (C) a description of any efficiencies that 9 have been achieved by pooling financial re- 10 sources from partners and allies; 11 (D) a description of opportunities for em- 12 ploying pooled partner and ally resources to de- 13 liver United States systems in support of Eu- 14 rope’s security needs; 15 (E) proposed legislative or regulatory 16 changes necessary to enhance the effectiveness 17 of JUMPSTART; and 18 (F) other topics as determined by the Sec- 19 retary. 20 (2) FORM.—The report required under para- 21 graph (1) shall be in unclassified form, but may in- 22 clude a classified annex as necessary. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00667 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 668 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1230A. MODIFICATION OF UNITED STATES BASING 1 AND TRAINING, AND EXERCISES IN NORTH 2 ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION MEMBER 3 COUNTRIES. 4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1250 of the National De- 5 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 6 118–31; 137 Stat. 464; 10 U.S.C. 113 note) is amended 7 to read as follows: 8 ‘‘SEC. 1250. UNITED STATES BASING AND TRAINING IN 9 NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION 10 MEMBER COUNTRIES. 11 ‘‘In considering decisions related to United States 12 military basing and training in North Atlantic Treaty Or- 13 ganization member countries, the Secretary of Defense 14 shall include among the factors for consideration whether 15 the country concerned has submitted its annual plan to 16 meet, and has made progress toward, the goal agreed to 17 in the Hague Summit Declaration of June 25, 2025, to 18 invest not less than 5 percent of gross domestic product 19 annually in defense by 2035, of which— 20 ‘‘(1) not less than 3.5 percent is dedicated to 21 core defense requirements and North Atlantic Trea- 22 ty Organization capability targets; and 23 ‘‘(2) not less than 1.5 percent is dedicated to 24 other defense and security related investments.’’. 25 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00668 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 669 •S 2296 RS (1) The table of contents for the National De- 1 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Pub- 2 lic Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 136) is amended by strik- 3 ing the item relating to section 1250 and inserting 4 the following: 5 ‘‘Sec. 1250. United States basing and training in North Atlantic Treaty Orga- nization member countries.’’. (2) The table of contents at the beginning of 6 title XII of the National Defense Authorization Act 7 for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 8 435) is amended by striking the item relating to sec- 9 tion 1250 and inserting the following: 10 ‘‘Sec. 1250. United States basing and training in North Atlantic Treaty Orga- nization member countries.’’. Subtitle D—Matters Relating to the 11 Indo-Pacific Region 12 SEC. 1231. EXTENSION OF PACIFIC DETERRENCE INITIA- 13 TIVE. 14 (a) FUNDING.—Subsection (c) of section 1251 of the 15 William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Author- 16 ization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (10 U.S.C. 113 note) 17 is amended— 18 (1) by striking ‘‘the National Defense Author- 19 ization Act for Fiscal Year 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘the 20 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 21 2026’’; and 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00669 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 670 •S 2296 RS (2) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2025’’ and inserting 1 ‘‘fiscal year 2026’’. 2 (b) REPORTS AND BRIEFINGS.—Subsection (d) of 3 such section is amended— 4 (1) in paragraph (1)(A), in the matter pre- 5 ceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘fiscal years 2026 and 6 2027’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2027 and 2028’’; 7 and 8 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘fiscal years 9 2025 and 2026’’ each place it appears and inserting 10 ‘‘fiscal years 2027 and 2028’’. 11 (c) EXTENSION OF PLAN.—Subsection (e) of such 12 section is amended, in the matter preceding paragraph 13 (1), by striking ‘‘fiscal years 2026 and 2027’’ and insert- 14 ing ‘‘fiscal years 2027 and 2028’’. 15 SEC. 1232. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO TRANSFER 16 FUNDS FOR BIEN HOA DIOXIN CLEANUP. 17 Section 1253(b) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry 18 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 19 (Public Law 116–283; 134 Stat. 3955) is amended by 20 striking ‘‘fiscal year 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 21 2026’’. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00670 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 671 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1233. OVERSIGHT OF UNITED STATES MILITARY POS- 1 TURE ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA. 2 (a) PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts au- 3 thorized to be appropriated by this Act may not be obli- 4 gated or expended to reduce the total number of members 5 of the Armed Forces permanently stationed in or deployed 6 to the Republic of Korea below 28,500, or to complete the 7 transition of wartime operational control of the United 8 States-Republic of Korea Combined Forces Command 9 from United States-led command to Republic of Korea- 10 led command, until the date that is 90 days after the date 11 on which the certification described in subsection (b) and 12 the applicable assessment described in subsection (c) are 13 submitted to the appropriate committees of Congress. 14 (b) CERTIFICATION DESCRIBED.—The certification 15 described in this subsection is a certification by the Sec- 16 retary of Defense, in consultation with the Commander 17 of the United States Forces Korea, the Commander of the 18 United States Indo-Pacific Command, the Secretary of 19 State, and the Director of National Intelligence, to the ap- 20 propriate committees of Congress that, as applicable, a re- 21 duction in the total number of members of the Armed 22 Forces permanently stationed in or deployed to the Repub- 23 lic of Korea below 28,500 or the completion of the transi- 24 tion of wartime operational control of the United States- 25 Republic of Korea Combined Forces Command from 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00671 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 672 •S 2296 RS United States-led command to Republic of Korea-led com- 1 mand— 2 (1) is in the national security interest of the 3 United States; and 4 (2) is being undertaken only after appropriate 5 consultations with allies of the United States, includ- 6 ing the Republic of Korea, Japan, and any country 7 that has sent military contributions to the United 8 Nations Command. 9 (c) ASSESSMENT DESCRIBED.—An assessment de- 10 scribed in this subsection is the following: 11 (1) In the case of a reduction in the total num- 12 ber of members of the Armed Forces permanently 13 stationed in or deployed to the Republic of Korea 14 below 28,500, an assessment by the Secretary of De- 15 fense, in consultation with the Commander of the 16 United States Forces Korea, the Commander of the 17 United States Indo-Pacific Command, the Secretary 18 of State, and the Director of National Intelligence 19 that includes— 20 (A) an analysis of the impact of such a re- 21 duction on— 22 (i) the security of the United States; 23 (ii) the security of the Republic of 24 Korea and Japan; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00672 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 673 •S 2296 RS (iii) United States deterrence; and 1 (iv) the defense posture of the United 2 States Indo-Pacific Command; 3 (B) an analysis of the impact of such a re- 4 duction on the ability of the Armed Forces to 5 execute contingency plans of the Department of 6 Defense, including in support of operations be- 7 yond the Korean Peninsula; 8 (C) an analysis of the additional costs for 9 relocation of personnel, equipment, and associ- 10 ated infrastructure; 11 (D) an analysis of the impact of such a re- 12 duction on military training and major military 13 exercises, including on interoperability and joint 14 activities with the Republic of Korea and 15 Japan; 16 (E) a description of consultations with the 17 Republic of Korea, Japan, and countries that 18 have sent military contributions to the United 19 Nations Command; 20 (F) an assessment of the impact of such a 21 reduction on the credibility of United States ex- 22 tended deterrence commitments to the Republic 23 of Korea and Japan, and the potential for nu- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00673 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 674 •S 2296 RS clear proliferation in the Indo-Pacific region; 1 and 2 (G) an independent risk assessment by the 3 Commander of the United States Forces Korea, 4 the Commander of the United States Indo-Pa- 5 cific Command, and the Chairman of the Joint 6 Chiefs of Staff of— 7 (i) the impact of such a reduction on 8 the security of the United States; 9 (ii) the ability of the Armed Forces to 10 execute contingency plans of the Depart- 11 ment of Defense, including in support of 12 operations beyond the Korean Peninsula; 13 and 14 (iii) the impact of such a reduction on 15 military training and major military exer- 16 cises, including on interoperability and 17 joint activities with the Republic of Korea 18 and Japan. 19 (2) In the case of the completion of the transi- 20 tion of wartime operational control of the United 21 States-Republic of Korea Combined Forces Com- 22 mand from United States-led command to Republic 23 of Korea-led command, an assessment by the Sec- 24 retary of Defense, in consultation with the Com- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00674 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 675 •S 2296 RS mander of the United States Forces Korea, the 1 Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Com- 2 mand, the Secretary of State, and the Director of 3 National Intelligence that includes— 4 (A) a description and characterization of 5 the achievement of the Republic of Korea of the 6 three required conditions set forth in the bilat- 7 erally approved conditions-based Operational 8 Control Transition Plan; 9 (B) a detailed description of the manner in 10 which a Republic of Korea-led Combined Forces 11 Command will report to national command au- 12 thorities in the United States and the Republic 13 of Korea; 14 (C) a detailed description of the planned 15 command relationship between a Republic of 16 Korea-led Combined Forces Command and the 17 United States-led United Nations Command; 18 (D) a description of consultations with 19 countries that have sent military contributions 20 to the United Nations Command; 21 (E) a description of the United States-Re- 22 public of Korea wartime operational control 23 consultations with Japan, and an assessment of 24 approaches for deconflicting military operations 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00675 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 676 •S 2296 RS across the United States-Republic of Korea and 1 the United States-Japan alliances; 2 (F) an assessment of the impact of the 3 transition of wartime operational control on the 4 potential for nuclear proliferation in the Indo- 5 Pacific region; and 6 (G) an independent risk assessment by the 7 Commander of the United States Forces Korea, 8 the Commander of the United States Indo-Pa- 9 cific Command, and the Chairman of the Joint 10 Chiefs of Staff of— 11 (i) the ability of the Republic of Korea 12 to meet the conditions for the transition of 13 wartime operational control from United 14 States-led command to Republic of Korea- 15 led command; and 16 (ii) the impact of such transition on 17 the potential for nuclear proliferation in 18 the Indo-Pacific region. 19 (d) FORM.— 20 (1) CERTIFICATION.—A certification described 21 in subsection (b) shall be submitted in unclassified 22 form. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00676 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 677 •S 2296 RS (2) ASSESSMENT.—An assessment described in 1 subsection (c) shall be submitted in unclassified 2 form but may include a classified annex. 3 (e) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE- 4 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate commit- 5 tees of Congress’’ means— 6 (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 7 Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on 8 Foreign Relations of the Senate; and 9 (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the 10 Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on 11 Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives. 12 SEC. 1234. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 13 TRAVEL EXPENSES OF THE OFFICE OF THE 14 SECRETARY OF DEFENSE. 15 Of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this 16 Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for 17 operation and maintenance, Defense-wide, and available 18 for the Office of the Secretary of Defense for travel ex- 19 penses, not more than 75 percent may be obligated or ex- 20 pended until the Secretary of Defense submits— 21 (1) the multi-year plan to fulfill the defensive 22 requirements of the military forces of Taiwan, also 23 known as the ‘‘Taiwan Security Assistance Road- 24 map’’, required by section 5506 of the James M. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00677 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 678 •S 2296 RS Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fis- 1 cal Year 2023 (22 U.S.C. 3355); 2 (2) the independent study of the organizational 3 structure and force posture of the United States 4 Armed Forces in the area of responsibility of the 5 United States Indo-Pacific Command required by 6 section 1319 of the National Defense Authorization 7 Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 137 8 Stat. 500); 9 (3) the plan to reconstitute United States 10 Forces Japan as a joint force headquarters required 11 by section 1343 of the Servicemember Quality of 12 Life Improvement and National Defense Authoriza- 13 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118– 14 159); 15 (4) the plan for Department of Defense activi- 16 ties to strengthen United States extended deterrence 17 commitments to the Republic of Korea required by 18 section 1344 of the Servicemember Quality of Life 19 Improvement and National Defense Authorization 20 Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159); 21 (5) the plan to advance trilateral defense co- 22 operation among the United States, Japan, and the 23 Republic of Korea required by section 1345 of the 24 Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00678 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 679 •S 2296 RS National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1 2025 (Public Law 118–159); 2 (6) the report on Department of Defense activi- 3 ties that would be necessary to support the potential 4 establishment of a regional contingency stockpile for 5 Taiwan required by the Joint Explanatory State- 6 ment accompanying the Servicemember Quality of 7 Life Improvement and National Defense Authoriza- 8 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118– 9 159); and 10 (7) the report on the adequacy of the logistics 11 network in the Indo-Pacific region for supporting 12 the operational and contingency plans of the United 13 States Indo-Pacific Command required by the Joint 14 Explanatory Statement accompanying the Service- 15 member Quality of Life Improvement and National 16 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 17 (Public Law 118–159). 18 SEC. 1235. BOLSTERING INDUSTRIAL RESILIENCE WITH AL- 19 LIES IN INDO-PACIFIC REGION. 20 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Defense, in 21 coordination with the Secretary of State, shall establish 22 and maintain a security cooperation initiative (referred to 23 in this section as the ‘‘Partnership’’) to strengthen co- 24 operation among the defense industrial bases of the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00679 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 680 •S 2296 RS United States and allied and partner countries in the 1 Indo-Pacific region. 2 (b) OBJECTIVES.—The objectives of the Partnership 3 shall be the following: 4 (1) To enable the production and supply of the 5 material necessary for equipping the Armed Forces 6 of the United States and the military forces of allied 7 and partner countries to achieve— 8 (A) the objectives set forth in the most re- 9 cent national security strategy report submitted 10 to Congress by the President pursuant to sec- 11 tion 108 of the National Security Act of 1947 12 (50 U.S.C. 3043); 13 (B) the policy guidance of the Secretary of 14 Defense provided pursuant to section 113(g) of 15 title 10, United States Code; and 16 (C) the future-years defense program sub- 17 mitted to Congress by the Secretary of Defense 18 pursuant to section 221 of title 10, United 19 States Code. 20 (2) To strengthen the collective defense indus- 21 trial base by expanding industrial base capability, 22 capacity, and workforce, including with respect to 23 enhanced supply chain security, interoperability, and 24 resilience among participating countries. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00680 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 681 •S 2296 RS (3) To identify and mitigate industrial base 1 vulnerabilities across partner countries. 2 (4) To advance research and development ac- 3 tivities to provide the Armed Forces of the United 4 States and the military forces of allied and partner 5 countries with systems capable of ensuring techno- 6 logical superiority over potential adversaries. 7 (5) To promote co-development, co-production, 8 and procurement collaboration in key defense sec- 9 tors. 10 (6) To promote defense innovation, improve in- 11 formation sharing, encourage standardization, re- 12 duce barriers to cooperation, and otherwise mitigate 13 potential vulnerabilities and facilitate collaboration. 14 (7) Any other matter the Secretary of Defense 15 considers appropriate. 16 (c) DESIGNATION OF SENIOR OFFICIAL.— 17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 18 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 19 retary of Defense shall designate a senior civilian of- 20 ficial of the Department of Defense at the Assistant 21 Secretary level or above to lead relevant efforts of 22 the Partnership, as determined by the Secretary. 23 (2) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 30 days 24 after the date on which the Secretary of Defense 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00681 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 682 •S 2296 RS makes or changes a designation under paragraph 1 (1), the Secretary shall submit to the congressional 2 defense committees a notification of such designa- 3 tion or change. 4 (d) PARTICIPATION.—The Secretary of Defense, in 5 coordination with the Secretary of State, shall establish 6 a process to determine which allies and partners of the 7 United States (including Australia, Japan, the Republic 8 of Korea, India, the Philippines, and New Zealand) shall 9 be invited to participate as member countries of the Part- 10 nership. 11 (e) AUTHORITIES.—To carry out this section, the 12 Secretary of Defense may do the following: 13 (1) Enter into agreements and memoranda of 14 understanding with appropriate counterparts from 15 participating countries. 16 (2) Establish working groups and technical ex- 17 changes. 18 (3) Provide technical assistance and capacity- 19 building support to partner countries using authori- 20 ties available to the Secretary under title 10, United 21 States Code. 22 (4) Use funds authorized to be appropriated to 23 the Department of Defense for international co- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00682 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 683 •S 2296 RS operation programs, industrial base resilience, or 1 other relevant purposes. 2 (5) Engage with industry, capital providers, 3 academia, and any other stakeholders necessary to 4 advance the objectives described in subsection (b). 5 (f) REPORT AND BRIEFING.— 6 (1) REPORT.— 7 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than March 8 1, 2027, and annually thereafter through 2031, 9 the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 10 congressional defense committees a report on 11 the status and progress of the Partnership. 12 (B) ELEMENTS.—Each report required by 13 subparagraph (A) shall include the following: 14 (i) An assessment of shared industrial 15 base vulnerabilities. 16 (ii) An overview of efforts among par- 17 ticipating countries to enhance supply 18 chain integrity and resilience. 19 (iii) A description of any joint defense 20 production or co-development initiative, in- 21 cluding any such initiative involving sen- 22 sitive or classified technologies. 23 (iv) An articulation of priority initia- 24 tives for the upcoming fiscal year. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00683 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 684 •S 2296 RS (v) Recommendations for legislative, 1 regulatory, policy, or resourcing changes to 2 achieve the objectives described in sub- 3 section (b). 4 (vi) Any other matter the Secretary of 5 Defense considers appropriate. 6 (2) BRIEFING.—Not later than December 1, 7 2026, and annually thereafter through 2030, the 8 Secretary of Defense shall provide the congressional 9 defense committees with a briefing on the progress 10 made toward achieving the objectives described in 11 subsection (b). 12 (g) TERMINATION.—The authority under this section 13 shall terminate on December 31, 2030. 14 SEC. 1236. MODIFICATION OF TAIWAN SECURITY COOPERA- 15 TION INITIATIVE. 16 Section 1323(b) of the Servicemember Quality of Life 17 Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for 18 Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159) is amended— 19 (1) in paragraph (1)— 20 (A) by redesignating subparagraph (V) as 21 subparagraph (W); 22 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (U) 23 the following new subparagraph (V): 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00684 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 685 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(V) Medical equipment, supplies, and re- 1 lated combat casualty care capabilities.’’; and 2 (C) in subparagraph (W), as redesignated, 3 by striking ‘‘(U)’’ and inserting ‘‘(V)’’; and 4 (2) in paragraph (2)— 5 (A) by redesignating subparagraph (J) as 6 subparagraph (K); 7 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (I) the 8 following new subparagraph (J): 9 ‘‘(J) Medical equipment, supplies, and re- 10 lated combat casualty care capabilities.’’; and 11 (C) in subparagraph (K), as redesignated, 12 by striking ‘‘(I)’’ and inserting ‘‘(J)’’. 13 SEC. 1237. JOINT PROGRAM WITH TAIWAN TO ENABLE 14 FIELDING OF UNCREWED SYSTEMS AND 15 COUNTER-UNCREWED SYSTEMS CAPABILI- 16 TIES. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than March 1, 2026, the 18 Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary 19 of State, shall seek to engage with appropriate officials 20 of Taiwan in a joint program for the purpose of enabling 21 the fielding of uncrewed systems and counter-uncrewed 22 systems capabilities, including co-development and co-pro- 23 duction of such capabilities, for the Armed Forces of the 24 United States and the military forces of Taiwan, con- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00685 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 686 •S 2296 RS sistent with the Taiwan Relations Act (22 U.S.C. 3301 1 et seq.). 2 (b) USE OF AUTHORITIES.—In carrying out a joint 3 program under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense 4 may use the authorities under title 10, United States 5 Code, and other applicable statutory authorities available 6 to the Secretary. 7 (c) REPORT.— 8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 9 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and an- 10 nually thereafter through 2029, the Secretary of De- 11 fense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, 12 shall submit to the appropriate committees of Con- 13 gress a report on the joint program under subsection 14 (a). 15 (2) ELEMENTS.—Each report required by para- 16 graph (1) shall include, for the period covered by the 17 report, the following: 18 (A) A summary of engagements under sub- 19 section (a). 20 (B) A description of activities undertaken 21 by the Secretary of Defense and appropriate of- 22 ficials of Taiwan to enable the fielding of 23 uncrewed systems and counter-uncrewed sys- 24 tems capabilities described in subsection (a). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00686 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 687 •S 2296 RS (C) A description of progress made in fi- 1 nalizing defense trade foundational agreements 2 between the United States and Taiwan, includ- 3 ing— 4 (i) a memorandum of understanding 5 on reciprocal defense procurement; 6 (ii) a security of supply agreement; 7 (iii) an acquisition and cross-servicing 8 agreement; 9 (iv) a general security of military in- 10 formation agreement; and 11 (v) a cyber maturity model certifi- 12 cation. 13 (D) An identification of the additional re- 14 sources or authorities necessary to enable the 15 fielding of uncrewed systems and counter- 16 uncrewed systems capabilities described in sub- 17 section (a). 18 (E) Any other matter the Secretary of De- 19 fense considers appropriate. 20 (d) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE- 21 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate commit- 22 tees of Congress’’ means— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00687 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 688 •S 2296 RS (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 1 Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on 2 Foreign Relations of the Senate; and 3 (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the 4 Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on 5 Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives. 6 SEC. 1238. REPORT ON CRITICAL DIGITAL INFRASTRUC- 7 TURE OF TAIWAN. 8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 9 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 10 shall submit to the congressional defense committees a re- 11 port that— 12 (1) analyzes the critical digital infrastructure of 13 Taiwan in the event of a military invasion or block- 14 ade by the People’s Republic of China; and 15 (2) identifies potential Department of Defense 16 actions that could help enable the protection of such 17 infrastructure, consistent with the Taiwan Relations 18 Act (Public Law 96–8; 93 Stat. 14). 19 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection 20 (a) shall include, at a minimum, the following: 21 (1) A description of threats to the critical dig- 22 ital infrastructure of Taiwan in the event of a mili- 23 tary invasion or blockade by the People’s Republic of 24 China. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00688 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 689 •S 2296 RS (2) A description of the critical digital infra- 1 structure capabilities of Taiwan, including— 2 (A) the type and amount of physical hard- 3 ware available to support the transfer of large 4 quantities of electronic data from Taiwan to a 5 cloud-based system or a geographic location 6 outside Taiwan; and 7 (B) the availability of resilient satellite 8 communications from low-Earth orbit constella- 9 tions and any other necessary activity relating 10 to such a transfer. 11 (3) An identification of potential Department of 12 Defense actions that could help enable the protection 13 of the critical digital infrastructure of Taiwan in the 14 event of a contingency, including— 15 (A) the pre-positioning of digital hardware 16 capabilities; and 17 (B) acquisition of cloud-based services and 18 radio frequency satellite communications. 19 (4) Recommendations for any resources or au- 20 thorities required to support the Department of De- 21 fense actions identified under paragraph (3). 22 (5) Any other matter the Secretary considers 23 appropriate. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00689 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 690 •S 2296 RS (c) CONSIDERATIONS.—The report required by sub- 1 section (a) shall take into account, at a minimum, the fol- 2 lowing: 3 (1) Lessons learned from ongoing conflicts, es- 4 pecially the war in Ukraine. 5 (2) The risks associated with making assump- 6 tions about the availability of commercial vendors in 7 the event of a military invasion or blockade of Tai- 8 wan by the People’s Republic of China. 9 (d) FORM.—The report required by subsection (a) 10 shall be submitted in classified form. 11 (e) COLLABORATION.—To support the development 12 of the report required by subsection (a), the Secretary is 13 encouraged to seek input from the following: 14 (1) Civilian executives from commercial tech- 15 nology companies that provided support to Ukraine 16 in its fight against the Russian Federation’s war of 17 aggression. 18 (2) Any other individual or agency of the Fed- 19 eral Government the Secretary considers appro- 20 priate. 21 (f) BRIEFING.—Not later than 30 days after the date 22 on which the Secretary submits the report required by 23 subsection (a), the Secretary shall provide the congres- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00690 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 691 •S 2296 RS sional defense committees with a briefing on the contents 1 of the report. 2 SEC. 1239. REPORT ON JAPANESE COUNTERSTRIKE CAPA- 3 BILITIES. 4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 5 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of De- 6 fense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall 7 submit to the congressional defense committees a report 8 outlining Department of Defense efforts to support Japan 9 in the fielding of an operational counterstrike capability. 10 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection 11 (a) shall include, at a minimum, the following: 12 (1) A description of the activities and objectives 13 of the United States-Japan Roles, Missions, and Ca- 14 pabilities Working Group with respect to the fielding 15 of an operational counterstrike capability by Japan. 16 (2) A description of the operations, activities, 17 and investments the Department is undertaking in 18 collaboration with the Government of Japan, includ- 19 ing— 20 (A) a description of progress made by the 21 United States and Japan in developing and de- 22 ploying counterstrike capabilities, including in 23 and across the First Island Chain; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00691 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 692 •S 2296 RS (B) a description of the counterstrike ca- 1 pabilities of Japan and a characterization of the 2 potential for enhancement of such capabilities; 3 and 4 (C) a description of the impediments to 5 fielding a strengthened alliance strike posture, 6 including— 7 (i) domestic legal constraints; 8 (ii) regulatory restrictions, including 9 technology and foreign disclosure con- 10 straints; 11 (iii) industrial base-driven capacity 12 limitations; and 13 (iv) political impediments; 14 (D) an articulation of the planning as- 15 sumptions underpinning the assigned and an- 16 ticipated roles, missions, and capabilities of the 17 respective counterstrike capabilities of the 18 United States and Japan; 19 (E) a description of the manner in which 20 the United States and Japan will coordinate 21 and deconflict counterstrike operations; and 22 (F) an assessment of potential alliance 23 posture changes that would support an en- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00692 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 693 •S 2296 RS hanced alliance counterstrike capability, includ- 1 ing in the First Island Chain. 2 (3) A description of the command and control 3 mechanisms and information-sharing requirements 4 needed to enable coordination and deconfliction of 5 allied counterstrike operations, including— 6 (A) the adoption of enhanced security pro- 7 tocols to ensure secure networks; 8 (B) the technical means needed to facili- 9 tate integrated planning for counterstrike oper- 10 ations; and 11 (C) the sharing of targeting information. 12 (4) An identification of challenges to the imple- 13 mentation of the operations, activities, and invest- 14 ments described in paragraph (2), and any rec- 15 ommended legislative changes, resourcing require- 16 ments, bilateral agreements, or other measures that 17 would facilitate the implementation of such oper- 18 ations, activities, and investments. 19 (c) FORM.—The report required by subsection (a) 20 shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include 21 a classified annex. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00693 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 694 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1240. REPORT ON ENHANCED SECURITY COOPERA- 1 TION WITH THE PHILIPPINES. 2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than June 1, 2026, and 3 annually thereafter through 2031, the Secretary of De- 4 fense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall 5 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 6 on enhancing United States security cooperation with the 7 Philippines. 8 (b) ELEMENTS.—Each report required by subsection 9 (a) shall include, at a minimum, the following: 10 (1) An assessment of progress with respect to 11 the implementation of the United States-Philippines 12 Bilateral Defense Guidelines. 13 (2) An organizational chart and overview of the 14 functions of the alliance management bodies that re- 15 port to the United States-Philippines Mutual De- 16 fense Board and Security Engagement Board. 17 (3) A summary of the activities and outcomes 18 of the Roles, Missions, and Capabilities Working 19 Group. 20 (4) An assessment of progress with respect to 21 the bilateral Philippines—Security Sector Assistance 22 Roadmap initiative, including a description of joint 23 capability areas under such initiative. 24 (5) A projected resourcing plan for the Phil- 25 ippines—Security Sector Assistance Roadmap initia- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00694 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 695 •S 2296 RS tive that includes the projected use of national funds 1 of the Philippines, Foreign Military Sales, Foreign 2 Military Financing, and Department of Defense 3 International Security Cooperation Program account 4 funds. 5 (6) A description of the activities and invest- 6 ments the Department will implement during the 7 five-year period beginning on the date on which the 8 report is submitted for— 9 (A) increased bilateral training, exercises, 10 combined patrols, and other activities between 11 the United States Armed Forces and the mili- 12 tary forces of the Philippines; 13 (B) enhancing multilateral security co- 14 operation and capacity-building efforts among 15 the Philippines, Japan, Australia, and other 16 foreign partners; and 17 (C) improving information-sharing mecha- 18 nisms and processes, including by adoption of 19 enhanced security protocols, under the General 20 Security of Military Information Agreement be- 21 tween the United States and the Philippines, 22 signed at Manila November 18, 2024. 23 (7) A plan for improving the infrastructure at 24 sites designated under the Agreement on Enhanced 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00695 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 696 •S 2296 RS Defense Cooperation, signed at Quezon City April 1 28, 2014 (TIAS 14–625), including, for each such 2 site— 3 (A) an identification of priority facility in- 4 vestments at the site across the future-years de- 5 fense program; 6 (B) a timeline for completing area develop- 7 ment plans for the site; and 8 (C) an articulation of non-Department in- 9 vestments necessary to enable effective use of 10 the site. 11 (8) An articulation of requirements for pre-posi- 12 tioning of equipment and supplies in support of hu- 13 manitarian assistance, disaster relief, and other bi- 14 lateral activities. 15 (9) A description of the current organization of 16 the Joint United States Military Assistance Group— 17 Philippines, and an analysis of the feasibility and 18 advisability of modifying United States command 19 structures in the Philippines to more effectively— 20 (A) coordinate United States military ac- 21 tivities and operations; and 22 (B) facilitate integrated planning and im- 23 plementation of combined activities. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00696 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 697 •S 2296 RS (10) An identification of challenges to the im- 1 plementation of the activities and investments de- 2 scribed in paragraphs (1) through (9), and any rec- 3 ommended legislative changes, resourcing require- 4 ments, bilateral agreements, or other measures that 5 would facilitate the implementation of such activities 6 and investments. 7 (c) FORM.—Each report required by subsection (a) 8 shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include 9 a classified annex. 10 (d) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE- 11 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate commit- 12 tees of Congress’’ means— 13 (1) the Committee on Armed Services and the 14 Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and 15 (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the 16 Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep- 17 resentatives. 18 SEC. 1241. MODIFICATION TO ANNUAL REPORT ON MILI- 19 TARY AND SECURITY DEVELOPMENTS IN- 20 VOLVING THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF 21 CHINA. 22 Section 1202(b) of the National Defense Authoriza- 23 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2000 (Public Law 106–65; 10 24 U.S.C. 113 note) is amended— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00697 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 698 •S 2296 RS (1) by redesignating paragraph (5) as para- 1 graph (6); and 2 (2) by inserting after paragraph (4) the fol- 3 lowing new paragraph (5): 4 ‘‘(5) The military and security strategy of the 5 People’s Republic of China on the Tibetan Plateau, 6 including with respect to risks posed by political and 7 regional conflicts, resource control and water-related 8 resource conflicts, and infrastructure development.’’. 9 SEC. 1242. STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP ON DEFENSE INDUS- 10 TRIAL PRIORITIES BETWEEN THE UNITED 11 STATES AND TAIWAN. 12 The Secretary of Defense shall seek to establish a 13 partnership between the Defense Innovation Unit of the 14 Department of Defense and appropriate counterparts of 15 Taiwan— 16 (1) to enhance market opportunities for United 17 States-based and Taiwan-based defense technology 18 companies; 19 (2) to bolster Taiwan’s defense industrial base; 20 (3) to harmonize global security posture 21 through emerging technology; 22 (4) to counter the development, by the Chinese 23 Communist Party and adversarial proxy groups 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00698 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 699 •S 2296 RS aligned with the Chinese Communist Party, of dual- 1 use defense technologies; and 2 (5) in coordination with appropriate counter- 3 part offices of the Ministry of National Defense of 4 Taiwan— 5 (A) to enable coordination on defense in- 6 dustrial priorities; 7 (B) to streamline emerging defense tech- 8 nology research and development; 9 (C) to establish, for defense technology 10 startups, more pathways to market; and 11 (D) to collaborate on the coordinated de- 12 velopment of dual-use defense capabilities, such 13 as the following: 14 (i) Drones. 15 (ii) Microchips. 16 (iii) Directed energy weapons. 17 (iv) Artificial intelligence. 18 (v) Missile technology. 19 (vi) Intelligence, surveillance, and re- 20 connaissance technology. 21 SEC. 1243. INVITATION TO TAIWAN TO RIM OF THE PACIFIC 22 (RIMPAC) EXERCISE. 23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense is 24 strongly encouraged to invite the naval forces of Taiwan 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00699 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 700 •S 2296 RS to participate, as appropriate, in any Rim of the Pacific 1 exercise that is to take place after the date of the enact- 2 ment of this Act. 3 (b) JUSTIFICATION.—In the event a decision is made 4 not to invite the naval forces of Taiwan to participate in 5 any Rim of the Pacific exercise described in subsection (a), 6 not later than 30 days after the date on which such deci- 7 sion is made, the Secretary shall submit to the congres- 8 sional defense committees a written justification for such 9 decision. 10 SEC. 1244. EXTENSION OF INDO-PACIFIC EXTENDED DETER- 11 RENCE EDUCATION PILOT PROGRAM. 12 Section 1314(c) of the Servicemember Quality of Life 13 Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for 14 Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159) is amended by 15 striking ‘‘December 31, 2027’’ and inserting ‘‘December 16 31, 2030’’. 17 SEC. 1245. INCLUSION ON LIST OF CHINESE MILITARY COM- 18 PANIES OF ENTITIES ADDED TO CERTAIN 19 OTHER LISTS. 20 Section 1260H(b)(3) of the William M. (Mac) Thorn- 21 berry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 22 2021 (Public Law 116–283; 10 U.S.C. 113 note) is 23 amended— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00700 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 701 •S 2296 RS (1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and inserting 1 the following: 2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; and 3 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub- 4 paragraph: 5 ‘‘(B) REVIEW OF ENTITIES ON OTHER 6 LISTS.—The Secretary shall review, for inclu- 7 sion in each annual revision under subpara- 8 graph (A) of the list required by paragraph (1), 9 each entity added, during the year preceding 10 preparation of the revision of the list, to any 11 other list maintained by the United States Gov- 12 ernment of Chinese entities subject to restric- 13 tions or scrutiny relating to concerns about 14 their activities or affiliations.’’. 15 SEC. 1246. PREVENTING CIRCUMVENTION BY CHINESE 16 MILITARY COMPANIES IN THIRD-PARTY 17 COUNTRIES. 18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1260H(g)(2)(B)(i)(I) of 19 the William M. ‘‘Mac’’ Thornberry National Defense Au- 20 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116– 21 283; 10 U.S.C. 113 note) is amended to read as follows: 22 ‘‘(I) directly or indirectly owned by, 23 controlled by, or beneficially owned by, af- 24 filiated with, or in an official or unofficial 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00701 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 702 •S 2296 RS capacity acting as an agent of or on behalf 1 of, the People’s Liberation Army, Chinese 2 military and paramilitary elements, secu- 3 rity forces, police, law enforcement, border 4 control, the People’s Armed Police, the 5 Ministry of State Security (MSS), or any 6 other organization subordinate to the Cen- 7 tral Military Commission of the Chinese 8 Communist Party, the Chinese Ministry of 9 Industry and Information Technology 10 (MIIT), the State-Owned Assets Super- 11 vision and Administration Commission of 12 the State Council (SASAC), or the State 13 Administration of Science, Technology, and 14 Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) 15 operating inside or outside of China; or’’. 16 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 17 subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is one 18 year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 19 SEC. 1247. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON DEFENSE ALLIANCES 20 AND PARTNERSHIPS IN THE INDO-PACIFIC 21 REGION. 22 It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of De- 23 fense should continue efforts that strengthen United 24 States defense alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pa- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00702 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 703 •S 2296 RS cific region so as to further the comparative advantage of 1 the United States in strategic competition with the Peo- 2 ple’s Republic of China, including by— 3 (1) enhancing cooperation with Japan, con- 4 sistent with the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and 5 Security Between the United States of America and 6 Japan, signed at Washington, January 19, 1960, in- 7 cluding by developing advanced military capabilities, 8 upgrading commd and control relationships, fos- 9 tering interoperability across all domains, and im- 10 proving sharing of information and intelligence; 11 (2) reinforcing the United States alliance with 12 the Republic of Korea, including by maintaining the 13 presence of approximately 28,500 members of the 14 United States Armed Forces deployed to the Repub- 15 lic of Korea, enhancing mutual defense base co- 16 operation, and affirming the United States extended 17 deterrence commitment using the full range of 18 United States defense capabilities, consistent with 19 the Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United 20 States and the Republic of Korea, signed at Wash- 21 ington, October 1, 1953, in support of the shared 22 objective of a peaceful and stable Korean Peninsula; 23 (3) fostering bilateral and multilateral coopera- 24 tion with Australia, consistent with the Security 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00703 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 704 •S 2296 RS Treaty Between Australia, New Zealand, and the 1 United States of America, signed at San Francisco, 2 September, 1951, and through the partnership 3 among Australia, the United Kingdom, and United 4 States (commonly known as ‘‘AUKUS’’ )— 5 (A) to advance shared security objectives; 6 (B) to accelerate the fielding of advanced 7 military capabilities; and 8 (C) to build the capacity of emerging part- 9 ners; 10 (4) advancing United States alliances with the 11 Philippines and Thailand and United States partner- 12 ships with other partners in the Association of 13 Southeast Asian Nations to enhance maritime do- 14 main awareness, promote sovereignty and territorial 15 integrity, leverage technology and promote innova- 16 tion, and support an open, inclusive, and rules-based 17 regional architecture; 18 (5) broadening United States engagement with 19 India, including through the Quadrilateral Security 20 Dialogue— 21 (A) to advance the shared objective of a 22 free and open Indo-Pacific region through bilat- 23 eral and multilateral engagements and partici- 24 pation in military exercises, expanded defense 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00704 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 705 •S 2296 RS trade, and collaboration on humanitarian aid 1 and disaster response; and 2 (B) to enable greater cooperation on mari- 3 time security; 4 (6) strengthening the United States partnership 5 with Taiwan, consistent with the Three Commu- 6 niques, the Taiwan Relations Act (Public Law 96– 7 8; 22 U.S.C. 3301 et seq.), and the Six Assurances, 8 with the goal of improving Taiwan’s defensive capa- 9 bilities and promoting peaceful cross-strait relations; 10 (7) reinforcing the status of the Republic of 11 Singapore as a Major Security Cooperation Partner 12 of the United States and continuing to strengthen 13 defense and security cooperation between the mili- 14 tary forces of the Republic of Singapore and the 15 United States Armed Forces, including through par- 16 ticipation in combined exercises and training; 17 (8) engaging with the Federated States of Mi- 18 cronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the 19 Republic of Palau, and other Pacific island coun- 20 tries, with the goal of strengthening regional secu- 21 rity and addressing issues of mutual concern, includ- 22 ing protecting fisheries from illegal, unreported, and 23 unregulated fishing; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00705 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 706 •S 2296 RS (9) collaborating with Canada, the United 1 Kingdom, France, and other members of the Euro- 2 pean Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organi- 3 zation to build connectivity and advance a shared vi- 4 sion for the region that is principled, long-term, and 5 anchored in democratic resilience; and 6 (10) investing in enhanced military posture and 7 capabilities in the area of responsibility of the 8 United States Indo-Pacific Command and strength- 9 ening cooperation in bilateral relationships, multilat- 10 eral partnerships, and other international fora to up- 11 hold global security and shared principles, with the 12 goal of ensuring the maintenance of a free and open 13 Indo-Pacific region. 14 Subtitle E—Other Matters 15 SEC. 1251. MIDDLE EAST INTEGRATED AIR AND MISSILE 16 DEFENSE ARCHITECTURE. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall 18 continue to seek to cooperate with allies and partners in 19 the Middle East with respect to implementing an inte- 20 grated air and missile defense architecture to protect the 21 people, infrastructure, and territory of such allies and 22 partners from cruise and ballistic missiles, manned and 23 unmanned aerial systems, and rocket attacks from Iran 24 and groups linked to Iran. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00706 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 707 •S 2296 RS (b) REPORT.— 1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than May 31, 2 2026, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with 3 the Secretary of State, shall submit to the congres- 4 sional defense committees a report on further imple- 5 mentation of an integrated air and missile defense 6 architecture in the area of responsibility of the 7 United States Central Command. 8 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para- 9 graph (1) shall include the following: 10 (A) An assessment of the threat to allies 11 and partners within the area of responsibility of 12 the United States Central Command posed by 13 ballistic and cruise missiles, manned and un- 14 manned aerial systems, and rocket attacks 15 launched from Iran and by groups linked to 16 Iran. 17 (B) A description of— 18 (i) the missile defense priorities and 19 capability needs of the United States Cen- 20 tral Command with respect to defense 21 against the threats described in subpara- 22 graph (A); and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00707 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 708 •S 2296 RS (ii) the planned regional missile de- 1 fense architectures derived from such pri- 2 orities and capability needs. 3 (C) An analysis of current integrated air 4 and missile defense systems within the area of 5 responsibility of the United States Central 6 Command to defend against threats described 7 in subparagraph (A) and to meet the priorities 8 identified under subparagraph (B). 9 (D) A description of the progress made to- 10 ward addressing challenges identified in the 11 strategy required by section 1658(b) of the 12 James M. Inhofe National Defense Authoriza- 13 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 14 117–263; 136 Stat. 2951) and toward meeting 15 benchmarks set forth in such strategy. 16 (E) With respect to the defensive oper- 17 ations against aerial threats since October 7, 18 2023, the following: 19 (i) With respect to countering the 20 April 13, 2024, and October 1, 2024, bal- 21 listic missile and drone attacks by Iran 22 against Israel— 23 (I) lessons learned with respect 24 to the adequacy of data-sharing agree- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00708 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 709 •S 2296 RS ments in facilitating effective joint re- 1 sponses, and recommendations for 2 further improvements to such agree- 3 ments; 4 (II) a comparative analysis of the 5 performance of systems operated by 6 the United States and the perform- 7 ance of systems operated by Israel in 8 intercepting missiles and unmanned 9 aerial systems launched by Iran dur- 10 ing the attacks; 11 (III) an assessment of the extent 12 to which a defense provided to other 13 United States regional partners if at- 14 tacked by Iran would be similarly ef- 15 fective, and an identification of 16 changes necessary to address defi- 17 ciencies; and 18 (IV) an evaluation of the extent 19 to which the strategy required by sec- 20 tion 1658(b) of the James M. Inhofe 21 National Defense Authorization Act 22 for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 23 117–263; 136 Stat. 2951) contributed 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00709 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 710 •S 2296 RS to the defensive operations described 1 in this clause. 2 (ii) Lessons learned with respect to 3 countering projectiles launched by the 4 Houthis in Yemen against maritime tar- 5 gets in the area of responsibility of the 6 United States Central Command. 7 (iii) Any other such defensive oper- 8 ation the Secretary of Defense considers 9 appropriate. 10 (F) Any other matter the Secretary of De- 11 fense considers appropriate. 12 (3) FORM.—The report submitted under para- 13 graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form but 14 may include a classified annex. 15 (4) PROTECTION OF SENSITIVE INFORMA- 16 TION.—Any activity carried out under this sub- 17 section shall be conducted in a manner that is con- 18 sistent with protection of intelligence sources and 19 methods and appropriately protects sensitive infor- 20 mation and the national security interests of the 21 United States. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00710 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 711 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1252. MODIFICATION OF PROGRAM AND PROCESSES 1 RELATING TO FOREIGN ACQUISITION. 2 Section 873 of the National Defense Authorization 3 Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 4 350; 10 U.S.C. 301 note) is amended— 5 (1) in subsection (a)— 6 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 7 ‘‘PILOT PROGRAM FOR’’; and 8 (B) by striking ‘‘may’’ and inserting 9 ‘‘shall’’; and 10 (2) by striking subsection (f). 11 SEC. 1253. ENHANCING SECURITY PARTNERSHIP WITH JOR- 12 DAN AND LEBANON. 13 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, pursu- 14 ant to existing authorities, shall seek to provide assistance, 15 including training, equipment, logistics support, supplies, 16 and services, to the Government of Jordan and the Gov- 17 ernment of Lebanon for the purpose of supporting and 18 enhancing efforts of the military forces of Jordan and the 19 military forces of Lebanon to ensure the territorial secu- 20 rity of Jordan and Lebanon. 21 (b) PLAN.— 22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than December 31, 23 2025, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with 24 the Commander of the United States Central Com- 25 mand, and in consultation with the Secretary of 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00711 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 712 •S 2296 RS State, shall submit to the congressional defense com- 1 mittees a report that describes the plan of the De- 2 partment of Defense to provide assistance under 3 subsection (a). 4 (2) ELEMENTS.—The required plan shall, at a 5 minimum, include the following elements: 6 (A) A description of the available authori- 7 ties to provide assistance described in sub- 8 section (a) to the Government of Jordan and 9 the Government of Lebanon. 10 (B) A description of the objectives of as- 11 sistance described in subsection (a), including 12 specific capabilities that such assistance seeks 13 to enhance and the recipient units of the mili- 14 tary forces of Jordan and Lebanon for such as- 15 sistance. 16 (C) An identification of any opportunities 17 to transfer military equipment, including air- 18 craft and unmanned systems, from existing in- 19 ventory of the Department of Defense to bolster 20 the capabilities of the military forces of Jordan. 21 (D) Any other matters deemed relevant by 22 the Secretary. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00712 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 713 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1254. JOINT PROGRAM OFFICE FOR NON-PROGRAMS 1 OF RECORD TO SUPPORT FOREIGN ACQUISI- 2 TION. 3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 4 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 5 Defense shall establish and charter, within the Office of 6 the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 7 Sustainment, a Joint Program Office for Non-Programs 8 of Record (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Joint Pro- 9 gram Office’’) to support the acquisition of specified non- 10 program of record systems by approved foreign partners 11 and allies. 12 (b) STRUCTURE.— 13 (1) LEADERSHIP.—The Joint Program Office 14 shall be led by a senior executive or military flag of- 15 ficer of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense 16 for Acquisition and Sustainment, who shall have a 17 deputy from the Defense Security Cooperation Agen- 18 cy. 19 (2) STAFFING.—The staff of the Joint Program 20 Office shall include detailees from the international 21 program offices of the military departments, the De- 22 fense Security Cooperation Agency, and the Defense 23 Technology Security Administration. 24 (c) RESPONSIBILITIES.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00713 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 714 •S 2296 RS (1) IN GENERAL.—The Joint Program Office 1 shall be responsible for the following: 2 (A) Coordinating with allies and partners 3 to identify and procure non-program of record 4 capabilities. 5 (B) Facilitating discussions between indus- 6 try and foreign partners on new non-program- 7 of-record capabilities. 8 (C) Liaising with combatant commands to 9 identify new specified non-program of record 10 systems aligned with the strategic priorities of 11 the combatant commands for theater security 12 cooperation. 13 (D) Promoting capabilities with foreign 14 partners that align with priority capabilities for 15 the combatant commands. 16 (E) Coordinating with, and as necessary, 17 providing additional support to, the inter- 18 national program offices of the military depart- 19 ments to expedite delivery of capabilities to for- 20 eign partners and allies. 21 (F) Coordinating internal Department of 22 Defense approval processes to expedite the de- 23 livery of non-program of record capabilities. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00714 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 715 •S 2296 RS (d) BRIEFING.—Not later than 30 days after the es- 1 tablishment of the Joint Program Office, the Secretary 2 shall provide the Committees on Armed Services of the 3 Senate and the House of Representatives with a briefing 4 on the charter, responsibilities, resources, and plan of ac- 5 tivities for the Joint Program Office for the subsequent 6 fiscal year. 7 (e) SPECIFIED NON-PROGRAM OF RECORD SYSTEM 8 DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘specified non-pro- 9 gram of record system’’ means a record system that does 10 not exist formally as a program of record within the De- 11 partment of Defense, including— 12 (1) an international or civil variant of a pro- 13 gram of record with nonstandard configurations, or 14 a type 1 non-program of record system; 15 (2) a prior program of record that is no longer 16 supported in United States inventory, or a type 2 17 non-program of record system; 18 (3) a program consisting of commercially devel- 19 oped munitions items, or a type 3 non-program of 20 record system; 21 (4) a program consisting of commercially devel- 22 oped dual-use items, or a type 4 non-program of 23 record system; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00715 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 716 •S 2296 RS (5) a program consisting of commercially devel- 1 oped dual-use items combined with program of 2 record elements, or a type 5 non-program of record 3 system; and 4 (6) a program consisting of commercially devel- 5 oped dual-use items with military end-use, or a type 6 6 non-program of record system. 7 SEC. 1255. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF UNITED 8 STATES-ISRAEL ANTI-TUNNEL COOPERATION. 9 Section 1279 of the National Defense Authorization 10 Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (22 U.S.C. 8606 note) is amend- 11 ed— 12 (1) in subsection (b)(4), by striking 13 ‘‘$50,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$80,000,000’’; and 14 (2) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘December 31, 15 2026’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2028’’. 16 SEC. 1256. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF UNITED 17 STATES-ISRAEL COOPERATION TO COUNTER 18 UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS. 19 Section 1278 of the National Defense Authorization 20 Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (22 U.S.C. 8606 note) is amend- 21 ed— 22 (1) in subsection (b)(4), by striking 23 ‘‘$55,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$75,000,000’’; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00716 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 717 •S 2296 RS (2) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘December 31, 1 2026’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2028’’. 2 SEC. 1257. GUIDANCE FOR COORDINATION OF INTER- 3 NATIONAL ARMS TRANSFERS. 4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 5 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 6 shall issue updated guidance, in accordance with section 7 382 of title 10, United States Code, to streamline and 8 align the roles, responsibilities, and authorities, and im- 9 prove transparency, relating to Department of Defense 10 processes for international arms transfers, including For- 11 eign Military Sales. 12 (b) ELEMENTS.—The updated guidance required by 13 subsection (a) shall do the following: 14 (1) Streamline the roles and responsibilities re- 15 lating to Department processes for international 16 arms transfers (including the Foreign Military Sales 17 and technology security and foreign disclosure proc- 18 esses) so as to ensure effective implementation of 19 such roles and responsibilities among the Under Sec- 20 retary of Defense for Policy, the Under Secretary of 21 Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, the De- 22 fense Security Cooperation Agency, the Defense 23 Technology Security Administration, and the mili- 24 tary departments. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00717 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 718 •S 2296 RS (2) Designate a lead official, to be known as the 1 ‘‘Data Czar’’, who, in coordination with the Chief 2 Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the De- 3 partment of Defense, shall be responsible for col- 4 lecting, tracking, coordinating, and sharing data and 5 information on Foreign Military Sales cases for the 6 purposes of— 7 (A) facilitating transparency across the 8 Department of Defense international coopera- 9 tion enterprise (including industry and inter- 10 national partners within such enterprise and 11 components and subcomponents of the Depart- 12 ment); and 13 (B) sharing information on Foreign Mili- 14 tary Sales case development, execution, con- 15 tracting, and implementation processes. 16 (3) Develop a framework to facilitate the use of 17 the Foreign Military Sales process to deliver defense 18 articles and services to allies and partners through 19 programs other than a program of record. 20 (4) Set forth Foreign Military Sales-specific 21 guidance that— 22 (A) identifies security cooperation prior- 23 ities; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00718 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 719 •S 2296 RS (B) aligns with the United States Conven- 1 tional Arms Transfer Policy described in Na- 2 tional Security Presidential Memorandum/ 3 NSM-10, dated April 19, 2018; 4 (C) is informed by priorities identified in 5 the National Defense Strategy, Department 6 planning guidance, and theater campaign plans; 7 and 8 (D) takes into consideration— 9 (i) the risk factors for arms transfers 10 identified in the Arms Export Control Act 11 (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.); and 12 (ii) the industrial capacity for produc- 13 tion. 14 (c) BRIEFING.—Not later than 30 days after the 15 issuance of the updated guidance required by subsection 16 (a), the Secretary shall provide the Committee on Armed 17 Services and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 18 Senate and the Committee on Armed Services and the 19 Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representa- 20 tives with a briefing on the development and implementa- 21 tion of such guidance that describes the manner in which 22 the procedures set forth in the guidance will streamline, 23 and enhance the transparency of, international coopera- 24 tion processes of the Department. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00719 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 720 •S 2296 RS (d) DISSEMINATION OF FMS-SPECIFIC GUIDANCE.— 1 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 2 of this Act, the Secretary shall disseminate the Foreign 3 Miliary Sales-specific guidance described in subsection 4 (a)(4) to each member of the Department of Defense 5 international cooperation enterprise. 6 SEC. 1258. REQUIREMENT TO UPDATE THE NATIONAL DIS- 7 CLOSURE POLICY. 8 (a) FRAMEWORK DEVELOPMENT.—Not later than 9 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 10 annually thereafter, the National Disclosure Policy Com- 11 mittee (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Committee’’) 12 shall develop and submit to Congress a framework for re- 13 vising and updating the National Disclosure Policy 14 (NDP–1). 15 (b) FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS.—The framework devel- 16 oped pursuant to subsection (a) shall include the following: 17 (1) A comprehensive assessment of emerging 18 and advanced defense items, including artificial in- 19 telligence, directed energy, microwave systems, 20 counter-unmanned aerial systems, missile defense, 21 machine learning, cybersecurity, quantum tech- 22 nologies, hypersonic, and autonomous systems, and 23 necessary updates to NDP–1 to enable the transfer 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00720 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 721 •S 2296 RS and sharing of this technology with United States 1 allies and partners. 2 (2) Guidelines for balancing national security 3 considerations with the need to share critical infor- 4 mation and technology with allies and partners to 5 enhance interoperability and collective security. 6 (3) Recommendations for updating the NDP–1 7 to help bolster the defense industrial base and ac- 8 commodate the use of emerging and advanced de- 9 fense items in multi-domain operations, joint mili- 10 tary exercises, and allied operational requirements. 11 (4) Mechanisms to accelerate the approval proc- 12 ess for disclosures, ensuring timely and effective in- 13 formation sharing. 14 (c) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.— 15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 16 after the first submittal of the framework to Con- 17 gress pursuant to subsection (a) and on an annual 18 recurring basis thereafter, the Committee shall im- 19 plement revisions to the National Disclosure Policy 20 based on the recommendations and any future rec- 21 ommendation based upon the stakeholder engage- 22 ment in subsection (c) contained in the framework. 23 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—Revisions implemented 24 pursuant to paragraph (1) shall— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00721 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 722 •S 2296 RS (A) include specific provisions addressing 1 the secure disclosure of emerging and advanced 2 technologies to allies and partners of the United 3 States; 4 (B) establish metrics to evaluate the effec- 5 tiveness of the updated policy in enhancing se- 6 curity, interoperability, and interchangeability; 7 and 8 (C) establish a mechanism to ensure that 9 the stakeholder engagement required by sub- 10 section (c) informs revisions. 11 (d) STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT.—In carrying out 12 subsections (a), (b), and (c), the Committee shall, not less 13 frequently than once every 6 months, consult with the fol- 14 lowing: 15 (1) Representatives of such governments that 16 are allies or partners of the United States as the 17 Committee considers appropriate, to gather input on 18 enhancing interoperability, interchangeability, and 19 collaborative security measures. 20 (2) Such representatives from the defense in- 21 dustry as the Committee considers appropriate, in- 22 cluding representatives from nontraditional defense 23 contractors (as defined by section 3014 of title 10, 24 United States Code). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00722 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 723 •S 2296 RS (e) ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Under 1 Secretary of Defense for Policy, in coordination with the 2 Director of the Defense Technology Security Administra- 3 tion, shall submit with the budget submission each year 4 a report to Congress detailing— 5 (1) progress made in implementing the updated 6 NDP–1; 7 (2) challenges encountered and actions taken to 8 address them; 9 (3) recommendations for further updates or leg- 10 islative actions to enhance the policy; 11 (4) a description of the roles and missions of 12 the committees and subcommittees of the Depart- 13 ment of Defense’s Technology Security and Foreign 14 Disclosure enterprise and a detailed explanation of 15 how these bodies report back to the Arms Transfer 16 and Technology Release Senior Steering Group; and 17 (5) an explanation of negative determinations of 18 technology. 19 (f) CLASSIFIED ANNEX.—If necessary, the annual re- 20 port shall include a classified annex to address sensitive 21 national security information. 22 (g) UNCLASSIFIED PUBLIC ANNEX.—The submission 23 shall include a publicly releasable annex to be made avail- 24 able upon submission of the report to Congress. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00723 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 724 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1259. IMPROVEMENTS TO SECURITY COOPERATION 1 WORKFORCE AND DEFENSE ACQUISITION 2 WORKFORCE. 3 (a) RESPONSIBILITIES OF SECRETARY OF DE- 4 FENSE.— 5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 6 shall, consistent with the requirements of section 7 384 of title 10, United States Code, seek to ensure 8 that— 9 (A) members of the defense acquisition 10 workforce involved in the foreign military sales 11 process— 12 (i) are aware of evolving United 13 States regional and country-level defense 14 capability-building priorities; and 15 (ii) coordinate with the security co- 16 operation workforce to enhance responsive- 17 ness to foreign partner requests and capa- 18 bility-building priorities; and 19 (B) members of the defense acquisition 20 workforce are professionally evaluated using 21 metrics to measure— 22 (i) adherence to meeting the foreign 23 capability requirements identified in De- 24 partment of Defense strategy documents; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00724 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 725 •S 2296 RS (ii) responsiveness to foreign partner 1 requests; 2 (iii) ability to meet foreign partner ca- 3 pability and delivery schedule require- 4 ments; and 5 (iv) advancement of foreign capability- 6 building priorities described in the guid- 7 ance updated under subsection (b). 8 (b) GUIDANCE.— 9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 10 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 11 retary of Defense shall update, as necessary, De- 12 partment of Defense guidance governing the execu- 13 tion of foreign military sales by the Department to 14 ensure that such guidance— 15 (A) incorporates priorities of the National 16 Security Strategy and the National Defense 17 Strategy associated with foreign partner con- 18 tributions; 19 (B) is informed by the theater campaign 20 plans and theater security cooperation strate- 21 gies of the combatant commands; 22 (C) incorporates timeline prioritization of 23 purchasers with a special designation; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00725 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 726 •S 2296 RS (D) is disseminated to the security co- 1 operation workforce and the defense acquisition 2 workforce. 3 (2) ELEMENTS.—The updated guidance re- 4 quired by paragraph (1) shall— 5 (A) identify— 6 (i) regional and country-level foreign 7 defense capability-building priorities; and 8 (ii) levels of urgency and desired 9 timelines for achieving foreign capability- 10 building objectives; and 11 (B) provide guidance to the defense acqui- 12 sition workforce regarding levels of resourcing, 13 innovation, and risk tolerance that should be 14 considered in meeting urgent needs. 15 (3) PURCHASER WITH A SPECIAL DESIGNATION 16 DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘purchaser 17 with a special designation’’ means Israel, Japan, the 18 Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, 19 Thailand, Taiwan, member countries of the North 20 Atlantic Treaty Organization, major defense part- 21 ners, major security partners, and eligible pur- 22 chasers that are members of the national technology 23 and industrial base. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00726 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 727 •S 2296 RS (c) FOREIGN MILITARY SALES CONTINUOUS PROC- 1 ESS IMPROVEMENT BOARD.—Section 1210(b) of the Serv- 2 icemember Quality of Life Improvement and National De- 3 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 4 118–159) is amended to read as follows: 5 ‘‘(b) FOREIGN MILITARY SALES CONTINUOUS PROC- 6 ESS IMPROVEMENT BOARD.— 7 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of De- 8 fense shall establish a Foreign Military Sales Con- 9 tinuous Process Improvement Board (in this section 10 referred to as the ‘Board’) to serve as an enduring 11 governance structure within the Department of De- 12 fense that reports to the Secretary on matters relat- 13 ing to the foreign military sales process so as to en- 14 hance accountability and continuous improvement 15 within the Department, including the objectives of— 16 ‘‘(A) improving the understanding, among 17 officials of the Department, of ally and partner 18 requirements; 19 ‘‘(B) enabling efficient reviews for release 20 of technology; 21 ‘‘(C) providing ally and partner countries 22 with relevant priority equipment; 23 ‘‘(D) accelerating acquisition and con- 24 tracting support; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00727 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 728 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(E) expanding the capacity of the defense 1 industrial base; 2 ‘‘(F) working with other departments and 3 agencies to promote broad United States Gov- 4 ernment support; and 5 ‘‘(G) any other matters determined by the 6 Secretary to be relevant to the Board. 7 ‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.— 8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall be 9 composed of not fewer than 7 members, each of 10 whom shall have expertise in security coopera- 11 tion, security assistance, defense acquisition, 12 business process reform, or any disciplines the 13 Secretary determines to be important to the 14 functioning of the Board. 15 ‘‘(B) CERTAIN MEMBERS.— 16 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Of the members 17 of the Board, 3 such members shall be in- 18 dividuals who are not— 19 ‘‘(I) officers or employees of the 20 Department of Defense; 21 ‘‘(II) members of the United 22 States Armed Forces; or 23 ‘‘(III) registered as a foreign 24 agent or registered lobbyists. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00728 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 729 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(ii) CLEARANCE.—Each member of 1 the Board described in this subparagraph 2 shall be appropriately cleared for security 3 risks. 4 ‘‘(3) INAPPLICABILITY OF FACA.—The Board 5 shall not be subject to chapter 10 of title 5, United 6 States Code (commonly referred to as the ‘Federal 7 Advisory Committee Act’). 8 ‘‘(4) SUNSET.—This subsection shall terminate 9 on December 31, 2030.’’. 10 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 11 (1) DEFENSE ACQUISITION WORKFORCE.—The 12 term ‘‘defense acquisition workforce’’ means the De- 13 partment of Defense acquisition workforce described 14 in chapter 87 of title 10, United States Code. 15 (2) SECURITY COOPERATION WORKFORCE.— 16 The term ‘‘security cooperation workforce’’ has the 17 meaning given the term in section 384 of title 10, 18 United States Code. 19 SEC. 1260. EXPANSION OF COUNTRY PRIORITIZATION. 20 With respect to foreign military sales to Israel, 21 Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, 22 member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza- 23 tion, major defense partners, and eligible purchasers that 24 are members of the national technology and industrial 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00729 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 730 •S 2296 RS base, the Secretary of Defense may assign a Defense Pri- 1 orities and Allocations System order rating. 2 SEC. 1261. STREAMLINING AND EXPEDITING SALES OF DE- 3 FENSE ARTICLES AND SERVICES. 4 (a) ACQUISITION STRATEGIES.— 5 (1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to purchasers 6 with a special designation, the Secretary of Defense 7 shall establish a requirement that, in developing let- 8 ters of offer and acceptance, the acquisition program 9 office of each military department shall develop, at 10 program inception— 11 (A) an acquisition strategy that documents 12 the standard acquisition path; and 13 (B) an acquisition strategy that documents 14 the fastest acquisition path. 15 (2) ASSOCIATED RISK.—In developing each ac- 16 quisition strategy required by subparagraphs (A) 17 and (B) of paragraph (1), the acquisition program 18 office of the military department concerned shall— 19 (A) measure, and justify with respect to 20 the urgency of delivering a capability in full or 21 in phases, the associated risk, risk mitigation, 22 and risk cost; 23 (B) in the case of a sole-source program 24 that is not a program of record, transparently 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00730 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 731 •S 2296 RS consult with the prime contractor to seek con- 1 sensus on cost and schedule; and 2 (C) provide, in coordination with the ap- 3 propriate regional directorate of the Office of 4 the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and 5 the Director of the Defense Security Coopera- 6 tion Agency, to the acquisition leadership of 7 such military department a briefing on the re- 8 sults of the measurements under subparagraph 9 (A) and the consultation under subparagraph 10 (B). 11 (3) DECISION.—Not later than 30 days after 12 the date of a briefing under paragraph (2)(C), the 13 acquisition leadership of the military department 14 concerned shall issue a decision with respect to the 15 acquisition strategy selected. 16 (b) INPUT FROM PURCHASER WITH SPECIAL DES- 17 IGNATION.— 18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 19 shall ensure that, in the development of acquisition 20 strategies for purchasers with a special designation 21 under subsection (a), the purchaser with a special 22 designation is provided an opportunity to provide 23 input with respect to risk tolerance. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00731 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 732 •S 2296 RS (2) INFORMATION SHARING.—In carrying out 1 paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense shall ensure 2 that a purchaser with a special designation is briefed 3 on risks identified, alternate approaches that may be 4 taken, and the schedule, cost, and capability trade- 5 offs associated with such alternate approaches. 6 (3) INCLUSION IN BRIEFING.—Purchaser input 7 gathered under this paragraph shall be included in 8 the briefing required by subsection (a)(2)(C) and ap- 9 propriately weighed in making a final decision with 10 respect to the appropriate acquisition approach. 11 (c) AGREEMENTS WITH MANUFACTURERS.— 12 (1) IN GENERAL.—A United States prime con- 13 tractor may enter into a covered agreement with a 14 manufacturer to begin the process of acquiring long- 15 lead Government-furnished equipment, including 16 sensitive and closely controlled items such as com- 17 munications security devices, military grade GPS, 18 and anti-spoofing devices, on forecast prior to the 19 execution of a signed commercial contract or 20 issuance of a letter of offer and acceptance. 21 (2) COVERED AGREEMENT DEFINED.—In this 22 subsection, the term ‘‘covered agreement’’ means an 23 agreement between a United States prime contractor 24 and a manufacturer pursuant to which— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00732 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 733 •S 2296 RS (A) the prime contractor, in anticipation of 1 a foreign military sale, contracts for the pro- 2 duction by the manufacturer of one or more ar- 3 ticles that will be supplied to the prime con- 4 tractor as government-furnished equipment 5 prior to execution of a signed commercial con- 6 tract or issuance of a letter of offer and accept- 7 ance in connection with such sale; 8 (B) the parties agree to the allocation of 9 risks, obligations, profits, and costs in the event 10 the anticipated foreign military sale does not 11 occur, including whether the articles manufac- 12 tured under the agreement are retained by the 13 manufacturer for eventual supply to the prime 14 contractor or a third party in connection with 15 a future foreign military sale or other trans- 16 action; and 17 (C) the United States Government as- 18 sumes no liability with respect to either party 19 in the event the anticipated foreign military sale 20 does not occur. 21 (3) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE POLICY.— 22 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of De- 23 fense shall implement policies, and ensure that 24 the head of each military department imple- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00733 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 734 •S 2296 RS ments policies, that allow United States prime 1 contractors to enter into covered agreements 2 with manufacturers of Government-furnished 3 equipment. 4 (B) ELEMENTS.—The policies required by 5 subparagraph (A) shall require that— 6 (i) United States prime contractors 7 shall be responsible for— 8 (I) negotiating directly with the 9 manufacturer of Government-fur- 10 nished equipment, including with re- 11 spect to the terms and conditions de- 12 scribed in paragraph (2)(B); and 13 (II) providing any payment to 14 such manufacturer; and 15 (ii) transfer of Government-furnished 16 equipment from such manufacturer to the 17 primary contractor shall not occur until 18 the date on which a letter of offer and ac- 19 ceptance or commercial contract is pro- 20 duced. 21 (4) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 22 subsection shall be construed as authorizing, requir- 23 ing, or providing for the United States Government 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00734 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 735 •S 2296 RS to assume any liability or other financial responsi- 1 bility with respect to a covered agreement. 2 (d) PURCHASER WITH A SPECIAL DESIGNATION DE- 3 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘purchaser with a spe- 4 cial designation’’ means Israel, Japan, the Republic of 5 Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, 6 member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza- 7 tion, major defense partners, major security partners, and 8 eligible purchasers that are members of the national tech- 9 nology and industrial base. 10 SEC. 1262. REDESIGNATION OF THE AFRICA CENTER FOR 11 STRATEGIC STUDIES AS THE JAMES M. 12 INHOFE CENTER FOR AFRICA SECURITY 13 STUDIES. 14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Department of Defense re- 15 gional center for security studies known as the Africa Cen- 16 ter for Strategic Studies is hereby redesignated as the 17 ‘‘James M. Inhofe Center for Africa Security Studies’’. 18 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 19 (1) REFERENCE TO REGIONAL CENTERS FOR 20 STRATEGIC STUDIES.—Section 342(b)(2)(D) of title 21 10, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘Af- 22 rica Center for Strategic Studies’’ and inserting 23 ‘‘James M. Inhofe Center for Africa Security Stud- 24 ies’’. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00735 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 736 •S 2296 RS (2) ACCEPTANCE OF GIFTS AND DONATIONS.— 1 Section 2611(a)(2)(D) of title 10, United States 2 Code, is amended by striking ‘‘Africa Center for 3 Strategic Studies’’ and inserting ‘‘James M. Inhofe 4 Center for Africa Security Studies’’. 5 (3) PROVISION OF CERTAIN ASSISTANCE TO 6 SUDAN.—Section 1270A(b)(1) of the Sudan Demo- 7 cratic Transition, Accountability, and Fiscal Trans- 8 parency Act of 2020 (22 U.S.C. 10010(b)(1)) is 9 amended by striking ‘‘Africa Center for Strategic 10 Studies’’ and inserting ‘‘James M. Inhofe Center for 11 Africa Security Studies’’. 12 (c) REFERENCES.—Any reference to the Department 13 of Defense Africa Center for Strategic Studies in any law, 14 regulation, map, document, record, or other paper of the 15 United States shall be deemed to be a reference to the 16 James M. Inhofe Center for Africa Security Studies. 17 SEC. 1263. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM TO PROMOTE 18 PARTICIPATION OF FOREIGN STUDENTS IN 19 THE SENIOR RESERVE OFFICERS’ TRAINING 20 CORPS. 21 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 1, 23 2027, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a pro- 24 gram using the authority provided under section 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00736 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 737 •S 2296 RS 2103(b) of title 10, United States Code, to promote 1 the participation of foreign students in the Senior 2 Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (in this section re- 3 ferred to as the ‘‘Program’’). 4 (2) ORGANIZATION.—The Secretary of Defense, 5 in consultation with the Director of the Defense Se- 6 curity Cooperation Agency, the Secretaries of the 7 military departments, the commanders of the com- 8 batant commands, the participant institutions in the 9 Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program, 10 and any other individual the Secretary of Defense 11 considers appropriate, shall be responsible for, and 12 shall oversee, the Program. 13 (b) OBJECTIVE.—The objective of the Program is to 14 promote the readiness and interoperability of the United 15 States Armed Forces and the military forces of partner 16 countries by providing a high-quality, cost effective mili- 17 tary-based educational experience for foreign students in 18 furtherance of the military-to-military program objectives 19 of the Department of Defense and to enhance the edu- 20 cational experience and preparation of future United 21 States military leaders through increased, extended inter- 22 action with highly qualified potential foreign military lead- 23 ers. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00737 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 738 •S 2296 RS (c) ACTIVITIES.—Under the Program, the Secretary 1 of Defense shall— 2 (1) identify to the military services’ Senior Re- 3 serve Officers’ Training Corps program the foreign 4 students who, based on criteria established by the 5 Secretary, the Secretary recommends be considered 6 for admission under the Program; 7 (2) coordinate with partner countries to evalu- 8 ate interest in and promote awareness of the Pro- 9 gram; 10 (3) establish a mechanism for tracking an 11 alumni network of foreign students who participate 12 in the Program; and 13 (4) to the extent practicable, work with the par- 14 ticipant institutions in the Senior Reserve Officers’ 15 Training Corps program and partner countries to 16 identify academic institutions and programs that— 17 (A) have specialized academic programs in 18 areas of study or interest to participating coun- 19 tries; or 20 (B) have high participation from or signifi- 21 cant diaspora populations from participating 22 countries. 23 (d) STRATEGY.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00738 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 739 •S 2296 RS (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than September 1 30, 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to 2 the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate 3 and the House of Representatives a strategy for the 4 implementation of the Program. 5 (2) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required by 6 paragraph (1) shall include the following elements: 7 (A) A governance structure for the Pro- 8 gram, including— 9 (i) the officials tasked to oversee the 10 Program; 11 (ii) the format of the governing body 12 of the Program; 13 (iii) the functions and duties of such 14 governing body with respect to establishing 15 and maintaining the Program; and 16 (iv) mechanisms for coordinating with 17 partner countries whose students are se- 18 lected to participate in the Program. 19 (B) A list of additional authorities, appro- 20 priations, or other congressional support nec- 21 essary to ensure the success of the Program. 22 (C) A description of targeted partner coun- 23 tries and participant institutions in the Senior 24 Reserve Officers’ Training Corps for the first 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00739 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 740 •S 2296 RS three fiscal years of the Program, including a 1 rationale for selecting such initial partners. 2 (D) A description of opportunities and po- 3 tential timelines for future Program expansion, 4 as appropriate. 5 (E) A description of the mechanism for 6 tracking the alumni network of participants of 7 the Program. 8 (F) Any other information the Secretary of 9 Defense considers appropriate. 10 (e) REPORT.— 11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than September 12 20, 2027, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of 13 Defense shall submit to the congressional defense 14 committees a report on the Program. 15 (2) ELEMENTS.—Each report required by para- 16 graph (1) shall include the following elements: 17 (A) A narrative summary of activities con- 18 ducted as part of the Program during the pre- 19 ceding fiscal year. 20 (B) An overview of participant Senior Re- 21 serve Officers’ Training Corps programs, indi- 22 viduals, and countries, to include a description 23 of the areas of study entered into by the stu- 24 dents participating in the Program. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00740 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 741 •S 2296 RS (C) A description of opportunities and po- 1 tential timelines for future Program expansion, 2 as appropriate. 3 (D) Any other information the Secretary of 4 Defense considers appropriate. 5 (f) LIMITATION ON AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of 6 Defense may not use the authority provided under this 7 section to pay for tuition or room and board for foreign 8 students who participate in the Program. 9 (g) TERMINATION.—The Program shall terminate on 10 December 31, 2031. 11 SEC. 1264. MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY FOR ASSISTANCE 12 IN SUPPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 13 ACCOUNTING FOR MISSING UNITED STATES 14 GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL. 15 Section 408(a) of title 10, United States Code, is 16 amended by inserting ‘‘, and procure goods and services 17 from,’’ after ‘‘assistance to’’. 18 TITLE XIII—COOPERATIVE 19 THREAT REDUCTION 20 SEC. 1301. COOPERATIVE THREAT REDUCTION FUNDS. 21 (a) FUNDING ALLOCATION.—Of the $282,830,000 22 authorized to be appropriated to the Department of De- 23 fense for fiscal year 2026 in section 301 and made avail- 24 able by the funding table in division D for the Department 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00741 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 742 •S 2296 RS of Defense Cooperative Threat Reduction Program estab- 1 lished under section 1321 of the Department of Defense 2 Cooperative Threat Reduction Act (50 U.S.C. 3711), the 3 following amounts may be obligated for the purposes spec- 4 ified: 5 (1) For strategic offensive arms elimination, 6 $6,249,000. 7 (2) For chemical weapons destruction, 8 $25,292,000. 9 (3) For global nuclear security, $38,134,000. 10 (4) For cooperative biological engagement, 11 $137,686,000. 12 (5) For proliferation prevention, $47,146,000. 13 (6) For activities designated as Other Assess- 14 ments/Administrative Costs, $28,323,000. 15 (b) SPECIFICATION OF COOPERATIVE THREAT RE- 16 DUCTION FUNDS.—Funds appropriated pursuant to the 17 authorization of appropriations in section 301 and made 18 available by the funding table in division D for the Depart- 19 ment of Defense Cooperative Threat Reduction Program 20 shall be available for obligation for fiscal years 2026, 21 2027, and 2028. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00742 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 743 •S 2296 RS TITLE XIV—OTHER 1 AUTHORIZATIONS 2 Subtitle A—Military Programs 3 SEC. 1401. WORKING CAPITAL FUNDS. 4 Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated for 5 fiscal year 2026 for the use of the Armed Forces and other 6 activities and agencies of the Department of Defense for 7 providing capital for working capital and revolving funds, 8 as specified in the funding table in section 4501. 9 SEC. 1402. CHEMICAL AGENTS AND MUNITIONS DESTRUC- 10 TION, DEFENSE. 11 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Funds 12 are hereby authorized to be appropriated for the Depart- 13 ment of Defense for fiscal year 2026 for expenses, not oth- 14 erwise provided for, for Chemical Agents and Munitions 15 Destruction, Defense, as specified in the funding table in 16 section 4501. 17 (b) USE.—Amounts authorized to be appropriated 18 under subsection are authorized for— 19 (1) the destruction of lethal chemical agents 20 and munitions in accordance with section 1412 of 21 the Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1986 22 ( 50 U.S.C. 1521); and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00743 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 744 •S 2296 RS (2) the destruction of chemical warfare materiel 1 of the United States that is not covered by section 2 1412 of such Act. 3 SEC. 1403. DRUG INTERDICTION AND COUNTER-DRUG AC- 4 TIVITIES, DEFENSE-WIDE. 5 Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated for 6 the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2026 for ex- 7 penses, not otherwise provided for, for Drug Interdiction 8 and Counter-Drug Activities, Defense-wide, as specified in 9 the funding table in section 4501. 10 SEC. 1404. DEFENSE INSPECTOR GENERAL. 11 Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated for 12 the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2026 for ex- 13 penses, not otherwise provided for, for the Office of the 14 Inspector General of the Department of Defense, as speci- 15 fied in the funding table in section 4501. 16 SEC. 1405. DEFENSE HEALTH PROGRAM. 17 Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated for 18 fiscal year 2026 for the Defense Health Program for use 19 of the Armed Forces and other activities and agencies of 20 the Department of Defense for providing for the health 21 of eligible beneficiaries, as specified in the funding table 22 in section 4501. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00744 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 745 •S 2296 RS Subtitle B—National Defense 1 Stockpile 2 SEC. 1411. MODIFICATIONS TO STRATEGIC AND CRITICAL 3 MATERIALS STOCK PILING ACT. 4 (a) MODIFICATION OF DISPOSAL AUTHORITY.— 5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 5(b) of the Strategic 6 and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act (50 U.S.C. 7 98d(b)) is amended— 8 (A) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(b)’’; 9 (B) by striking ‘‘or (5)’’ and inserting ‘‘or 10 (6)’’; 11 (C) by striking ‘‘has been specifically au- 12 thorized by law’’ and inserting ‘‘was included in 13 the most recent annual materials plan sub- 14 mitted to the congressional defense committees 15 (as defined in section 101(a) of title 10, United 16 States Code) under section 11(b)(1)(G)’’; and 17 (D) by adding at the end the following new 18 paragraph: 19 ‘‘(2) Not later than 15 days after making a disposal 20 under paragraph (1), the National Defense Stockpile Man- 21 ager shall notify the congressional defense committees of 22 the disposal.’’. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00745 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 746 •S 2296 RS (2) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMEND- 1 MENTS.—Section 6(a) of such Act (50 U.S.C. 2 98e(a)) is amended— 3 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 4 by striking ‘‘President’’ and inserting ‘‘National 5 Defense Stockpile Manager’’; and 6 (B) by amending paragraph (7) to read as 7 follows: 8 ‘‘(7) dispose of materials in the stockpile in ac- 9 cordance with the most recent annual materials plan 10 submitted to the congressional defense committees 11 under section 11(b)(1)(G) and notify the congres- 12 sional defense committees of such disposals as re- 13 quired by section 5(b)(2).’’. 14 (b) REDUCTION OF WAIT PERIODS.—Sections 15 5(a)(2), 6(d)(1), and 6(d)(2) of such Act (50 U.S.C. 16 98d(a)(2), 98e(d)(1), 98e(d)(2)) are each amended by 17 striking ‘‘45 days’’ and inserting ‘‘30 days’’. 18 Subtitle C—Other Matters 19 SEC. 1421. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR 20 ARMED FORCES RETIREMENT HOME. 21 There is hereby authorized to be appropriated for fis- 22 cal year 2026 from the Armed Forces Retirement Home 23 Trust Fund the sum of $77,000,000 for the operation of 24 the Armed Forces Retirement Home. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00746 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 747 •S 2296 RS TITLE XV—SPACE ACTIVITIES, 1 STRATEGIC PROGRAMS, AND 2 INTELLIGENCE MATTERS 3 Subtitle A—Space Activities 4 SEC. 1501. DELAY IN IMPLEMENTATION OF ENVIRON- 5 MENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR ROCKET CARGO 6 TEST AND DEMONSTRATION AT JOHNSTON 7 ATOLL. 8 The preparation of the Notice of Intent to prepare 9 an Environmental Assessment for Rocket Cargo Test and 10 Demonstration at Johnston Atoll, United States (Dem- 11 onstration at Johnston Atoll, United States (EAXX-007- 12 57-USF-1728497279, March 3, 2025)) shall not be effec- 13 tive until further modification includes consideration of 14 the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, 15 United States Army Garrison–Kwajalein Atoll, Republic 16 of the Marshall Islands. Such environmental impact anal- 17 ysis shall also include a comparison of estimated costs for 18 supporting the collection of essential testing data at each 19 location. 20 SEC. 1502. STUDY ON FUTURE SPACE LAUNCH CAPACITY. 21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall 22 conduct a study to assess the operational capacity, infra- 23 structure, and long-term sustainability of heavy and super 24 heavy space launch sites at Cape Canaveral Space Force 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00747 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 748 •S 2296 RS Station and Vandenberg Space Force Base, with a focus 1 on evaluating the suitability of such sites for ongoing and 2 future missions, and to explore alternate launch locations 3 that may offer advantages with respect to mission-effi- 4 ciency, cost-effectiveness, and strategic value. 5 (b) ELEMENTS.—The study required by subsection 6 (a) shall include the following: 7 (1) An analysis of the current capacity and use 8 of the heavy and super heavy space launch sites at 9 Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Vanden- 10 berg Space Force Base, including existing infra- 11 structure, launch frequencies, and operational effi- 12 ciency. 13 (2) A detailed evaluation of the infrastructure 14 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Vanden- 15 berg Space Force Base, including transportation ac- 16 cess, environmental considerations, safety protocols, 17 the adequacy of current facilities to support heavy 18 and super heavy space launches, and the estimated 19 costs of maintaining and upgrading such infrastruc- 20 ture. 21 (3) A review of environmental regulations, poli- 22 cies, and potential impacts related to heavy and 23 super heavy space launches at Cape Canaveral Space 24 Force Station and Vandenberg Space Force Base, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00748 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 749 •S 2296 RS including any limitations or challenges imposed by 1 Federal, State, or local regulations and an evalua- 2 tion of potential strategies to mitigate adverse envi- 3 ronmental effects. 4 (4) A comparative analysis of alternate loca- 5 tions for heavy and super heavy space launches, in- 6 cluding sites on Federal lands, private land partner- 7 ships, and locations outside the continental United 8 States. Such analysis shall consider geographic, envi- 9 ronmental, logistical, and regulatory factors that 10 may make alternate locations viable or advan- 11 tageous, including cost comparisons and potential 12 challenges in establishing infrastructure at such lo- 13 cations. 14 (5) An examination of the manner in which 15 Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Vandenberg 16 Space Force Base, and any potential alternate loca- 17 tions align with national defense and space explo- 18 ration goals, including launch site proximity to key 19 orbital paths, security considerations, and redun- 20 dancy for critical missions. 21 (6) An exploration of the manner in which ad- 22 vancements in space launch technology, including re- 23 usable launch vehicles and space traffic manage- 24 ment, could influence the future demand and oper- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00749 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 750 •S 2296 RS ational needs for heavy and super heavy space 1 launch sites. 2 (7) An assessment of any innovative tech- 3 nologies that could enhance the capacity or reduce 4 the environmental impact of existing or alternate 5 heavy and super heavy space launch sites. 6 (8) A financial analysis of the long-term costs 7 associated with the use and maintenance of Cape 8 Canaveral Space Force Station and Vandenberg 9 Space Force Base for heavy and super heavy space 10 launches, and the estimated costs for establishing 11 and operating alternative heavy and super heavy 12 space launch sites. Such analysis shall include con- 13 siderations applicable to Government funding, pri- 14 vate sector partnerships, and cost-sharing models. 15 (c) CONSULTATION.—The study required by sub- 16 section (a) shall be conducted in consultation with relevant 17 stakeholders, including commercial space industry rep- 18 resentatives, environmental agencies, and local govern- 19 ments. 20 (d) REPORT.— 21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than March 31, 22 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 23 Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00750 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 751 •S 2296 RS the House of Representatives a report on the find- 1 ings of the study required by subsection (a). 2 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para- 3 graph (1) shall include the following: 4 (A) Recommendations on the future use of 5 heavy and super heavy space launch sites at 6 Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Vanden- 7 berg Space Force Base, and alternate locations. 8 (B) A summary of findings and rec- 9 ommendations on the continued use of Cape 10 Canaveral Space Force Station and Vandenberg 11 Space Force Base for heavy and super heavy 12 space launches. 13 (C) A detailed analysis of alternate launch 14 sites, including strategic, operational, and fi- 15 nancial considerations. 16 (D) Policy recommendations for addressing 17 infrastructure needs, environmental concerns, 18 and regulatory challenges for heavy and super 19 heavy space launch operations. 20 (E) A summary of stakeholder input and 21 any proposed legislative or regulatory changes 22 based on the findings of the study. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00751 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 752 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1503. ACQUISITION AND OPERATION OF SPACE SYS- 1 TEMS FOR SPACE WARFIGHTING AND CON- 2 TROL. 3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall ac- 4 quire and operate space systems to be used primarily for 5 space warfighting and control to meet the requirements 6 specified by one or more combatant commanders in car- 7 rying out the responsibilities set forth in section 164 of 8 title 10, United States Code. 9 (b) ROLE OF COMMERCIAL SPACE SYSTEMS.—One or 10 more commercial space systems may be used to augment 11 the space systems acquired and operated under subsection 12 (a). 13 (c) NATIONAL SECURITY WAIVER.— 14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may waive 15 the application of subsection (a) if the Secretary de- 16 termines that such a waiver is in the national secu- 17 rity interest of the United States. 18 (2) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 10 days 19 after exercising the waiver authority under para- 20 graph (a), the Secretary shall submit to the congres- 21 sional defense committees a notification of the use of 22 such authority that includes— 23 (A) a description of the national security 24 interest upon which the exercise of such author- 25 ity is based; 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00752 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 753 •S 2296 RS (B) the anticipated vulnerabilities to na- 1 tional security posed by the use of such waiver; 2 and 3 (C) the anticipated duration of such waiv- 4 er. 5 SEC. 1504. BLAST DAMAGE ASSESSMENT GUIDE FOR SPACE 6 VEHICLES AT AIR FORCE LAUNCH COM- 7 PLEXES. 8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 9 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 10 Air Force shall publish a liquid oxygen and methane blast 11 damage assessment guide for space launch vehicles at Air 12 Force launch complexes. 13 (b) NOTICE AND BRIEFING.—Not later than 30 days 14 after the date on which the assessment guide required by 15 subsection (a) is published, the Secretary shall— 16 (1) notify the congressional defense committees 17 of such publication; and 18 (2) provide the congressional defense commit- 19 tees with a briefing on the contents of the assess- 20 ment guide. 21 (c) WAIVER.— 22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may waive 23 the one-year publication timeline under subsection 24 (a) for national security purposes, or if the Sec- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00753 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 754 •S 2296 RS retary determines that such timeline is impractical, 1 if the Secretary notifies the congressional defense 2 committees with respect to an alternate date on 3 which the publication shall occur. 4 (2) LIMITATION.—The Secretary may exercise 5 the waiver authority under paragraph (1) not more 6 than once. 7 SEC. 1505. ACQUISITION OF SPACE-BASED TACTICAL DATA 8 CAPABILITY. 9 (a) FINDING.—Congress finds that robust competi- 10 tion in the space industrial base is essential to ensuring 11 United States space superiority and the ability of the 12 United States Space Force to provide national security 13 mission-critical space warfighting systems and operations 14 across the joint force. 15 (b) REQUIREMENT TO MAXIMIZE COMPETITION.— 16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 135 of title 10, 17 United States Code, is amended by adding at the 18 end the following new section: 19 ‘‘§ 2279e. Contracting for space-based functional data 20 capability 21 ‘‘The head of an agency shall, to the maximum extent 22 practicable, ensure that— 23 ‘‘(1) space acquisitions employ procedures that 24 maximize competition; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00754 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 755 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(2) mission-critical national security space- 1 based systems that deliver space-based tactical data 2 within a program and across the armed forces shall, 3 to the greatest extent practicable, be procured from 4 an open competition allowing for competition be- 5 tween multiple vendors, and the products of such 6 vendors shall comply with interfaces and standards 7 that maximize resilience and interoperability with 8 Department of Defense systems.’’. 9 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of 10 sections for chapter 135 of title 10, United States 11 Code, is amended by adding at the end the following 12 new item: 13 ‘‘2279e. Contracting for space-based functional data capability.’’. SEC. 1506. USE OF MIDDLE TIER ACQUISITION PROGRAM 14 FOR PROLIFERATED WARFIGHTER SPACE AR- 15 CHITECTURE OF THE SPACE DEVELOPMENT 16 AGENCY. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Space Devel- 18 opment Agency shall use a middle tier acquisition program 19 for the rapid fielding of satellites and associated systems 20 for each of the following tranches of the of the proliferated 21 warfighter space architecture of the Agency: 22 (1) Tranch 4. 23 (2) Tranch 5. 24 (3) Tranch 6. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00755 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 756 •S 2296 RS (b) RAPID PROTOTYPING AND FIELDING.—Any 1 tranche of satellites or associated systems developed and 2 fielded under subsection (a) shall have a level of maturity 3 that allows such satellites or systems to be rapidly 4 prototyped within an acquisition program or rapidly field- 5 ed within five years of the development of an approved 6 requirement for such satellites or systems. 7 (c) DESIGNATION AS MAJOR CAPABILITY ACQUISI- 8 TION.— 9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary of De- 10 fense for Acquisition and Sustainment may des- 11 ignate a tranche described in subsection (a) as a 12 major capability acquisition program consistent with 13 Department of Defense Instruction 5000.85, titled 14 ‘‘Major Capability Acquisition’’ and issued on Au- 15 gust 6, 2020 (or a successor instruction). 16 (2) NOTICE TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 90 17 days before the date on which a designation under 18 paragraph (1) is made, the Under Secretary of De- 19 fense for Acquisition and Sustainment shall notify 20 the congressional defense committees of the intent of 21 the Under Secretary to make such designation and 22 include with such notice a justification for such des- 23 ignation. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00756 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 757 •S 2296 RS (d) SPACE ACQUISITION COUNCIL REVIEW AND 1 WAIVER.— 2 (1) REVIEW.—In accordance with section 9021 3 of title 10, United States Code, the Space Acquisi- 4 tion Council shall review each tranch described sub- 5 section (a) to ensure integration across the national 6 security space enterprise. 7 (2) WAIVER.—The Space Acquisition Council 8 may waive the requirements of subsection (a) with 9 respect to a tranch or portion of a tranch described 10 in such subsection if the Council— 11 (A) on the basis of the review conducted 12 under paragraph (1), determines that the use of 13 a middle tier acquisition program is not war- 14 ranted for such tranch or portion thereof; and 15 (B) not later than 14 days after making 16 such determination, submits to the congres- 17 sional defense committees notice of the intent of 18 the Council to issue such a waiver. 19 (e) MIDDLE TIER ACQUISITION PROGRAM DE- 20 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘middle tier acquisition 21 program’’ means an acquisition program or project that 22 is carried out using the rapid fielding or rapid prototyping 23 acquisition pathway under section 3602 of title 10, United 24 States Code, in a manner consistent with Department of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00757 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 758 •S 2296 RS Defense Instruction 5000.80, titled ‘‘Operation of the 1 Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA)’’ and issued on Decem- 2 ber 30, 2019 (or a successor instruction). 3 SEC. 1507. CONTINUATION OF OPERATION OF DEFENSE ME- 4 TEOROLOGICAL SATELLITE PROGRAM. 5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall 6 continue to operate the Defense Meteorological Satellite 7 Program until the end of the functional life of the sat- 8 ellites in orbit as of the date of the enactment of this Act 9 under such program. 10 (b) BRIEFING.—Not later than 60 days after the date 11 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 12 shall provide to the congressional defense committees a 13 briefing on— 14 (1) the status of the Defense Meteorological 15 Satellite Program; 16 (2) the requirements, capabilities, and costs for 17 such program for fiscal year 2026; and 18 (3) the projected costs— 19 (A) to carry out such program for the 20 functional life of the satellites in orbit as of the 21 date of the enactment of this Act under such 22 program; and 23 (B) to replace the satellite functions under 24 such program. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00758 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 759 •S 2296 RS Subtitle B—Nuclear Forces 1 SEC. 1511. MATTERS RELATING TO INTERCONTINENTAL 2 BALLISTIC MISSILES OF THE UNITED STATES. 3 (a) INITIAL OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY.—Not later 4 than September 30, 2033, and subject to the availability 5 of appropriations for such purpose, the Secretary of De- 6 fense, acting through the Secretary of the Air Force, shall 7 ensure the LGM-35A Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic 8 Missile weapon system achieves initial operational capa- 9 bility, as defined jointly by the Commander of United 10 States Strategic Command and the Commander of Air 11 Force Global Strike Command. 12 (b) INVENTORY REQUIREMENT.—Section 9062 of 13 title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 14 end the following new subsection: 15 ‘‘(n)(1) The Secretary of the Air Force shall maintain 16 a total inventory of intercontinental ballistic missiles suffi- 17 cient to ensure that no fewer than 400 such missiles are 18 available for deployment at all times. 19 ‘‘(2) Such intercontinental ballistic missiles shall be 20 deployed among no fewer than 150 launch facilities dis- 21 persed across each of the following locations (for a total 22 of no fewer than 450): 23 ‘‘(A) Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Lar- 24 amie County, Wyoming. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00759 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 760 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(B) Malmstrom Air Force Base, Cascade 1 County, Montana. 2 ‘‘(C) Minot Air Force Base, Ward County, 3 North Dakota. 4 ‘‘(3) In this subsection: 5 ‘‘(A) The term ‘intercontinental ballistic missile’ 6 means any combination of the LGM-30A Minuteman 7 intercontinental ballistic missile or the LGM-35A 8 Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile. 9 ‘‘(B) The term ‘deployed’ means armed with 10 one or more nuclear weapons and contained within 11 a launch facility and available for employment in 12 support of United States Strategic Command re- 13 quirements or presidentially directed operations.’’. 14 (c)(1) PROHIBITION.—Except as provided in para- 15 graph (2), none of the funds authorized to be appropriated 16 by this Act for fiscal year 2026 or otherwise made avail- 17 able for the Department of Defense may be obligated or 18 expended for the following, and the Department may not 19 otherwise take any action to do the following: 20 (A) Reduce, or prepare to reduce, the respon- 21 siveness or alert level of the intercontinental ballistic 22 missiles of the United States. 23 (B) Reduce, or prepare to reduce, the quantity 24 of deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles of the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00760 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 761 •S 2296 RS United States to a number less than that specified 1 by subsection (n) of section 9062 of title 10, United 2 States Code, as added by subsection (b). 3 (2) EXCEPTION.—The prohibition in paragraph (1) 4 shall not apply to any of the following activities: 5 (A) The maintenance or sustainment of inter- 6 continental ballistic missiles. 7 (B) Ensuring the safety, security, or reliability 8 of intercontinental ballistic missiles. 9 (C) Facilitating the transition from the LGM- 10 30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile 11 to the Sentinel LGM-35A intercontinental ballistic 12 missile. 13 SEC. 1512. MATTERS RELATING TO AIR FORCE GLOBAL 14 STRIKE COMMAND. 15 (a) RESTORATION.— 16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 17 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 18 of the Air Force shall reverse any changes made to 19 the manpower, composition, roles, or responsibilities 20 of the Air Force Global Strike Command related to 21 efforts to establish an Integrated Capabilities Office 22 or an Integrated Capabilities Command since Octo- 23 ber 1, 2023. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00761 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 762 •S 2296 RS (2) FUNDING LIMITATION.—Of the funds au- 1 thorized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise 2 made available for fiscal year 2026 for the Depart- 3 ment of the Air Force, not more than 75 percent 4 may be obligated or expended until the Secretary of 5 the Air Force notifies the congressional defense com- 6 mittees that the requirement described in paragraph 7 (1) has been completed. 8 (3) LIMITATION ON FUTURE ORGANIZATIONAL 9 CHANGES.—Neither the Secretary of the Air Force 10 nor the Chief of Staff of the Air Force may author- 11 ize any alterations or adjustments to the composi- 12 tion, roles, or responsibilities of Air Force Global 13 Strike Command in the development of requirements 14 relating to strategic deterrence or the execution of 15 Joint Forces Air Component Command operational 16 and planning support for the United States Stra- 17 tegic Command unless— 18 (A) the Secretary of Defense, jointly with 19 the Commander of United States Strategic 20 Command, certifies to the congressional defense 21 committees that such alterations or adjustments 22 will not adversely affect the missions of the 23 United States Strategic Command missions in 24 supporting the operational requirements of the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00762 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 763 •S 2296 RS United States Strategic Command or activities 1 of the Department of Defense to achieve presi- 2 dential nuclear employment guidance objectives; 3 and 4 (B) a period of not fewer than 180 days 5 elapse following such certification. 6 (b) OVERSIGHT OF NUCLEAR DETERRENCE MIS- 7 SION.—Section 9040(b) of title 10, United States Code, 8 is amended— 9 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 10 inserting ‘‘in coordination with the Commander of 11 Air Force Global Strike Command’’ after ‘‘duties’’; 12 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 13 paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; 14 (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol- 15 lowing new paragraph (2): 16 ‘‘(2) Coordinate with and support the activities 17 of Air Force Global Strike Command, the Air Force 18 Nuclear Systems Center, and any other applicable 19 Air Force organization in the sustainment and mod- 20 ernization of weapon systems associated with the nu- 21 clear deterrence mission of the Air Force.’’; 22 (4) in paragraph (4), as so redesignated, by 23 striking ‘‘and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force’’ 24 and inserting, ‘‘, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00763 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 764 •S 2296 RS and the Commander of Air Force Global Strike 1 Command.’’; and 2 (5) by adding at the end the following: 3 ‘‘(5) Represent Air Force nuclear deterrence 4 mission equities on behalf of the Chief of Staff of 5 the Air Force and the Commander of Air Force 6 Global Strike Command within the Nuclear Weapons 7 Council processes and other Department of Defense 8 fora, as appropriate.’’. 9 (c) ENDURING GUIDANCE.—Consistent with section 10 9040(b) of title 10, United States Code, as amended by 11 subsection (b), the provisions of Air Force Mission Direc- 12 tive 63, dated July 12, 2018, shall remain in force until 13 changed by law. 14 (d) UPDATE OF SUPPLEMENTARY GUIDANCE.—Not 15 later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this 16 Act, the Secretary of the Air Force shall issue an update 17 to Air Force Program Action Directive D16-01, dated Au- 18 gust 2, 2016, to reflect the requirements of this section. 19 SEC. 1513. ADJUSTMENT TO BOMBER AIRCRAFT NUCLEAR 20 CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT. 21 Section 211 of the National Defense Authorization 22 Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (Public Law 112–239) is amend- 23 ed to read as follows: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00764 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 765 •S 2296 RS ‘‘SEC. 211. B-21 BOMBER AIRCRAFT NUCLEAR CERTIFI- 1 CATION REQUIREMENT. 2 ‘‘The Secretary of the Air Force shall ensure that the 3 B-21 bomber is— 4 ‘‘(1) operationally certified to employ nuclear 5 gravity bombs not later than 180 days after the date 6 on which such aircraft achieves initial operational 7 capability; and 8 ‘‘(2) operationally certified to employ the AGM- 9 181 Long Range Standoff Weapon not later than 10 two years after the date on which either the B-21 11 bomber or the AGM-181 Long Range Standoff 12 Weapon achieves initial operational capability, 13 whichever is later.’’. 14 SEC. 1514. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS PEND- 15 ING ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ASSISTANT 16 SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR NUCLEAR DE- 17 TERRENCE, CHEMICAL, AND BIOLOGICAL DE- 18 FENSE POLICY AND PROGRAMS. 19 Of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this 20 Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for 21 Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide, to the Office 22 of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Of- 23 fice of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 24 Sustainment, not more than 50 percent may be obligated 25 or expended until the date on which the Secretary of De- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00765 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 766 •S 2296 RS fense notifies the congressional defense committees that 1 the Department of Defense has— 2 (1) updated all applicable regulations, polices, 3 and departmental guidance to reflect the establish- 4 ment of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of De- 5 fense for Nuclear Deterrence, Chemical, and Biologi- 6 cal Defense Policy and Programs; and 7 (2) realigned personnel, facilities, and budg- 8 etary resources to reflect the implementation of sec- 9 tion 138(b)(4) of title 10, United States Code. 10 SEC. 1515. ADJUSTMENT TO RESPONSIBILITIES OF NU- 11 CLEAR WEAPONS COUNCIL. 12 Section 179 of title 10, United States Code, is 13 amended— 14 (1) in subsection (a), in the first sentence, by 15 inserting ‘‘The Council shall be the primary mecha- 16 nism for integrating, streamlining, and ensuring 17 unity of purpose and direction for nuclear deterrence 18 related activities within the Department of Defense 19 and the Department of Energy.’’ after ‘‘Energy.’’; 20 (2) in subsection (c), by striking paragraph (3); 21 (3) in subsection (d)— 22 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 23 through (13) as paragraphs (2) through (14), 24 respectively; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00766 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 767 •S 2296 RS (B) by inserting before paragraph (2), as 1 so redesignated, the following: 2 ‘‘(1) Supervising nuclear deterrence activities of 3 the Department of Defense and the National Nu- 4 clear Security Administration, including oversight of 5 policy and resources, and developing options for ad- 6 justing the deterrence posture of the United States 7 in response to evolving international security condi- 8 tions.’’; 9 (C) by amending paragraph (6), as so re- 10 designated, to read as follows: 11 ‘‘(6) Evaluating safety, security, and control 12 issues for existing weapons and for proposed new 13 weapon program starts and approving adjustments 14 as required.’’; 15 (D) in paragraph (7), as so redesignated, 16 by striking ‘‘Ensuring that adequate consider- 17 ation is given to’’ and inserting ‘‘Approving’’; 18 (E) by amending paragraph (8), as so re- 19 designated, to read as follows: 20 ‘‘(8) Providing specific guidance regarding pri- 21 orities for research on— 22 ‘‘(A) nuclear weapon delivery systems and 23 platforms and priorities on military capability 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00767 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 768 •S 2296 RS development within the armed forces and the 1 broader Department of Defense; and 2 ‘‘(B) nuclear weapons and priorities among 3 activities, including production, surveillance, re- 4 search, construction, and any other programs 5 within the National Nuclear Security Adminis- 6 tration.’’; 7 (F) by amending paragraph (9), as so re- 8 designated, to read as follows: 9 ‘‘(9) Coordinating and approving activities con- 10 ducted by the Department of Defense and the De- 11 partment of Energy for the study, development, pro- 12 duction, and retirement of nuclear warheads and 13 weapon systems, including concept definition studies, 14 feasibility studies, engineering development, hard- 15 ware component fabrication, warhead and weapon 16 system production, and warhead retirement.’’; 17 (G) in paragraph (10), as so redesignated, 18 by inserting ‘‘and weapon system’’ after ‘‘war- 19 head’’; 20 (H) in paragraph (12), as so redesignated, 21 by inserting ‘‘and related weapon systems sup- 22 porting nuclear deterrence missions’’ after 23 ‘‘weapons’’; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00768 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 769 •S 2296 RS (I) in paragraph (14), as so redesig- 1 nated— 2 (i) by inserting ‘‘and approving’’ after 3 ‘‘Coordinating’’; and 4 (ii) by inserting ‘‘systems and’’ after 5 ‘‘delivery’’; and 6 (4) by amending subsection (f)(1) to read as 7 follows: 8 ‘‘(f) BUDGET AND FUNDING MATTERS.—(1) The 9 Council shall annually review the plans and budget of the 10 National Nuclear Security Administration and the Mili- 11 tary Services to assess whether such plans and budget 12 meet the current and projected requirements relating to 13 nuclear weapons and related weapon systems supporting 14 nuclear deterrence missions.’’. 15 SEC. 1516. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS PEND- 16 ING NOTIFICATION OF TASKING AUTHORITY 17 DELEGATION. 18 Of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this 19 Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for 20 Operation and Maintenance, Air Force, and available to 21 the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force for travel pur- 22 poses, not more than 50 percent may be obligated or ex- 23 pended until the date on which the Secretary of Defense 24 notifies the congressional defense committees that the del- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00769 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 770 •S 2296 RS egation of authority described in section 1638(e) of the 1 James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for 2 Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263; 136 Stat. 2941) 3 has been completed. 4 SEC. 1517. MODIFICATION OF REQUIREMENT FOR NU- 5 CLEAR-ARMED, SEA-LAUNCHED CRUISE MIS- 6 SILE INITIAL OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY. 7 Section 1640 of the National Defense Authorization 8 Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 9 595) is amended— 10 (1) by redesignating subsections (b), (c), (d), 11 (e), (f), and (g), as subsections (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), 12 and (h), respectively; 13 (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol- 14 lowing new subsection (b): 15 ‘‘(b) RAPID FIELDING PARALLEL PATH.—In parallel 16 to the major defense acquisition program described in sub- 17 section (a), the Department of Defense is authorized to 18 utilize the middle tier acquisition authorities established 19 by section 3602 of title 10, United States Code, to rapidly 20 develop, prototype, and field a nuclear-armed, sea- 21 launched cruise missile that can provide for a residual 22 operational capability prior to the date of initial oper- 23 ational capability established by subsection (c).’’; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00770 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 771 •S 2296 RS (3) in subsection (c), as so redesignated, by 1 striking ‘‘2034’’ and inserting ‘‘2032’’. 2 SEC. 1518. PILOT PROGRAM FOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHI- 3 CLE RESUPPLY TO LAUNCH CONTROL FA- 4 CILITIES. 5 (a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary of the Air 6 Force, in coordination with the Commander of the Air 7 Force Global Strike Command, is authorized to carry out 8 a pilot program under which the Secretary may establish 9 a partnership to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of 10 implementing a low cost and repeatable resupply of inter- 11 continental ballistic missile launch facilities or control cen- 12 ters using unmanned aircraft systems. 13 (b) ELEMENTS.—If the Secretary carries out the 14 pilot program authorized under subsection (a), such pilot 15 program shall include— 16 (1) demonstration flights conducted in unre- 17 stricted airspace, including the transportation of 18 cargo, from a main Air Force Base to interconti- 19 nental ballistic missile launch facilities or control 20 centers; 21 (2) consultation with the Administrator of the 22 Federal Aviation Administration and the heads of 23 other Federal agencies, as the Secretary determines 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00771 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 772 •S 2296 RS appropriate, to facilitate the flights described in 1 paragraph (1); 2 (3) the use of existing technology to the great- 3 est extent possible; 4 (4) an evaluation of the potential of unmanned 5 aircraft systems to resupply intercontinental ballistic 6 missile launch facilities or control centers more effi- 7 ciently than ground-based resupply methods; and 8 (5) the incorporation, implementation, and utili- 9 zation of unmanned aircraft system service supplier 10 airspace system integration services for enhanced 11 safety, awareness, and command and control. 12 (c) TERMINATION.—The authorization to carry out 13 the pilot program under subsection (a) shall terminate on 14 the date that is 3 years after the date on which the Sec- 15 retary establishes such a pilot program. 16 (d) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than December 1 17 of each year in which the pilot program authorized under 18 subsection (a) is carried out, the Secretary of the Air 19 Force shall submit to the congressional defense commit- 20 tees a report summarizing the activities of the pilot pro- 21 gram during the preceding year, including information on 22 how the pilot program is supporting Air Force Global 23 Strike Command requirements. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00772 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 773 •S 2296 RS (e) BRIEFING ON REFINING LEGISLATION.—Not 1 later than 180 days after the establishment of a pilot pro- 2 gram authorized under subsection (a), the Secretary of the 3 Air Force shall brief the congressional defense committees 4 on any statutory adjustments required to enable or con- 5 tinue the efficient execution of such pilot program. 6 (f) DEFINITION OF INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC 7 MISSILE LAUNCH FACILITY OR CONTROL CENTER.—In 8 this section, the term ‘‘intercontinental ballistic missile 9 launch facility or control center’’ has the meaning given 10 that term in section 183a(h) of title 10, United States 11 Code. 12 SEC. 1519. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS PEND- 13 ING COMMENCEMENT OF ANNUAL BRIEF- 14 INGS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF REC- 15 OMMENDATIONS BY THE CONGRESSIONAL 16 COMMISSION ON THE STRATEGIC POSTURE 17 OF THE UNITED STATES. 18 Of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this 19 Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for 20 Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide, to the Office 21 of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 22 Sustainment, not more than 90 percent may be obligated 23 or expended until the date on which the Under Secretary 24 of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment completes the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00773 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 774 •S 2296 RS first annual briefing to the congressional defense commit- 1 tees required by section 1637 of the Servicemember Qual- 2 ity of Life Improvement and National Defense Authoriza- 3 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159). 4 SEC. 1520. DEEP CLEANING OF LAUNCH CONTROL CEN- 5 TERS OF THE AIR FORCE GLOBAL STRIKE 6 COMMAND. 7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Air Force, 8 acting through the Commander of the Air Force Global 9 Strike Command, shall ensure that each launch control 10 center within the 3 missile wings comprising the 20th Air 11 Force undergoes a deep cleaning of its crew capsules every 12 5 years until each such launch control center is decommis- 13 sioned by the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile 14 program. 15 (b) WAIVER.—The Commander of the Air Force 16 Global Strike Command may waive the deep cleaning of 17 a particular launch control center based upon conditions 18 that are unforeseen, impracticable, or due to national se- 19 curity. If such a waiver is exercised, the Commander shall 20 report to the congressional defense committees the par- 21 ticular launch control center that is waived and when such 22 launch control center is expected to be deep cleaned. 23 (c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Each fiscal year, the Sec- 24 retary of the Air Force shall submit to the congressional 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00774 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 775 •S 2296 RS defense committees a report that identifies each launch 1 control center that was deep cleaned during such fiscal 2 year and any additional matters of concern with respect 3 to the launch control centers. 4 SEC. 1521. LIMITATION ON COMPENSATION CAPS. 5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Unless authorized by an Act of 6 Congress, no action shall be taken to establish or imple- 7 ment a requirement to establish a cap on reimbursement 8 of compensation and benefits for non-federal employees 9 under contract with the National Nuclear Security Admin- 10 istration or employees of any Federally-funded research 11 and development center supporting— 12 (1) any atomic energy defense activity, as de- 13 fined in section 2 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act 14 of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101); 15 (2) the sustainment and modernization of— 16 (A) nuclear weapons delivery systems and 17 platforms of the Department of Defense; 18 (B) nuclear command, control, and com- 19 munications systems of the Department; or 20 (C) any infrastructure associated with sub- 21 paragraph (A) or (B); or 22 (3) the development, testing, or fielding of tech- 23 nologies supporting the Golden Dome missile defense 24 system. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00775 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 776 •S 2296 RS (b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec- 1 tion shall be construed to affect or limit the application 2 of, or any obligation to comply with, the requirements of 3 section 3744(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code, or 4 section 4304(a)(16) of title 41, United States Code. 5 Subtitle C—Missile Defense 6 SEC. 1531. MATTERS RELATING TO THE GOLDEN DOME MIS- 7 SILE DEFENSE SYSTEM. 8 (a) REVISION TO NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE POL- 9 ICY.—Section 5501 of title 10, United States Code, is 10 amended— 11 (1) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2); and 12 (2) by adding at the end the following new 13 paragraphs: ‘‘ 14 ‘‘(1) to provide for the common defense of citi- 15 zens of the United States and the United States by 16 deploying and maintaining a next-generation missile 17 defense shield; 18 ‘‘(2) to deter and defend the United States, citi- 19 zens of the United States, and critical infrastructure 20 of the United States, against the threat of foreign 21 attack by increasingly complex ballistic, hypersonic 22 glide, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial 23 threats; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00776 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 777 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(3) to guarantee the viability of an effective 1 nuclear response capability and support the contin- 2 ued deterrence of strategic attacks against the 3 homeland of the United States; and 4 ‘‘(4) to cooperate on missile defense capabilities 5 and technologies with allies and partners of the 6 United States to aid in the defense of allied and 7 partner populations and forward-deployed armed 8 forces of the United States.’’. 9 (b) ANNUAL BRIEFING ON GOLDEN DOME MISSILE 10 DEFENSE SYSTEM.— 11 (1) BRIEFINGS REQUIRED.—Concurrent with 12 the first submission to Congress of a budget pursu- 13 ant to section 1105(a) of title 31, United States 14 Code, after the date of the enactment of this Act, 15 and with each submission of a budget to Congress 16 pursuant to such section until the Secretary of De- 17 fense determines that the Golden Dome missile de- 18 fense system achieves full operational capability, the 19 Secretary shall provide to the congressional defense 20 committees a briefing on the development and de- 21 ployment of the Golden Dome missile defense sys- 22 tem. 23 (2) ELEMENTS.—Each briefing under para- 24 graph (1) shall cover the following: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00777 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 778 •S 2296 RS (A) The current architecture of the Golden 1 Dome missile defense system as compared to 2 the prior year. 3 (B) A consolidated list of funds estimated 4 within the most recent future-years defense pro- 5 gram under section 221 of title 10, United 6 States Code, for the Golden Dome missile de- 7 fense system as compared to the prior fiscal 8 year, including with respect to— 9 (i) missile defense and defeat systems; 10 (ii) missile defense interceptors; 11 (iii) missile warning and tracking sys- 12 tems; 13 (iv) network and communications sys- 14 tems; 15 (v) research, development, test, and 16 evaluation; 17 (vi) software development; 18 (vii) military construction; 19 (viii) operations and maintenance, in- 20 cluding advanced planning and infrastruc- 21 ture sustainment, renovation, and mainte- 22 nance funds; 23 (ix) civilian and military personnel; 24 and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00778 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 779 •S 2296 RS (x) such other matters as the Sec- 1 retary considers appropriate. 2 (3) MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS.—Each briefing under 3 paragraph (1) shall include notable highlights and 4 changes affecting the progress towards initial and 5 full operational capability of the Golden Dome mis- 6 sile defense system. 7 (c) REPLACEMENT OF MISSILE INSTRUMENTATION 8 RANGE SAFETY VESSELS.— 9 (1) IN GENERAL.—(A) Beginning not later than 10 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 11 the Director of the Missile Defense Agency shall ini- 12 tiate such actions as are necessary to establish and 13 ensure the validation of requirements for two re- 14 placement missile instrumentation range safety ves- 15 sels for the National Defense Reserve Fleet to allow 16 for the construction of such vessels to begin no later 17 than September 30, 2026. 18 (B) The Director shall, in coordination with 19 such Department of Defense officials as the Director 20 considers necessary to carry out subparagraph (A), 21 consult with the Maritime Administrator regarding 22 options to enter into an agreement with a vessel con- 23 struction manager, or other appropriate entity, to 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00779 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 780 •S 2296 RS contract for the construction of the vessels under 1 subparagraph (A). 2 (2) USE OF VESSEL.—A vessel constructed pur- 3 suant to this subsection shall be available for use by 4 other Federal agencies on a reimbursable basis, pro- 5 vided such usage does not— 6 (A) interfere with or delay Department of 7 Defense testing requirements; 8 (B) impede activities to maintain the oper- 9 ational availability of such vessel or any instru- 10 mentation onboard; or 11 (C) result in deferment of any modifica- 12 tions, maintenance, or upgrades to such vessel 13 or onboard instrumentation the Director deter- 14 mines necessary to meet current or future De- 15 partment requirements. 16 (3) CONSTRUCTION AND DOCUMENTATION RE- 17 QUIREMENTS.—The Director shall take such steps 18 as may be necessary to ensure a vessel constructed 19 pursuant to this section meets the requirements for 20 and be issued a certificate of documentation and a 21 coastwise endorsement under chapter 121 of title 46, 22 United States Code. 23 (4) DESIGN STANDARDS AND CONSTRUCTION 24 PRACTICES.—Subject to paragraph (3), the Director 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00780 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 781 •S 2296 RS shall take such steps as necessary to ensure a vessel 1 constructed pursuant to this section shall be con- 2 structed using commercial design standards and 3 commercial construction practices that are consistent 4 with the best interests of the Federal Government. 5 (5) CONSULTATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL EN- 6 TITIES.—The Director may consult and coordinate 7 with other Federal entities regarding the vessels de- 8 scribed in paragraph (1) and activities associated 9 with such vessels, including requirements for addi- 10 tional, similar vessels. 11 (6) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR USED 12 VESSELS.—In assessing options for amounts author- 13 ized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise 14 made available for use by the Director to carry out 15 this section may not be used for the procurement of 16 any used vessel. 17 (d) ESTABLISHMENT OF GOLDEN DOME DIRECT RE- 18 PORTING PROGRAM MANAGER.—The provisions of the 19 Secretary of Defense memorandum titled ‘‘Direct Report- 20 ing Program Manager Appointment for Golden Dome for 21 America’’ and dated May 27, 2025, shall remain in force 22 until changed by law. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00781 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 782 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1532. INCLUSION OF HAWAII AND ALASKA IN PLANS 1 FOR IRON DOME FOR AMERICA. 2 (a) IN GENERAL.—In complying with Executive 3 Order 14186 (90 Fed. Reg. 8767; relating to The Iron 4 Dome for America), the Secretary of Defense shall ensure 5 that plans, reviews, strategies, and capabilities to improve 6 missile defense of the United States also include improve- 7 ments for the missile defense of Hawaii and Alaska, in 8 addition to the continental United States. 9 (b) BRIEFING.—Not later than 90 days after the date 10 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall brief the 11 congressional defense committees on the progress of im- 12 plementing Executive Order 14186, including specifically 13 how missile defense of Hawaii and Alaska is included. 14 (c) DEFINITION OF MISSILE DEFENSE.—In this sec- 15 tion, the term ‘‘missile defense’’ means defense against all 16 manner of aerial and space kinetic attacks, including bal- 17 listic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced 18 aerial attacks. 19 SEC. 1533. INCLUSION OF AIR AND MISSILE DEFENSE IN 20 UNCONSTRAINED TOTAL MUNITIONS RE- 21 QUIREMENTS. 22 Section 222c(c) of title 10, United States Code, is 23 amended— 24 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (5) through 25 (8) as paragraphs (6) through (9), respectively; and 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00782 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 783 •S 2296 RS (2) by inserting after paragraph (4) the fol- 1 lowing new paragraph (5): 2 ‘‘(5) Air and Missile Defense.’’. 3 SEC. 1534. IRON DOME SHORT-RANGE ROCKET DEFENSE 4 SYSTEM AND ISRAELI COOPERATIVE MISSILE 5 DEFENSE PROGRAM CO-DEVELOPMENT AND 6 CO-PRODUCTION. 7 (a) IRON DOME SHORT-RANGE ROCKET DEFENSE 8 SYSTEM.— 9 (1) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Of the funds 10 authorized to be appropriated by this Act for fiscal 11 year 2026 for procurement, Defense-wide, and avail- 12 able for the Missile Defense Agency, not more than 13 $60,000,000 may be provided to the Government of 14 Israel to procure components for the Iron Dome 15 short-range rocket defense system through co-pro- 16 duction of such components in the United States by 17 industry of the United States. 18 (2) CONDITIONS.— 19 (A) AGREEMENT.—Funds described in 20 paragraph (1) for the Iron Dome short-range 21 rocket defense program shall be available sub- 22 ject to the terms and conditions in the Agree- 23 ment Between the Department of Defense of 24 the United States of America and the Ministry 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00783 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 784 •S 2296 RS of Defense of the State of Israel Concerning 1 Iron Dome Defense System Procurement, 2 signed on March 5, 2014, as amended to in- 3 clude co-production for Tamir interceptors. 4 (B) CERTIFICATION.—Not later than 30 5 days prior to the initial obligation of funds de- 6 scribed in paragraph (1), the Under Secretary 7 of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment 8 shall submit to the appropriate congressional 9 committees— 10 (i) a certification that the amended bi- 11 lateral international agreement specified in 12 subparagraph (A) is being implemented as 13 provided in such agreement; 14 (ii) an assessment detailing any risks 15 relating to the implementation of such 16 agreement; and 17 (iii) for system improvements result- 18 ing in modified Iron Dome components 19 and Tamir interceptor sub-components, a 20 certification that the Government of Israel 21 has demonstrated successful completion of 22 Production Readiness Reviews, including 23 the validation of production lines, the 24 verification of component conformance, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00784 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 785 •S 2296 RS and the verification of performance to 1 specification as defined in the Iron Dome 2 Defense System Procurement Agreement, 3 as further amended. 4 (b) ISRAELI COOPERATIVE MISSILE DEFENSE PRO- 5 GRAM, DAVID’S SLING WEAPON SYSTEM CO-PRODUC- 6 TION.— 7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (3), of 8 the funds authorized to be appropriated for fiscal 9 year 2026 for procurement, Defense-wide, and avail- 10 able for the Missile Defense Agency not more than 11 $40,000,000 may be provided to the Government of 12 Israel to procure the David’s Sling Weapon System, 13 including for co-production of parts and components 14 in the United States by United States industry. 15 (2) AGREEMENT.—Provision of funds specified 16 in paragraph (1) shall be subject to the terms and 17 conditions in the bilateral co-production agreement, 18 including— 19 (A) a one-for-one cash match is made by 20 Israel or in another matching amount that oth- 21 erwise meets best efforts (as mutually agreed to 22 by the United States and Israel); and 23 (B) co-production of parts, components, 24 and all-up rounds (if appropriate) in the United 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00785 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 786 •S 2296 RS States by United States industry for the Da- 1 vid’s Sling Weapon System is not less than 50 2 percent. 3 (3) CERTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT.—The 4 Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 5 Sustainment shall submit to the appropriate con- 6 gressional committees— 7 (A) a certification that the Government of 8 Israel has demonstrated the successful comple- 9 tion of the knowledge points, technical mile- 10 stones, and Production Readiness Reviews re- 11 quired by the research, development, and tech- 12 nology agreement and the bilateral co-produc- 13 tion agreement for the David’s Sling Weapon 14 System; and 15 (B) an assessment detailing any risks re- 16 lating to the implementation of such agreement. 17 (c) ISRAELI COOPERATIVE MISSILE DEFENSE PRO- 18 GRAM, ARROW 3 UPPER TIER INTERCEPTOR PROGRAM 19 CO-PRODUCTION.— 20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), of 21 the funds authorized to be appropriated for fiscal 22 year 2026 for procurement, Defense-wide, and avail- 23 able for the Missile Defense Agency not more than 24 $100,000,000 may be provided to the Government of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00786 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 787 •S 2296 RS Israel for the Arrow 3 Upper Tier Interceptor Pro- 1 gram, including for co-production of parts and com- 2 ponents in the United States by United States in- 3 dustry. 4 (2) CERTIFICATION.—The Under Secretary of 5 Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment shall sub- 6 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a 7 certification that— 8 (A) the Government of Israel has dem- 9 onstrated the successful completion of the 10 knowledge points, technical milestones, and 11 Production Readiness Reviews required by the 12 research, development, and technology agree- 13 ment for the Arrow 3 Upper Tier Interceptor 14 Program; 15 (B) funds specified in paragraph (1) will 16 be provided on the basis of a one-for-one cash 17 match made by Israel or in another matching 18 amount that otherwise meets best efforts (as 19 mutually agreed to by the United States and 20 Israel); 21 (C) the United States has entered into a 22 bilateral international agreement with Israel 23 that establishes, with respect to the use of such 24 funds— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00787 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 788 •S 2296 RS (i) in accordance with subparagraph 1 (D), the terms of co-production of parts 2 and components on the basis of the great- 3 est practicable co-production of parts, com- 4 ponents, and all-up rounds (if appropriate) 5 by United States industry and minimizes 6 nonrecurring engineering and facilitization 7 expenses to the costs needed for co-produc- 8 tion; 9 (ii) complete transparency on the re- 10 quirement of Israel for the number of 11 interceptors and batteries that will be pro- 12 cured, including with respect to the pro- 13 curement plans, acquisition strategy, and 14 funding profiles of Israel; 15 (iii) technical milestones for co-pro- 16 duction of parts and components and pro- 17 curement; 18 (iv) a joint affordability working 19 group to consider cost reduction initiatives; 20 and 21 (v) joint approval processes for third- 22 party sales; and 23 (D) the level of co-production described in 24 subparagraph (C)(i) for the Arrow 3 Upper 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00788 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 789 •S 2296 RS Tier Interceptor Program is not less than 50 1 percent. 2 (d) NUMBER.—In carrying out paragraph (2) of sub- 3 section (b) and paragraph (2) of subsection (c), the Under 4 Secretary may submit— 5 (1) one certification covering both the David’s 6 Sling Weapon System and the Arrow 3 Upper Tier 7 Interceptor Program; or 8 (2) separate certifications for each respective 9 system. 10 (e) TIMING.—The Under Secretary shall submit to 11 the congressional defense committees the certification and 12 assessment under subsection (b)(3) and the certification 13 under subsection (c)(2) not later than 30 days before the 14 funds specified in paragraph (1) of subsections (b) and 15 (c) for the respective system covered by the certification 16 are provided to the Government of Israel. 17 (f) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE- 18 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres- 19 sional committees’’ means the following: 20 (1) The congressional defense committees. 21 (2) The Committee on Foreign Relations of the 22 Senate. 23 (3) The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 24 House of Representatives. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00789 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 790 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1535. REQUIREMENT FOR AEGIS COMBAT SYSTEMS 1 OPERATIONALLY DEPLOYED UNDER UNITED 2 STATES INDO-PACIFIC COMMAND. 3 (a) REQUIREMENT.—Any removal of the Aegis Guam 4 Combat System from the Indo-Pacific Command area of 5 responsibility (currently sited on Guam) shall be con- 6 sistent with section 162(a) of title 10, United States Code, 7 using procedures outlined under Chairman of the Joint 8 Chiefs of Staff Manual 3130.06D (relating to global force 9 management allocation policies and procedures), or suc- 10 cessor document. 11 (b) NOTICE.—In any case in which a removal de- 12 scribed in subsection (a) is carried out, the Chairman of 13 the Joint Chiefs of Staff shall submit to the congressional 14 defense committees notice of the removal not later than 15 10 days after the date of the commencement of the re- 16 moval. 17 SEC. 1536. AMENDMENTS TO TECHNICAL AUTHORITY OF DI- 18 RECTOR OF MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY RE- 19 GARDING INTEGRATED AIR AND MISSILE DE- 20 FENSE ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS. 21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 5531 of 22 title 10, United States Code, is amended— 23 (1) by inserting ‘‘system level architectures,’’ 24 before ‘‘the interfaces’’; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00790 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 791 •S 2296 RS (2) by inserting a comma after ‘‘of such activi- 1 ties and programs’’. 2 (b) TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS.—Subsection (b) of 3 such section is amended— 4 (1) in paragraph (1)— 5 (A) by striking ‘‘under paragraph (1)’’ and 6 inserting ‘‘under subsection (a)’’; and 7 (B) by striking ‘‘with subparagraph (B)’’ 8 and inserting ‘‘with paragraph (2)’’; and 9 (2) in paragraph (2)— 10 (A) by striking ‘‘under subparagraph (A)’’ 11 and inserting ‘‘under paragraph (1)’’; and 12 (B) by striking ‘‘under paragraph (1)’’ and 13 inserting ‘‘under subsection (a)’’. 14 SEC. 1537. ASSESSMENT OF THE RONALD REAGAN BAL- 15 LISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE TEST SITE. 16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Consistent with section 4173(i) of 17 title 10, United States Code, the Director of the Depart- 18 ment of Defense Test Resource Management Center shall, 19 not later than March 31 of each year until March 31, 20 2030— 21 (1) visit the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile 22 Defense Test Site and assess the state of infrastruc- 23 ture supporting test and evaluation facilities of the 24 Department of Defense; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00791 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 792 •S 2296 RS (2) not later than 30 days after a visit under 1 paragraph (1), provide the congressional defense 2 committees a briefing on the findings of the Director 3 with respect to such visit and assessment. 4 (b) DELEGATION.—The Director may delegate a visit 5 under subsection (a)(1) to a senior staff member of the 6 Test Resource Management Center 30 days after notifica- 7 tion to the congressional defense committees of the intent 8 of the Director to make such delegation. 9 SEC. 1538. BIENNIAL ASSESSMENTS OF THE RONALD 10 REAGAN BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE TEST 11 SITE. 12 (a) BIENNIAL ASSESSMENTS.—In 2027 and in each 13 odd-numbered year thereafter through 2033, the Com- 14 mander of the United States Strategic Command shall, 15 in coordination with the Commander of the United States 16 Space Command, the Commander of the United States 17 Indo-Pacific Command, and the commanders of such other 18 combatant commands as the Commander of the United 19 States Strategic Command considers appropriate, assess 20 the capabilities and capacity, including supporting infra- 21 structure, of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense 22 Test Site (RRBMDTS) on United States Army Garrison 23 Kwajalein Atoll to meet the operational and weapon sys- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00792 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 793 •S 2296 RS tem developmental testing needs of the combatant com- 1 mands. 2 (b) REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE AND 3 THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF.—Not 4 later than February 28 of each even-numbered year fol- 5 lowing a year for which an assessment under subsection 6 (a) is completed, the Commander of the United States 7 Strategic Command shall submit to the Secretary of De- 8 fense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff a re- 9 port containing— 10 (1) the findings of the Commander with respect 11 to the assessment; 12 (2) an identification and discussion of any ca- 13 pability or capacity gap or other shortfall with re- 14 spect to the operational and testing needs described 15 in subsection (a); 16 (3) an identification and discussion of any risks 17 with respect to meeting current and future mission 18 or capability requirements; and 19 (4) an identification and discussion of any mat- 20 ter having an adverse effect on the capability of the 21 combatant commanders to accurately determine the 22 matters covered by the assessment. 23 (c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than March 24 15 of each year during which a report under subsection 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00793 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 794 •S 2296 RS (b) is submitted, the Secretary shall submit to the con- 1 gressional defense committees the report most recently re- 2 ceived by the Secretary under subsection (b), without any 3 edits and with such additional views as the Secretary or 4 the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff consider appro- 5 priate. 6 SEC. 1539. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 7 OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY OF DE- 8 FENSE FOR ACQUISITION AND SUSTAINMENT 9 PENDING COMMENCEMENT OF ANNUAL 10 BRIEFINGS ON MISSILE DEFENSE OF GUAM. 11 Of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this 12 Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for 13 Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide, for the Office 14 of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 15 Sustainment, not more than 90 percent may be obligated 16 or expended until the date on which the Under Secretary 17 of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment completes the 18 first annual briefing to the congressional defense commit- 19 tees required by section 1648 of the Servicemember Qual- 20 ity of Life Improvement and National Defense Authoriza- 21 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159). 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00794 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 795 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1540. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 1 MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY PENDING AR- 2 RANGEMENT FOR INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS 3 OF SPACE-BASED MISSILE DEFENSE CAPA- 4 BILITY. 5 Of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this 6 Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for 7 Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide, for the Missile 8 Defense Agency, not more than 90 percent may be obli- 9 gated or expended until the date on which the Director 10 of the Missile Defense Agency enters into an arrangement 11 in accordance with section 1671(a) of the National De- 12 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 13 118–31) and notifies the congressional defense committees 14 of such arrangement. 15 SEC. 1541. LIMITATION ON AUTHORITY TO REDUCE 16 SUSTAINMENT FOR OR HALT OPERATION OF 17 THE AN/FPS–108 COBRA DANE RADAR. 18 (a) LIMITATION.—Until the date on which the certifi- 19 cation described in subsection (b) is submitted to the con- 20 gressional defense committees, the Secretary of Defense— 21 (1) may not reduce sustainment efforts for, halt 22 operation of, or prepare to reduce sustainment ef- 23 forts for or halt operation of, the AN/FPS–108 24 COBRA DANE radar located at Eareckson Air Sta- 25 tion on Shemya Island in Alaska; 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00795 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 796 •S 2296 RS (2) shall sustain the AN/FPS–108 COBRA 1 DANE radar in a manner that preserves, at a min- 2 imum, the system’s current operational availability 3 as of the date of the enactment of this Act; and 4 (3) shall ensure that the AN/FPS–108 COBRA 5 DANE radar continues to meet the operational re- 6 quirements of the combatant commands that are 7 met by this system as of the date of the enactment 8 of this Act. 9 (b) CERTIFICATION DESCRIBED.—The certification 10 described in this subsection is a written certification from 11 the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Chief 12 of Space Operations and the Director of the Missile De- 13 fense Agency, indicating that the replacement capability 14 for the AN/FPS–108 COBRA DANE radar— 15 (1) will reach initial operational capability at 16 the same time or before the termination of oper- 17 ations for the AN/FPS–108 COBRA DANE radar; 18 and 19 (2) at the time such replacement capability 20 achieves initial operational capability, will have the 21 ability to meet the operational requirements of the 22 combatant commands that have been, or that are ex- 23 pected to be, assigned to such replacement capa- 24 bility. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00796 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 797 •S 2296 RS (c) EXCEPTION.—The limitation described in sub- 1 section (a) shall not apply to temporary interruptions of 2 operational availability for the AN/FPS–108 COBRA 3 DANE radar provided such activities are necessary to sup- 4 port maintenance or modernization activities of the sys- 5 tem. 6 SEC. 1542. ACCELERATING DEVELOPMENT OF AUTONO- 7 MOUS AGENTS TO DEFEND AGAINST CRUISE 8 MISSILES AND UNMANNED SYSTEMS. 9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Program Manager shall use 10 all authorities available to the Program Manager to accel- 11 erate development of autonomous agents to cost-effectively 12 defend the United States homeland and forward-deployed 13 armed forces against raids of both large cruise missiles 14 and unmanned systems as the Secretary considers appro- 15 priate. 16 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 17 (1) MISSILE.—The term ‘‘missile’’ means a bal- 18 listic, hypersonic, cruise, hypersonic cruise, or loi- 19 tering munition. 20 (2) PROGRAM MANAGER.—The term ‘‘Program 21 Manager’’ means the Direct Reporting Program 22 Manager for Golden Dome for America. 23 (3) UNMANNED SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘un- 24 manned system’’ means a remote-operated or auton- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00797 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 798 •S 2296 RS omous unmanned system of any size maneuvering in 1 land, sea, air, or space that is capable of single at- 2 tacks, swarm attacks, or sensor and data collection 3 and reconnaissance. 4 SEC. 1543. MISSILE DEFENSE TESTING REQUIREMENTS. 5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary and the Program 6 Manager shall ensure that a robust testing regime is es- 7 tablished for all kinetic and nonkinetic interceptors or 8 similar systems throughout the system’s lifecycle. To the 9 maximum extent practicable, testing shall include execu- 10 tion of end-to-end missile defense detection, tracking, and 11 destruction techniques that exercise multiple components 12 of the Golden Dome system. 13 (b) TESTING SCHEDULE.— 14 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out subsection 15 (a), the Secretary and the Program Manager shall 16 ensure that, not later than 540 days after the date 17 of the enactment of this Act, a demanding testing 18 cadence begins, commencing with a virtual exercise 19 commencing on or before the date that is 540 days 20 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 21 (2) TEST PLANS.—Not later than 90 days be- 22 fore carrying out a test under this section, the Sec- 23 retary and the Program Manager shall present to 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00798 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 799 •S 2296 RS the congressional defense committees a detailed plan 1 for the test. 2 (3) BRIEFINGS.—In any case in which the Pro- 3 gram Manager fails to conduct a test under this sec- 4 tion in accordance with a timeline specified in this 5 section, the Program Manager shall provide the ap- 6 plicable subcommittees of the congressional defense 7 committees an in-person briefing in each month for 8 with the test is delayed. 9 (c) LIVE-FIRE EXERCISE REQUIREMENT.—At a min- 10 imum, kinetic and nonkinetic systems deemed to be mis- 11 sion essential by the Secretary to the capabilities of Gold- 12 en Dome shall be tested on a semiannual basis in a live- 13 fire exercise, starting after the virtual test described in 14 subsection (b)(1). 15 (d) PARTICIPANTS.— 16 (1) REQUIRED PARTICIPATION.—Each exercise 17 under this section shall include the following partici- 18 pants: 19 (A) The Program Manager. 20 (B) A representative from the Office of the 21 Secretary of Defense. 22 (C) A representative from each of the 23 Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Space 24 Force. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00799 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 800 •S 2296 RS (D) A representative from the National Se- 1 curity Agency. 2 (E) Representative from North American 3 Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) or 4 United States Northern Command 5 (USNORTHCOM). 6 (F) A representative from Indo-Pacific 7 Command. 8 (2) INVITED FOR PARTICIPATION.—For each 9 exercise under this section, the Program Manager 10 shall invite the participation of the following: 11 (A) A representative from the Coast 12 Guard. 13 (B) A representative from the Federal 14 Aviation Administration. 15 (C) A representative from the congres- 16 sional defense committees. 17 (e) WAIVERS.— 18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Pursuant to a request sub- 19 mitted to the Secretary under paragraph (2), the 20 Secretary may waive the requirement in subsection 21 (b) for an individual system. 22 (2) REQUESTS.—The Program Manager may 23 submit to the Secretary a request for a waiver of the 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00800 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 801 •S 2296 RS requirement in subsection (b) for an individual sys- 1 tem. 2 (3) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.—Not later 3 than 14 days after granting a waiver under para- 4 graph (1), the Secretary shall provide the congres- 5 sional defense committees an in-person briefing of 6 the waiver with a detailed explanation of the reasons 7 for the decision of the Secretary to grant the waiver. 8 (f) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than 90 days after 9 the date of the enactment of this Act, and not less fre- 10 quently than once each year thereafter, the Secretary 11 shall, in consultation with the heads of such government 12 agencies as the Secretary considers relevant, submit to the 13 congressional defense committees a report detailing key 14 regulations preventing rapid, iterative testing of systems 15 vital to Golden Dome. 16 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 17 (1) The term ‘‘Golden Dome’’ shall means the 18 holistic missile defense architecture described in this 19 section. 20 (2) The term ‘‘missile’’ means a ballistic, 21 hypersonic, cruise, hypersonic cruise, or loitering 22 munition. 23 (3) The term ‘‘Program Manager’’ means the 24 Golden Dome Direct Report Program Manager. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00801 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 802 •S 2296 RS (4) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 1 of Defense. 2 SEC. 1544. IMPROVING UNITED STATES MISSILE DEFENSE 3 CAPABILITIES. 4 (a) ACCELERATING DEVELOPMENT OF NON-KINETIC 5 CAPABILITIES.—The Secretary shall assess the funding 6 needs required to accelerate development of non-kinetic 7 capabilities to negate missile or unmanned system threats 8 prior to launch or after launch. Such capabilities may in- 9 clude cyber (offense and defense), supply chain interdic- 10 tion, artificial intelligence-driven battle management, elec- 11 tromagnetic spectrum, directed energy weapons, and high- 12 power microwave defense options capable of defeating 13 large-scale missile or unmanned system attacks. 14 (b) ACCELERATING DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION 15 FUSION PLATFORM USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO 16 DETECT THREATS.—The Secretary shall assess the fund- 17 ing needs required to accelerate development and rapid 18 prototyping of high technology readiness level (TRL) ca- 19 pabilities in order to acquire and field an information fu- 20 sion, software-centric platform that utilizes machine learn- 21 ing and artificial intelligence technologies capable of deliv- 22 ering air, land, space, and maritime domain awareness 23 and early warning capabilities for homeland defense across 24 disparate novel and legacy systems. Such platform shall 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00802 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 803 •S 2296 RS employ a common data layer that can support the rapid 1 integration of new sensors and effectors across all tiers 2 of the integrated air and missile defense system. 3 (c) REQUIREMENT FOR NEXT GENERATION INTER- 4 CEPTOR FIELDING AND SILO CONSTRUCTION.—The Pro- 5 gram Manager shall, with support from the Missile De- 6 fense Agency, assess the funding needs necessary to ex- 7 pand Next Generation Interceptor production and silo con- 8 struction to field up to 80 interceptors for defense of the 9 United States. Subject to the availability of appropria- 10 tions, interceptor testing and initial fielding shall be com- 11 pleted not later than January 1, 2028. 12 (d) REQUIREMENT FOR COMBATANT COMMANDS TO 13 ACCOUNT FOR MISSILE DEFENSE INTERCEPTORS AND 14 SENSOR REQUIREMENTS IN THEIR ANNUAL RE- 15 QUESTS.—For each fiscal year beginning after the date 16 of the enactment of this Act, each commander of a com- 17 batant command shall include the terrestrial-based sensor 18 requirements, space-based sensor requirements, and 19 counter-unmanned system requirements of the combatant 20 command of the commander in the supporting information 21 for the Department of Defense submitted along with the 22 budget of the President to Congress for such fiscal year 23 pursuant to section 1105(a) of title 31, United States 24 Code. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00803 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 804 •S 2296 RS (e) ACCELERATING DEVELOPMENT OF GLIDE PHASE 1 INTERCEPTOR.—The Program Manager shall assess the 2 funding needs required to accelerate development of the 3 Glide Phase Interceptor to defend against hypersonic 4 threats to the United States homeland. 5 (f) ACCELERATING PRODUCTION AND FIELDING OF 6 GROUND MOBILE INTERCEPTORS.—The Program Man- 7 ager shall assess the funding needs required to accelerate 8 the production and fielding of ground mobile interceptors 9 and radars for forward deployment and homeland defense 10 as the Secretary and President consider appropriate. 11 (g) ACCELERATING DEVELOPMENT OF RESILIENT 12 POSITIONING, NAVIGATION, AND TIMING FOR MISSILE 13 DEFENSE SYSTEMS.—The Program Manager shall assess 14 the funding needs required to accelerate development and 15 fielding of resilient positioning, navigation, and timing 16 (PNT) solutions that can operate effectively in ground po- 17 sitioning system (GPS)-denied environments. Such solu- 18 tions may include the following: 19 (1) Quantum-enhanced inertial navigation and 20 atomic clock technologies to maintain continuous po- 21 sitioning, navigation, and timing functionality in 22 ground positioning system-degraded or denied sce- 23 narios. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00804 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 805 •S 2296 RS (2) Enhanced terrestrial-based navigation sys- 1 tems for greater assured positioning in ground posi- 2 tioning system-contested environments. 3 (3) Robust data fusion techniques that inte- 4 grate multiple positioning, navigation, and timing 5 sources, such as radar-based tracking, vision-aided 6 navigation, and low-Earth orbit (LEO) signals, to 7 sustain operational effectiveness during electronic 8 warfare (EW) attacks or cyber intrusions. 9 (4) Commercially available, field-proven alter- 10 native positioning, navigation, and timing solutions 11 that leverage advanced sensor fusion, artificial intel- 12 ligence-driven error correction, and resilient posi- 13 tioning, navigation, and timing processing to provide 14 assured navigation for mobile and fixed defense plat- 15 forms, including those currently deployed in 16 hypersonic tracking and integrated air and missile 17 defense applications. 18 (h) ACCELERATING DEVELOPMENT AND FIELDING 19 OF LOW-COST SCALABLE INTERCEPTOR.—The Program 20 Manager shall assess the funding needs required to accel- 21 erate development, test, and fielding of a low-cost scalable 22 interceptor that can augment existing production lines and 23 provide resiliency to the integrated air and missile defense 24 system. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00805 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 806 •S 2296 RS (i) ACCELERATING DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOY- 1 MENT OF SPACE-BASED SENSORS AND INTERCEPTORS.— 2 The Program Manager shall assess the funding needs re- 3 quired to accelerate development and deployment of pro- 4 liferated space-based sensors and interceptors capable of 5 ballistic and hypersonic missile intercept. 6 (j) ACCELERATING MODERNIZATION OF CERTAIN 7 TERRESTRIAL DOMAIN CAPABILITIES.—The Program 8 Manager shall assess the funding needs required to accel- 9 erate modernization of terrestrial-based radar capabilities 10 and other such sensors to improve detection of interconti- 11 nental and sea-launched missile threats, as well as improve 12 space domain awareness capabilities. 13 (k) SITE SELECTION AND PROGRAM EXECUTION 14 PLAN FOR HIGHLY FLEXIBLE MISSILE DEFENSE 15 SITES.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the en- 16 actment of this Act, the Program Manager shall submit 17 to Congress a report detailing a plan for a highly flexible, 18 and if necessary mobile, terrestrial missile defense network 19 capable of defending critical nodes across the United 20 States, including noncontiguous States and territories, 21 from likely attack vectors. 22 (l) ACCELERATION OF MUNITIONS PRODUCTION FOR 23 MISSILE DEFENSE.—The Program Manager, working 24 with the military departments, shall assess the funding 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00806 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 807 •S 2296 RS needs required to accelerate production of critical muni- 1 tions used for missile interception, including Standard 2 Missile 3 Blocks IB and IIA and PAC–2 and PAC–3 mu- 3 nitions, to ensure their availability as an additional sub- 4 layer of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system. 5 (m) REQUIREMENT FOR ACCELERATION OF PRO- 6 CUREMENT AND FIELDING OF AIR MOVING TARGET INDI- 7 CATOR SYSTEMS.—The Program Manager shall assess the 8 funding needs required to accelerate the procurement and 9 fielding of air moving target indicator (AMTI) systems ca- 10 pable of detecting, tracking, and distinguishing airborne 11 moving targets from stationary or cluttered backgrounds. 12 (n) REQUIREMENT FOR ACCELERATED DEVELOP- 13 MENT AND EXPANSION OF INTEGRATED UNDERSEA SUR- 14 VEILLANCE SYSTEM.—The Program Manager shall assess 15 the funding needs to accelerate the development and ex- 16 pansion of the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System 17 to detect and track undersea threats like submersibles that 18 carry missiles near United States shorelines. 19 (o) REPORT.—Not later than March 31, 2026, the 20 Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense com- 21 mittees a report summarizing the results of the assess- 22 ments carried out under this section. 23 (p) DEFINITIONS.— 24 (1) COMMERCIAL SOLUTION.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00807 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 808 •S 2296 RS (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘commercial 1 solution’’ means a product, other than real 2 property, that— 3 (i) is of a type customarily used by 4 the general public or by nongovernmental 5 entities for purposes other than govern- 6 mental purposes and— 7 (ii)(I) has been sold, leased, or li- 8 censed to the general public; or 9 (II) has been offered for sale, lease, or 10 license to the general public. 11 (B) INCLUSION OF COMMERCIAL PROD- 12 UCTS, COMPONENTS, AND SERVICES.—The term 13 ‘‘commercial solution’’ includes commercial 14 products, components, and services in align- 15 ment with the Federal Government’s preference 16 for the acquisition of commercial products and 17 commercial services, as set forth in sections 18 1906, 1907, and 3307 of title 41, United States 19 Code, and sections 3451 through 3453 of title 20 10, United States Code, which establish acquisi- 21 tion policies more closely resembling those of 22 the commercial marketplace and encourage the 23 acquisition of commercial products and com- 24 mercial services. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00808 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 809 •S 2296 RS (2) GOLDEN DOME.—The term ‘‘Golden Dome’’ 1 means the holistic missile defense architecture de- 2 scribed in this section. 3 (3) MISSILE.—The term ‘‘missile’’ means a bal- 4 listic, hypersonic, cruise, hypersonic cruise, or loi- 5 tering munition. 6 (4) PROGRAM MANAGER.—The term ‘‘Program 7 Manager’’ means the Golden Dome Direct Report 8 Program Manager. 9 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 10 the Secretary of Defense. 11 (6) UNMANNED SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘un- 12 manned system’’ means a remote-operated or auton- 13 omous unmanned system of any size maneuvering in 14 land, sea, air, or space that is capable of single at- 15 tacks, swarm attacks, or sensor and data collection 16 and reconnaissance. 17 Subtitle D—Other Matters 18 SEC. 1551. INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OF THE DEPART- 19 MENT OF DEFENSE NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL 20 SECURITY PROGRAM. 21 (a) AGREEMENT.— 22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 23 shall seek to enter into an agreement with the Na- 24 tional Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Med- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00809 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 810 •S 2296 RS icine (in this section referred to as the ‘‘National 1 Academies’’) for the National Academies to conduct 2 the assessment under subsection (b) and submit the 3 report under subsection (e). 4 (2) TIMING.—The Secretary shall seek to enter 5 into the agreement described in paragraph (1) by 6 not later than 90 days after the date of the enact- 7 ment of this Act. 8 (b) EVALUATION.— 9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Under an agreement be- 10 tween the Secretary and the National Academies en- 11 tered into pursuant to subsection (a), the National 12 Academies shall conduct an assessment of the De- 13 partment of Defense National Industrial Security 14 Program. 15 (2) ELEMENTS.—The assessment of the Pro- 16 gram conducted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall 17 cover the following: 18 (A) Understanding of the evolution of the 19 Program over time to determine if it is up to 20 date with current policies and regulatory re- 21 sponsibilities. 22 (B) Assessment of roles and responsibil- 23 ities of parties involved with the Program to de- 24 termine effectiveness, efficiencies, and align- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00810 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 811 •S 2296 RS ment of responsibilities with operating author- 1 ity. 2 (C) Assessment of whether the availability 3 of security workforce to oversee execution of the 4 Program is sufficient to satisfy the demand sig- 5 nal from entities under the Program. 6 (D) Analysis of available metrics or other 7 data to determine a baseline of effectiveness for 8 the Program. 9 (E) Assessment of data available to the 10 Department that might be used to update, add, 11 or refine measures of performance or effective- 12 ness for the Program. 13 (F) Appraisal of operating business proc- 14 esses or methods, including a determination of 15 where business process reengineering may be 16 needed. 17 (G) Assessment of the availability of new 18 tools or techniques that may be adopted by the 19 Program to increase effectiveness, efficiency, 20 and cost savings for the Program. 21 (H) Determination of whether available re- 22 sources are aligned to the greatest area of need. 23 (I) Assessment of data on personnel secu- 24 rity clearances and facility security clearances. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00811 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 812 •S 2296 RS (J) Identification of opportunities to re- 1 duce costs for industry and the government in 2 execution of the Program. 3 (K) Such other matters as the Secretary 4 considers appropriate. 5 (c) ACCESS TO DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE PER- 6 SONNEL, INFORMATION, AND RESOURCES.—Under an 7 agreement entered into between the Secretary and the Na- 8 tional Academies under subsection (a), the Secretary shall 9 make available such personnel, information, and resources 10 as are necessary to execute the assessment required by 11 subsection (b). 12 (d) REPORT.— 13 (1) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—Under an 14 agreement entered into between the Secretary and 15 the National Academies under subsection (a), the 16 National Academies shall, not later than one year 17 after the date of the execution of the agreement, 18 submit to the congressional defense committees a 19 consensus report containing the findings of the Na- 20 tional Academies with respect to the assessment 21 under subsection (b). 22 (2) FORM.—The report under paragraph (1) 23 shall be submitted in an unclassified form, but may 24 include a classified annex. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00812 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 813 •S 2296 RS (3) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE VIEWS ON AS- 1 SESSMENT.—Not more than 90 days after the Na- 2 tional Academies delivers the report to the congres- 3 sional defense committees under paragraph (1), the 4 Secretary shall provide the congressional defense 5 committees a briefing on the views of the Secretary 6 with respect to such report. 7 SEC. 1552. REFORMS RELATING TO INACTIVE SECURITY 8 CLEARANCES. 9 (a) EXTENSION OF PERIOD INACTIVE SECURITY 10 CLEARANCES.—The Secretary of Defense shall make such 11 changes to Department of Defense Manual 5200.02 (relat- 12 ing to procedures for Department of Defense Personnel 13 Security Program), or successor manual, as may be nec- 14 essary to ensure an individual who has been retired or oth- 15 erwise separated from service in the Armed Forces or em- 16 ployment with the Department of Defense for a period of 17 not more than 5 years and who was eligible to access clas- 18 sified information on the day before the individual retired 19 or otherwise separated, will be granted eligibility by the 20 Secretary to access classified information as long as— 21 (1) there is no indication the individual no 22 longer satisfies the standards established for access 23 to classified information; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00813 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 814 •S 2296 RS (2) the individual certifies in writing to an ap- 1 propriate security professional that there has been 2 no change in the relevant information provided for 3 the last background investigation of the individual; 4 and 5 (3) an appropriate record check reveals no un- 6 favorable information. 7 (b) FEASIBILITY AND ADVISABILITY ASSESSMENT.— 8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct 9 an assessment of the feasibility and advisability of 10 subjecting inactive security clearances to continuous 11 vetting and due diligence. 12 (2) BRIEFING.—Not later than June 30, 2026, 13 the Secretary shall provide to the Committee on 14 Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on 15 Armed Services of the House of Representatives a 16 briefing on the findings of the Secretary with respect 17 to the assessment conducted pursuant to paragraph 18 (1). 19 SEC. 1553. ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE JOINT ELECTRO- 20 MAGNETIC BATTLE MANAGEMENT SOFT- 21 WARE PROGRAM. 22 (a) ARRANGEMENT.—The Chief Information Officer 23 of the Department of Defense shall seek to enter into an 24 arrangement with a federally funded research and develop- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00814 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 815 •S 2296 RS ment center to perform the services covered by this sec- 1 tion. 2 (b) ANNUAL REVIEWS.— 3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Under an arrangement be- 4 tween the Chief Information Officer and a federally 5 funded research and development center under sub- 6 section (a), the federally funded research and devel- 7 opment center shall, not less frequently than once 8 each fiscal year, carry out a review of the Joint 9 Electromagnetic Battle Management Software Pro- 10 gram. 11 (2) ELEMENTS.—In carrying out a review 12 under paragraph (1), the federally funded research 13 and development center shall assess— 14 (A) whether the Electromagnetic Battle 15 Management Software Program— 16 (i) is using best practices, including 17 those developed by the Government Ac- 18 countability Office; 19 (ii) is adequately meeting require- 20 ments; and 21 (iii) is adequately adhering to price 22 and schedule; and 23 (B) such other matters as the federally 24 funded research and development center con- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00815 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 816 •S 2296 RS siders important to meeting the mission of the 1 program. 2 (c) REPORT.—Not later than September 30th of each 3 year until September 30, 2031, the Chief Information Of- 4 ficer shall provide to the congressional defense committees 5 a briefing on the most recently completed review carried 6 out under this section. 7 (d) SUNSET.—The arrangement in subsection (a) 8 shall end on October 1, 2031. 9 SEC. 1554. INTEGRATION OF ELECTRONIC WARFARE INTO 10 TIER 1 AND TIER 2 JOINT TRAINING EXER- 11 CISES. 12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 25 of title 10, United 13 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol- 14 lowing new section: 15 ‘‘§ 500g. Integration of electronic warfare into Tier 1 16 and Tier 2 joint training exercises 17 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—During fiscal years 2026 18 through 2030, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 19 shall require the integration of offensive and defensive 20 electronic warfare capabilities into Tier 1 and Tier 2 joint 21 training exercises. 22 ‘‘(b) INCLUSION OF OPPOSING FORCE.—The Chair- 23 man shall require exercises conducted under subsection (a) 24 to include an opposing force design based on a current 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00816 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 817 •S 2296 RS intelligence assessment of the electromagnetic order of 1 battle and capabilities of an adversary. 2 ‘‘(c) WAIVER.—The Chairman may waive the applica- 3 tion of subsection (a) or (b) with respect to an exercise 4 if the Chairman determines that— 5 ‘‘(1) the exercise does not require— 6 ‘‘(A) a demonstration of electronic warfare 7 capabilities; or 8 ‘‘(B) a militarily significant threat from 9 electronic warfare attack; or 10 ‘‘(2) the integration of offensive and defensive 11 electronic warfare capabilities into the exercise is 12 cost prohibitive or not technically feasible based on 13 the overall goals of the exercise. 14 ‘‘(d) BRIEFING.—Concurrent with the submission of 15 the budget of the President to Congress pursuant to sec- 16 tion 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, for each of 17 fiscal years 2026 through 2030, the Chairman shall pro- 18 vide the congressional defense committees with a briefing 19 on exercises conducted under subsection (a) that in- 20 cludes— 21 ‘‘(1) a description of such exercises planned and 22 included in the budget submission for that fiscal 23 year; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00817 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 818 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(2) the results of each such exercise conducted 1 in the preceding fiscal year, including— 2 ‘‘(A) the extent to which offensive and de- 3 fensive electronic warfare capabilities were inte- 4 grated into the exercise; 5 ‘‘(B) an evaluation and assessment of the 6 exercise to determine the impact of the oppos- 7 ing force on the participants in the exercise, in- 8 cluding— 9 ‘‘(i) joint lessons learned; 10 ‘‘(ii) high interest training issues; and 11 ‘‘(iii) high interest training require- 12 ments; and 13 ‘‘(C) an assessment as to whether offensive 14 and defensive electronic warfare capabilities 15 were part of an overall joint fires and, if so, a 16 description of the manner in which such capa- 17 bilities were incorporated into the joint fires. 18 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 19 ‘‘(1) ELECTROMAGNETIC ORDER OF BATTLE.— 20 The term ‘electromagnetic order of battle’ has the 21 meaning given such term in Joint Publication 3–85 22 entitled ‘Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Oper- 23 ations’, dated May 2020. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00818 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 819 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(2) HIGH INTEREST TRAINING ISSUE; HIGH 1 INTEREST TRAINING REQUIREMENT; TIER 1; TIER 2 2.—The terms ‘high interest training issue’, ‘high in- 3 terest training requirement’, ‘Tier 1’, and ‘Tier 2’ 4 have the meanings given such terms in the Joint 5 Training Manual for the Armed Forces of the 6 United States (Document No. CJCSM 3500.03E), 7 dated April 20, 2015. 8 ‘‘(3) JOINT FIRES.—The term ‘joint fires’ has 9 the meaning given such term in the publication of 10 the Joint Staff entitled ‘Insights and Best Practices 11 Focus Paper on Integration and Synchronization of 12 Joint Fires’, dated July 2018.’’. 13 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 14 for chapter 25 of title 10, United States Code, is amended 15 by adding at the end the following new item: 16 ‘‘500g. Integration of electronic warfare into Tier 1 and Tier 2 joint training exercises.’’. SEC. 1555. BRIEFINGS ON INTERCEPTS OF UNIDENTIFIED 17 ANOMALOUS PHENOMENA BY NORTH AMER- 18 ICAN AEROSPACE DEFENSE COMMAND AND 19 UNITED STATES NORTHERN COMMAND. 20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1683(l) of the National 21 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (50 22 U.S.C. 3373(l)) is amended by adding at the end the fol- 23 lowing new paragraph: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00819 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 820 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(5) INTERCEPTS.— 1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each briefing under 2 this subsection shall include, for the period cov- 3 ered by the briefing, details on any unidentified 4 anomalous phenomena intercepts conducted by 5 the North American Aerospace Defense Com- 6 mand or United States Northern Command. 7 ‘‘(B) SUMMARIES.—In providing a briefing 8 under this subsection, the Director of the Office 9 shall make available a summary of all instances 10 of intercepts described in subparagraph (A), in- 11 cluding— 12 ‘‘(i) the number, location, and nature 13 of such intercepts; and 14 ‘‘(ii) a description of the procedures 15 and protocols followed during the inter- 16 cepts, including any data collected or ana- 17 lyzed during such intercepts. 18 ‘‘(C) TIMELY INFORMATION.—The Direc- 19 tor of the Office shall inform the appropriate 20 congressional committees of any failure by the 21 North American Aerospace Defense Command 22 or United States Northern Command to provide 23 timely information on unidentified anomalous 24 phenomena intercepts.’’. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00820 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 821 •S 2296 RS (b) FIRST BRIEFING.—Notwithstanding paragraph 1 (5) of such section, as added by subsection (a), for the 2 first briefing provided under such section after the date 3 of the enactment of this Act, the briefing shall include de- 4 tails on any unidentified anomalous phenomena intercepts 5 conducted by the North American Aerospace Defense 6 Command or United States Northern Command that oc- 7 curred during the period beginning on January 1, 2004, 8 and ending on the last day of the period otherwise covered 9 by the briefing. 10 SEC. 1556. CONSOLIDATED SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 11 GUIDANCE MATRIX FOR PROGRAMS RELAT- 12 ING TO UNIDENTIFIED ANOMALOUS PHE- 13 NOMENA. 14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 15 date of the enactment of this Act, the Director for the 16 All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office shall issue a con- 17 solidated security classification guidance matrix for pro- 18 grams relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena in 19 order— 20 (1) to provide a resource for programs that 21 support or may be affected by unidentified anoma- 22 lous phenomena investigations; and 23 (2) to support increased reporting on unidenti- 24 fied anomalous phenomena events by ensuring indi- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00821 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 822 •S 2296 RS viduals, members of the Armed Forces, and other 1 Federal employees have adequate understanding of 2 the constraints they would be under when reporting 3 or discussing such event. 4 (b) ELEMENTS.—The consolidated security classifica- 5 tion guidance required by subsection (a) shall include— 6 (1) a comprehensive list of resources for all lev- 7 els of document control, including controlled unclas- 8 sified information, based on the current list of secu- 9 rity classification guides the All-Domain Anomaly 10 Resolution Office relies upon and references; 11 (2) the ability to disseminate as a centralized 12 document or other digital resource; and 13 (3) periodic updates based on the All-Domain 14 Anomaly Resolution Office updates and community 15 feedback on relevant security classification guides 16 that are recommended for inclusion. 17 (c) BRIEFING.—Not later than 30 days after the 18 issuance of the consolidated security guidance matrix 19 under subsection (a), the Director of the All-Domain 20 Anomaly Resolution Office shall provide a copy of such 21 guidance, as well as a briefing on the implementation of 22 the security guidance matrix, to the Committee on Armed 23 Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Serv- 24 ices of the House of Representatives. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00822 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 823 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1557 PLAN FOR INCREASING UTILITY OF USER ACTIV- 1 ITY MONITORING CAPABILITIES. 2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than June 1, 2026, the 3 Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional de- 4 fense committees a plan for increasing the use of user ac- 5 tivity monitoring capabilities on Department of Defense 6 unclassified networks and systems. 7 (b) ELEMENTS.—The plan required by subsection (a) 8 shall include— 9 (1) identification of additional networks or sys- 10 tems to be covered by user activity monitoring; 11 (2) opportunities to integrate user activity mon- 12 itoring into other cybersecurity or personnel vetting 13 information systems to enhance the availability of 14 data, as well as increase performance for such sys- 15 tems; 16 (3) proposed timelines, milestones, and antici- 17 pated costs for expansion to the additional networks 18 identified pursuant to paragraph (1); 19 (4) identification of resources to continue ex- 20 pansion or integration with other cybersecurity or 21 personnel vetting information systems; 22 (5) an assessment of commercially available 23 tools that could be integrated to improve perform- 24 ance of user activity monitoring capabilities; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00823 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 824 •S 2296 RS (6) a description of what data is needed to de- 1 termine measures of performance and effectiveness; 2 and 3 (7) an assessment of the feasibility of inte- 4 grating a dashboard capability for user activity mon- 5 itoring performance data through the Advancing 6 Analytics tool. 7 SEC. 1558. SUPPORT BY THE 350TH SPECTRUM WARFARE 8 WING TO EA–37B COMPASS CALL AIRCRAFT. 9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Air Force 10 shall ensure that the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing can 11 adequately support the EA–37B Compass Call Aircraft, 12 including establishment of an EA–37 software-in-the-loop 13 (SITL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) laboratory for 14 the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing for— 15 (1) the rapid reprogramming of spectrum wave- 16 forms; 17 (2) verification and validation testing of wave- 18 forms; and 19 (3) such other matters as the Secretary con- 20 siders necessary for the continued development of 21 the EA–37B to effectively operate in a nonpermis- 22 sive spectrum environment. 23 (b) NOTICE OF NECESSARY TIMEFRAME.—Not later 24 than March 31, 2026, the Secretary shall submit to the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00824 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 825 •S 2296 RS congressional defense committees notice informing the 1 committees of the timeframe necessary to establish the 2 software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop laboratory 3 required by subsection (a). 4 SEC. 1559. REPORT ON THE TECHNICAL COLLECTION CAPA- 5 BILITIES OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF 6 CHINA AND THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION IN 7 THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA. 8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 9 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of De- 10 fense, in consultation with the Director of National Intel- 11 ligence, shall submit to the appropriate committees of 12 Congress a report on the technical collection capabilities 13 of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federa- 14 tion in the Republic of Cuba. 15 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection 16 (a) shall include an assessment of the following: 17 (1) The current technical collection capabilities, 18 and potential expansion of such capabilities, of the 19 People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federa- 20 tion in the Republic of Cuba. 21 (2) The counterintelligence risks associated 22 with such capabilities, including risks to operations 23 at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, 24 Cuba. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00825 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 826 •S 2296 RS (3) The capabilities and resources of the De- 1 partment of Defense to counter any technical collec- 2 tion capabilities of the People’s Republic of China 3 and the Russian Federation in the Republic of Cuba 4 identified by this report. 5 (c) FORM.—The report required by subsection (a) 6 shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain 7 a classified annex. 8 (d) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE- 9 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate commit- 10 tees of Congress’’ means— 11 (1) the Committee on Armed Services and the 12 Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; and 13 (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the 14 Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the 15 House of Representatives. 16 SEC. 1560. EXTENSION OF PROTECTION OF CERTAIN FA- 17 CILITIES AND ASSETS FROM UNMANNED AIR- 18 CRAFT. 19 Section 130i(i) of title 10, United States Code, is 20 amended— 21 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘December 22 31, 2026’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2027’’; and 23 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘November 24 15, 2026’’ and inserting ‘‘November 15, 2027’’. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00826 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 827 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1561. CONSOLIDATION OF REPORTING REQUIRE- 1 MENTS APPLICABLE TO ALL-DOMAIN ANOM- 2 ALY RESOLUTION OFFICE. 3 (a) CONSOLIDATION.—Section 413 of the Intelligence 4 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (division X of 5 Public Law 117–103; 50 U.S.C. 3373a) is amended— 6 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘makes such 7 data’’ and all that follows through the period and in- 8 serting ‘‘make such data available immediately, in a 9 manner that protects intelligence sources and meth- 10 ods, to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office es- 11 tablished under section 1683 of the National De- 12 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (50 13 U.S.C. 3373).’’; 14 (2) by striking subsections (b) and (c); and 15 (3) by striking ‘‘(a) AVAILABILITY OF DATA ON 16 UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENA.—.—’’; and 17 (b) SECTION HEADING.—The heading of such section 18 is amended by striking ‘‘UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHE- 19 NOMENA TASK FORCE’’ and inserting ‘‘ALL-DOMAIN 20 ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE’’. 21 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00827 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 828 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1562. LIMITATION ON THE DIVESTMENT, CONSOLIDA- 1 TION, AND CURTAILMENT OF CERTAIN ELEC- 2 TRONIC WARFARE TEST AND EVALUATION 3 ACTIVITIES. 4 (a) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary of the Army shall 5 not take any action to divest, consolidate, or curtail any 6 electronic warfare test and evaluation activities that were 7 part of an Army element of the Major Range and Test 8 Facility Base on or before the date of the enactment of 9 this Act until the Secretary submits to the congressional 10 defense committees the report described in subsection (b). 11 (b) REPORT.—The report described in this subsection 12 is a report on a decision of the Secretary to divest, consoli- 13 date, or curtail an electronic warfare test or evaluation 14 activity described in subsection (a) that contains the fol- 15 lowing: 16 (1) A description of the analytic basis used by 17 the Secretary for making the decision, including 18 matters relating to any cost, workload, and work- 19 force requirements, as well as any analysis relating 20 to operational impact on users of the activities. 21 (2) The findings from an independent review by 22 the Director of the Office of Cost Assessment and 23 Program Evaluation of all analyses described in 24 paragraph (1). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00828 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 829 •S 2296 RS (3) A certification by the Director of the Test 1 Resource Management Center that the analyses de- 2 scribed in paragraph (1) and the decision of the Sec- 3 retary meet the requirement of the Department of 4 Defense, as required by section 4173(c)(1)(B) of 5 title 10, United States Code. 6 SEC. 1563. MODIFICATION OF FUNCTIONS OF ELECTRO- 7 MAGNETIC SPECTRUM ENTERPRISE OPER- 8 ATIONAL LEAD FOR JOINT ELECTRO- 9 MAGNETIC SPECTRUM OPERATIONS TO IN- 10 CLUDE DYNAMIC SPECTRUM SHARING TECH- 11 NOLOGIES. 12 Section 500e of title 10, United States Code, is 13 amended— 14 (1) in subsection (b)— 15 (A) by striking ‘‘responsible for synchro- 16 nizing’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘respon- 17 sible for— 18 ‘‘(1) synchronizing’’; 19 (B) by striking the period at the end and 20 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 21 (C) by adding at the end the following new 22 paragraph: 23 ‘‘(2) coordinating test and evaluation of tactics, 24 techniques, and procedures for dynamic spectrum 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00829 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 830 •S 2296 RS sharing technologies in joint electromagnetic oper- 1 ations.’’; and 2 (2) in subsection (c)— 3 (A) by redesignating paragraph (4) as 4 paragraph (6); and 5 (B) by inserting after paragraph (3) the 6 following new paragraphs: 7 ‘‘(4) An assessment of any current gaps in test- 8 ing, evaluation, and validation mechanisms for fu- 9 ture joint use of dynamic spectrum sharing tech- 10 nologies. 11 ‘‘(5) The feasibility and advisability of estab- 12 lishing designated virtual testing ranges so that op- 13 erators can develop tactics, techniques, and proce- 14 dures for dynamic spectrum sharing technologies.’’. 15 SEC. 1564. LIMITATION ON MODIFICATION OF CERTAIN 16 ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM RELIED ON 17 BY DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 18 Section 488 of title 10, United States Code, is 19 amended by adding at the end the following new sub- 20 section: 21 ‘‘(c) LIMITATION ON MODIFICATION OF SPEC- 22 TRUM.—(1) Until the earlier of September 30, 2034, or 23 the date on which the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 24 Staff certifies to the congressional defense committees 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00830 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 831 •S 2296 RS that dynamic spectrum sharing (as defined in the Emerg- 1 ing Mid-Band Radar Spectrum Sharing (EMBRSS) Fea- 2 sibility Assessment Report of the Department of Defense 3 published in September 2023) is fully operational, the Sec- 4 retary of Defense may not modify any existing or future 5 applicable system between 3100 and 3450 megahertz and 6 between 7400 and 8400 megahertz unless the Secretary 7 and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff jointly cer- 8 tify to Congress that such modification would not result 9 in a loss of capability for the armed forces. 10 ‘‘(2) In this subsection, the term ‘applicable system’ 11 means a Department of Defense system that relies on the 12 electromagnetic spectrum for its function, including any 13 communications, weapons, precision munitions, sensor, 14 geo-location, or wireless device.’’. 15 TITLE XVI—CYBERSPACE- 16 RELATED MATTERS 17 Subtitle A—Matters Relating to 18 Cyber Operations and Cyber 19 Forces 20 SEC. 1601. COMPREHENSIVE CYBER WORKFORCE STRAT- 21 EGY. 22 (a) STRATEGY AND REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later 23 than January 31, 2027, the Secretary of Defense shall, 24 acting through the Chief Information Officer of the De- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00831 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 832 •S 2296 RS partment of Defense and the Assistant Secretary of De- 1 fense for Cyber Policy and in consultation with the Chief 2 Information Officers and Principal Cyber Advisors of the 3 military departments— 4 (1) develop a comprehensive cyber workforce 5 strategy; and 6 (2) submit to the Committee on Armed Services 7 of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services 8 of the House of Representatives a report on the 9 strategy developed under paragraph (1). 10 (b) CONTENTS.—The report required by subsection 11 (a)(2) shall include the following: 12 (1) An assessment of progress achieved and re- 13 maining gaps in implementation of the 2023–2027 14 Department of Defense Cyber Workforce Strategy, 15 including identification of elements that should be 16 continued, modified, or discontinued in the strategy 17 developed under subsection (a)(1). 18 (2) A descriptive analysis of the Defense Cyber 19 Workforce Framework (in this section referred to as 20 the ‘‘Framework’’), including the goals, activities, 21 milestones, and key performance indicators used by 22 the Department of Defense to measure progress and 23 assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the 24 strategy required by subsection (a)(1). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00832 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 833 •S 2296 RS (3) Assessment of the scope of the affected 1 workforce for the Framework, including specific 2 workforce numbers, vacancy numbers, work roles, or 3 other statistical data relating to personnel system 4 metrics. 5 (4) Identification of progress of the Department 6 in implementing the Framework based on the goals, 7 activities, milestones, and key performance indica- 8 tors described in paragraph (2). 9 (5) Identification of any issues, problems, or 10 roadblocks identified by the Department in imple- 11 menting the Framework, as well as any adjustments 12 required to measurements of progress or inclusions 13 of new goals, activities, milestones, key performance 14 indicators, or work roles since publication of such 15 framework, and any steps taken by the Department 16 to overcome issues or lack of authority to address 17 roadblocks. 18 (6) Opportunities to leverage support from non- 19 Department entities, or of any workforce or talent 20 management authorities that exist within other Fed- 21 eral agencies in which inclusion in the Framework 22 might benefit the Department. 23 (7) The availability of commercial tools that 24 support Framework talent management processes 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00833 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 834 •S 2296 RS and might enhance performance or effectiveness, in- 1 cluding for workforce qualification and certification 2 tracking, talent identification and tracking, tagging 3 for additional skill identifiers in existing personnel 4 management systems, or enhancing skill develop- 5 ment for specific work roles. 6 (8) Opportunities to leverage supplementary 7 personnel models that might be adapted from other 8 domains, such as cyber civilian reserves or cyber 9 auxiliary forces. 10 (9) Integration of existing academic centers of 11 excellence or other university partnerships to help 12 improve workforce development, talent acquisition, 13 and skills development. 14 (10) A review of Framework work roles for arti- 15 ficial intelligence, data science, and data engineering 16 to assess alignment with corresponding work roles in 17 industry and recommendations for modifications to 18 enable more effective recruiting of industry talent. 19 (11) Resource requirements and implementation 20 timeline for the strategy developed under subsection 21 (a)(1), including budget estimates and key mile- 22 stones. 23 (c) EXTERNAL VIEWS.—In developing the strategy 24 required under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary may solicit 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00834 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 835 •S 2296 RS or coordinate views from external organizations with rel- 1 evant expertise in human resources planning or human 2 capital strategy, higher education or training, or cyber 3 professional industry associations. 4 (d) FORM.—The report submitted pursuant to sub- 5 section (a)(2) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but 6 may include a classified annex. 7 SEC. 1602. UNITED STATES CYBER COMMAND ARTIFICIAL 8 INTELLIGENCE INDUSTRY COLLABORATION 9 ROADMAP. 10 (a) ROADMAP REQUIRED.—Not later than August 1, 11 2026, the Commander of United States Cyber Command 12 shall, in coordination with the Chief Digital and Artificial 13 Intelligence Officer of the Department of Defense, the Di- 14 rector of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, 15 the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engi- 16 neering, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition 17 and Sustainment, and the Director of the Defense Innova- 18 tion Unit, complete development of a roadmap for industry 19 collaboration on artificial intelligence-enabled cyber capa- 20 bilities for cyberspace operations of the Department of De- 21 fense. 22 (b) PURPOSE.—The roadmap developed under sub- 23 section (a) shall establish a framework for coordination 24 between the private sector and the Department of Defense 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00835 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 836 •S 2296 RS to integrate state-of-the-art artificial intelligence capabili- 1 ties into offensive and defensive cyberspace operations 2 through— 3 (1) convening United States commercial artifi- 4 cial intelligence developers, cybersecurity experts, 5 and relevant Federal Government offices; and 6 (2) facilitating information exchange on artifi- 7 cial intelligence technology and capabilities for cyber 8 operations. 9 (c) ELEMENTS.—The roadmap developed under sub- 10 section (a) shall address the following: 11 (1) Courses of action and selected approach on 12 various alternatives to manage and execute collabo- 13 rative research and development partnerships with 14 industry. 15 (2) Collaborative development lines of effort for 16 artificial intelligence-enabled cyber capabilities and 17 associated near-term use cases. 18 (3) Strategy and methodology for industry en- 19 gagement and commercial collaboration, including— 20 (A) contractual mechanisms for industry 21 collaboration on cyber tools and capabilities; 22 (B) security clearance requirements, goals, 23 and resource needs for industry partners; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00836 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 837 •S 2296 RS (C) evaluation of existing contract and col- 1 laboration authorities and identification of re- 2 quired policy changes or new authorities. 3 (4) Implementation objectives, milestones, and 4 status of relevant pilot programs. 5 (5) Technology transition mechanisms from de- 6 velopment to operational use. 7 (6) Infrastructure requirements and associated 8 costs. 9 (7) Assessment of organizational structure op- 10 tions, including establishment of a new center or in- 11 tegration within existing organizations. 12 (d) CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFINGS.— 13 (1) INITIAL BRIEFING.—Not later than Novem- 14 ber 1, 2026, the Commander of United States Cyber 15 Command shall provide the congressional defense 16 committees a briefing on the roadmap developed 17 under subsection (a). 18 (2) ANNUAL UPDATES.—During the period be- 19 ginning on the date on which the President submits 20 to Congress a budget for fiscal year 2028 pursuant 21 to section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, 22 and ending on December 31, 2030, the Commander 23 shall, not less frequently than once each year, pro- 24 vide the congressional defense committees a briefing 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00837 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 838 •S 2296 RS on the status of industry collaboration activities car- 1 ried out in accordance with the roadmap developed 2 under subsection (a). 3 SEC. 1603. STRATEGY FOR DETERRENCE AGAINST 4 CYBERATTACKS AGAINST DEFENSE CRITICAL 5 INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE UNITED STATES. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall, 7 in coordination with the Assistant Secretary of Defense 8 for Cyber Policy, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 9 Staff, the Commander of United States Cyber Command, 10 and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for De- 11 fense Continuity and Mission Assurance, develop a strat- 12 egy and a list of various courses of action across the spec- 13 trum of military capabilities to create a credible deterrence 14 against cyberspace attacks and posturing for future such 15 attacks against United States defense critical infrastruc- 16 ture. 17 (b) STRATEGY.— 18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure 19 that the strategy required by subsection (a)— 20 (A) includes an evaluation of how to deter 21 actions of adversaries in cyberspace across the 22 full spectrum of offensive planning and action; 23 and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00838 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 839 •S 2296 RS (B) outlines a range of options available 1 for the Department to demonstrate a credible 2 deterrence through cost imposing courses of ac- 3 tion. 4 (2) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required by sub- 5 section (a) shall incorporate the following elements: 6 (A) A comprehensive assessment of adver- 7 sary cyber capabilities and intent regarding de- 8 fense critical infrastructure attacks. 9 (B) Identification of what specific adver- 10 sary cyber capabilities and actor’s actions under 11 this strategy seeks to deter. 12 (C) Methodology and classification of types 13 of targets to hold at risk and what actions 14 would be necessary to impose costs at different 15 levels of escalation. 16 (D) An assessment of the capabilities and 17 any related requirement gaps to create the 18 needed effects against these categories of tar- 19 gets and their relative impact to deterrence and 20 escalation. 21 (E) An evaluation of the role of offensive 22 cyber operations in combination with, as well as 23 independent of, other means of military capa- 24 bilities in creating an effective deterrent, and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00839 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 840 •S 2296 RS an assessment of the current capability and 1 gaps in capability needed to successfully con- 2 duct these offensive cyber operations. 3 (F) An assessment of policy and authori- 4 ties in effect with respect to holding adversary 5 targets at risk and recommendations for modi- 6 fications to enable effective deterrence and 7 managed escalation. 8 (G) Evaluation of reveal and conceal cri- 9 teria and methodology to demonstrate the 10 United States capability of imposing costs while 11 preserving operational security. 12 (H) Framework for integration of inter- 13 agency partners, as well as allies and partners, 14 industry, and academia, to enhance deterrence. 15 (3) DEADLINE.—The Secretary shall complete 16 the development of the strategy required by sub- 17 section (a) on or before December 1, 2026. 18 (c) COURSES OF ACTION.— 19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The list of various courses 20 of action required under subsection (a) shall include 21 a list of military alternatives, guided by the strategy 22 developed under such subsection, using the full 23 range of military capabilities, including offensive 24 cyber operations that actively impose or threaten to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00840 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 841 •S 2296 RS impose costs on an adversary to create a credible de- 1 terrence. The courses of action shall be organized for 2 competition, crisis, and conflict. 3 (2) DEADLINE.—Not later than June 1, 2026, 4 the Secretary shall complete the development of the 5 list of various courses of action required by sub- 6 section (a). 7 (d) BRIEFINGS AND SUBMITTAL TO CONGRESS.— 8 (1) INTERIM BRIEFING.—Not later than March 9 1, 2026, the Secretary shall provide to the congres- 10 sional defense committees an interim briefing on the 11 strategy required under subsection (a). 12 (2) FINAL BRIEFING AND SUBMITTAL.—Not 13 later than June 1, 2026, the Secretary shall— 14 (A) provide to the congressional defense 15 committees a briefing on the strategy developed 16 under subsection (a) and the list of various 17 courses of action developed under such sub- 18 section; and 19 (B) submit to the congressional defense 20 committees a report on such strategy and such 21 list of various courses of action. 22 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 23 (1) The term ‘‘defense critical infrastructure’’ 24 has the meaning given that term ‘‘critical infrastruc- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00841 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 842 •S 2296 RS ture of the Department of Defense’’ in section 1 1650(e) of the National Defense Authorization Act 2 for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 10 3 U.S.C. 2224 note). 4 (2) The term ‘‘imposing costs’’ means actions 5 taken against adversaries that result in economic, 6 diplomatic, informational, or military consequences 7 significant enough to change the adversary’s behav- 8 ior or calculations regarding cyberspace operations 9 against the United States. 10 SEC. 1604. AMENDMENT TO ANNUAL ASSESSMENTS AND RE- 11 PORTS ON ASSIGNMENT OF CERTAIN BUDG- 12 ET CONTROL RESPONSIBILITY TO COM- 13 MANDER OF THE UNITED STATES CYBER 14 COMMAND. 15 Section 1558 of the James M. Inhofe National De- 16 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 17 117–263) is amended— 18 (1) in subsection (a)(2)— 19 (A) by redesignating subparagraph (H) as 20 subparagraph (I); and 21 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (G) 22 the following new subparagraph (H): 23 ‘‘(H) A review of investment in artificial 24 intelligence capabilities, including an assess- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00842 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 843 •S 2296 RS ment of alignment with defined roadmap mile- 1 stones and Department of Defense use cases.’’; 2 and 3 (2) in subsection (b)— 4 (A) by striking ‘‘2028’’ and inserting 5 ‘‘2030’’; and 6 (B) by inserting ‘‘and briefing’’ after ‘‘a 7 report’’. 8 SEC. 1605. REPORT ON RESERVE COMPONENT INTEGRA- 9 TION INTO CYBER MISSION FORCE AND 10 CYBERSPACE OPERATIONS. 11 (a) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than August 1, 12 2026, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy 13 and the Commander of United States Cyber Command 14 shall jointly, in coordination with the Chief of the National 15 Guard Bureau, the principal cyber advisors of each of the 16 military departments, the chief of each reserve component, 17 and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Per- 18 sonnel and Readiness, submit to the congressional defense 19 committees a report on the integration of the reserve com- 20 ponents into the cyber mission force in support of cyber- 21 space operations. 22 (b) CONTENTS.—The report required under sub- 23 section (a) shall include the following: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00843 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 844 •S 2296 RS (1) An assessment of the different authorities 1 available within each status of the reserve compo- 2 nents, with particular focus on the National Guard 3 and authorities under title 32, United States Code, 4 and how the Department of Defense can use per- 5 sonnel of the reserve components in such statuses 6 within the cyber mission force and in support of 7 cyberspace operations. 8 (2) An analysis of current and planned efforts 9 to work with the military departments, the National 10 Guard, and the adjutants general of each State to 11 develop unique cyber capabilities that address identi- 12 fied operational requirements and that maximize use 13 of local industry expertise and academic partner- 14 ships. 15 (3) A description of methods to work with the 16 military departments, the National Guard Bureau, 17 and the adjutants general of each State to track and 18 identify key skills and competencies that are not 19 part of primary military occupational specialties of 20 members of the military departments, but are devel- 21 oped through their civilian career experience. 22 (4) An identification of the billets, resources, 23 and support infrastructure needed to maximize the 24 unique expertise, capabilities, and authorities of the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00844 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 845 •S 2296 RS reserve components in support of the cyber mission 1 of the Department. 2 (5) An evaluation of what types of authorities 3 would be most beneficial to maximize the activation 4 and support of the reserve components to cyberspace 5 operations, including any legislative action that may 6 be required. 7 (6) An evaluation of the existing barriers to or 8 impediments for integration of the reserve compo- 9 nents into the cyber mission force in support of 10 cyberspace operations and an assessment of mitiga- 11 tion initiatives with respect to paragraphs (1) 12 through (5). 13 (7) Such other matters as the Assistant Sec- 14 retary of Defense for Cyber Policy and the Com- 15 mander of United States Cyber Command consider 16 appropriate. 17 (8) The implementation plan required by sub- 18 section (c). 19 (c) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.— 20 (1) PLAN REQUIRED.—The implementation 21 plan required by subsection (b)(6) shall detail how 22 the Department should better integrate the reserve 23 components into cyber mission forces and cyberspace 24 operations of the Department. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00845 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 846 •S 2296 RS (2) ELEMENTS.—The implementation plan re- 1 quired by subsection (b)(6) shall include the fol- 2 lowing: 3 (A) Clearly defined roles and responsibil- 4 ities for the Department of Defense, the mili- 5 tary departments, United States Cyber Com- 6 mand, and the National Guard Bureau. 7 (B) Timelines and milestones for imple- 8 mentation of the recommended actions. 9 (C) Metrics to measure progress and effec- 10 tiveness of integration efforts. 11 (D) Resource requirements, including per- 12 sonnel, equipment, and funding necessary to 13 implement the plan. 14 (E) Recommendations for policy changes 15 and, if appropriate, legislative proposals to im- 16 prove integration. 17 (F) A strategy for continuous assessment 18 and improvement of reserve component integra- 19 tion. 20 (G) A detailed analysis of force structure 21 requirements and optimal reserve component 22 organization, including the appropriate balance 23 between traditional aligned reserve component 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00846 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 847 •S 2296 RS units and individual mobilization augmentees 1 for cyber mission force requirements. 2 (H) A comprehensive assessment regarding 3 funding for the activation of reserve component 4 personnel possessing critical, low-density, and 5 high-demand cyber skills, and an evaluation of 6 readiness impacts resulting from insufficient 7 dedicated funding for such activations. 8 (I) An evaluation of operational impacts to 9 cyber mission force readiness when reserve com- 10 ponent personnel and units with cyber capabili- 11 ties are activated for missions outside the cyber 12 domain. 13 (d) BRIEFINGS REQUIRED.— 14 (1) INTERIM BRIEFING.—Not later than April 15 1, 2026, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 16 Cyber Policy and the Commander of United States 17 Cyber Command shall jointly provide to the congres- 18 sional defense committees an interim briefing on the 19 report required by subsection (a). 20 (2) FINAL BRIEFING.—Not later than August 21 1, 2026, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 22 Cyber Policy and the Commander of United States 23 Cyber Command shall jointly provide a final briefing 24 to the congressional defense committees on the find- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00847 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 848 •S 2296 RS ings contained in the report submitted pursuant to 1 subsection (a). 2 (e) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) 3 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include 4 a classified annex. 5 (f) DEFINITION OF RESERVE COMPONENT.—In this 6 section, the term ‘‘reserve component’’ means a reserve 7 component of the military departments named under sec- 8 tion 10101 of title 10, United States Code. 9 SEC. 1606. EVALUATION OF CYBER RANGE MANAGEMENT 10 AND FUNDING. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 15, 2027, 12 the Secretary of Defense shall, in coordination with the 13 Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy, the 14 Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineer- 15 ing, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 16 Sustainment, and the principal cyber advisors of the mili- 17 tary departments, complete a comprehensive evaluation of 18 the current structure of oversight for the cyber ranges of 19 the Department of Defense, including an assessment of 20 the separate executive agent designations for cyber test 21 ranges and cyber training ranges. 22 (b) ELEMENTS.—The evaluation required by sub- 23 section (a) shall include the following elements: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00848 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 849 •S 2296 RS (1) A thorough assessment of the effectiveness 1 of the current organizational structure under which 2 separate executive agents exist for cyber test ranges 3 and cyber training ranges. 4 (2) A detailed analysis of funding mechanisms 5 and budgetary authority challenges and benefits as- 6 sociated with the current structure, potential alter- 7 native structures, and unified oversight options. 8 (3) A comprehensive evaluation of the potential 9 integration of physical and logical ranges under var- 10 ious organizational structures. 11 (4) An assessment of how different organiza- 12 tional structures would affect the speed and ease of 13 transferring systems or tools from test environments 14 into operational use, including the incorporation of 15 tactics, techniques, and procedures. 16 (5) A recommendation to the Secretary regard- 17 ing whether the current separate executive agent 18 structure should be maintained, or an alternative 19 structure, including a unified executive agent struc- 20 ture, should be implemented. 21 (6) In the event the recommendation under 22 paragraph (5) supports maintaining separate execu- 23 tive agents, the specific criteria that would need to 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00849 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 850 •S 2296 RS be satisfied for the two functions to be managed 1 under a singular organization in the future. 2 (c) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 3 March 1, 2027, the Secretary shall provide to the congres- 4 sional defense committees a briefing on— 5 (1) the recommendation developed under sub- 6 section (b)(5); 7 (2) the determination made by the Secretary re- 8 garding the organizational structure for cyber range 9 oversight; and 10 (3) a summary of the findings of the Secretary 11 with respect to the evaluation conducted under sub- 12 section (a); and 13 (4) an implementation plan for any approved 14 changes to the cyber range oversight structure. 15 SEC. 1607. MODIFICATION TO REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 16 FOR SENIOR MILITARY ADVISOR FOR CYBER 17 POLICY. 18 Section 392a(b) of title 10, United States Code, is 19 amended— 20 (1) in paragraph (2)— 21 (A) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking 22 ‘‘the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy’’ 23 and inserting ‘‘the Assistant Secretary of De- 24 fense for Cyber Policy’’; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00850 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 851 •S 2296 RS (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘, 1 the following:’’ and all that follows through the 2 period at the end and inserting ‘‘the Assistant 3 Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy’’; and 4 (2) in paragraph (3)(A)— 5 (A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘the Under 6 Secretary of Defense for Policy’’ and inserting 7 ‘‘the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber 8 Policy’’; 9 (B) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘Under Sec- 10 retary’’ and inserting ‘‘Assistant Secretary of 11 Defense for Cyber Policy’’; 12 (C) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘Under Sec- 13 retary of Defense for Policy’’ and inserting 14 ‘‘Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Pol- 15 icy’’; and 16 (D) by striking clause (iv). 17 SEC. 1608. PLANNING, PROGRAMMING, AND BUDGET CO- 18 ORDINATION FOR OPERATIONS OF CYBER 19 MISSION FORCE. 20 Section 167b of title 10, United States Code, is 21 amended by adding at the end the following new sub- 22 sections: 23 ‘‘(f) PLANNING, PROGRAMMING, AND BUDGETING.— 24 (1)(A) In addition to the activities of a combatant com- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00851 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 852 •S 2296 RS mand for which funding may be requested under section 1 166(b) of this title, the Commander of the United States 2 Cyber Command shall, subject to the authority, direction, 3 and control of the Principal Cyber Advisor of the Depart- 4 ment of Defense, be responsible for directly controlling 5 and managing the planning, programming, budgeting, and 6 execution of resources to train, equip, operate, and sustain 7 the cyber mission force, which shall include the following: 8 ‘‘(i) Preparation of a program objective memo- 9 randum and budget estimate submission for the re- 10 sources required to train, equip, operate, and sustain 11 the cyber mission force. 12 ‘‘(ii) Preparation of budget materials pertaining 13 to the United States Cyber Command for inclusion 14 in the budget justification materials that are sub- 15 mitted to Congress in support of the budget of the 16 Department of Defense for a fiscal year, as sub- 17 mitted with the budget of the President under sec- 18 tion 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, that is 19 separate from any other military department or 20 component of the Department of Defense. 21 ‘‘(B) The responsibilities assigned to the Commander 22 of the United States Cyber Command pursuant to sub- 23 paragraph (A) shall not include the following: 24 ‘‘(i) Military pay and allowances. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00852 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 853 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(ii) Funding for facility support that is pro- 1 vided by the military departments. 2 ‘‘(2)(A) Before the budget proposal for the United 3 States Cyber Command for any fiscal year is submitted 4 to the Secretary of Defense, the Commander of the United 5 States Cyber Command shall consult with the Secretaries 6 of the military departments concerning funding for units 7 of the reserve components within the cyber mission force. 8 If the Secretary of a military department does not concur 9 in the recommended level of funding with respect to any 10 such unit that is under the jurisdiction of the Secretary 11 of the military department, the Commander shall include 12 with the budget proposal submitted to the Secretary of 13 Defense the views of the Secretary of the military depart- 14 ment concerning such funding. 15 ‘‘(B) Before the budget proposal for a military de- 16 partment for any fiscal year is submitted to the Secretary 17 of Defense, the Secretary of the military department shall 18 consult with the Commander of the United States Cyber 19 Command concerning funding for cyber mission forces 20 within the reserve component in the military personnel 21 budget for that military department. If the Commander 22 does not concur in the recommended level of funding with 23 respect to individual augmentees or units within the re- 24 serve component, the Secretary of the military department 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00853 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 854 •S 2296 RS shall include with the budget proposal submitted to the 1 Secretary of Defense the views of the Commander.’’. 2 SEC. 1609. EXPANSION OF SCOPE OF AFFIRMATION OF AU- 3 THORITY FOR CYBER OPERATIONS TO IN- 4 CLUDE DEFENSE OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUC- 5 TURE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 6 (a) SCOPE OF AFFIRMATION OF AUTHORITY.—Sub- 7 section (b) of section 394 of title 10, United States Code, 8 is amended by inserting ‘‘defense of critical infrastructure 9 of the Department of Defense,’’ after ‘‘force protection,’’. 10 (b) AMENDMENT TO DEFINITIONS.—Subsection (f) 11 of such section 394 is amended— 12 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 13 paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; and 14 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol- 15 lowing new paragraph (2): 16 ‘‘(2) The term ‘critical infrastructure of the De- 17 partment of Defense’ means any asset of the De- 18 partment of Defense of such extraordinary impor- 19 tance to the functioning of the Department and the 20 operation of the armed forces that the incapacitation 21 or destruction of such asset by a cyber attack would 22 have a debilitating effect on the ability of the De- 23 partment to fulfill its missions.’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00854 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 855 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1610. REVIEW OF FUTURE FORCE EMPLOYMENT CON- 1 CEPTS AND ASSOCIATED PERSONNEL POLICY 2 NEEDS FOR EVOLVING CYBER FORCES. 3 (a) REVIEW REQUIRED.—Not later than June 1, 4 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall, acting through the 5 covered officials, conduct a review of future force employ- 6 ment concepts for the cyber force, including all elements 7 of the Cyber Operations Force (COF), to assess where ad- 8 ditional recommendations for personnel policy changes 9 may be warranted. 10 (b) ELEMENTS OF REVIEW.—The review and updates 11 under subsection (a) shall address the respective roles of 12 the military departments and United States Cyber Com- 13 mand with respect to the following: 14 (1) Evaluation of future force employment con- 15 cepts of cyber forces, including the following: 16 (A) Inclusion of additional elements of the 17 Cyber Operations Force in various geographic 18 combatant command operational scenarios to 19 provide tactical-level effects, or integration with 20 non-cyber tactical units, using radio-frequency 21 enabled cyber or other off-net cyber operations 22 techniques. 23 (B) Assessment of new or novel formations 24 outside of the current Cyber Mission Force con- 25 struct. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00855 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 856 •S 2296 RS (C) Experimentation with other doctrine, 1 organization, training, materiel, leadership and 2 education, personnel, facilities, and policy ap- 3 proaches for cyber effects or integrated non-ki- 4 netic effects beyond the current Cyber Mission 5 Force approach for on-net operations. 6 (2) Coordination between United States Cyber 7 Command and the military departments regarding 8 recruiting and retention to ensure that personnel re- 9 quirements of the cyber mission forces and the mili- 10 tary departments are met appropriately. 11 (3) Opportunities for members of the cyber mis- 12 sion forces to enroll in professional military edu- 13 cation for potential future forces, or needs for new 14 professional military education opportunities for 15 such forces. 16 (4) Assessment of expansion of promotion path- 17 ways for members of such future forces and an as- 18 sessment of whether such opportunities are adequate 19 to fulfill staffing requirements based on these future 20 force employment concepts. 21 (5) Data sharing between the military depart- 22 ments and United States Cyber Command with re- 23 spect to capturing information on, demographics and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00856 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 857 •S 2296 RS additional skill identifiers for personnel of such fu- 1 ture forces. 2 (6) Such other matters as the Secretary of De- 3 fense considers appropriate. 4 (c) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than September 5 1, 2026, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 6 Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on 7 Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report 8 on such review and any resulting updates to guidance and 9 processes. The report shall also include such recommenda- 10 tions as the Secretary may have regarding matters de- 11 scribed in subsection (a) or (b). 12 (d) DEFINITION OF COVERED OFFICIALS.—In this 13 section, the term ‘‘covered officials’’ means— 14 (1) the Secretaries of the military departments; 15 (2) the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 16 Cyber Policy; and 17 (3) the Commander of United States Cyber 18 Command. 19 SEC. 1610A. EVALUATION OF JOINT TASK FORCE–CYBER IN 20 SUPPORT OF GEOGRAPHIC COMBATANT 21 COMMANDS. 22 (a) STUDY AND EVALUATION.—Not later than July 23 1, 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall, acting through 24 the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00857 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 858 •S 2296 RS the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in con- 1 sultation with the Commander of United States Cyber 2 Command, jointly conduct a comprehensive study on force 3 employment in support of combatant commands and an 4 evaluation of establishing Joint Task Force-Cyber ele- 5 ments across all of the geographic combatant commands. 6 (b) ELEMENTS OF EVALUATION AND STUDY.—The 7 study and evaluation required under subsection (a) shall 8 include the following: 9 (1) An assessment of cyber force employment 10 requirements and capabilities across all geographic 11 combatant commands. 12 (2) An assessment of the benefits and limita- 13 tions of the operational need for Joint Task Force- 14 Cyber elements in each geographic combatant com- 15 mand area of operations under the following condi- 16 tions: 17 (A) Under the operational control of the 18 geographic command of the geographic combat- 19 ant commanders. 20 (B) Under the existing construct. 21 (3) An analysis of the optimal command and 22 control structures for Joint Task Force-Cyber ele- 23 ments, including— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00858 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 859 •S 2296 RS (A) the designation of Joint Task Force 1 Establishing Authority, as defined in joint doc- 2 trine and instructions; 3 (B) the alignment of operational control 4 and tactical control over subordinate forces; and 5 (C) concurrent Joint Task Force Estab- 6 lishing Authority management structures be- 7 tween United States Cyber Command and re- 8 spective geographic combatant commands. 9 (4) An assessment of force structure require- 10 ments, including— 11 (A) assigned forces for each potential Joint 12 Task Force-Cyber element; 13 (B) manning and resourcing requirements 14 relative to assigned missions; and 15 (C) sources of personnel required. 16 (5) An evaluation of the integration and 17 sustainment of cyber capabilities and effects. 18 (6) An identification of supporting infrastruc- 19 ture requirements for each geographic combatant 20 command. 21 (7) A description of potential missions and lines 22 of effort for Joint Task Force-Cyber elements. 23 (8) An analysis of relationships with existing 24 entities within each geographic combatant command, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00859 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 860 •S 2296 RS including an assessment of complementary and du- 1 plicative activities. 2 (9) Such other matters as the Assistant Sec- 3 retary of Defense for Cyber Policy and the Vice 4 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff determine ap- 5 propriate. 6 (c) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR JOINT TASK 7 FORCE-CYBER.—The study and evaluation required under 8 subsection (a) shall include a comprehensive implementa- 9 tion plan for establishing Joint Task Force-Cyber ele- 10 ments across geographic combatant commands starting 11 with United States Indo-Pacific Command, as determined 12 appropriate based on the findings of the study and evalua- 13 tion. 14 (d) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than July 1, 15 2026, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy, 16 the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the 17 Commander of United States Cyber Command shall joint- 18 ly submit to the Secretary of Defense and the congres- 19 sional defense committees a report containing— 20 (1) the results of the study and evaluation re- 21 quired under subsection (a); 22 (2) the implementation plan required under 23 subsection (c); 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00860 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 861 •S 2296 RS (3) views from each of the geographic combat- 1 ant commands regarding the results of the study in 2 subsection (a) and the implementation plan in sub- 3 section (b); and 4 (4) recommendations for legislative or adminis- 5 trative actions required to implement the plan. 6 (e) LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Of 7 the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act, or 8 otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for operation 9 and maintenance, Defense-wide, and available for the As- 10 sistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy, not more 11 than 90 percent may be obligated or expended until the 12 date on which the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 13 Cyber Policy and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs 14 of Staff submit to the congressional defense committees 15 the complete report required under subsection (d). 16 SEC. 1610B. PROHIBITION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS TO 17 MODIFY AUTHORITIES OF THE COMMANDER 18 OF UNITED STATES CYBER COMMAND. 19 None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by 20 this Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 21 for the Department of Defense, may be obligated or ex- 22 pended to modify, reorganize, or otherwise change the re- 23 sponsibilities, authorities, or command structure of the 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00861 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 862 •S 2296 RS Commander of United States Cyber Command from those 1 in effect on June 1, 2025. 2 SEC. 1610C. PROGRAM FOR TALENT MANAGEMENT OF 3 CYBER PERSONNEL THROUGH ACTIVE AND 4 RESERVE TRANSITIONING. 5 (a) PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.—The Secretary of De- 6 fense, as part of the Defense Cyber Workforce Frame- 7 work, shall design and implement a program to support 8 active management of cyber talent transitioning to the re- 9 serve cyber force by May 1, 2026. 10 (b) ELEMENTS.—The program as required under 11 subsection (a) shall include the following elements: 12 (1) The ability to track, reskill, and upskill 13 transitioning active-duty cyber personnel and critical 14 enablers from the Cyber Mission Force (CMF) for 15 potential retention in the reserve component to meet 16 emerging cyber mission demands. 17 (2) The ability to conduct transparent and time 18 efficient means to recruit transitioning, fully quali- 19 fied, and in good standing active-duty cyber mission 20 force personnel and cyber enabling forces deemed 21 necessary by the United States Cyber Command 22 (USCYBERCOM) and its subordinate commands. 23 (3) Establishment of a centralized resource in 24 the Department to— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00862 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 863 •S 2296 RS (A) provide incentive services as a reten- 1 tion tool to aid transitioning CMF personnel in 2 navigating the active to reserve component per- 3 sonnel system across the military services; 4 (B) identify and advertise vacancies in re- 5 serve cyber units; and 6 (C) enable transition to civilian occupa- 7 tions (specifically with critical need strategic in- 8 dustries and critical infrastructure providers) 9 that could include mentorship, employment 10 counseling, and education focused on critical 11 high demand/low density cyber skills. 12 (4) The ability to expand such services to re- 13 lated areas, such as cyber auxiliary forces or direct 14 commissioning programs directed towards cyber 15 forces. 16 (c) BRIEFING.—Not later than June 1, 2026, the 17 Secretary of Defense shall provide a briefing to the Com- 18 mittees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House 19 of Representatives on the establishment of the program 20 required under subsection (a), including— 21 (1) the establishment of this program; 22 (2) an assessment of resourcing needs for the 23 program across the future years defense program; 24 and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00863 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 864 •S 2296 RS (3) identification of metrics or other assessment 1 capabilities to determine the impact on retention of 2 CMF forces and enabling cyber forces as part of a 3 total force strategy. 4 (d) PILOT AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Defense 5 shall establish a pilot program to assess the feasibility and 6 advisability of paying skill incentive pay or a skill pro- 7 ficiency bonus under section 353 of title 37, United States 8 Code, to members of the Cyber Mission Force working for 9 the United States Cyber Command that will expire on 10 September 30, 2030. 11 SEC. 1610D. DESIGNATION OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF 12 DEFENSE FOR CYBER POLICY AS PRINCIPAL 13 STAFF ASSISTANT. 14 Section 138(b)(8) of title 10, United States Code, is 15 amended— 16 (1) by inserting ‘‘(A)’’ before the first sentence; 17 and 18 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub- 19 paragraph: 20 ‘‘(B) Subject to the authority, direction, and control 21 of the Secretary of Defense, the Assistant Secretary of De- 22 fense for Cyber Policy— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00864 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 865 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(i) shall serve as a principal staff assistant to 1 the Secretary of Defense on matters within the re- 2 sponsibility of the Assistant Secretary; 3 ‘‘(ii) shall report directly to the Secretary with- 4 out intervening authority; and 5 ‘‘(iii) may communicate views on matters within 6 the responsibility of the Assistant Secretary directly 7 to the Secretary without obtaining the approval or 8 concurrence of any other official within the Depart- 9 ment of Defense.’’. 10 Subtitle B—Matters Relating to De- 11 partment of Defense Cybersecu- 12 rity and Information Tech- 13 nology 14 SEC. 1611. MODERNIZATION PROGRAM FOR FULL CONTENT 15 INSPECTION. 16 Section 1515 of the National Defense Authorization 17 Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (118–31; 10 U.S.C. 2224 note) 18 is amended— 19 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘NET- 20 WORK BOUNDARY AND CROSS-DOMAIN DE- 21 FENSE’’ and inserting ‘‘FULL CONTENT INSPEC- 22 TION’’; 23 (2) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘and cross- 24 domain’’ after ‘‘network boundary’’; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00865 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 866 •S 2296 RS (3) in subsection (b)(2)— 1 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 2 (i) by inserting ‘‘specified in sub- 3 section (a)’’ after ‘‘defense capabilities’’ 4 both places in appears; and 5 (ii) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘that 6 support operational missions as defined by 7 the Department of Defense Cyber Defense 8 Command’’ before the period at the end; 9 (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) 10 and (C) as subparagraphs (C) and (D), respec- 11 tively; 12 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 13 the following new subparagraph (B): 14 ‘‘(B) By December 1, 2026, integrate the 15 capabilities into the pilot program required by 16 subparagraph (A) that leverages, where appro- 17 priate, investments in artificial intelligence to il- 18 luminate and actively counter foreign cyber ag- 19 gression to Department of Defense networks.’’; 20 (D) in subparagraph (C), as redesignated 21 by subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘deployment 22 of modernized network boundary defense capa- 23 bilities to the access points and cross-domain 24 capabilities’’ and inserting ‘‘deployment of the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00866 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 867 •S 2296 RS same capabilities described in subsection (a) to 1 the access points and cross-domain capabilities, 2 and any other network interconnection point,’’; 3 and 4 (E) in subparagraph (D), as redesignated 5 by subparagraph (B)— 6 (i) by striking ‘‘modernized network 7 boundary defense capabilities’’ and insert- 8 ing ‘‘the same capabilities described in 9 subsection (a)’’; and 10 (ii) by adding at the end the following 11 new sentence: ‘‘To ensure the coverage of 12 these capabilities is complete, the Secretary 13 shall, acting through the Director of the 14 Defense Information Systems Agency and 15 the Chief Information Officer of the De- 16 partment of Defense, create a list of re- 17 maining networks and enclaves.’’; and 18 (4) by adding at the end the following new sub- 19 section: 20 ‘‘(d) BRIEFINGS.—Not later than November 1, 2026, 21 and not less frequently than once each year thereafter 22 until December 31, 2028, the Chief Information Officer 23 of the Department of Defense, the Director of the Defense 24 Information Systems Agency, and the Commander of the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00867 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 868 •S 2296 RS Department of Defense Cyber Defense Command shall 1 jointly provide to the congressional defense committees a 2 briefing on the status of deployment of the modernization 3 program required by subsection (a), the results of the sur- 4 veys conducted pursuant to subparagraphs (B) and (C) 5 of subsection (b)(2), and identification of remaining net- 6 works and enclaves to be incorporated into the program.’’. 7 SEC. 1612. ASSESSMENT REGARDING REAL-TIME MONI- 8 TORING OF DEFENSE WEAPONS PLATFORMS 9 FOR CYBER THREATS. 10 (a) ASSESSMENT REQUIRED.—The Secretary of De- 11 fense shall conduct a comprehensive assessment of the fea- 12 sibility and advisability of establishing a Department of 13 Defense-wide program— 14 (1) to remediate all weapon system platforms 15 that do not currently have capabilities that satisfy 16 requirements for weapon system platform cybersecu- 17 rity through automated, real-time monitoring for 18 threat detection and mitigation; and 19 (2) that would do so by— 20 (A) identifying and prioritizing weapon 21 systems lacking real-time monitoring for self- 22 protection capabilities; 23 (B) establishing technical requirements 24 and minimum cybersecurity standards for real- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00868 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 869 •S 2296 RS time protection across different categories of 1 weapon systems; 2 (C) developing implementation schedules 3 and funding requirements to retrofit existing 4 systems with real-time monitoring for self-pro- 5 tection capabilities; 6 (D) creating a verification and validation 7 process to ensure deployed solutions effectively 8 mitigate identified cybersecurity risks; and 9 (E) establishing a governance structure for 10 ongoing maintenance, updates, and operational 11 support of implemented capabilities. 12 (b) ELEMENTS.—The assessment required pursuant 13 to subsection (a) shall include the following: 14 (1) A detailed assessment of the costs, 15 timelines, and resources associated with developing, 16 testing, acquiring, and implementing real-time moni- 17 toring for self-protection capabilities, and the associ- 18 ated capabilities needed to aggregate and evaluate 19 data from such applications. 20 (2) A thorough evaluation of existing real-time 21 monitoring for self-protection solutions and their ap- 22 plicability to military weapon system environments. 23 (3) A proposed phased implementation and 24 funding plan that includes— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00869 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 870 •S 2296 RS (A) projected budget requirements delin- 1 eated by fiscal year; 2 (B) recommended acquisition strategies; 3 (C) detailed technical implementation con- 4 siderations; 5 (D) detailed operational implementation 6 considerations, including development of tactics, 7 training, and procedures for the employment of 8 such applications; and 9 (E) estimated timelines for achieving ini- 10 tial and full operational capability. 11 (4) A detailed inventory of— 12 (A) weapon system platforms for which 13 real-time monitoring for self-protection capabili- 14 ties are recommended; 15 (B) weapon system platforms for which 16 such capabilities are not recommended, together 17 with a justification for each such determination; 18 and 19 (C) alternative cybersecurity methods 20 being employed or proposed for platforms ex- 21 cluded from the recommendation for real-time 22 monitoring for self-protection implementation. 23 (c) COORDINATION WITH RELATED CYBERSECURITY 24 PROGRAMS.—In conducting the assessment required by 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00870 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 871 •S 2296 RS subsection (a), the Secretary shall coordinate with the Sec- 1 retary for each of the military departments for programs 2 within their department and with the Under Secretary of 3 Defense for Intelligence and Security regarding programs 4 identified in the Strategic Cybersecurity Program. 5 (d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 1, 7 2027, the Secretary shall submit to the congres- 8 sional defense committees a report on the findings of 9 the Secretary with respect to the assessment con- 10 ducted pursuant to subsection (a). 11 (2) CONTENTS.—The report submitted pursu- 12 ant to paragraph (1) on the findings of the Sec- 13 retary with respect to the assessment conducted pur- 14 suant to subsection (a) shall include the following: 15 (A) A summary of key findings of the Sec- 16 retary. 17 (B) A comprehensive assessment of tech- 18 nical feasibility for implementing real-time mon- 19 itoring for self-protection across different weap- 20 on system platform types. 21 (C) A thorough analysis of the advisability 22 of developing a program for implementing such 23 capabilities, including potential risks, benefits, 24 and trade-offs. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00871 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 872 •S 2296 RS (D) Specific recommendations regarding— 1 (i) whether real-time monitoring for 2 self-protection capabilities should be imple- 3 mented across Department weapon sys- 4 tems; 5 (ii) if implementation is rec- 6 ommended, which specific weapon systems 7 should receive priority for such implemen- 8 tation; 9 (iii) appropriate acquisition strategies 10 and funding mechanisms to support imple- 11 mentation; 12 (iv) any necessary policy or regulatory 13 changes to support effective implementa- 14 tion; and 15 (v) proposed metrics for measuring 16 successful implementation and operational 17 effectiveness. 18 (E) For weapon system platforms deemed 19 suitable candidates for real-time monitoring for 20 self-protection capabilities— 21 (i) recommended prioritization cri- 22 teria; 23 (ii) a proposed implementation sched- 24 ule; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00872 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 873 •S 2296 RS (iii) estimated costs and funding re- 1 quirements across the Future Years De- 2 fense Program; and 3 (iv) recommended technical ap- 4 proaches tailored to different platform cat- 5 egories. 6 (F) An assessment real-time monitoring 7 for self-protection or similar capabilities cur- 8 rently deployed on Department of Defense 9 weapon system platforms, including— 10 (i) a comprehensive inventory of plat- 11 forms currently utilizing such capabilities, 12 including relevant pilot programs; 13 (ii) the specific technical implementa- 14 tions in use; 15 (iii) an evaluation of the operational 16 effectiveness of existing implementations; 17 and 18 (iv) lessons learned that could inform 19 future acquisition and implementation ef- 20 forts. 21 (3) FORM OF REPORT.—The report submitted 22 pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in un- 23 classified form, but may include a classified annex. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00873 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 874 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1613. ASSESSMENT OF FEASIBILITY AND ADVIS- 1 ABILITY OF ESTABLISHING AN OPERATIONAL 2 TECHNOLOGY CYBERSECURITY TRAINING 3 CENTER OF EXCELLENCE. 4 (a) ASSESSMENT REQUIRED.— 5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than December 1, 6 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall, acting through 7 the Chief Information Officer of the Department of 8 Defense and in coordination with the Commander of 9 United States Cyber Command and such representa- 10 tives from the military departments as the Secretary 11 considers appropriate, complete an assessment of the 12 feasibility and advisability of establishing a center of 13 excellence for operational technology cybersecurity 14 training (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Center’’) 15 that would institutionalize training for the Depart- 16 ment of Defense on security and protection of oper- 17 ational technology and industrial control systems. 18 (2) FUNCTIONS TO BE ASSESSED.—In carrying 19 out the assessment required by subsection (a), the 20 Secretary shall assess the need for a Center— 21 (A) to provide comprehensive training and 22 other educational programs relating to oper- 23 ational technology and industrial control sys- 24 tems cybersecurity; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00874 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 875 •S 2296 RS (B) to develop and regularly update the 1 curriculum for such training and programs; 2 (C) to identify, develop, and integrate ma- 3 teriel and organizational requirements for De- 4 partment of Defense operational technology and 5 industrial control systems cybersecurity; 6 (D) to develop and manage the integration 7 of operational technology and industrial control 8 systems cybersecurity solutions with military 9 service doctrine, organization, training, mate- 10 riel, leadership and education, personnel, and 11 facilities; and 12 (E) to leverage and benefit from readily 13 available capacity of a military installation 14 with— 15 (i) existing infrastructure and multi- 16 service training facilities 17 (ii) a cadre or workforce of engineer- 18 ing and infrastructure expertise designed 19 for functions relating to the Armed Forces; 20 and 21 (iii) current centers of excellence with 22 specific consideration of existing facilities 23 that support physical and logical cyber 24 training ranges. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00875 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 876 •S 2296 RS (b) REPORT REQUIRED.— 1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than December 1, 2 2026, the Secretary shall submit to the congres- 3 sional defense committees a report on the findings of 4 the Secretary with respect to the assessment com- 5 pleted pursuant to subsection (a). 6 (2) RECOMMENDATION AND MATTERS TO BE 7 ADDRESSED.—The report submitted pursuant to 8 paragraph (1) shall include a recommendation on 9 whether the establishment of a Center is feasible 10 and advisable and shall address the following: 11 (A) An identification of curricula relating 12 to training and education of operational tech- 13 nology and industrial control systems, including 14 such training that might be provided by private 15 sector entities. 16 (B) Identification of anticipated through- 17 put demands for such training for military and 18 civilian personnel based on workforce estimates 19 from the operational cyber community. 20 (C) Assessment of the resources needed to 21 establish and maintain a Center and a cost-ben- 22 efit analysis to determine if the anticipated 23 training throughput in subparagraph (B) war- 24 rants such expenditure. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00876 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 877 •S 2296 RS (D) An evaluation of potential locations 1 that maximizes readily available capacity of a 2 military installation and synergies with— 3 (i) existing infrastructure and multi- 4 service training facilities; 5 (ii) a cadre or workforce of engineer- 6 ing and infrastructure expertise designed 7 for functions related to the Armed Forces 8 of the United States; and 9 (iii) current centers of excellence with 10 specific consideration of existing facilities 11 that support physical and logical cyber 12 training ranges. 13 (E) If the Secretary determines that estab- 14 lishing a Center is feasible and advisable— 15 (i) a proposed phased implementation 16 approach, including initial operating capa- 17 bility milestones and full operational capa- 18 bility targets; 19 (ii) an assessment of how a Center 20 could integrate training and education pro- 21 grams with existing Department of De- 22 fense cybersecurity certification require- 23 ments and career progression models; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00877 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 878 •S 2296 RS (iii) proposed metrics and evaluation 1 criteria that could be used to assess a Cen- 2 ter’s effectiveness in improving operational 3 technology and industrial control systems 4 security outcomes across the Department 5 of Defense, if established; 6 (iv) estimated funding, personnel, and 7 resource requirements for establishment 8 and maintenance of a Center; and 9 (v) analysis of potential challenges 10 and limitations to establish a Center and 11 recommendations to mitigate these chal- 12 lenges and limitations. 13 (F) Proposed metrics and evaluation cri- 14 teria that could be used to assess the Center’s 15 effectiveness in improving operational tech- 16 nology and industrial control systems security 17 outcomes across the Department. 18 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 19 (1) INDUSTRIAL CONTROL SYSTEM.—The term 20 ‘‘industrial control system’’ has the meaning given 21 such term in section 2220C of the Homeland Secu- 22 rity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 665i(f)). 23 (2) OPERATIONAL TECHNOLOGY.—The term 24 ‘‘operational technology’’ has the meaning given 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00878 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 879 •S 2296 RS such term in section 3 of the Internet of Things Cy- 1 bersecurity Improvement Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 2 278g–3a). 3 SEC. 1614. FRAMEWORK FOR INTEGRATION OF INFORMA- 4 TION TECHNOLOGY TECHNICAL DEBT AS- 5 SESSMENT INTO ANNUAL BUDGET PROCESS. 6 (a) FRAMEWORK DEVELOPMENT.—Not later than 7 September 1, 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall, in co- 8 ordination with the Chief Information Officer of the De- 9 partment of Defense, the Secretaries of the military de- 10 partments, and the Chief Information Officers of the mili- 11 tary departments, develop a framework for the integration 12 of technical debt assessment, tracking, and management 13 into existing Department of Defense processes for infor- 14 mation technology investment decisions and budget jus- 15 tification materials. 16 (b) TECHNICAL DEBT DEFINITION.—The Secretary 17 of Defense shall direct a comprehensive reevaluation of the 18 Department’s current definition of ‘‘technical debt’’ and 19 develop a categorization framework that adequately re- 20 flects different types of technical debt, including applica- 21 tion, physical infrastructure, architecture, and documenta- 22 tion components. 23 (c) FRAMEWORK COMPONENTS.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00879 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 880 •S 2296 RS (1) INTEGRATION REQUIREMENT.—The Sec- 1 retary of Defense shall ensure the framework devel- 2 oped under subsection (a) provides for integration of 3 technical debt considerations into existing Depart- 4 ment management processes and structures relating 5 to resourcing and programmatic decisions for exist- 6 ing or proposed information technology systems, 7 services, or related programs of record. 8 (2) METRICS.—The framework developed under 9 subsection (a) shall include— 10 (A) baseline measurement for technical 11 debt for a specific technology or program; 12 (B) objectives for technical debt reduction; 13 (C) consolidated metrics for Department- 14 wide use; and 15 (D) outcome-based metrics for assessing 16 operational and financial impacts. 17 (3) PROCESS INTEGRATION.—The framework 18 developed under subsection (a) shall utilize existing 19 governance structures for overseeing information 20 technology investments. 21 (4) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.—The framework 22 developed under subsection (a) shall— 23 (A) establish methods for identifying and 24 evaluating technical debt; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00880 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 881 •S 2296 RS (B) integrate technical debt management 1 into the planning, programming, budgeting, and 2 execution process, as well as information tech- 3 nology governance bodies; 4 (C) establish prioritization approaches 5 based on mission impact; 6 (D) develop mechanisms for gap identifica- 7 tion; and 8 (E) define organizational responsibilities 9 for remediating assessed technical debt of a 10 program or system. 11 (5) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary of De- 12 fense shall implement the framework developed 13 under subsection (a) not later than October 1, 2026, 14 to support the planning, programming, and process 15 for the budget justification materials to be submitted 16 to Congress in support of the Department, as sub- 17 mitted with the budget of the President for fiscal 18 year 2027 under section 1105(a) of title 31, United 19 States Code. 20 (d) BUDGET MATERIALS.— 21 (1) JUSTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.—Begin- 22 ning with the fiscal year 2027 budget request, the 23 Secretary of Defense shall ensure that, for each fis- 24 cal year, the budget justification materials to be sub- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00881 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 882 •S 2296 RS mitted to Congress in support of the budget of the 1 Department (as submitted with the budget of the 2 President under section 1105(a) of title 31, United 3 States Code) include— 4 (A) technical debt status assessments; 5 (B) planned remediation investments; 6 (C) risk assessments of investment gaps; 7 and 8 (D) alignment with modernization prior- 9 ities. 10 (2) PROGRAM ALIGNMENT.—The Secretary 11 shall ensure Defense planning guidance and program 12 objective memoranda address technical debt remedi- 13 ation requirements. 14 (e) CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING.—Not later than Sep- 15 tember 15, 2026, the Secretary shall provide to the con- 16 gressional defense committees a briefing on the implemen- 17 tation and effectiveness of the technical debt management 18 framework developed under subsection (a). 19 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 20 (1) The term ‘‘information technology’’ has the 21 meaning given such term in section 11101 of title 22 40, United States Code. 23 (2) The term ‘‘technical debt’’ means design or 24 implementation constructs that are expedient in the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00882 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 883 •S 2296 RS short-term, but that set up a technical context that 1 can make a future change costlier or impossible, as 2 defined in Department of Defense Instruction 3 5000.87, or successor instruction. 4 SEC. 1615. MISSION INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE TASK 5 FORCE. 6 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 8 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 9 retary of Defense shall establish a task force to sup- 10 port the assessment of vulnerabilities to defense crit- 11 ical infrastructure necessary for the execution of ex- 12 isting defense operational and contingency plans. 13 (2) DESIGNATION.—The task force established 14 pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be known as the 15 ‘‘Mission Infrastructure Resilience Task Force’’ (in 16 this section the ‘‘Task Force’’). 17 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Task Force 18 shall be— 19 (1) to conduct assessments and analysis of use 20 case-based mission threads to comprehensively iden- 21 tify, develop, and operationalize the full spectrum of 22 capabilities required to protect and maintain defense 23 critical infrastructure; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00883 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 884 •S 2296 RS (2) to build and integrate the necessary re- 1 sources, technologies, communication systems, tac- 2 tics, techniques, and procedures, personnel with ap- 3 propriate authorities, and exercise programs to en- 4 sure efficient and effective response when critical in- 5 frastructure supporting military operations and con- 6 tingencies is threatened, degraded, or disrupted. 7 (c) COMPOSITION.— 8 (1) CHAIR.—The Task Force shall be chaired 9 by a representative from the Department of Defense 10 Cyber Defense Command. 11 (2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Task Force shall in- 12 clude representatives from the following: 13 (A) United States Cyber Command. 14 (B) The Office of the Deputy Assistant 15 Secretary of Defense for Defense Continuity 16 and Mission Assurance. 17 (C) The Joint Warfighting Analysis Cen- 18 ter. 19 (D) The Defense Advanced Research 20 Projects Agency. 21 (E) The Critical Infrastructure Defense 22 Analysis Center. 23 (F) The Air Force Cyber Resiliency Office 24 of Control Systems program. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00884 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 885 •S 2296 RS (G) The energy, installations and environ- 1 ment, or civil engineering organizations of the 2 military departments. 3 (H) The Army Corps of Engineers Engi- 4 neering Research and Development Center. 5 (I) Each of the geographic and functional 6 combatant commands, on an as-needed basis. 7 (d) TASKS.—The Task Force shall— 8 (1) conduct assessments and analysis of use 9 case-based mission threads associated with defense 10 operational and contingency plans, including through 11 pilot programs, tabletop exercises, or studies that 12 identify infrastructure dependencies and organiza- 13 tional transition points where operational respon- 14 sibilities transfer between entities; 15 (2) identify vulnerabilities and capability gaps 16 in mission-critical infrastructure and determine— 17 (A) the resources, authorities, technologies, 18 partnerships with external and nongovernment 19 entities, and funding necessary to address such 20 vulnerabilities and gaps; and 21 (B) the designation of lead organizations 22 responsible for remediation activities and asso- 23 ciated costs; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00885 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 886 •S 2296 RS (3) develop broad-based solutions to address 1 gaps identified under paragraph (2), including— 2 (A) establishment of communication path- 3 ways; 4 (B) development of tools and technologies; 5 (C) implementation of visualization and 6 analytic programs; and 7 (D) integration of unique capabilities, such 8 as those provided by the National Guard; 9 (4) assign organizational leads for remediation 10 of specific gaps and vulnerabilities and develop com- 11 prehensive plans to address such gaps, including 12 identification of funding and budgeting requirements 13 necessary for successful remediation efforts; 14 (5) monitor and assess the progress of remedi- 15 ation efforts and identify process improvements and 16 solutions to address common deficiencies across mul- 17 tiple remediation activities; 18 (6) develop and conduct exercises based on like- 19 ly operational scenarios— 20 (A) to validate the effectiveness of remedi- 21 ation efforts; and 22 (B) to identify additional deficiencies or 23 vulnerabilities requiring remediation; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00886 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 887 •S 2296 RS (7) establish a framework for readiness assess- 1 ments to provide installation commanders and com- 2 batant commanders with visibility into the status of 3 mission infrastructure resilience capabilities within 4 their respective areas of responsibility; 5 (8) conduct targeted analysis of specific topics 6 as directed by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 7 Staff or the Secretary of Defense; and 8 (9) perform such other duties as the Secretary 9 of Defense may determine to be necessary and ap- 10 propriate. 11 (e) TRANSITION TO PERMANENT ORGANIZATION.— 12 (1) TRANSITION PLAN REQUIRED.—The Task 13 Force shall develop a comprehensive transition plan 14 for converting the Task Force into a permanent or- 15 ganization within the Department of Defense. 16 (2) SUBMISSION TO SECRETARY OF DE- 17 FENSE.—The transition plan required under para- 18 graph (1) shall be developed and presented to the 19 Secretary of Defense not later than 180 days prior 20 to the termination date specified in subsection (f). 21 (3) BRIEFINGS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 22 180 days before the termination date specified in 23 subsection (f), and annually thereafter through Sep- 24 tember 30, 2033, the Secretary shall provide to the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00887 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 888 •S 2296 RS congressional defense committees a briefing on the 1 transition plan required under paragraph (1). 2 (f) TERMINATION.—The Task Force shall terminate 3 on September 30, 2030. 4 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 5 (1) The term ‘‘defense critical infrastructure’’ 6 has the meaning given that term ‘‘critical infrastruc- 7 ture of the Department of Defense’’ in section 8 1650(e) of the National Defense Authorization Act 9 for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 10 10 U.S.C. 2224 note). 11 (2) The term ‘‘mission threads’’ means an end- 12 to-end set of activities and tasks that support the 13 execution of a specific operational mission or func- 14 tion. 15 SEC. 1616. PLAN FOR DEPLOYING PRIVATE FIFTH GENERA- 16 TION OPEN RADIO ACCESS NETWORKS ON 17 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE BASES. 18 (a) REQUIREMENT FOR PRIORITIZED LIST OF 19 BASES.—Pursuant to section 1526 of the National De- 20 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 21 118–31; 10 U.S.C. 4571 note) and the Department of De- 22 fense Private 5G Deployment Strategy (dated October 23 2024), each Secretary of a military department shall de- 24 velop a prioritized list of bases that merit investment in 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00888 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 889 •S 2296 RS private fifth generation information and communications 1 networks. 2 (b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing a list under 3 subsection (a), a Secretary of a military department shall 4 consider matters relating to the following: 5 (1) High connection density. 6 (2) Low latency. 7 (3) High capacity. 8 (4) Large geographic coverage. 9 (5) Enhanced and tailored security, including 10 obscured data transport, within wireless network 11 services. 12 (6) Base physical security and force protection 13 requiring advanced processing of high-resolution dis- 14 tributed sensor feeds for perimeter monitoring, and 15 detection and tracking of unmanned aerial systems 16 (UAS), including through the potential use of a fifth 17 generation information and communications net- 18 work. 19 (7) Efficient large-scale warehousing and logis- 20 tics operations. 21 (8) The use of augmented or virtual reality 22 technology for efficient maintenance and training. 23 (9) Large-scale and high-tempo flight line oper- 24 ations. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00889 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 890 •S 2296 RS (c) INFORMING TASK ORDERS.—The Secretary of the 1 Air Force shall use the prioritized list the Secretary devel- 2 oped under subsection (a) to inform task orders issued 3 under the Enterprise Information Technology as a Service 4 Base Infrastructure Modernization program. Task orders 5 issued after the date of the enactment of this Act shall 6 specify where Wi-Fi is fully adequate to meet require- 7 ments and where private fifth generation information and 8 communications network performance is needed. 9 (d) COORDINATION REQUIRED.—In developing 10 prioritized lists under subsection (a), each of the Secre- 11 taries of the military departments shall coordinate with 12 the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engi- 13 neering, the Chief Information Officer of the Department 14 of Defense, and such combatant commanders and direc- 15 tors of defense agencies as the Secretaries each consider 16 appropriate. 17 (e) PLAN FOR PRIVATE 5G ORAN NETWORK DE- 18 PLOYMENTS.—Not later than March 1, 2026, the Sec- 19 retary of Defense shall— 20 (1) consolidate the prioritized base lists devel- 21 oped by the Secretaries of the military departments 22 under subsection (a), and determine an optimal in- 23 vestment, deployment, and spend plan for private 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00890 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 891 •S 2296 RS fifth generation Open Radio Access Network 1 (ORAN) networks across the Department; and 2 (2) submit to the congressional defense commit- 3 tees a report on the lists consolidated under para- 4 graph (1) and the determinations made pursuant to 5 such paragraph. 6 SEC. 1617. LIMITATION ON FUNDS FOR TRAVEL PENDING 7 BRIEFING ON PROCESS FOR BEST-IN-CLASS 8 CYBER DATA PRODUCTS AND SERVICES. 9 (a) LIMITATION.—Of the funds authorized to be ap- 10 propriated by this Act or otherwise made available for fis- 11 cal year 2026 for operation and maintenance, Defense- 12 wide, and available for travel expenses for the Office of 13 the Chief Information Officer of the Department of De- 14 fense, not more than 90 percent may be obligated or ex- 15 pended until the date on which the Secretary of Defense 16 provides the briefing required under subsection (b). 17 (b) BRIEFING REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall, act- 18 ing through the Chief Information Officer of the Depart- 19 ment of Defense and in coordination with the Chief Infor- 20 mation Officers from each of the military departments and 21 the Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, 22 provide a brief to the congressional defense committees 23 on— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00891 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 892 •S 2296 RS (1) how the Department of Defense plans to es- 1 tablish an open and competitive process through au- 2 thorities granted in section 1521 of the National De- 3 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Pub- 4 lic Law 117–81; 10 U.S.C. 2224 note) to procure 5 best in class cybersecurity solutions, including end- 6 point, identity, and threat-hunting solutions; and 7 (2) the benefits associated with the use of mul- 8 tiple different cybersecurity providers to support 9 operational resilience of Department networks. 10 (c) IMPLEMENTATION STATUS.—The brief required 11 under subsection (b) shall include— 12 (1) the status of the designation of an executive 13 agent for Department of Defense-wide procurement 14 of cyber data products and services as required by 15 subsection (a) of section 1521 of the National De- 16 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Pub- 17 lic Law 117–81; 10 U.S.C. 2224 note); 18 (2) the establishment and operational status of 19 the program management office required by such 20 subsection; 21 (3) progress made in developing Department- 22 wide requirements for cyber data products and serv- 23 ices; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00892 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 893 •S 2296 RS (4) a detailed timeline for full implementation 1 of the requirements specified in section 1521 of such 2 Act (Public Law 117–81; 10 U.S.C. 2224 note). 3 (d) ACQUISITION STRATEGY.—The brief required by 4 subsection (b) shall include a comprehensive acquisition 5 strategy that— 6 (1) outlines how the Department will leverage 7 enterprise-wide procurement to achieve cost effi- 8 ciencies compared to component-level procurements; 9 (2) identifies metrics for measuring the effec- 10 tiveness and value of enterprise-wide cyber solutions; 11 (3) details plans to ensure accessibility of pro- 12 cured solutions across all military departments and 13 components of the Department; and 14 (4) describes how the Department will maintain 15 vendor diversity and competition throughout the ac- 16 quisition lifecycle. 17 (e) BUDGET IMPLICATIONS.—The brief required 18 under subsection (b) shall include— 19 (1) estimated funding requirements for the im- 20 plementation of enterprise-wide procurement of 21 cyber data products and services for fiscal years 22 2026 through 2030; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00893 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 894 •S 2296 RS (2) a description of how enterprise-wide pro- 1 curement will result in cost savings compared to cur- 2 rent acquisition approaches. 3 SEC. 1618. LIMITATION OF FUNDS FOR TRAVEL EXPENSES 4 FOR THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF INFORMA- 5 TION OFFICER. 6 (a) LIMITATION.—Of the funds authorized to be ap- 7 propriated by this Act or otherwise made available for fis- 8 cal year 2026 for operation and maintenance, Defense- 9 wide, and available for travel expenses for the Office of 10 the Chief Information Officer of the Department of De- 11 fense, not more than 85 percent may be obligated or ex- 12 pended until the date on which the Chief Information Offi- 13 cer of the Department of Defense, in coordination with 14 the Chief Information Officers of the military depart- 15 ments, submits to the congressional defense committees 16 the plan required under subsection (b). 17 (b) PLAN REQUIRED.—The Chief Information Offi- 18 cer of the Department of Defense, in coordination with 19 the Chief Information Officers of the military depart- 20 ments, shall develop and submit to the congressional de- 21 fense committees a comprehensive plan to transition from 22 legacy circuits to Internet Protocol-based circuits that 23 comply with Department of Defense security require- 24 ments, including— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00894 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 895 •S 2296 RS (1) identification of all legacy circuits currently 1 in use across the Department of Defense and the 2 military departments; 3 (2) establishment of timelines for the transition 4 of each identified legacy circuit; 5 (3) detail of resource requirements necessary to 6 execute the transition; 7 (4) identification of any technical, operational, 8 or security challenges that may impact the transition 9 and proposed solutions to address such challenges; 10 (5) specification of associated funding lines for 11 each military department and defense agency par- 12 ticipating in the transition; and 13 (6) identification of investments over the Fu- 14 ture Years Defense Program required to complete 15 the transition. 16 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 17 (1) The term ‘‘Internet Protocol-based circuits’’ 18 means telecommunications circuits or services that 19 utilize the Internet Protocol suite for packet switch- 20 ing and routing to transmit voice, data, and video 21 communications. 22 (2) The term ‘‘legacy circuits’’ means tele- 23 communications circuits that utilize outdated tech- 24 nology with limited bandwidth, security features, or 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00895 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 896 •S 2296 RS interoperability capabilities as compared to modern 1 Internet Protocol-based alternatives. 2 SEC. 1619. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 3 THE COMBINED JOINT ALL-DOMAIN COM- 4 MAND AND CONTROL INITIATIVE. 5 Of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this 6 Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for 7 research, development, test, and evaluation, Defense-wide, 8 for the Joint Staff and the Chief Digital and Artificial 9 Intelligence Officer for the Combined Joint All-Domain 10 Command and Control initiative, not more than 90 per- 11 cent may be obligated or expended until the Secretary of 12 Defense provides to the congressional defense committees 13 a framework for such initiative that helps guide invest- 14 ments and measures progress for the initiative, as rec- 15 ommended by the Comptroller General of the United 16 States in the report of the Comptroller General titled ‘‘De- 17 fense Command and Control: Further Progress Hinges on 18 Establishing a Comprehensive Framework’’ (GAO–25– 19 106454). 20 SEC. 1620. REVIEW OF JOINT FIRES NETWORK PROGRAM 21 TRANSITION. 22 (a) BRIEFING REQUIRED.— 23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than February 1, 24 2026, the Secretary of the Air Force, in coordination 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00896 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 897 •S 2296 RS with the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition 1 and Sustainment, the Under Secretary of Defense 2 for Research and Engineering, and the Director of 3 Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, shall pro- 4 vide to the congressional defense committees a brief- 5 ing on the plans and progress of transitioning the 6 Joint Fires Network initiative to a program of 7 record within the Air Force. 8 (2) ELEMENTS.—The briefing required by 9 paragraph (1) shall include the following: 10 (A) An update on the charter for the pro- 11 gram, including organizational relationships be- 12 tween the Air Force program manager, relevant 13 stakeholders supporting developmental efforts, 14 and operational customers of the Joint Fires 15 Network. 16 (B) Details on the funding profile and 17 milestones for the program across the future- 18 years defense program, highlighting any poten- 19 tial challenges or delays, and recommendations 20 for how to advance the Joint Fires Network 21 program. 22 (C) A description of processes and guard- 23 rails related to the management of require- 24 ments and funding to ensure military depart- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00897 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 898 •S 2296 RS ment-specific requirements or funding pressures 1 are not prioritized over joint requirements or 2 needs of operational customers. 3 (D) A description and timeline of transi- 4 tion planning for providing specific capabilities 5 to operational customers, including processes 6 for balancing needs and requirements across 7 multiple operational customers. 8 (b) INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT REQUIRED.— 9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than March 30, 10 2026, the Commander of the United States Indo-Pa- 11 cific Command shall— 12 (A) assess the plans and progress de- 13 scribed in subsection (a)(1); and 14 (B) provide to the congressional defense 15 committees a briefing on the findings of the as- 16 sessment. 17 (2) ELEMENTS.—The briefing required by 18 paragraph (1) shall include the Commander’s assess- 19 ment of the following: 20 (A) The charter for the program and orga- 21 nizational relationships for facilitating coordina- 22 tion with the Combatant Command. 23 (B) Mechanisms to include feedback from 24 operational customers in the program and con- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00898 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 899 •S 2296 RS tinue the rapid delivery of the Joint Fires Net- 1 work capability at the point of need. 2 SEC. 1620A. PROHIBITION ON THE ELIMINATION OF CER- 3 TAIN CYBER ASSESSMENT CAPABILITIES FOR 4 TEST AND EVALUATION. 5 (a) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary of Defense shall 6 not take any action to divest, consolidate, or curtail any 7 current cyber assessment capabilities or National Security 8 Agency (NSA)-certified red teams supporting operational 9 test and evaluation (OT&E) for Department of Defense 10 programs until the Secretary provides the certification de- 11 scribed under subsection (b). 12 (b) CERTIFICATION.— The certification referred to in 13 subsection (a) is a certification to the congressional de- 14 fense committees that includes the following: 15 (1) The analytic basis for making the decision 16 to take an action described in subsection (a), includ- 17 ing any cost, workload, and workforce requirements, 18 as well as any analysis related to operational impact 19 on users of cyber assessment capabilities provided by 20 the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation 21 (DOT&E). 22 (2) Independent review by the Director of Cost 23 Assessment and Program Evaluation of all such 24 analyses provided under paragraph (1). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00899 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 900 •S 2296 RS (3) Certification by the Director of the Test Re- 1 source Management Center that such analyses and 2 such decisions meet the requirements of the Depart- 3 ment of Defense, as required by section 4 4173(c)(1)(B) of title 10, United States Code. 5 (4) A comprehensive transition plan for critical 6 cyber test and evaluation capabilities currently man- 7 aged by the Director of Operational Test and Eval- 8 uation, including identification of receiving organiza- 9 tions within the services or Office of the Secretary 10 of Defense, timeline for transfer, and measures to 11 ensure continuity of operations. 12 (5) A detailed assessment of funding require- 13 ments for maintaining and enhancing cyber test and 14 evaluation capabilities during and after the transi- 15 tion, including how these funding elements will be 16 incorporated into annual budget request documents. 17 (6) A review of staffing, tools, and specialized 18 resources needed to support cyber operational test 19 and evaluation across major weapons and informa- 20 tion technology programs within the receiving orga- 21 nizations. 22 (7) A summary of efforts to integrate intel- 23 ligence-informed threat data into operational cyber 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00900 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 901 •S 2296 RS testing, including any remaining legal or technical 1 barriers and proposed solutions. 2 (8) A plan to improve coordination and infor- 3 mation-sharing between cyber test and evaluation 4 stakeholders, United States Cyber Command, and 5 the intelligence community following the organiza- 6 tional transition. 7 (9) Proposed metrics for evaluating mission ef- 8 fects in cyber-contested environments, consistent 9 with guidance in the Cyber OT&E Guidebook, and 10 how these will be maintained across organizational 11 boundaries. 12 (10) An assessment of the effectiveness and fu- 13 ture needs of cyber assessment programs, including 14 resource gaps and how these will be addressed by 15 the receiving organizations. 16 SEC. 1620B. MODIFICATION TO CERTIFICATION REQUIRE- 17 MENT REGARDING CONTRACTING FOR MILI- 18 TARY RECRUITING. 19 Section 1555 of the National Defense Authorization 20 Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 10 U.S.C. 21 503 note) is amended— 22 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘does not’’ 23 and all that follows through the end and inserting 24 the following: ‘‘does not— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00901 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 902 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(1) rate or rank news or information sources 1 for the factual accuracy of their content; 2 ‘‘(2) provide ratings or opinions on news or in 3 formation sources regarding misinformation, bias, 4 adherence to journalistic standards, or ethics; or 5 ‘‘(3) acquire or use any service that provides 6 any ratings, rankings, or opinions described in para- 7 graph (1) or (2) from any other person.’’; and 8 (2) by striking subsection (c). 9 SEC. 1620C. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE WORKING GROUP, 10 STRATEGY, AND REPORT ON ENSURING THE 11 SECURITY, RESILIENCY, AND INTEGRITY OF 12 UNDERSEA CABLES. 13 (a) WORKING GROUP.— 14 (1) CONVENING.—Not later than March 1, 15 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall, in consultation 16 with the Joint Staff, the Director of the Defense In- 17 formation Systems Agency, and such other agencies 18 and combatant commands as the Secretary considers 19 relevant, convene a working group— 20 (A) to prepare the report required by sub- 21 section (b); 22 (B) to provide the briefing required by 23 subsection (c); and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00902 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 903 •S 2296 RS (C) to develop the strategy required by 1 subsection (d). 2 (2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Working Group shall 3 be composed of participants with relevant back- 4 ground or expertise, as determined by the Secretary, 5 but shall include, at a minimum, the following: 6 (A) At least one individual from the Office 7 of the Secretary of Defense. 8 (B) At least one individual from the Joint 9 Staff. 10 (C) At least one individual from the De- 11 fense Information Systems Agency. 12 (3) CHAIRPERSON.—The Secretary, or the Sec- 13 retary’s designee, shall serve as the chairperson of 14 the Working Group. 15 (b) REPORT.— 16 (1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than February 17 1, 2027, the Secretary shall submit to the appro- 18 priate committees of Congress a report— 19 (A) assessing the unique challenges of pro- 20 tecting covered undersea cables and covered 21 cable landing stations from threats posed by the 22 People’s Republic of China, the Russian Fed- 23 eration, the Islamic Republic of Iran, naval and 24 shadow fleets of adversaries of the United 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00903 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 904 •S 2296 RS States, and subsea cable destruction mecha- 1 nisms and any foreign entity of concern; 2 (B) specifically discussing the implications 3 posed by relevant treaties and customary inter- 4 national law; 5 (C) examining the roles, responsibilities, 6 and limits of the Department of Defense in en- 7 suring the security, resiliency, and integrity of 8 covered undersea cables; 9 (D) identifying gaps in current mecha- 10 nisms for detection of, prevention of, and re- 11 sponse to threats against covered undersea ca- 12 bles and covered cable landing stations; and 13 (E) identifying methods for the Depart- 14 ment to create and disseminate lawfare or 15 transparency methods to promote international 16 law and deter future grey zone tactics and de- 17 classify instances of adversarial action, as may 18 be appropriate. 19 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 20 submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include a 21 description of each of the following: 22 (A) Past, ongoing, or planned efforts to 23 protect covered undersea cables and covered 24 cable landing stations from espionage, cyberse- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00904 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 905 •S 2296 RS curity threats, physical damage, and natural 1 disasters. 2 (B) Analysis of the capabilities of adver- 3 sarial countries, including the People’s Republic 4 of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic 5 Republic of Iran, and others, to target, com- 6 promise, intercept data transmissions or sen- 7 sitive information from covered undersea cables. 8 (C) Recommended areas for enhanced col- 9 laboration with industry stakeholders, including 10 establishing standards, guidelines, and public- 11 private reporting mechanisms. 12 (D) Assessment of training needs, includ- 13 ing the development of a dedicated cadre of cov- 14 ered undersea cable security experts. 15 (E) Identification of resources required for 16 expanded operations and enhanced interagency 17 and international coordination. 18 (F) Recommendations for enhanced col- 19 laboration with allied and partner nations, in- 20 cluding current best practices and lessons 21 learned. 22 (G) Assessment of the maximum disrup- 23 tion to covered undersea cables and landing sta- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00905 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 906 •S 2296 RS tions tolerable for the continuity of critical De- 1 partment of Defense operations. 2 (H) The practicability of repairing any 3 covered undersea cable within 100 hours, in- 4 cluding through the development and use of 5 aerial-deliverable, submersible, splicing robots. 6 (I) The utility and practicability of devel- 7 oping 72-hour deployable portable cable landing 8 stations. 9 (J) Identification of the costs associated 10 with the deployment of anti-tamper sensors. 11 (3) FORM.—The report under paragraph (1) 12 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may in- 13 clude a classified annex. 14 (c) BRIEFING.—Not later than March 15, 2027, the 15 Working Group shall provide to the appropriate commit- 16 tees of Congress a briefing on the findings and rec- 17 ommendations contained in such report. 18 (d) STRATEGY.—Not later than February 1, 2027, 19 the Working Group shall, in consultation with such gov- 20 ernmental or non-governmental entities as the Working 21 Group considers appropriate, submit to the appropriate 22 committees of Congress a strategy to disseminate to allies 23 and partners of the United States, industry, and such 24 other entities as the Working Group considers appropriate 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00906 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 907 •S 2296 RS to address the threats, gaps, roles, responsibilities, and 1 challenges described in subsection (b)— 2 (1) to address threats to the physical security, 3 cybersecurity resiliency, and integrity of covered un- 4 dersea cables and covered cable landing stations, in- 5 cluding redundancies and response options in the 6 event of multiple or coordinated attacks on cable in- 7 frastructure; 8 (2) to enhance the Department of Defense’s 9 international collaboration on matters relating to the 10 security of covered undersea cable and covered cable 11 landing stations, including joint exercises with allies 12 and partners of the United States; 13 (3) to incorporate covered undersea cable secu- 14 rity into mission sets and operational planning of 15 relevant combatant commands (COCOMs); 16 (4) to foster engagement with private industry 17 to ensure technological advancements and best prac- 18 tices are leveraged for the protection of covered un- 19 dersea cable and covered cable landing stations; and 20 (5) to develop lawfare or transparency methods 21 to promote international law and deter future grey 22 zone tactics. 23 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00907 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 908 •S 2296 RS (1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON- 1 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con- 2 gress’’ means the Committee on Armed Services of 3 the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of 4 the House of Representatives. 5 (2) COVERED CABLE LANDING STATION.—The 6 term ‘‘covered cable landing station’’ means a cov- 7 ered undersea cable landing station in, owned by, or 8 operated by the United States or an ally of the 9 United States. 10 (3) COVERED UNDERSEA CABLE.—The term 11 ‘‘covered undersea cable’’ means a commercial un- 12 dersea telecommunications cable landing in, owned 13 by, or operated by the United States or an ally of 14 the United States. 15 (4) CYBERSECURITY THREAT.—The term ‘‘cy- 16 bersecurity threat’’ has the meaning given such term 17 in section 2200 of the Homeland Security Act of 18 2002 (6 U.S.C. 650). 19 (5) FOREIGN ENTITY OF CONCERN.—The term 20 ‘‘foreign entity of concern’’ has the meaning given 21 such term in section 9901 of the William M. (Mac) 22 Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for 23 Fiscal Year 2021 (15 U.S.C. 4651). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00908 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 909 •S 2296 RS (6) WORKING GROUP.—The term ‘‘Working 1 Group’’ means the working group convened pursuant 2 to subsection (b)(1). 3 Subtitle C—Data and Artificial 4 Intelligence 5 SEC. 1621. PUBLIC-PRIVATE CYBERSECURITY PARTNER- 6 SHIP FOR HIGHLY CAPABLE ARTIFICIAL IN- 7 TELLIGENCE SYSTEMS. 8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT REQUIRED.—Not later than 9 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 10 Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy shall es- 11 tablish a public-private partnership body to address cyber- 12 security and physical security threats and vulnerabilities 13 to highly capable artificial intelligence and machine learn- 14 ing systems. 15 (b) FORUM FOR ENGAGEMENT.—The public-private 16 partnership body established under subsection (a) shall 17 serve as a forum for engagement between the Department 18 of Defense and commercial industry partners to align and 19 enhance cybersecurity and physical security frameworks 20 and practices applicable to both national security systems 21 and artificial intelligence and machine learning systems at 22 risk from sophisticated state actors. 23 (c) PURPOSE.—The public-private partnership body 24 developed under subsection (a) shall— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00909 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 910 •S 2296 RS (1) convene regular engagements to discuss cy- 1 bersecurity and physical security threats and 2 vulnerabilities specific to highly capable artificial in- 3 telligence and machine learning systems, with a 4 focus on both current and emerging threats posed by 5 state-sponsored cyber actors; 6 (2) facilitate the development, sharing, and 7 alignment of best practices and robust cybersecurity 8 and physical security frameworks between the De- 9 partment and commercial industry to protect artifi- 10 cial intelligence and machine learning systems; 11 (3) promote collaborative threat intelligence 12 sharing between the Department and commercial en- 13 tities, with particular attention to vulnerabilities in 14 artificial intelligence and machine learning systems 15 used in critical infrastructure, defense operations, 16 and sensitive national security functions; and 17 (4) develop recommendations for cybersecurity 18 and physical security policy enhancements aimed at 19 safeguarding artificial intelligence and machine 20 learning technologies from state-sponsored cyber at- 21 tacks and report findings and policy recommenda- 22 tions to Congress on an annual basis. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00910 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 911 •S 2296 RS (d) PARTICIPANTS.—The public-private partnership 1 body developed under subsection (a) shall include rep- 2 resentatives from— 3 (1) the Department of Defense, including— 4 (A) the Office of the Assistant Secretary of 5 Defense for Cyber Policy; 6 (B) the Under Secretary of Defense for In- 7 telligence and Security; 8 (C) the Chief Information Officers of the 9 Department of Defense and the Armed Forces; 10 (D) the Chief Digital and Artificial Intel- 11 ligence Officer of the Department of Defense; 12 (E) the Defense Advanced Research 13 Projects Agency; 14 (F) the National Security Agency; 15 (G) United States Cyber Command; 16 (H) the Defense Cyber Crime Center; and 17 (I) such other entities in the Department 18 of Defense and military departments with re- 19 sponsibilities for cybersecurity or artificial intel- 20 ligence systems as the Assistant Secretary con- 21 siders relevant; 22 (2) commercial industry companies with exper- 23 tise in highly capable artificial intelligence and ma- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00911 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 912 •S 2296 RS chine learning systems, or cybersecurity or physical 1 security practices, including— 2 (A) cloud computing and artificial intel- 3 ligence service providers; 4 (B) cybersecurity companies; 5 (C) artificial intelligence research and de- 6 velopment companies; 7 (D) telecommunications companies; and 8 (E) such other industry leaders as the As- 9 sistant Secretary identifies as relevant and ap- 10 propriate; and 11 (3) federally funded research and development 12 centers, national laboratories, and academic institu- 13 tions with demonstrated expertise in highly capable 14 artificial intelligence and machine learning systems, 15 cybersecurity or physical security practices. 16 (e) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Not later than one 17 year after the date of the establishment of the public-pri- 18 vate partnership body under subsection (a), and not less 19 frequently than once each year thereafter until December 20 1, 2030, the Assistant Secretary shall submit to the con- 21 gressional defense committees a report summarizing— 22 (1) the key finding from the engagements held 23 under subsection (c)(1), including any identified cy- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00912 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 913 •S 2296 RS bersecurity or physical security vulnerabilities in ar- 1 tificial intelligence and machine learning systems; 2 (2) recommendations for enhancing cybersecu- 3 rity or physical security policy and practices to pro- 4 tect artificial intelligence and machine learning sys- 5 tems across both the Department and commercial 6 sectors; and 7 (3) an analysis of the progress made in aligning 8 Department and commercial cybersecurity and phys- 9 ical security frameworks to address state-sponsored 10 cyber threats. 11 SEC. 1622. DIGITAL SANDBOX ENVIRONMENTS FOR ARTIFI- 12 CIAL INTELLIGENCE. 13 (a) REQUIREMENT TO ESTABLISH.—Not later than 14 April 1, 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall, acting 15 through the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Offi- 16 cer and the Chief Information Officer of the Department 17 of Defense, establish a task force on artificial intelligence 18 sandbox environments (in this section referred to as the 19 ‘‘Task Force’’). 20 (b) PURPOSE.—The Task Force shall identify, co- 21 ordinate, and advance Department-wide efforts to develop 22 and deploy virtual environments necessary to support arti- 23 ficial intelligence experimentation, training, familiariza- 24 tion, and development across the Department of Defense 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00913 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 914 •S 2296 RS enterprise. These virtual environments, known as an ‘‘arti- 1 ficial intelligence sandbox’’, shall— 2 (1) provide capability for personnel with varied 3 technical proficiency, from novice users to experi- 4 enced practitioners; 5 (2) enable the building, training, evaluation, 6 and deployment of artificial intelligence models; 7 (3) facilitate familiarity with and utilization of 8 existing artificial intelligence capabilities; and 9 (4) accelerate the responsible adoption of artifi- 10 cial intelligence across the Department. 11 (c) CO-CHAIRS.—The Task Force shall be co-chaired 12 by the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer and 13 the Chief Information Officer. 14 (d) COMPOSITION.—The Task Force shall be com- 15 posed of— 16 (1) the chief artificial intelligence officers of the 17 military departments, or in the absence of such posi- 18 tion, the individual responsible for leading artificial 19 intelligence efforts within each military department; 20 (2) the chief information officers of the military 21 departments; 22 (3) the chief artificial intelligence officers of the 23 combatant commands and joint staff, or in the ab- 24 sence of such position, the individual responsible for 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00914 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 915 •S 2296 RS leading artificial intelligence efforts within each com- 1 batant commands; 2 (4) the chief information officers of the combat- 3 ant commands, and joint staff, or in the absence of 4 such position, the individual responsible for leading 5 information technology efforts within each combat- 6 ant commands; 7 (5) the Directors for Command, Control, Com- 8 munications, and Computers/Cyber (J6) of the com- 9 batant commands, or their designees; 10 (6) the Director for Command, Control, Com- 11 munications, and Computers/Cyber (J6) of the Joint 12 Staff, or their designee; and 13 (7) such other officials of the Department as 14 the co-chairs of the Task Force consider appro- 15 priate. 16 (e) FUNCTIONS.—The Task Force shall— 17 (1) identify and consolidate common require- 18 ments with respect to artificial intelligence sandbox 19 environments across the Department, including re- 20 quirements relating to interfaces for users with vary- 21 ing technical expertise, computational resources and 22 infrastructure, pre-trained models and datasets, and 23 educational and training materials; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00915 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 916 •S 2296 RS (2) identify, inventory, and ensure the avail- 1 ability of existing solutions and technical documenta- 2 tion, including machine-readable documents, ref- 3 erence architectures, and user guides; 4 (3) publish an analysis matching common re- 5 quirements identified under paragraph (1) with ex- 6 isting solutions identified under paragraph (2); 7 (4) utilize existing Department mechanisms to 8 achieve efficiencies through enterprise licenses and 9 contracts; 10 (5) identify and, where possible, streamline au- 11 thority to operate approvals for each element of 12 common artificial intelligence sandbox environment 13 architectures; and 14 (6) publish guidance on the appropriate use of 15 artificial intelligence sandbox environments for users 16 at all skill levels. 17 (f) BRIEFING.—Not later than August 1, 2026, the 18 co-chairs of the Task Force shall provide to the congres- 19 sional defense committees a briefing on the goals and ob- 20 jectives of the Task Force. 21 (g) TERMINATION.—The Task Force shall terminate 22 on January 1, 2030. 23 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00916 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 917 •S 2296 RS (1) The term ‘‘artificial intelligence’’ has the 1 meaning given such term in section 238(g) of the 2 John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act 3 for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 4 U.S.C. note prec. 4061). 5 (2) The term ‘‘artificial intelligence sandbox en- 6 vironment’’ means a secure, isolated computing envi- 7 ronment that enables users with varying levels of 8 technical expertise to access artificial intelligence 9 tools, models, and capabilities for the purposes of ex- 10 perimentation, training, testing, and development 11 without affecting operational systems or requiring 12 specialized technical knowledge to operate. 13 (3) The term ‘‘authority to operate’’ means the 14 official management decision given by a senior orga- 15 nizational official to authorize operation of an infor- 16 mation system and to explicitly accept the risk to or- 17 ganizational operations and assets, individuals, other 18 organizations, and the United States based on the 19 implementation of an agreed-upon set of security 20 controls, as defined in Committee on National Secu- 21 rity Systems Instruction 4009, or successor docu- 22 ment. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00917 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 918 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1623. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MODEL ASSESSMENT 1 AND OVERSIGHT. 2 (a) CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAM FOR ARTIFICIAL IN- 3 TELLIGENCE MODEL ASSESSMENT AND OVERSIGHT.— 4 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of De- 5 fense shall, in accordance with section 911 of the 6 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 7 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 10 U.S.C. 111 note), 8 establish a cross-functional team for artificial intel- 9 ligence model assessment and oversight (in this sec- 10 tion referred to as the ‘‘Cross-Functional Team’’). 11 (2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Cross-Func- 12 tional Team is to develop a standardized assessment 13 framework and governance structure to evaluate, 14 oversee, and facilitate collaboration on artificial in- 15 telligence models employed by the Department of 16 Defense. 17 (3) COMPOSITION.— 18 (A) LEADERSHIP.—The Chief Digital and 19 Artificial Intelligence Officer shall lead the 20 Cross-Functional Team. 21 (B) MEMBERSHIP.—The Secretary shall 22 ensure that the Cross-Functional Team includes 23 representatives from— 24 (i) the Office of the Chief Information 25 Officer; 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00918 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 919 •S 2296 RS (ii) the chief artificial intelligence offi- 1 cers of the military departments, or in the 2 absence of such position, the individual re- 3 sponsible for leading artificial intelligence 4 efforts within each military department; 5 (iii) the chief information officers of 6 the military departments; 7 (iv) the chief artificial intelligence of- 8 ficers of the combatant commands and the 9 Joint Staff, or in the absence of such posi- 10 tion, the individuals responsible for leading 11 artificial intelligence efforts within each 12 such command and the Joint Staff; 13 (v) the chief information officers of 14 the combatant commands and the Joint 15 Staff, or in the absence of such position, 16 the individuals responsible for leading in- 17 formation technology efforts within each 18 such command and the Joint Staff; and 19 (vi) such other components as the 20 Secretary determines appropriate. 21 (4) DUTIES.—The duties of the Cross-Func- 22 tional Team are as follows: 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00919 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 920 •S 2296 RS (A) To develop a standardized assessment 1 framework for artificial intelligence models cur- 2 rently used by the Department of Defense. 3 (B) To establish Department-wide guide- 4 lines for artificial intelligence model evaluation 5 for future models being considered for Depart- 6 ment use. 7 (C) To develop governance structures for 8 model development, testing, and deployment. 9 (D) To identify appropriate assessment 10 levels based on use case-based risk. 11 (E) To establish mechanisms for cross- 12 component collaboration. 13 (F) To develop processes for use case sub- 14 mission, review, and approval. 15 (5) FRAMEWORK CONTENT.—The assessment 16 framework developed under subsection (b) shall ad- 17 dress— 18 (A) model performance standards; 19 (B) development documentation require- 20 ments; 21 (C) testing procedures; 22 (D) ethical principles compliance; 23 (E) assessment methodologies and validity 24 periods; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00920 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 921 •S 2296 RS (F) security requirements and compliance 1 regulations, including the Federal Risk and Au- 2 thorization Management Program; and 3 (G) such other elements as the Cross- 4 Functional Team determines appropriate. 5 (b) FUNCTIONAL LEADS FOR ARTIFICIAL INTEL- 6 LIGENCE APPLICATION.— 7 (1) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary shall des- 8 ignate such Department organizations as the Sec- 9 retary considers appropriate to serve as functional 10 leads for artificial intelligence applications. 11 (2) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In designating 12 functional leads under paragraph (1), the Secretary 13 shall consider— 14 (A) subject matter expertise; 15 (B) equities in the functional area; and 16 (C) capability to establish assessment 17 standards. 18 (3) CDAO RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Chief Dig- 19 ital and Artificial Intelligence Officer shall— 20 (A) serve as the functional lead for busi- 21 ness systems with artificial intelligence models; 22 and 23 (B) provide Department-wide guidance on 24 commercial artificial intelligence models. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00921 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 922 •S 2296 RS (c) ASSESSMENTS OF MAJOR ARTIFICIAL INTEL- 1 LIGENCE SYSTEMS.—Not later than January 1, 2028, the 2 Secretary shall, using the standard assessment framework 3 developed by the Cross-Functional Team under subsection 4 (a)(2), assess all major artificial intelligence systems of 5 the Department. 6 (d) ADMINISTRATION.— 7 (1) IN GENERAL.—In administering this sec- 8 tion, the Secretary shall ensure the completion of 9 each of the following milestones: 10 (A) The Cross-Functional Team is estab- 11 lished in accordance with subsection (a) on or 12 before June 1, 2026. 13 (B) The functional leads for artificial intel- 14 ligence application are designated in accordance 15 with subsection (b) on or before January 1, 16 2027. 17 (C) The Cross-Function Team completes 18 development of the standardized assessment 19 framework and governance structure required 20 by subsection (a)(2) on or before June 1, 2027. 21 (D) Initial assessments of major artificial 22 intelligence systems are conducted under sub- 23 section (c) and completed on or before January 24 1, 2028. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00922 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 923 •S 2296 RS (2) CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING.—Not later than 1 30 days after the completion of each milestone set 2 forth under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall pro- 3 vide the congressional defense committees a briefing 4 on the status of the Secretary in administering this 5 section. 6 (e) SUNSET AND TRANSITION.— 7 (1) SUNSET.—The Cross-Functional Team 8 shall terminate on December 31, 2030. 9 (2) TRANSITION.—Not later than June 30, 10 2030, the Secretary shall designate an organization 11 to succeed the Cross-Functional Team and develop 12 a plan to transfer the duties of the Cross-Functional 13 Team specified by subsection (a)(4) to such suc- 14 cessor organization. 15 (3) REPORT ON ACTIVITIES OF SUCCESSOR OR- 16 GANIZATION.—Not later than one year after the 17 date on which the Cross-Functional Team is termi- 18 nated and not less frequently than once each year 19 thereafter until the date that is three years after the 20 date on which the Cross-Functional Team is termi- 21 nated, the Secretary shall submit to the congres- 22 sional defense committees an annual report on the 23 activities of the element of the Department to which 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00923 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 924 •S 2296 RS the duties of the Cross-Functional Team were trans- 1 ferred. 2 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 3 (1) The term ‘‘artificial intelligence’’ has the 4 meaning given in section 238(g) of the John S. 5 McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fis- 6 cal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note 7 prec. 4061). 8 (2) The term ‘‘functional area’’ refers to a spe- 9 cialized domain of artificial intelligence application 10 within the Department where models are developed, 11 evaluated, and employed for similar use cases under 12 comparable operational conditions. Examples of 13 functional areas may include decision support sys- 14 tems, business systems, avionics, cybersecurity, intel- 15 ligence applications, logistics and maintenance, and 16 health care. 17 SEC. 1624. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ONTOLOGY GOVERN- 18 ANCE WORKING GROUP. 19 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 21 shall establish a working group to develop and im- 22 plement a common data ontology and governance 23 structure across the Department of Defense. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00924 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 925 •S 2296 RS (2) DESIGNATION.—The working group estab- 1 lished pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be known as 2 the ‘‘Department of Defense Ontology Governance 3 Working Group’’ (in this section the ‘‘Working 4 Group’’). 5 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Working Group 6 is to develop and implement a common data ontology and 7 governance structure across the Department of Defense 8 to improve data interoperability, enhance information 9 sharing, and enable more effective decision making 10 throughout the Department. 11 (c) MEMBERSHIP.—The Working Group shall consist 12 of— 13 (1) the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence 14 Officer; 15 (2) the Chief Information Officer of the Depart- 16 ment of Defense; 17 (3) the Chief Data Officers of the Department 18 of Defense; 19 (4) the Chief Information Officers of the mili- 20 tary departments and the combatant commands; 21 (5) such representatives from defense intel- 22 ligence entities as the Secretary considers appro- 23 priate; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00925 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 926 •S 2296 RS (6) such other officers or employees of the De- 1 partment as the Secretary considers appropriate. 2 (d) DUTIES.—The Working Group shall— 3 (1) shall coordinate with and build upon any ex- 4 isting data ontology development efforts within the 5 Department of Defense and intelligence community 6 (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act 7 of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)) to ensure complementary 8 and nonduplicative efforts; 9 (2) incorporate Department-wide data as well 10 as data from defense intelligence entities; 11 (3) develop and maintain domain-specific data 12 ontologies that address specialized knowledge areas 13 within the Department of Defense, including 14 warfighting, logistics, personnel, intelligence, and cy- 15 bersecurity domains; 16 (4) establish a process to identify and designate 17 functional domain leads responsible for leading the 18 development, review, approval, and respective guid- 19 ance of data ontologies for their particular domains; 20 (5) evaluate what security risks are introduced 21 with common and domain-specific data ontologies 22 and how these risks should be mitigated; and 23 (6) establish a governance framework that in- 24 cludes— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00926 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 927 •S 2296 RS (A) a centralized repository to store the 1 common and domain-specific data ontologies in 2 a manner accessible to all authorized stake- 3 holders; 4 (B) robust version control mechanisms to 5 track changes, manage different versions, and 6 ensure a stable and authoritative source; 7 (C) clear ownership designations and role 8 definitions for data ontology management, in- 9 cluding modification and access authorities for 10 both enterprise-wide and domain-specific 11 ontologies; 12 (D) standardized governance procedures 13 for updating, reviewing, and maintaining the 14 data ontologies to ensure relevance and accu- 15 racy; 16 (E) adherence to established data ontology 17 engineering principles that promote interoper- 18 ability and reusability across domains; and 19 (F) integration with existing Department 20 data management practices and systems. 21 (e) FUNCTIONAL DOMAIN LEADS.— 22 (1) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In designating 23 functional domain leads under subsection (d)(4), the 24 Working Group shall select individuals who possess 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00927 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 928 •S 2296 RS extensive subject matter expertise in their respective 1 domains and maintain substantial equities or re- 2 sponsibilities within the domain. 3 (2) REPRESENTATION.—Functional domain 4 leads selected under subsection (d)(4) shall be se- 5 lected to ensure appropriate representation across 6 the Department, including the military departments, 7 combatant commands, defense agencies, and field 8 activities. 9 (3) RESPONSIBILITIES.—Functional domain 10 leads selected under subsection (d)(4) shall be re- 11 sponsible for— 12 (A) leading the development and mainte- 13 nance of data ontologies within their domains; 14 (B) reviewing and approving domain-spe- 15 cific data ontology elements; 16 (C) ensuring alignment between domain- 17 specific data ontologies and the enterprise-wide 18 data ontology framework; 19 (D) developing domain-specific guidance 20 for data ontology implementation; and 21 (E) serving as the authoritative source for 22 domain knowledge within the data ontology gov- 23 ernance structure. 24 (f) TIMELINE AND DELIVERABLES.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00928 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 929 •S 2296 RS (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall en- 1 sure that the Working Group is established pursuant 2 to subsection (a) not later than June 1, 2026, and 3 the Working Group shall remain in effect for a pe- 4 riod of not less than 5 years beginning on the date 5 of the establishment of the Working Group, unless 6 the Secretary determines that it is necessary to tran- 7 sition the Working Group into a permanent organi- 8 zation. 9 (2) FUNCTIONAL DOMAIN LEAD DESIGNA- 10 TION.—Not later than August 1, 2026, the Working 11 Group shall identify and designate functional do- 12 main leads in accordance with subsections (d)(4) 13 and (e). 14 (3) DEPARTMENT-LEVEL POLICY.—Not later 15 than June 1, 2027, the Working Group shall develop 16 and distribute Department-level policy on the data 17 ontology governance structure, including guidelines 18 for the development, maintenance, and integration of 19 domain-specific ontologies. 20 (4) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Working Group 21 shall oversee the implementation of the governance 22 structure by June 1, 2028. 23 (g) BRIEFING AND REPORT.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00929 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 930 •S 2296 RS (1) BRIEFING.—Not later than July 1, 2027, 1 the Working Group shall provide to the congres- 2 sional defense committees a briefing on progress of 3 the Working Group. 4 (2) REPORT.—Not later than June 30, 2028, 5 the Secretary shall submit to the congressional de- 6 fense committees a report on the implementation of 7 the ontology governance structure, including the sta- 8 tus of implementation for both enterprise-wide and 9 domain-specific ontologies, and recommendations for 10 sustainment and further development. 11 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 12 (1) The term ‘‘data domain ontology’’ means a 13 data ontology that is specific to a particular func- 14 tional, operational, or subject-matter area within the 15 Department, including warfighting, logistics, per- 16 sonnel, intelligence, or cybersecurity domains. 17 (2) The term ‘‘data ontology’’ means a formal, 18 structured representation and categorization of data 19 elements, their properties, and the relationships be- 20 tween them within an information system or knowl- 21 edge domain that enables consistent interpretation, 22 integration, and analysis of data across different 23 systems and users. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00930 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 931 •S 2296 RS SEC. 1625. MODIFICATION OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE COM- 1 PUTING ROADMAP. 2 Section 1532(c) of the National Defense Authoriza- 3 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159) is 4 amended— 5 (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, including 6 both dedicated Department of Defense owned and 7 maintained computing assets, as well as commer- 8 cially procured cloud services or other infrastructure- 9 as-a service contracts’’ before the period at the end; 10 (2) in paragraph (2)— 11 (A) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 12 subparagraph (D); and 13 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (B) 14 the following new subparagraph (C): 15 ‘‘(C) For any data centers to be built or 16 expanded on a military installation, an esti- 17 mate, to the degree that the Secretary deter- 18 mines that providing such an estimate will not 19 delay the submittal of the triennial update re- 20 quired by paragraph (3), of the additional needs 21 for those data centers, including— 22 ‘‘(i) an estimate of the increased foot- 23 print for physical space needs; 24 ‘‘(ii) assessments of projected elec- 25 tricity and water usage requirements for 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00931 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 932 •S 2296 RS the projected artificial intelligence data 1 center footprint; 2 ‘‘(iii) anticipated impact on the instal- 3 lation and the surrounding community 4 based on increased power, water, and other 5 resource needs, including measures to miti- 6 gate any potential adverse impacts on mili- 7 tary installations; and 8 ‘‘(iv) strategies to prevent disruptions 9 to local utility services and to ensure com- 10 munity resilience, including consultation 11 with local, State, and Federal agencies to 12 align infrastructure planning with broader 13 community needs.’’; and 14 (3) by adding at the end the following: 15 ‘‘(3) TRIENNIAL UPDATES.—Not later than 16 March 1, 2027, and not later than March 1 of every 17 third year thereafter until March 1, 2033, the Sec- 18 retary shall update the roadmap required by para- 19 graph (1) and submit to the congressional defense 20 committees the updated roadmap.’’. 21 SEC. 1626. ARTIFICIAL GENERAL INTELLIGENCE STEERING 22 COMMITTEE. 23 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00932 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 933 •S 2296 RS (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than April 1, 1 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a 2 steering committee on artificial general intelligence. 3 (2) DESIGNATION.—The steering committee es- 4 tablished pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be known 5 as the ‘‘Artificial General Intelligence Steering Com- 6 mittee’’ (in this section the ‘‘Steering Committee’’). 7 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Steering Committee shall be 8 composed of the following: 9 (1) The Deputy Secretary of Defense. 10 (2) The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 11 Staff. 12 (3) The Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, the 13 Vice Chief of Staff of Naval Operations, the Assist- 14 ant Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Vice 15 Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Vice Chief of 16 Space Operations, and the Vice Chief of the Na- 17 tional Guard Bureau. 18 (4) The Under Secretary of Defense for Acqui- 19 sition and Sustainment. 20 (5) The Under Secretary of Defense for Re- 21 search and Engineering. 22 (6) The Under Secretary of Defense for Intel- 23 ligence and Security. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00933 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 934 •S 2296 RS (7) The Under Secretary of Defense (Comp- 1 troller)/Chief Financial Officer. 2 (8) Such representatives from the military de- 3 partments as the Secretary considers appropriate. 4 (9) The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence 5 Officer of the Department of Defense. 6 (10) Representatives of such innovation centers 7 within the defense innovation ecosystem as the Sec- 8 retary of Defense determines appropriate. 9 (11) Representatives of such other organiza- 10 tions and elements of the Department of Defense as 11 the Secretary determines appropriate. 12 (c) CO-CHAIRPERSONS.—The Deputy Secretary of 13 Defense and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 14 Staff shall serve as the Co-Chairpersons of the Steering 15 Committee. 16 (d) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Steering Committee 17 shall be responsible for— 18 (1) analyzing the current trajectory of artificial 19 intelligence models and enabling technologies that 20 would support achievement of artificial general intel- 21 ligence, including— 22 (A) current and emerging models, includ- 23 ing frontier and world models; 24 (B) agentic algorithms; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00934 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 935 •S 2296 RS (C) neuromorphic computing; 1 (D) cognitive science applications for algo- 2 rithm or model development; 3 (E) infrastructure needs; 4 (F) new or emerging microelectronics de- 5 signs or architectures; and 6 (G) such other technology disciplines as 7 the Steering Committee determines appropriate; 8 (2) assess the technological, operational, and 9 doctrinal trajectory of adversaries of the United 10 States towards the goal of achieving an artificial 11 general intelligence; 12 (3) analyzing the military applications and im- 13 plications of artificial general intelligence for the De- 14 partment; 15 (4) developing a strategy for the Department 16 adoption of artificial general intelligence, includ- 17 ing— 18 (A) articulation of ethical and policy 19 guardrails; 20 (B) required resources, including through 21 the use of new or novel funding mechanisms 22 like purchase commitments, financing arrange- 23 ments, or loans or loan guarantees; 24 (C) measurable goals; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00935 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 936 •S 2296 RS (D) mechanisms available for transition or 1 adoption through public-private partnerships; 2 and 3 (5) analyzing the threat landscape emanating 4 from adversarial use of artificial general intelligence 5 and developing options and counter-artificial general 6 intelligence strategies to defend against such use. 7 (e) REPORT.— 8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 31, 9 2027, the Deputy Secretary shall submit to the con- 10 gressional defense committees a report on the find- 11 ings of the Steering Committee with respect to the 12 matters covered by subsection (d). 13 (2) FORM OF REPORT.—The report submitted 14 pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in un- 15 classified form, but may include a classified annex. 16 (3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Deputy Sec- 17 retary shall make available to the public the unclas- 18 sified portion of the report submitted pursuant to 19 paragraph (1). 20 (f) SUNSET.—The requirements and authorities of 21 this section shall terminate on December 31, 2027. 22 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 23 (1) The term ‘‘artificial general intelligence’’ 24 means artificial intelligence-capable systems with the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00936 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 937 •S 2296 RS potential to match or exceed human intelligence 1 across most cognitive tasks, distinct from narrow ar- 2 tificial intelligence systems designed for specific 3 tasks in defined domains. 4 (2) The term ‘‘innovation ecosystem’’ means a 5 regionally based network of private sector, academic, 6 and government institutions in a network of formal 7 and informal institutional relationships that con- 8 tribute to technological and economic development in 9 a defined technology sector or sectors. 10 SEC. 1627. PHYSICAL AND CYBERSECURITY PROCUREMENT 11 REQUIREMENTS FOR ARTIFICIAL INTEL- 12 LIGENCE SYSTEMS. 13 (a) SECURITY FRAMEWORK.— 14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 15 shall develop a framework for implementation of cy- 16 bersecurity and physical security standards and best 17 practices relating to covered artificial intelligence 18 and machine learning technologies to mitigate risks 19 to the Department of Defense from the use of such 20 technologies. 21 (2) COVERAGE OF RELEVANT ASPECTS OF SE- 22 CURITY.—The framework developed under para- 23 graph (1) shall cover all relevant aspects of the secu- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00937 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 938 •S 2296 RS rity of artificial intelligence and machine learning 1 systems, including the following: 2 (A) Workforce risks, such as insider threat 3 risks. 4 (B) Training and workforce development 5 requirements, including with respect to the fol- 6 lowing: 7 (i) Artificial intelligence security 8 awareness. 9 (ii) Artificial intelligence-specific 10 threats and vulnerabilities. 11 (iii) Continuum of professional devel- 12 opment and education of artificial intel- 13 ligence security expertise. 14 (C) Supply chain risks, such as counterfeit 15 parts or data poisoning risks. 16 (D) Risks relating to adversarial tam- 17 pering with artificial intelligence systems. 18 (E) Risks relating to unintended exposure 19 or theft of artificial intelligence systems or 20 data. 21 (F) Security posture management prac- 22 tices, including governance of security meas- 23 ures, continuous monitoring, and incident re- 24 porting procedures. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00938 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 939 •S 2296 RS (G) An evaluation of commercially avail- 1 able platforms for continuous monitoring and 2 assessment. 3 (3) RISK-BASED FRAMEWORK.—The framework 4 developed under paragraph (1) shall be risk-based, 5 with higher security levels corresponding proportion- 6 ally to the national security or foreign policy risks 7 posed by the covered artificial intelligence technology 8 being stolen or tampered with. 9 (4) USE OF EXISTING FRAMEWORKS.—To the 10 maximum extent feasible, the framework developed 11 under paragraph (1) shall— 12 (A) draw on existing cybersecurity ref- 13 erences, such as the NIST Special Publication 14 800 series; and 15 (B) be implemented as an extension or 16 augmentation of existing cybersecurity frame- 17 works developed by the Department of Defense, 18 such as the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Cer- 19 tification framework. 20 (5) ADDRESSING EXTREME SECURITY RISKS.— 21 (A) HIGHLY CAPABLE CYBER THREAT AC- 22 TORS.—The framework developed under para- 23 graph (1) shall take into account that the most 24 highly capable artificial intelligence systems 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00939 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 940 •S 2296 RS may be of great interest to the most highly ca- 1 pable cyber threat actors, such as intelligence 2 and defense agencies of peer and near-peer na- 3 tions. 4 (B) SECURITY LEVELS.—The Secretary 5 shall ensure that cybersecurity frameworks pro- 6 vided for contractors contain security levels de- 7 signed to mitigate risks posed by cyber threat 8 actors described in subparagraph (A), with the 9 highest levels being similar in scope to the level 10 of protection offered by national security sys- 11 tems. 12 (C) GENERAL DESIGN WITH SPECIFIC 13 COMPONENTS.—To the extent feasible, any ad- 14 ditional security levels developed under subpara- 15 graph (B) shall be designed generally for all 16 software systems, but may contain components 17 designed specifically for highly capable artificial 18 intelligence systems. 19 (b) SECURITY REQUIREMENTS.— 20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may amend 21 the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supple- 22 ment, or take other similar action, to require covered 23 entities to implement the best practices described in 24 the framework developed under subsection (a). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00940 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 941 •S 2296 RS (2) RISK-BASED RULES.—Requirements imple- 1 mented in rules developed under paragraph (1) shall 2 be as narrowly tailored as practicable to the specific 3 covered artificial intelligence and machine learning 4 technologies developed, deployed, stored, or hosted 5 by a covered entity, and shall be calibrated accord- 6 ingly to the different tasks involved in development, 7 deployment, storage, or hosting of components of 8 those covered artificial intelligence and machine 9 learning technologies. 10 (3) COST-BENEFIT CONSIDERATION.— 11 (A) IN GENERAL.—In implementing para- 12 graph (1), the Secretary shall— 13 (i) consider the costs and benefits to 14 the Department and to United States na- 15 tional security and technological leader- 16 ship, of imposing security requirements on 17 covered entities; and 18 (ii) to the extent feasible, design re- 19 quirements in a way that allows for trans- 20 parent trade space analysis between com- 21 peting requirements in order to minimize 22 costs and maximize benefits. 23 (B) WEIGHING COSTS OF SLOWING DOWN 24 DEVELOPMENT.—In carrying out subparagraph 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00941 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 942 •S 2296 RS (A), the Secretary shall, in particular, weigh the 1 costs of slowing down artificial intelligence and 2 machine learning development and deployment 3 against the benefits of mitigating national secu- 4 rity risks and potential security risks to the De- 5 partment of Defense from using commercial 6 software. 7 (c) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.—The framework re- 8 quired by subsection (a)(1) shall include a detailed imple- 9 mentation plan that— 10 (1) establishes timelines and milestones for 11 achieving the objectives outlined in the framework; 12 (2) identifies resource requirements and fund- 13 ing mechanisms; and 14 (3) provides metrics for measuring progress and 15 effectiveness. 16 (d) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Not later than 17 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 18 Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense com- 19 mittees an update on the status of implementation of the 20 requirements of this section. 21 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 22 (1) The term ‘‘artificial intelligence’’ has the 23 meaning given such term in 238(g) of the John S. 24 McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fis- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00942 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 943 •S 2296 RS cal Year 2019 (Public Law 115-232; 10 U.S.C. note 1 prec. 4061). 2 (2) The term ‘‘covered artificial intelligence and 3 machine learning technology’’ means an artificial in- 4 telligence or machine learning system procured by 5 the Department of Defense and all components of 6 the development and deployment lifecycle of that ar- 7 tificial intelligence system, including source code, nu- 8 merical parameters (such as model weights) of the 9 trained artificial intelligence or machine learning 10 system, details of any methods and algorithms used 11 to develop that system, data used in the development 12 of the system, and software used for evaluating the 13 trustworthiness of the artificial intelligence or ma- 14 chine learning system during development or deploy- 15 ment. 16 (3) The term ‘‘covered entity’’ means an entity 17 that enters into a Department of Defense contract 18 that engages in the development, deployment, stor- 19 age, or hosting of a covered artificial intelligence 20 technology. 21 SEC. 1628. GUIDANCE AND PROHIBITION ON USE OF CER- 22 TAIN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. 23 (a) GUIDANCE AND PROHIBITIONS.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00943 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 944 •S 2296 RS (1) REQUIREMENT REQUIRED REGARDING EX- 1 CLUSION AND REMOVAL FROM DEPARTMENT SYS- 2 TEMS AND DEVICES.—Except as provided in sub- 3 section (b), not later than 30 days after the date of 4 the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 5 shall require all Department of Defense offices and 6 components to exclude or remove covered artificial 7 intelligence from all Department of Defense systems 8 and devices. 9 (2) CONSIDERATION OF GUIDANCE FOR DE- 10 PARTMENT SYSTEMS AND DEVICES.—Not later than 11 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 12 the Secretary of Defense shall consider issuing guid- 13 ance to all Department offices and components to 14 exclude or remove artificial intelligence developed by 15 a foreign adversary entity in cases in which the Sec- 16 retary determines that the artificial intelligence 17 poses a national security risk for all Department 18 systems and devices. 19 (3) PROHIBITION FOR CONTRACTORS.— 20 (A) USE OF COVERED ARTIFICIAL INTEL- 21 LIGENCE.—Except as provided in subsection 22 (b), not later than 30 days after the date of en- 23 actment of this Act, no contractor with an ac- 24 tive Department contract may use covered arti- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00944 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 945 •S 2296 RS ficial intelligence for fulfillment, assistance, exe- 1 cution, or otherwise support to complete, or 2 support in part, a contract with the Depart- 3 ment. 4 (B) USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 5 DEVELOPED BY A FOREIGN ADVERSARY.—Ex- 6 cept as provided in subsection (b), if the Sec- 7 retary issues guidance described in paragraph 8 (2) to exclude or remove an artificial intel- 9 ligence developed by a foreign adversary entity 10 that the Secretary determines poses a national 11 security risk as described in such paragraph, no 12 contractor with an active Department contract 13 may use the artificial intelligence for fulfill- 14 ment, assistance, execution, or otherwise sup- 15 port to complete, or support in part, a contract 16 with the Department. 17 (b) WAIVER.— 18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may waive a 19 prohibition under subsection (a), on a case-by-case 20 basis, if the Secretary determines that the waiver is 21 necessary— 22 (A) for the purpose of scientifically valid 23 research (as defined in section 102 of the Edu- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00945 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 946 •S 2296 RS cation Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 1 9501)); 2 (B) for the purpose of evaluation, training, 3 testing, or other analysis needed for national 4 security; 5 (C) for the purpose of conducting counter 6 terrorism, counterintelligence, or other oper- 7 ational military activities supporting national 8 security; or 9 (D) for the purpose of fulfilling mission 10 critical functions. 11 (2) MITIGATION OF RISKS.—In any case in 12 which the Secretary issues a waiver pursuant to 13 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall take such steps as 14 the Secretary considers necessary to mitigate any 15 risks due to the issuance of the waiver. 16 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 17 (1) The term ‘‘artificial intelligence’’ has the 18 meaning given such term in section 5002 of the Na- 19 tional Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 20 (15 U.S.C. 9401) and includes the systems and 21 techniques described in paragraphs (1) through (5) 22 of section 238(g) of the John S. McCain National 23 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 24 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00946 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 947 •S 2296 RS (2) The term ‘‘covered artificial intelligence’’ 1 means— 2 (A) any artificial intelligence, or successor 3 artificial intelligence, developed by the Chinese 4 company DeepSeek; and 5 (B) any artificial intelligence, or successor 6 artificial intelligence, developed by High Flyer 7 or an entity owned by, funded by, or supported 8 by High Flyer or an entity with respect to 9 which High Flyer directly or indirectly owns at 10 least a 20 percent stake. 11 (3) The term ‘‘foreign adversary’’ has the 12 meaning given the term ‘‘covered nation’’ in section 13 4872(f) of title 10, United States Code. 14 (4) The term ‘‘foreign adversary entity’’ 15 means— 16 (A) a foreign adversary; 17 (B) a foreign person domiciled in, 18 headquartered in, has its principal place of 19 business in, or is organized under the laws of 20 a foreign adversary; 21 (C) an entity with respect to which a for- 22 eign person or combination of foreign persons 23 described in subparagraphs (A) or (B) directly 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00947 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 948 •S 2296 RS or indirectly owns at least a 20 percent stake; 1 or 2 (D) a person subject to the direction or 3 control of a foreign person or entity described 4 in subparagraphs (A), (B), or (C). 5 SEC. 1629. ROADMAP FOR ADVANCING DIGITAL CONTENT 6 PROVENANCE STANDARDS. 7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than June 1, 2026, the 8 Secretary of Defense shall develop a roadmap to guide po- 9 tential future adoption and integration of digital content 10 provenance capabilities across the Department of Defense. 11 (b) ELEMENTS.—The roadmap developed pursuant 12 to subsection (a) shall— 13 (1) identify and assess current and proposed 14 open technical standards for digital content prove- 15 nance that could be applied to publicly released dig- 16 ital media assets produced by the Department of 17 Defense, the military components, and field activities 18 of the Department; 19 (2) identify strategic objectives relating to se- 20 curing and authenticating public-facing digital con- 21 tent; 22 (3) describe relevant roles and responsibilities 23 across military departments and components of the 24 Department; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00948 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 949 •S 2296 RS (4) explore the establishment of standardized 1 processes to enable embedding and verification of 2 content credentials in appropriate public-facing De- 3 partment media; 4 (5) outline potential acquisition approaches for 5 supporting technologies and solutions; 6 (6) develop metrics, as appropriate, to assess 7 the effectiveness, reliability, and scalability of digital 8 content provenance technologies; 9 (7) establish an engagement mechanism for co- 10 ordination with relevant stakeholders, including fed- 11 erally funded research and development centers, in- 12 dustry, and academia, to align efforts with evolving 13 best practices and technical capabilities; and 14 (8) establish notional milestones and resource 15 needs, disaggregated by fiscal year, to inform longer- 16 term planning. 17 (c) BRIEFING TO CONGRESS.—Not later than July 18 1, 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall provide the con- 19 gressional defense committees a briefing on the Depart- 20 ment’s roadmap for adopting digital content provenance 21 standards. The briefing should address— 22 (1) initial findings regarding feasibility, oppor- 23 tunities, and potential barriers; 24 (2) stakeholder engagement to date; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00949 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 950 •S 2296 RS (3) any planned next steps or pilot efforts 1 under consideration. 2 (d) DEFINITION OF DIGITAL CONTENT PROVE- 3 NANCE.—In this section, the term ‘‘digital content prove- 4 nance’’ means the verifiable history and origin of a digital 5 asset, including information about its creation, ownership, 6 and modifications over time. 7 SEC. 1630. ENHANCED PROTECTION OF DATA AFFECTING 8 OPERATIONAL SECURITY OF DEPARTMENT 9 OF DEFENSE PERSONNEL. 10 (a) PRIORITIES FOR PROTECTION OF PERSONAL 11 DATA FOR OPERATIONAL SECURITY.—In carrying out the 12 duties of the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary shall 13 identify and prioritize the protection of personal data that 14 is related to or may have impacts on the operational secu- 15 rity of members of the Armed Forces and civilian employ- 16 ees of the Department of Defense through the prevention 17 of collection, use, dissemination, or retention of such data 18 that does not conform with provisions of law and practices 19 relating to privacy that were in effect on the day before 20 the date of the enactment of this Act. 21 (b) REVIEW AND ISSUANCE OF NEW GUIDANCE RE- 22 LATED TO PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA RELATED TO 23 OPERATIONAL SECURITY.—Not later than June 1, 2026, 24 the Secretary of Defense will review all applicable guid- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00950 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 951 •S 2296 RS ance and policy relating to the protection of personal data 1 that is related to or may have impacts on the operational 2 security of Department personnel and, if necessary, issue 3 revised or new guidance for enhanced protection measures 4 for such data. Such guidance shall cover provisions of law 5 and practices relating to privacy and personnel security 6 that were in effect on the day before the date of the enact- 7 ment of this Act. 8 (c) STORAGE OF DATA.— 9 (1) LIMITATION.—The Secretary shall ensure 10 that no Department personal data related to or that 11 may have impacts on the operational security of De- 12 partment personnel is stored on a non-Department 13 server or cloud service except pursuant to a contract 14 or other agreement entered into by the Secretary 15 and a contractor or subcontractor of the Department 16 or, for personnel data, with the permission of the 17 data subject. 18 (2) WAIVERS.—The Secretary may waive para- 19 graph (1) in a case in which the Secretary certifies 20 in writing that such waiver— 21 (A) appropriately considers the operational 22 security risks to an employee of the Department 23 with respect to whom such data may relate; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00951 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 952 •S 2296 RS (B) does not pose a risk to national secu- 1 rity; and 2 (C) is necessary in the interest of national 3 security. 4 (d) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES TO 5 DEPARTMENTAL ISSUANCES.— 6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after 7 the date on which the Secretary changes a Depart- 8 ment issuance relating to the protection of personal 9 data that is related to or may have impacts on the 10 operational security of Department personnel, the 11 Secretary shall submit to Congress notice of the 12 change. 13 (2) SUNSET.—The requirement of paragraph 14 (1) shall terminate on the date that is five years 15 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 16 (e) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION OF EVENTS.— 17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after 18 the date of the occurrence of an event described in 19 paragraph (2), the Secretary shall submit to Con- 20 gress notice of the event. 21 (2) EVENTS DESCRIBED.—An event described 22 in this paragraph is an occurrence of an event in 23 which— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00952 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 953 •S 2296 RS (A) the Secretary issues a waiver under 1 subsection (c)(2); 2 (B) personal data related to or that may 3 have an impact on operational security of De- 4 partment personnel is not stored according to 5 Department regulations or exfiltrated in viola- 6 tion of Department regulations; 7 (C) personal data related to or that may 8 have an impact on operational security of De- 9 partment personnel is stored on a non-Depart- 10 ment server or cloud service that has not under- 11 gone an authorization process in accordance 12 with Department regulations; or 13 (D) personal data related to or that may 14 have an impact on operational security of De- 15 partment of Defense personnel is exposed in 16 any cybersecurity incident. 17 (f) STANDARDS, TRAINING, AND REPORTING PROC- 18 ESSES FOR SYSTEM OWNERS.— 19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall develop 20 standards, training, reporting, and security debrief- 21 ing requirements for Department personnel who re- 22 ceive write or read access privileges as system own- 23 ers across more than one platform of Department 24 information systems that hosts personal data related 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00953 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 954 •S 2296 RS to or that may have an impact on operational secu- 1 rity of Department personnel. 2 (2) SECURITY DEBRIEFINGS.—The Secretary 3 shall ensure that personnel described in paragraph 4 (1) are provided regular security debriefings, includ- 5 ing after departing the Department. 6 (3) NOTIFICATION OF CONGRESS UNDER CER- 7 TAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.—Not later than 30 days 8 after the completion of the development of the 9 standards, training, reporting, and security debrief- 10 ing requirements in paragraph (1) the Secretary 11 shall submit to Congress details of the requirements. 12 DIVISION B—MILITARY CON- 13 STRUCTION AUTHORIZA- 14 TIONS 15 SEC. 2001. SHORT TITLE. 16 This division may be cited as the ‘‘Military Construc- 17 tion Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026’’. 18 SEC. 2002. EXPIRATION OF AUTHORIZATIONS AND 19 AMOUNTS REQUIRED TO BE SPECIFIED BY 20 LAW. 21 (a) EXPIRATION OF AUTHORIZATIONS AFTER THREE 22 YEARS.—Except as provided in subsection (b), all author- 23 izations contained in titles XXI through XXVII for mili- 24 tary construction projects, land acquisition, facilities 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00954 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 955 •S 2296 RS sustainment, family housing projects and facilities, and 1 contributions to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 2 Security Investment Program (and authorizations of ap- 3 propriations therefor) shall expire on the later of— 4 (1) October 1, 2028; or 5 (2) the date of the enactment of an Act author- 6 izing funds for military construction for fiscal year 7 2029. 8 (b) EXCEPTION.—Subsection (a) shall not apply to 9 authorizations for military construction projects, land ac- 10 quisition, family housing projects and facilities, and con- 11 tributions to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Se- 12 curity Investment Program (and authorizations of appro- 13 priations therefor), for which appropriated funds have 14 been obligated before the later of— 15 (1) October 1, 2028; or 16 (2) the date of the enactment of an Act author- 17 izing funds for fiscal year 2029 for military con- 18 struction projects, land acquisition, family housing 19 projects and facilities, or contributions to the North 20 Atlantic Treaty Organization Security Investment 21 Program. 22 SEC. 2003. EFFECTIVE DATE. 23 Titles XXI through XXVII shall take effect on the 24 later of— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00955 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 956 •S 2296 RS (1) October 1, 2025; or 1 (2) the date of the enactment of this Act. 2 TITLE XXI—ARMY MILITARY 3 CONSTRUCTION 4 SEC. 2101. AUTHORIZED ARMY CONSTRUCTION AND LAND 5 ACQUISITION PROJECTS. 6 (a) INSIDE THE UNITED STATES.—Using amounts 7 appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropria- 8 tions in section 2103(a) and available for military con- 9 struction projects inside the United States as specified in 10 the funding table in section 4601, the Secretary of the 11 Army may acquire real property and carry out military 12 construction projects for the installations or locations in- 13 side the United States, and in the amounts, set forth in 14 the following table: 15 Army: Inside the United States State Installation Amount Alaska ............................... Fort Wainwright ................................................... $208,000,000 Florida .............................. Eglin Air Force Base ............................................ $91,000,000 Naval Air Station Key West ................................. $457,000,000 Georgia ............................. Fort Gillem ........................................................... $166,000,000 Guam ................................ Joint Region Marianas .......................................... $440,000,000 Hawaii .............................. Pohakuloa Training Area ...................................... $20,000,000 Illinois ............................... Rock Island Arsenal .............................................. $50,000,000 Indiana ............................. Crane Army Ammunition Plant ............................ $161,000,000 Kansas .............................. Fort Riley .............................................................. $39,200,000 Kentucky .......................... Fort Campbell ....................................................... $212,000,000 New York .......................... Fort Hamilton ....................................................... $31,000,000 Watervliet Arsenal ................................................ $29,000,000 North Carolina ................. Fort Bragg ............................................................ $19,000,000 Pennsylvania ..................... Letterkenny Army Depot ...................................... $91,500,000 Tobyhanna Army Depot ........................................ $68,000,000 South Carolina ................. Fort Jackson ......................................................... $51,000,000 Washington ....................... Joint Base Lewis-McChord ................................... $128,000,000 (b) OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.—Using amounts 16 appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropria- 17 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00956 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 957 •S 2296 RS tions in section 2103(a) and available for military con- 1 struction projects outside the United States as specified 2 in the funding table in section 4601, the Secretary of the 3 Army may acquire real property and carry out military 4 construction projects for the installations or locations out- 5 side the United States, and in the amounts, set forth in 6 the following table: 7 Army: Outside the United States Country Installation or Location Amount Germany ........................... United States Army Garrison Ansbach ................ $92,000,000 United States Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz .... $62,000,000 Republic of the Marshall Islands United States Army Garrison Kwajalein .............. $161,000,000 SEC. 2102. FAMILY HOUSING. 8 (a) CONSTRUCTION AND ACQUISITION.—Using 9 amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of ap- 10 propriations in section 2103(a) and available for military 11 family housing functions as specified in the funding table 12 in section 4601, the Secretary of the Army may construct 13 or acquire family housing units (including land acquisition 14 and supporting facilities) at the installations or locations, 15 and in the amounts, set forth in the following table: 16 Army: Family Housing Country Installation or Location Amount Belgium ............... Chie`vres Air Base ................................. $145,042,000 Germany .............. Army Garrison Bavaria ........................ $50,692,000 (b) PLANNING AND DESIGN.—Using amounts appro- 17 priated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations in 18 section 2103(a) and available for military family housing 19 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00957 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 958 •S 2296 RS functions as specified in the funding table in section 4601, 1 the Secretary of the Army may carry out architectural and 2 engineering services and construction design activities 3 with respect to the construction or improvement of family 4 housing units in an amount not to exceed $32,824,000. 5 SEC. 2103. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS, ARMY. 6 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Funds 7 are hereby authorized to be appropriated for fiscal years 8 beginning after September 30, 2025, for military con- 9 struction, land acquisition, facilities sustainment, and 10 military family housing functions of the Department of the 11 Army as specified in the funding table in section 4601. 12 (b) LIMITATION ON TOTAL COST OF CONSTRUCTION 13 PROJECTS.—Notwithstanding the cost variations author- 14 ized by section 2853 of title 10, United States Code, and 15 any other cost variation authorized by law, the total cost 16 of all projects carried out under sections 2101 and 2102 17 of this Act may not exceed the total amount authorized 18 to be appropriated under subsection (a), as specified in 19 the funding table in section 4601. 20 SEC. 2104. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT FIS- 21 CAL YEAR 2021 PROJECT AT FORT GILLEM, 22 GEORGIA. 23 (a) EXTENSION.—Notwithstanding section 2002 of 24 the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00958 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 959 •S 2296 RS Year 2021 (division B of Public Law 116–283; 134 Stat. 1 4294), the authorization set forth in the table in sub- 2 section (b), as provided in section 2101(a) of that Act 3 (134 Stat. 4295) and most recently extended by section 4 2107 of the Military Construction Authorization Act for 5 Fiscal Year 2025 (division B of Public Law 118–159; 138 6 Stat. 2216), shall remain in effect until October 1, 2026, 7 or the date of the enactment of an Act authorizing funds 8 for military construction for fiscal year 2027, whichever 9 is later. 10 (b) TABLE.—The table referred to in subsection (a) 11 is as follows: 12 Army: Extension of 2021 Project Authorizations State Installation or Location Project Original Au- thorized Amount Georgia ........... Fort Gillem ......... Forensic Laboratory ......... $71,000,000 SEC. 2105. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT CER- 13 TAIN FISCAL YEAR 2022 PROJECTS. 14 (a) EXTENSION.—Notwithstanding section 2002 of 15 the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 16 Year 2022 (division B of Public Law 117–81; 135 Stat. 17 2161), the authorizations set forth in the table in sub- 18 section (b), as provided in section 2101 of that Act (135 19 Stat. 2163) and extended by section 2108 of the Military 20 Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (di- 21 vision B of Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 2216), shall 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00959 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 960 •S 2296 RS remain in effect until October 1, 2026, or the date of the 1 enactment of an Act authorizing funds for military con- 2 struction for fiscal year 2027, whichever is later. 3 (b) TABLE.—The table referred to in subsection (a) 4 is as follows: 5 Army: Extension of 2022 Project Authorizations State/Country Installation or Location Project Original Au- thorized Amount Georgia ........... Fort Stewart ....... Barracks ............................ $105,000,000 Germany ......... Smith Barracks .. Live Fire Exercise Shoothouse .................... $16,000,000 Hawaii ............ West Loch Naval Magazine Annex .............. Ammunition Storage ......... $51,000,000 Texas .............. Fort Bliss ........... Defense Access Roads ....... $20,000,000 SEC. 2106. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT CER- 6 TAIN FISCAL YEAR 2023 PROJECTS. 7 (a) EXTENSION.—Notwithstanding section 2002 of 8 the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 9 Year 2023 (division B of Public Law 117–263; 136 Stat. 10 2970), the authorization set forth in the table in sub- 11 section (b), as provided in section 2101 of that Act (136 12 Stat. 2971), shall remain in effect until October 1, 2026, 13 or the date of the enactment of an Act authorizing funds 14 for military construction for fiscal year 2027, whichever 15 is later. 16 (b) TABLE.—The table referred to in subsection (a) 17 is as follows: 18 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00960 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 961 •S 2296 RS Army: Extension of 2023 Project Authorizations State/Country Installation or Location Project Original Au- thorized Amount Alabama ......... Redstone Arsenal Physics Lab ....................... $44,000,000 Hawaii ............ Fort Shafter ....... Water System Upgrade ..... $33,000,000 Schofield Bar- racks ............... Company Operations Facil- ity .................................. $159,000,000 Tripler Army Medical Center Water System Upgrade ..... $38,000,000 Germany ......... East Camp Grafenwoehr ... EDI: Battalion Trng Cplx1 (Brks/Veh Maint) .......... $104,000,000 ............................. EDI: Battalion Trng Cplx2 (OPS/Veh Maint) .......... $64,000,000 Japan ............. Kadena Air Force Base ................ Vehicle Maintenance Shop $80,000,000 SEC. 2107. MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT 1 CERTAIN FISCAL YEAR 2025 PROJECTS. 2 (a) SMITH BARRACKS, GERMANY.—In the case of the 3 authorization contained in the table in section 2101(b) of 4 the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 5 Year 2025 (division B of Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 6 2213) for Hohenfels Training Area, for construction of a 7 barracks as specified in the funding table in section 4601 8 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and 9 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 10 (Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 2382), the Secretary of 11 the Army may construct a barracks at Smith Barracks, 12 Germany. 13 (b) NAVAL AIR STATION, KEY WEST, FLORIDA.— 14 (1) MODIFICATION OF PROJECT AUTHORITY.— 15 In the case of the authorization contained in the 16 table in section 2101(a) of the Military Construction 17 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00961 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 962 •S 2296 RS Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (division B 1 of Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 2212) for Naval 2 Air Station Key West, Florida, for construction of a 3 Joint Interagency Task Force South command and 4 control facility, the Secretary of the Army may con- 5 struct a command and control facility in the amount 6 of $397,000,000. 7 (2) MODIFICATION OF PROJECT AMOUNTS.— 8 (A) PROJECT AUTHORIZATION.—The au- 9 thorization table in section 2101(a) of the Mili- 10 tary Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 11 Year 2025 (division B of Public Law 118–159; 12 138 Stat. 2212) is amended in the item relating 13 to Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, by 14 striking ‘‘$90,000,000’’ and inserting 15 ‘‘$397,000,000’’. 16 (B) FUNDING AUTHORIZATION.—The 17 funding table in section 4601 of the Service- 18 member Quality of Life Improvement and Na- 19 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 20 Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 21 2382) is amended in the item relating to Naval 22 Air Station Key West, Florida, Joint Inter- 23 agency Task Force South command and control 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00962 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 963 •S 2296 RS facility, by striking ‘‘$90,000’’ and inserting 1 ‘‘$397,000’’. 2 (c) FORT CAVAZOS, TEXAS.— 3 (1) MODIFICATIONS OF PROJECT AUTHORITY.— 4 In the case of the authorization contained in the 5 table in section 2101(a) of the Military Construction 6 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (division B 7 of Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 2212) for Fort 8 Cavazos, Texas, for construction of Motor Pool #70, 9 the Secretary of the Army may construct a vehicle 10 maintenance shop. 11 (2) MODIFICATION OF PROJECT NAMES AND 12 AMOUNTS.— 13 (A) PROJECT AUTHORIZATION.—The au- 14 thorization table in section 2101(a) of the Mili- 15 tary Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 16 Year 2025 (division B of Public Law 118–159; 17 138 Stat. 2212) is amended in the item relating 18 to Fort Cavazos, Texas, by striking 19 ‘‘$147,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$69,000,000’’. 20 (B) FUNDING AUTHORIZATION.—The 21 funding table in section 4601 of the Service- 22 member Quality of Life Improvement and Na- 23 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 24 Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00963 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 964 •S 2296 RS 2383) is amended in the items relating to Fort 1 Cavazos, Texas, by striking ‘‘Motor Pool #70’’ 2 and inserting ‘‘Vehicle Maintenance Shop’’. 3 TITLE XXII—NAVY MILITARY 4 CONSTRUCTION 5 SEC. 2201. AUTHORIZED NAVY CONSTRUCTION AND LAND 6 ACQUISITION PROJECTS. 7 (a) INSIDE THE UNITED STATES.—Using amounts 8 appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropria- 9 tions in section 2203(a) and available for military con- 10 struction projects inside the United States as specified in 11 the funding table in section 4601, the Secretary of the 12 Navy may acquire real property and carry out military 13 construction projects for the installations or locations in- 14 side the United States, and in the amounts, set forth in 15 the following table: 16 Navy and Marine Corps: Inside the United States State Installation or Location Amount California .......................... Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton .................... $171,020,000 Naval Air Station Lemoore ................................... $399,610,000 Naval Base Coronado ............................................ $302,000,000 Naval Base San Diego .......................................... $154,820,000 Naval Base Ventura County ................................. $164,000,000 Naval Support Activity Monterey ......................... $430,000,000 Connecticut ....................... Naval Submarine Base New London .................... $255,000,000 District of Columbia ......... Naval Research Laboratory .................................. $157,000,000 Florida .............................. Naval Air Station Pensacola ................................. $164,000,000 Guam ................................ Andersen Air Force Base ...................................... $70,070,000 Joint Region Marianas .......................................... $2,555,000,000 Naval Base Guam ................................................. $105,950,000 Naval Base Guam North Finegayan Tele- communications Site. $61,010,000 Hawaii .............................. Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam ......................... $83,000,000 Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay ......................... $143,510,000 Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands ..... $235,730,000 Maine ................................ Portsmouth Naval Shipyard ................................. $1,042,000,000 Maryland .......................... National Maritime Intelligence Center ................. $114,000,000 Naval Support Facility Indian Head .................... $106,000,000 United States Naval Academy Annapolis ............. $86,000,000 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00964 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 965 •S 2296 RS Navy and Marine Corps: Inside the United States—Continued State Installation or Location Amount Nevada .............................. Naval Air Station Fallon ...................................... $47,000,000 North Carolina ................. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune ....................... $48,280,000 Pennsylvania ..................... Naval Support Activity Mechanicsburg ................ $88,000,000 Rhode Island .................... Naval Station Newport ......................................... $190,000,000 South Carolina ................. Joint Base Charleston ........................................... $357,900,000 Virginia ............................. Marine Corps Base Quantico ................................ $63,560,000 Naval Station Norfolk ........................................... $1,582,490,000 Washington ....................... Naval Air Station Whidbey Island ........................ $202,000,000 Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor ................................... $245,700,000 Worldwide Unspecified ..... Unspecified Worldwide Locations ......................... $129,620,000 (b) OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.—Using amounts 1 appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropria- 2 tions in section 2203(a) and available for military con- 3 struction projects outside the United States as specified 4 in the funding table in section 4601, the Secretary of the 5 Navy may acquire real property and carry out military 6 construction projects for the installation or location out- 7 side the United States, and in the amount, set forth in 8 the following table: 9 Navy: Outside the United States Country Installation or Location Amount Japan ....................... Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. But- ler. $58,000,000 SEC. 2202. FAMILY HOUSING. 10 (a) CONSTRUCTION AND ACQUISITION.—Using 11 amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of ap- 12 propriations in section 2203(a) and available for military 13 family housing functions as specified in the funding table 14 in section 4601, the Secretary of the Navy may construct 15 or acquire family housing units (including land acquisition 16 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00965 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 966 •S 2296 RS and supporting facilities) at the installations or locations, 1 and in the amounts, set forth in the following table: 2 Navy and Marine Corps: Family Housing Country Installation or Location Amount Japan ....................... Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni .............. $11,230,000 (b) IMPROVEMENTS TO MILITARY FAMILY HOUSING 3 UNITS.—Subject to section 2825 of title 10, United States 4 Code, and using amounts appropriated pursuant to the 5 authorization of appropriations in section 2203(a) and 6 available for military family housing functions as specified 7 in the funding table in section 4601, the Secretary of the 8 Navy may improve existing military family housing units 9 in an amount not to exceed $68,230,000. 10 (c) PLANNING AND DESIGN.—Using amounts appro- 11 priated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations in 12 section 2203(a) and available for military family housing 13 functions as specified in the funding table in section 4601, 14 the Secretary of the Navy may carry out architectural and 15 engineering services and construction design activities 16 with respect to the construction or improvement of family 17 housing units in an amount not to exceed $3,806,000. 18 SEC. 2203. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS, NAVY. 19 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Funds 20 are hereby authorized to be appropriated for fiscal years 21 beginning after September 30, 2025, for military con- 22 struction, land acquisition, facilities sustainment, and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00966 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 967 •S 2296 RS military family housing functions of the Department of the 1 Navy, as specified in the funding table in section 4601. 2 (b) LIMITATION ON TOTAL COST OF CONSTRUCTION 3 PROJECTS.—Notwithstanding the cost variations author- 4 ized by section 2853 of title 10, United States Code, and 5 any other cost variation authorized by law, the total cost 6 of all projects carried out under sections 2201 and 2202 7 may not exceed the total amount authorized to be appro- 8 priated under subsection (a), as specified in the funding 9 table in section 4601. 10 SEC. 2204. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT CER- 11 TAIN FISCAL YEAR 2022 PROJECTS. 12 (a) EXTENSION.—Notwithstanding section 2002 of 13 the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 14 Year 2022 (division B of Public Law 117–81; 135 Stat. 15 2161), the authorizations set forth in the table in sub- 16 section (b), as provided in sections 2201 and 2202 of that 17 Act (135 Stat. 2166, 2167) and extended by section 2207 18 of the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 19 Year 2025 (division B of Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 20 2221), shall remain in effect until October 1, 2026, or the 21 date of the enactment of an Act authorizing funds for mili- 22 tary construction for fiscal year 2027, whichever is later. 23 (b) TABLE.—The table referred to in subsection (a) 24 is as follows: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00967 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 968 •S 2296 RS Navy: Extension of 2022 Project Authorizations State Installation or Location Project Original Au- thorized Amount California ....... Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton ........ CLB MEU Complex .......... $83,900,000 District of Co- lumbia. Marine Barracks Washington ..... Family Housing Improve- ments ............................. $10,415,000 Florida ........... Marine Corps Support Facil- ity Blount Is- land ................. Lighterage and Small Craft Facility ................ $69,400,000 Hawaii ............ Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Electrical Distribution Modernization ................ $64,500,000 South Carolina Marine Corps Air Station Beau- fort .................. Aircraft Maintenance Hangar .......................... $122,600,000 SEC. 2205. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT CER- 1 TAIN FISCAL YEAR 2023 PROJECTS. 2 (a) EXTENSION.—Notwithstanding section 2002 of 3 the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 4 Year 2023 (division B of Public Law 117–263; 136 Stat. 5 2970), the authorizations set forth in the table in sub- 6 section (b), as provided in section 2201 of that Act (136 7 Stat. 2975), shall remain in effect until October 1, 2026, 8 or the date of the enactment of an Act authorizing funds 9 for military construction for fiscal year 2027, whichever 10 is later. 11 (b) TABLE.—The table referred to in subsection (a) 12 is as follows: 13 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00968 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 969 •S 2296 RS Navy: Extension of 2023 Project Authorizations State/Country Installation or Location Project Original Au- thorized Amount Florida ........... Naval Air Station Jacksonville ..... Engine Test Cells Modi- fications ......................... $100,570,000 Hawaii ............ Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Missile Magazines ............. $142,783,000 Nevada ........... Naval Air Station Fallon .............. F–35C Aircraft Mainte- nance Hangar ................ $111,566,000 North Carolina Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point ............... CH–53K Gearbox Repair and Test Facility ........... $44,830,000 South Carolina Marine Corps Re- cruit Depot Parris Island ... Recruit Barracks ............... $81,890,000 ............................. Recruit Barracks ............... $85,040,000 Spain .............. Naval Station Rota ................ EDI: Missile Magazines .... $92,323,000 TITLE XXIII—AIR FORCE 1 MILITARY CONSTRUCTION 2 SEC. 2301. AUTHORIZED AIR FORCE CONSTRUCTION AND 3 LAND ACQUISITION PROJECTS. 4 (a) INSIDE THE UNITED STATES.—Using amounts 5 appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropria- 6 tions in section 2303(a) and available for military con- 7 struction projects inside the United States as specified in 8 the funding table in section 4601, the Secretary of the 9 Air Force may acquire real property and carry out mili- 10 tary construction projects for the installations or locations 11 inside the United States, and in the amounts, set forth 12 in the following table: 13 Air Force: Inside the United States State Installation or Location Amount Arizona ..................... Davis-Monthan Air Force Base ................. $174,000,000 Luke Air Force Base ................................. $45,000,000 California .................. Travis Air Force Base ............................... $60,000,000 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00969 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 970 •S 2296 RS Air Force: Inside the United States—Continued State Installation or Location Amount Florida ...................... Cape Canaveral Space Force Station ........ $49,800,000 Eglin Air Force Base ................................ $166,000,000 Hurlburt Field ........................................... $66,000,000 MacDill Air Force Base ............................ $74,000,000 Tyndall Air Force Base ............................. $48,000,000 Georgia ..................... Moody Air Force Base .............................. $49,500,000 Robins Air Force Base .............................. $28,000,000 Louisiana .................. Barksdale Air Force Base ......................... $116,000,000 Maryland .................. Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling .................... $50,000,000 Massachusetts .......... Hanscom Air Force Base .......................... $55,000,000 Mississippi ................ Columbus Air Force Base ......................... $14,200,000 Missouri .................... Whiteman Air Force Base ......................... $127,600,000 New Jersey ............... Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst .......... $23,000,000 New Mexico .............. Cannon Air Force Base ............................. $169,000,000 Kirtland Air Force Base ........................... $233,000,000 North Carolina ......... Seymour Johnson Air Force Base ............ $95,000,000 Ohio .......................... Wright-Patterson Air Force Base ............. $45,000,000 Oklahoma ................. Tinker Air Force Base .............................. $497,000,000 South Dakota ........... Ellsworth Air Force Base .......................... $378,000,000 Tennessee ................. Arnold Air Force ....................................... $17,500,000 Texas ........................ Dyess Air Force Base ................................ $90,800,000 Goodfellow Air Force Base ........................ $112,000,000 Utah ......................... Hill Air Force Base ................................... $250,000,000 Virginia .................... Joint Base Langley-Eustis ........................ $49,000,000 (b) OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.—Using amounts 1 appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropria- 2 tions in section 2303(a) and available for military con- 3 struction projects outside the United States as specified 4 in the funding table in section 4601, the Secretary of the 5 Air Force may acquire real property and carry out mili- 6 tary construction projects for the installations or locations 7 outside the United States, and in the amounts, set forth 8 in the following table: 9 Air Force: Outside the United States Country Installation or Location Amount Diego Garcia ..................... Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia ................... $29,000,000 Germany ........................... Ramstein Air Base ................................................ $44,000,000 Greenland ......................... Pituffik Space Base .............................................. $32,000,000 Norway ............................. Royal Norwegian Air Force Base Rygge .............. $72,000,000 United Kingdom ............... Royal Air Force Feltwell ....................................... $20,000,000 Royal Air Force Lakenheath ................................ $253,000,000 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00970 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 971 •S 2296 RS SEC. 2302. FAMILY HOUSING. 1 (a) IMPROVEMENTS TO MILITARY FAMILY HOUSING 2 UNITS.—Subject to section 2825 of title 10, United States 3 Code, and using amounts appropriated pursuant to the 4 authorization of appropriations in section 2303(a) and 5 available for military family housing functions as specified 6 in the funding table in section 4601, the Secretary of the 7 Air Force may improve existing military family housing 8 units in an amount not to exceed $237,655,000. 9 (b) PLANNING AND DESIGN.—Using amounts appro- 10 priated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations in 11 section 2303(a) and available for military family housing 12 functions as specified in the funding table in section 4601, 13 the Secretary of the Air Force may carry out architectural 14 and engineering services and construction design activities 15 with respect to the construction or improvement of family 16 housing units in an amount not to exceed $36,575,000. 17 SEC. 2303. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS, AIR 18 FORCE. 19 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Funds 20 are hereby authorized to be appropriated for fiscal years 21 beginning after September 30, 2025, for military con- 22 struction, land acquisition, facilities sustainment, and 23 military family housing functions of the Department of the 24 Air Force, as specified in the funding table in section 25 4601. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00971 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 972 •S 2296 RS (b) LIMITATION ON TOTAL COST OF CONSTRUCTION 1 PROJECTS.—Notwithstanding the cost variations author- 2 ized by section 2853 of title 10, United States Code, and 3 any other cost variation authorized by law, the total cost 4 of all projects carried out under sections 2301 and 2302 5 may not exceed the total amount authorized to be appro- 6 priated under subsection (a), as specified in the funding 7 table in section 4601. 8 SEC. 2304. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT FIS- 9 CAL YEAR 2017 PROJECT AT SPANGDAHLEM 10 AIR BASE, GERMANY. 11 (a) EXTENSION.—Notwithstanding section 2002 of 12 the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 13 Year 2017 (division B of Public Law 114–328; 130 Stat. 14 2688), the authorization set forth in the table in sub- 15 section (b), as provided in section 2902 of that Act (130 16 Stat. 2743) and most recently extended by section 2304 17 of the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 18 Year 2025 (division B of Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 19 2224), shall remain in effect until October 1, 2026, or the 20 date of the enactment of an Act authorizing funds for mili- 21 tary construction for fiscal year 2027, whichever is later. 22 (b) TABLE.—The table referred to in subsection (a) 23 is as follows: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00972 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 973 •S 2296 RS Air Force: Extension of 2017 Project Authorization Country Installation or Location Project Original Au- thorized Amount Germany ......... Spangdahlem Air Base ERI: F/A–22 Low Observable/Comp Repair Fac .......... $12,000,000 SEC. 2305. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT CER- 1 TAIN FISCAL YEAR 2019 PROJECTS. 2 (a) EXTENSION.—Notwithstanding section 2002 of 3 the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 4 Year 2019 (division B of Public Law 115–232; 132 Stat. 5 2240), the authorizations set forth in the table in sub- 6 section (b), as provided in section 2903 of that Act (132 7 Stat. 2287) and most recently extended by section 2306 8 of the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 9 Year 2025 (division B of Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 10 2225), shall remain in effect until October 1, 2026, or the 11 date of the enactment of an Act authorizing funds for mili- 12 tary construction for fiscal year 2027, whichever is later. 13 (b) TABLE.—The table referred to in subsection (a) 14 is as follows: 15 Air Force: Extension of 2019 Project Authorization Country Installation or Location Project Original Au- thorized Amount United King- dom ............. Royal Air Force Fairford .................... EDI: Construct DABS-FEV Stor- age ....................... $87,000,000 ........................ ...................................... EDI: Munitions Holding Area ....... $19,000,000 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00973 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 974 •S 2296 RS SEC. 2306. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT CER- 1 TAIN FISCAL YEAR 2020 PROJECTS. 2 (a) EXTENSION.—Notwithstanding section 2002 of 3 the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 4 Year 2020 (division B of Public Law 116–92; 133 Stat. 5 1862), the authorizations set forth in the table in sub- 6 section (b), as provided in sections 2301(a) and 2912(a) 7 of that Act (133 Stat. 1867, 1913), and extended by sec- 8 tion 2307 of the Military Construction Authorization Act 9 for Fiscal Year 2025 (division B of Public Law 118–159; 10 138 Stat. 2226), shall remain in effect until October 1, 11 2026, or the date of the enactment of an Act authorizing 12 funds for military construction for fiscal year 2027, which- 13 ever is later. 14 (b) TABLE.—The table referred to in subsection (a) 15 is as follows: 16 Air Force: Extension of 2020 Project Authorization State Installation or Location Project Original Au- thorized Amount Florida ........... Tyndall Air Force Base Deployment Center/ Flight Line Din- ing/AAFES .......... $43,000,000 Georgia ........... Moody Air Force Base 41 RQS HH–60W Apron .................. $12,500,000 SEC. 2307. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT CER- 17 TAIN FISCAL YEAR 2022 PROJECTS. 18 (a) EXTENSION.—Notwithstanding section 2002 of 19 the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 20 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00974 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 975 •S 2296 RS Year 2022 (division B of Public Law 117–81; 135 Stat. 1 2161), the authorizations set forth in the table in sub- 2 section (b), as provided in section 2301 of that Act (135 3 Stat. 2168) and extended by section 2309 of the Military 4 Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (di- 5 vision B of Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 2227), shall 6 remain in effect until October 1, 2026, or the date of the 7 enactment of an Act authorizing funds for military con- 8 struction for fiscal year 2027, whichever is later. 9 (b) TABLE.—The table referred to in subsection (a) 10 is as follows: 11 Air Force: Extension of 2022 Project Authorization State/ Counrty Installation or Location Project Original Au- thorized Amount Massachusetts Hanscom Air Force Base ......................... NC3 Acquisitions Management Fa- cility ..................... $66,000,000 United King- dom ............. Royal Air Force Lakenheath .............. F–35A Child Devel- opment Center ..... $24,000,000 ........................ ...................................... F–35A Munition In- spection Facility .. $31,000,000 ........................ ...................................... F–35A Weapons Load Training Facility ................ $49,000,000 SEC. 2308. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT CER- 12 TAIN FISCAL YEAR 2023 PROJECTS. 13 (a) EXTENSION.—Notwithstanding section 2002 of 14 the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 15 Year 2023 (division B of Public Law 117–263; 136 Stat. 16 2970), the authorizations set forth in the table in sub- 17 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00975 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 976 •S 2296 RS section (b), as provided in section 2301 of that Act (136 1 Stat. 2978), shall remain in effect until October 1, 2026, 2 or the date of the enactment of an Act authorizing funds 3 for military construction for fiscal year 2027, whichever 4 is later. 5 (b) TABLE.—The table referred to in subsection (a) 6 is as follows: 7 Air Force: Extension of 2023 Project Authorization State/ Counrty Installation or Location Project Original Au- thorized Amount Florida ........... Patrick Space Force Base ......................... Consolidated Com- munications Cen- ter ........................ $97,000,000 Norway ........... Rygge Air Station ........ EDI: Base Perim- eter Security Fence ................... $8,200,000 Oklahoma ....... Tinker Air Force Base Facility and Land Acquisition (MROTC) ............ $30,000,000 Texas .............. Joint Base San Anto- nio-Randolph ............ Child Development Center .................. $29,000,000 SEC. 2309. MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT 8 FISCAL YEAR 2025 PROJECT AT F.E. WARREN 9 AIR FORCE BASE, WYOMING. 10 In the case of the authorization contained in the table 11 in section 2301(a) of the Military Construction Authoriza- 12 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (division B of Public Law 13 118–159; 138 Stat. 2222) for F.E. Warren Air Force 14 Base, Wyoming, for the Ground Based Strategic Deter- 15 rent Utility Corridor, the Secretary of the Air Force may 16 construct 3,219 kilometers of telephone duct facility. 17 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00976 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 977 •S 2296 RS TITLE XXIV—DEFENSE AGEN- 1 CIES MILITARY CONSTRUC- 2 TION 3 SEC. 2401. AUTHORIZED DEFENSE AGENCIES CONSTRUC- 4 TION AND LAND ACQUISITION PROJECTS. 5 (a) INSIDE THE UNITED STATES.—Using amounts 6 appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropria- 7 tions in section 2403(a) and available for military con- 8 struction projects inside the United States as specified in 9 the funding table in section 4601, the Secretary of De- 10 fense may acquire real property and carry out military 11 construction projects for the installations or locations in- 12 side the United States, and in the amounts, set forth in 13 the following table: 14 Defense Agencies: Inside the United States State Installation or Location Amount Alabama ............................ DLA Distribution Center Anniston ...................... $32,000,000 California .......................... Naval Base Coronado ............................................ $75,900,000 Travis Air Force Base .......................................... $49,980,000 Florida .............................. Homestead Air Reserve Base ................................ $33,000,000 Georgia ............................. Fort Benning ........................................................ $127,375,000 Maryland .......................... Fort Meade ........................................................... $26,600,000 North Carolina ................. Fort Bragg ............................................................ $275,000,000 Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune ....................... $289,000,000 Pennsylvania ..................... DLA Distribution Center Susquehanna ............... $90,000,000 Harrisburg Air National Guard Base ................... $13,400,000 Puerto Rico ....................... Punta Borinquen ................................................... $155,000,000 Texas ................................ NSA Texas ............................................................ $500,000,000 Virginia ............................. Pentagon ............................................................... $34,000,000 Washington ....................... Fairchild Air Force Base ...................................... $85,000,000 Manchester Tank Farm ........................................ $71,000,000 (b) OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.—Using amounts 15 appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropria- 16 tions in section 2403(a) and available for military con- 17 struction projects outside the United States as specified 18 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00977 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 978 •S 2296 RS in the funding table in section 4601, the Secretary of De- 1 fense may acquire real property and carry out military 2 construction projects for the installations or locations out- 3 side the United States, and in the amounts, set forth in 4 the following table: 5 Defense Agencies: Outside the United States Country Installation or Location Amount Germany ........................... United States Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz .... $16,700,000 United Kingdom ............... Royal Air Force Lakenheath ................................ $397,500,000 Royal Air Force Mildenhall ................................... $45,000,000 SEC. 2402. AUTHORIZED ENERGY RESILIENCE AND CON- 6 SERVATION INVESTMENT PROGRAM 7 PROJECTS. 8 (a) INSIDE THE UNITED STATES.—Using amounts 9 appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropria- 10 tions in section 2403(a) and available for energy conserva- 11 tion projects as specified in the funding table in section 12 4601, the Secretary of Defense may carry out energy con- 13 servation projects under chapter 173 of title 10, United 14 States Code, for the installations or locations inside the 15 United States, and in the amounts, set forth in the fol- 16 lowing table: 17 ERCIP Projects: Inside the United States State Installation or Location Amount California .......................... Armed Forces Reserve Center Mountain View ..... $20,600,000 Travis Air Force Base .......................................... $25,120,000 Florida .............................. Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island ...... $30,500,000 Guam ................................ Joint Region Marianas .......................................... $53,000,000 Naval Base Guam ................................................. $63,010,000 Massachusetts ................... Cape Cod Space Force Station ............................. $124,000,000 New Mexico ...................... White Sands Missile Range .................................. $38,500,000 North Carolina ................. Fort Bragg ............................................................ $80,000,000 Texas ................................ Camp Swift ........................................................... $19,800,000 Fort Hood ............................................................. $34,500,000 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00978 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 979 •S 2296 RS ERCIP Projects: Inside the United States—Continued State Installation or Location Amount Utah .................................. Camp Williams ...................................................... $28,500,000 (b) OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.—Using amounts 1 appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropria- 2 tions in section 2403(a) and available for energy conserva- 3 tion projects as specified in the funding table in section 4 4601, the Secretary of Defense may carry out energy con- 5 servation projects under chapter 173 of title 10, United 6 States Code, for the installations or locations outside the 7 United States, and in the amounts, set forth in the fol- 8 lowing table: 9 ERCIP Projects: Outside the United States Country Installation or Location Amount Germany ........................... United States Army Garrison Ansbach ................ $73,000,000 Japan ................................ Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni ....................... $146,800,000 SEC. 2403. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS, DE- 10 FENSE AGENCIES. 11 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Funds 12 are hereby authorized to be appropriated for fiscal years 13 beginning after September 30, 2025, for military con- 14 struction, land acquisition, facilities sustainment, and 15 military family housing functions of the Department of 16 Defense (other than the military departments), as speci- 17 fied in the funding table in section 4601. 18 (b) LIMITATION ON TOTAL COST OF CONSTRUCTION 19 PROJECTS.—Notwithstanding the cost variations author- 20 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00979 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 980 •S 2296 RS ized by section 2853 of title 10, United States Code, and 1 any other cost variation authorized by law, the total cost 2 of all projects carried out under sections 2401 and 2402 3 may not exceed the total amount authorized to be appro- 4 priated under subsection (a), as specified in the funding 5 table in section 4601. 6 SEC. 2404. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT FIS- 7 CAL YEAR 2019 PROJECT AT IWAKUNI, JAPAN. 8 (a) EXTENSION.—Notwithstanding section 2002 of 9 the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 10 Year 2019 (division B of Public Law 115–232; 132 Stat. 11 2240), the authorization set forth in the table in sub- 12 section (b), as provided in section 2401(b) of that Act 13 (132 Stat. 2249) and most recently extended by section 14 2405 of the Military Construction Authorization Act for 15 Fiscal Year 2025 (division B of Public Law 118–159; 138 16 Stat. 2232), shall remain in effect until October 1, 2026, 17 or the date of the enactment of an Act authorizing funds 18 for military construction for fiscal year 2027, whichever 19 is later. 20 (b) TABLE.—The table referred to in subsection (a) 21 is as follows: 22 Defense Agencies: Extension of 2019 Project Authorization Country Installation or Location Project Original Au- thorized Amount Japan ............. Iwakuni ........................ Fuel Pier ................. $33,200,000 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00980 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 981 •S 2296 RS SEC. 2405. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT CER- 1 TAIN FISCAL YEAR 2022 PROJECTS. 2 (a) EXTENSION.—Notwithstanding section 2002 of 3 the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 4 Year 2022 (division B of Public Law 117–81; 135 Stat. 5 2161), the authorizations set forth in the table in sub- 6 section (b), as provided in sections 2401 and 2402 of that 7 Act (135 Stat. 2173, 2174), shall remain in effect until 8 October 1, 2026, or the date of the enactment of an Act 9 authorizing funds for military construction for fiscal year 10 2027, whichever is later. 11 (b) TABLE.—The table referred to in subsection (a) 12 is as follows: 13 Defense Agencies and ERCIP Projects: Extension of 2022 Project Authorizations State Installation or Location Project Original Au- thorized Amount Alabama ......... Fort Novosel ................ 10 MW RICE Gen- erator Plant and Microgrid Con- trols ..................... $24,000,000 Georgia ........... Fort Benning ............... 4.8 MW Generation and Microgrid ...... $17,593,000 ........................ Fort Stewart ................ 10 MW Generation Plant, with Microgrid Con- trols ..................... $22,000,000 New York ....... Fort Drum ................... Wellfield Field Ex- pansion Project ... $27,000,000 North Carolina Fort Bragg ................... Emergency Water System ................. $7,705,000 Ohio ................ Springfield-Beckley Mu- nicipal Airport .......... Base-Wide Microgrid With Natural Gas Generator, Photo- voltaic, and Bat- tery ...................... $4,700,000 Tennessee ....... Memphis International Airport ..................... PV Arrays and Bat- tery Storage ........ $4,780,000 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00981 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 982 •S 2296 RS SEC. 2406. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT CER- 1 TAIN FISCAL YEAR 2023 PROJECTS. 2 (a) EXTENSION.—Notwithstanding section 2002 of 3 the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 4 Year 2023 (division B of Public Law 117–263; 136 Stat. 5 2970), the authorizations set forth in the table in sub- 6 section (b), as provided in sections 2401(a) and 2402(a) 7 of that Act (136 Stat. 2982, 2983), shall remain in effect 8 until October 1, 2026, or the date of the enactment of 9 an Act authorizing funds for military construction for fis- 10 cal year 2027, whichever is later. 11 (b) TABLE.—The table referred to in subsection (a) 12 is as follows: 13 Defense Agencies and ERCIP Projects: Extension of 2023 Project Authorizations State Installation or Location Project Original Au- thorized Amount Alabama ......... Redstone Arsenal ......... 1MSIC Advanced Analysis Facility Phase 2 (INC) .... $151,000,000 California ....... Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center ...................... Microgrid and Backup Power ..... $25,560,000 Florida ........... Naval Air Station Jack- sonville ..................... Facility Energy Op- erations Center Renovation .......... $2,400,000 Georgia ........... Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield ........... Power Generation and Microgrid ...... $25,400,000 ........................ Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay ................ SCADA Moderniza- tion ...................... $11,200,000 Hawaii ............ Joint Base Pearl Har- bor-Hickam .............. Primary Electrical Distribution ......... $25,000,000 Kansas ........... Fort Riley .................... Power Generation and Microgrid ...... $25,780,000 Texas .............. Fort Cavazos ................ Power Generation and Microgrid ...... $31,500,000 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00982 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 983 •S 2296 RS Defense Agencies and ERCIP Projects: Extension of 2023 Project Authorizations—Continued State Installation or Location Project Original Au- thorized Amount ........................ United States Army Reserve Center, Con- roe ............................ Power Generation and Microgrid ...... $9,600,000 Virginia .......... Dam Neck .................... SOF Operations Building Addition $26,600,000 SEC. 2407. MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT 1 CERTAIN FISCAL YEAR 2024 PROJECTS. 2 (a) REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA.—In the case of 3 the authorization contained in the table in section 2401 4 of the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 5 Year 2024 (division B of Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 6 726) for Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, for construction of 7 a ground test facility infrastructure project at that loca- 8 tion, the Missile Defense Agency may renovate additional 9 square footage and convert administrative space to classi- 10 fied space. 11 (b) LAKE CITY ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT, MIS- 12 SOURI.— 13 (1) MODIFICATIONS OF PROJECT AUTHORITY.— 14 In the case of the authorization contained in the 15 table in section 2402(a) of the Military Construction 16 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (division B 17 of Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 727) for Lake City 18 Army Ammunition Plant, Missouri, for construction 19 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00983 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 984 •S 2296 RS of a microgrid and backup power, the Secretary of 1 Defense may construct a microgrid and backup 2 power, including the installation of liquid propane 3 gas tanks and associated piping, foundations, 4 pumps, saddles, propane vaporizers, and controls. 5 (2) MODIFICATION OF PROJECT AMOUNTS.— 6 (A) PROJECT AUTHORIZATION.—The au- 7 thorization table in section 2402(a) of the Mili- 8 tary Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 9 Year 2024 (division B of Public Law 118–31; 10 137 Stat. 727) is amended in the item relating 11 to Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, Mis- 12 souri, by striking ‘‘$80,100,000’’ and inserting 13 ‘‘$86,500,000’’. 14 (B) FUNDING AUTHORIZATION.—The 15 funding table in section 4601 of the National 16 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 17 (Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 911) is amend- 18 ed in the items relating to Lake City Army Am- 19 munition Plant, Missouri, by striking 20 ‘‘$80,100’’ and inserting ‘‘$86,500’’. 21 SEC. 2408. MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT 22 CERTAIN FISCAL YEAR 2025 PROJECTS. 23 (a) JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MARYLAND.—In the case 24 of the authorization contained in the table in section 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00984 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 985 •S 2296 RS 2402(a) of the Military Construction Authorization Act 1 for Fiscal Year 2025 (division B of Public Law 118–159; 2 138 Stat. 2229) for Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, for 3 construction of a microgrid with electric vehicle charging 4 infrastructure, the Secretary of the Air Force may con- 5 struct a new power generation and microgrid facility, 6 which shall be entitled ‘‘Power Generation and 7 Microgrid’’. 8 (b) JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NEW 9 JERSEY.—In the case of the authorization contained in 10 the table in section 2402(a) of the Military Construction 11 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (division B of 12 Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 2229) for Joint Base 13 McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, for construction of 14 a microgrid with electric vehicle charging infrastructure, 15 the Secretary of the Air Force may construct a new power 16 generation and microgrid facility, which shall be entitled 17 ‘‘Power Generation and Microgrid’’. 18 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00985 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 986 •S 2296 RS TITLE XXV—INTERNATIONAL 1 PROGRAMS 2 Subtitle A—North Atlantic Treaty 3 Organization Security Invest- 4 ment Program 5 SEC. 2501. AUTHORIZED NATO CONSTRUCTION AND LAND 6 ACQUISITION PROJECTS. 7 The Secretary of Defense may make contributions for 8 the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Security Invest- 9 ment Program as provided in section 2806 of title 10, 10 United States Code, in an amount not to exceed the sum 11 of the amount authorized to be appropriated for this pur- 12 pose in section 2502 and the amount collected from the 13 North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a result of con- 14 struction previously financed by the United States. 15 SEC. 2502. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS, NATO. 16 Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated for 17 fiscal years beginning after September 30, 2025, for con- 18 tributions by the Secretary of Defense under section 2806 19 of title 10, United States Code, for the share of the United 20 States of the cost of projects for the North Atlantic Treaty 21 Organization Security Investment Program authorized by 22 section 2501, and in the amounts, set forth in the fol- 23 lowing table: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00986 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 987 •S 2296 RS North Atlantic Treaty Organization Security Investment Program Location Installation or Location Amount Worldwide Unspec- ified ...................... NATO Security Investment Program .......... $531,832,000 Subtitle B—Host Country In-kind 1 Contributions 2 SEC. 2511. REPUBLIC OF KOREA FUNDED CONSTRUCTION 3 PROJECTS. 4 Pursuant to agreement with the Republic of Korea 5 for required in-kind contributions, the Secretary of De- 6 fense may accept military construction projects for the in- 7 stallations or locations in the Republic of Korea, and in 8 the amounts, set forth in the following table: 9 Republic of Korea Funded Construction Projects Component Installation or Location Project Amount Army .............. Camp Humphreys Access Control Point ......... $24,000,000 Army .............. Camp Humphreys Runway ............................. $180,000,000 Navy ............... Pohang AB ......... Replace Concrete Apron .... $22,000,000 Navy ............... Yecheon Air Base Replace Magazine Muni- tions Supply Area. $59,000,000 Air Force ........ Gimhae Air Base Repair Contingency Hos- pital. $86,000,000 Air Force ........ Gwangju Air Base. Hydrant Fuel System ....... $57,000,000 Air Force ........ Osan AB ............. Aircraft Corrosion Control Facility Part 3. $25,000,000 SEC. 2512. REPUBLIC OF POLAND FUNDED CONSTRUCTION 10 PROJECTS. 11 Pursuant to agreement with the Republic of Poland 12 for required in-kind contributions, the Secretary of De- 13 fense may accept military construction projects for the in- 14 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00987 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 988 •S 2296 RS stallations or locations in the Republic of Poland, and in 1 the amounts, set forth in the following table: 2 Republic of Poland Funded Construction Projects Component Installation or Location Project Amount Army .............. Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area (DPTA). Information Systems Facil- ity. $6,200,000 Army .............. Powdiz ................ Barracks & Dining Facility Phase 2. $199,000,000 Army .............. Powdiz ................ Rotary Wing Aircraft Maintenance Hangar. $91,000,000 Air Force ........ Lask AB ............. Communication Infrastruc- ture. $18,000,000 Air Force ........ Wroclaw AB ....... Combined Aerial Port Fa- cilities. $111,000,000 Air Force ........ Wroclaw AB ....... Contingency Beddown Area. $13,000,000 Air Force ........ Wroclaw AB ....... Hot Cargo Pad / Munition Handling / Holding Area. $44,000,000 Air Force ........ Wroclaw AB ....... Railhead and Rail Exten- sion. $22,000,000 TITLE XXVI—GUARD AND 3 RESERVE FORCES FACILITIES 4 SEC. 2601. AUTHORIZED ARMY NATIONAL GUARD CON- 5 STRUCTION AND LAND ACQUISITION 6 PROJECTS. 7 Using amounts appropriated pursuant to the author- 8 ization of appropriations in section 2606 and available for 9 the National Guard and Reserve as specified in the fund- 10 ing table in section 4601, the Secretary of the Army may 11 acquire real property and carry out military construction 12 projects for the Army National Guard locations inside the 13 United States, and in the amounts, set forth in the fol- 14 lowing table: 15 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00988 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 989 •S 2296 RS Army National Guard: Inside the United States State Location Amount Guam ....................... Joint Forces Headquarters - Guam ............. $55,000,000 Indiana .................... Shelbyville Armory ....................................... $55,000,000 Iowa ......................... Waterloo Armory .......................................... $13,800,000 New Hampshire ....... Plymouth Training Center ........................... $26,000,000 New York ................. Albany .......................................................... $90,000,000 North Carolina ........ Salisbury Training Center ........................... $69,000,000 Oregon ..................... Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility Base. $16,000,000 South Dakota .......... Watertown Training Center ......................... $28,000,000 SEC. 2602. AUTHORIZED ARMY RESERVE CONSTRUCTION 1 AND LAND ACQUISITION PROJECTS. 2 Using amounts appropriated pursuant to the author- 3 ization of appropriations in section 2606 and available for 4 the National Guard and Reserve as specified in the fund- 5 ing table in section 4601, the Secretary of the Army may 6 acquire real property and carry out military construction 7 projects for the Army Reserve location inside the United 8 States, and in the amount, set forth in the following table: 9 Army Reserve: Inside the United States State Location Amount Alabama ................... Maxwell Gunter ............................................ $28,000,000 Alaska ...................... Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson ............... $46,000,000 Illinois ...................... Fort Sheridan .............................................. $36,000,000 Pennsylvania ............ New Castle Army Reserve Center ................ $30,000,000 Texas ....................... Conroe Army Reserve Center ....................... $12,000,000 SEC. 2603. AUTHORIZED NAVY RESERVE AND MARINE 10 CORPS RESERVE CONSTRUCTION AND LAND 11 ACQUISITION PROJECTS. 12 Using amounts appropriated pursuant to the author- 13 ization of appropriations in section 2606 and available for 14 the National Guard and Reserve as specified in the fund- 15 ing table in section 4601, the Secretary of the Navy may 16 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00989 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 990 •S 2296 RS acquire real property and carry out military construction 1 projects for the Navy Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve 2 location inside the United States, and in the amount, set 3 forth in the following table: 4 Navy Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve: Inside the United States State Location Amount Texas ....................... Naval Air Station Reserve Base Fort Worth $106,870,000 SEC. 2604. AUTHORIZED AIR NATIONAL GUARD CONSTRUC- 5 TION AND LAND ACQUISITION PROJECTS. 6 Using amounts appropriated pursuant to the author- 7 ization of appropriations in section 2606 and available for 8 the National Guard and Reserve as specified in the fund- 9 ing table in section 4601, the Secretary of the Air Force 10 may acquire real property and carry out military construc- 11 tion projects for the Air National Guard locations inside 12 the United States, and in the amounts, set forth in the 13 following table: 14 Air National Guard: Inside the United States State Location Amount Alaska ...................... Eielson Air Force Base ................................ $16,000,000 Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson .............. $46,000,000 Georgia .................... Savannah/Hilton Head International Air- port. $38,400,000 Iowa ......................... Sioux Gateway Airport ................................. $148,000,000 Massachusetts .......... Otis Air National Guard Base ..................... $31,000,000 Mississippi ............... Key Field Air National Guard Base ............ $19,000,000 New Hampshire ....... Pease Air National Guard Base .................. $16,000,000 New Jersey .............. Atlantic City International Airport .............. $68,000,000 Oregon ..................... Klamath Falls Airport ................................. $80,000,000 Portland International Airport .................... $16,500,000 Utah ......................... Salt Lake City International Airport ........... $145,000,000 Wisconsin ................. Volk Air National Guard Base .................... $8,400,000 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00990 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 991 •S 2296 RS SEC. 2605. AUTHORIZED AIR FORCE RESERVE CONSTRUC- 1 TION AND LAND ACQUISITION PROJECTS. 2 Using amounts appropriated pursuant to the author- 3 ization of appropriations in section 2606 and available for 4 the National Guard and Reserve as specified in the fund- 5 ing table in section 4601, the Secretary of the Air Force 6 may acquire real property and carry out military construc- 7 tion projects for the Air Force Reserve location inside the 8 United States, and in the amount, set forth in the fol- 9 lowing table: 10 Air Force Reserve: Inside the United States State Location Amount New York ................. Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station .............. $54,000,000 South Carlina .......... Joint Base Charleston Air Reserve Base ..... $33,000,000 Texas ....................... Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland ............... $18,000,000 SEC. 2606. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS, NA- 11 TIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE. 12 Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated for 13 fiscal years beginning after September 30, 2025, for mili- 14 tary construction, land acquisition, and facilities 15 sustainment for the Guard and Reserve Forces, and for 16 contributions therefor, under chapter 1803 of title 10, 17 United States Code, as specified in the funding table in 18 section 4601. 19 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00991 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 992 •S 2296 RS SEC. 2607. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT CER- 1 TAIN FISCAL YEAR 2023 PROJECTS. 2 (a) EXTENSION.—Notwithstanding section 2002 of 3 the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 4 Year 2023 (division B of Public Law 117–263; 136 Stat. 5 2970), the authorizations set forth in the table in sub- 6 section (b), as provided in sections 2601, 2602, 2603 and 7 2604 of that Act (136 Stat. 2986, 2987), shall remain 8 in effect until October 1, 2026, or the date of the enact- 9 ment of an Act authorizing funds for military construction 10 for fiscal year 2027, whichever is later. 11 (b) TABLE.—The table referred to in subsection (a) 12 is as follows: 13 National Guard and Reserve: Extension of 2023 Project Authorizations State Installation or Location Project Amount Alaska ............ Joint Base El- mendorf-Rich- ardson ............. Aircraft Maintenance Hangar .......................... $63,000,000 Arizona ........... Morris Air Na- tional Guard Base ................ Base Entry Complex ......... $12,000,000 Tucson Inter- national Air- port ................. Land Acquisition ............... $11,700,000 Arkansas ........ Camp Robinson .. Automated Multipurpose Machine Gun Range ...... $9,500,000 Florida ........... Gainesville ........... National Guard Readiness Center ............................ $21,000,000 Perrine ................ Army Reserve Center/ AMSA ............................ $46,000,000 Hawaii ............ Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay ................. C–40 Aircraft Maintenance Hangar .......................... $116,964,000 Indiana ........... Fort Wayne International Airport ............ Munitions Maintenance & Storage Complex ........... $16,500,000 Ohio ................ Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base ................ Small Arms Range ............ $8,000,000 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00992 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 993 •S 2296 RS National Guard and Reserve: Extension of 2023 Project Authorizations—Continued State Installation or Location Project Amount Puerto Rico .... Camp Santiago Joint Maneuver Training Cen- ter ................... Engineering/Housing Maintenance Shops (DPW) ........................... $14,500,000 West Virginia McLaughlin Air National Guard Base ................ C–130J Apron Expansion $10,000,000 SEC. 2608. MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT 1 FISCAL YEAR 2023 PROJECT AT TUCSON 2 INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, ARIZONA. 3 In the case of the authorization contained in the table 4 in section 2604 of the Military Construction Authorization 5 Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (division B of Public Law 117– 6 263; 136 Stat. 2987) for Tucson International Airport, 7 Arizona, the Secretary of the Air Force may acquire 10 8 acres of land. 9 TITLE XXVII—BASE REALIGN- 10 MENT AND CLOSURE ACTIVI- 11 TIES 12 SEC. 2701. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR 13 BASE REALIGNMENT AND CLOSURE ACTIVI- 14 TIES FUNDED THROUGH DEPARTMENT OF 15 DEFENSE BASE CLOSURE ACCOUNT. 16 Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated for 17 fiscal years beginning after September 30, 2025, for base 18 realignment and closure activities, including real property 19 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00993 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 994 •S 2296 RS acquisition and military construction projects, as author- 1 ized by the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act 2 of 1990 (part A of title XXIX of Public Law 101–510; 3 10 U.S.C. 2687 note) and funded through the Department 4 of Defense Base Closure Account established by section 5 2906 of such Act, as specified in the funding table in sec- 6 tion 4601. 7 TITLE XXVIII—MILITARY CON- 8 STRUCTION GENERAL PROVI- 9 SIONS 10 Subtitle A—Military Construction 11 Program 12 SEC. 2801. REQUIREMENT FOR THE MILITARY DEPART- 13 MENTS TO DEVELOP AND ANNUALLY UPDATE 14 A 20-YEAR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT 15 PLAN. 16 (a) SUBMISSION.—Commencing as part of the annual 17 budget submission of the President under section 1105(a) 18 of title 31, United States Code, for fiscal year 2027, and 19 every five years thereafter, each Secretary of a military 20 department shall include with the defense budget mate- 21 rials for that fiscal year each of the following: 22 (1) A summary of the major lines of effort, 23 milestones, and specific goals of the Secretary con- 24 cerned during the next 20 fiscal years relating to the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00994 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 995 •S 2296 RS improvement of infrastructure and facilities under 1 the jurisdiction of that Secretary, including a de- 2 tailed plan describing the objectives of that Sec- 3 retary to manage and improve such infrastructure 4 and facilities during that period, including utility 5 systems (electric, water and wastewater systems, en- 6 ergy distribution systems, transportation, and com- 7 munication networks) and all physical structures of 8 a base or installation. 9 (2) A certification by that Secretary that both 10 the budget for that fiscal year and the future-years 11 defense program submitted to Congress in relation 12 to such budget under section 221 of title 10, United 13 States Code, provide for funding of planning, design, 14 and construction at a level that is sufficient to meet 15 the requirements specified in the plan under para- 16 graph (1) on the schedule provided in that plan. 17 (3) An unaltered assessment by the service 18 chief of the military department concerned with re- 19 spect to the summary and plan under paragraph (1) 20 and the certification under paragraph (2). 21 (b) ELEMENTS.—Each plan submitted by a Secretary 22 of a military department under subsection (a)(1) shall in- 23 clude the following: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00995 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 996 •S 2296 RS (1) With respect to the 20-year period covered 1 by the plan, an identification of the major lines of 2 effort, milestones, and specific goals of the Secretary 3 over such period relating to the improvement of in- 4 frastructure and facilities under the jurisdiction of 5 that Secretary. 6 (2) The estimated costs of necessary infrastruc- 7 ture and facility improvements and a description of 8 how such costs would be addressed by the budget re- 9 quest of the Department of Defense and the future- 10 years defense program submitted for such year. 11 (3) An assessment of how the military depart- 12 ment is accurately accounting for the costs of sus- 13 taining facilities and addressing the identified nec- 14 essary improvements of infrastructure and facilities 15 as outlined in the plan. 16 (c) INCORPORATION OF RESULTS-ORIENTED MAN- 17 AGEMENT PRACTICES.—Each plan under subsection 18 (a)(1) shall incorporate the leading results-oriented man- 19 agement practices, including— 20 (1) analytically based goals; 21 (2) results-oriented metrics; 22 (3) the identification of required resources, 23 risks, and stakeholders; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00996 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 997 •S 2296 RS (4) regular reporting on progress to decision 1 makers. 2 SEC. 2802. INCREASE OF MAXIMUM AMOUNT FOR RESTORA- 3 TION OR REPLACEMENT OF DAMAGED OR DE- 4 STROYED FACILITIES. 5 Section 2854(c)(3) of title 10, United States Code, 6 is amended by striking ‘‘$100,000,000’’ and inserting 7 ‘‘$150,000,000’’. 8 SEC. 2803. REAUTHORIZATION AND MODIFICATION OF SPE- 9 CIAL DESIGN-BUILD AUTHORITY FOR MILI- 10 TARY CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. 11 Section 3241(f) of title 10, United States Code, is 12 amended— 13 (1) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the 14 following new paragraph (3): 15 ‘‘(3) Any contract awarded under this subsection 16 shall be considered to be a construction contract and shall 17 be subject to the same oversight mechanisms to which con- 18 struction contracts are subject under this title.’’; and 19 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘2008’’ each 20 place it appears and inserting ‘‘2030’’. 21 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00997 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 998 •S 2296 RS SEC. 2804. MODIFICATION OF PILOT PROGRAM ON IN- 1 CREASED USE OF SUSTAINABLE BUILDING 2 MATERIALS IN MILITARY CONSTRUCTION TO 3 INCLUDE SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECH- 4 NOLOGIES IDENTIFIED BY THE COMP- 5 TROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES. 6 Section 2861 of the Military Construction Authoriza- 7 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (division B of Public Law 8 118–81; 10 U.S.C. 2802 note) is amended— 9 (1) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ‘‘at least’’ 10 and all that follows through the period at the end 11 and inserting ‘‘at least two military construction 12 projects’’; 13 (2) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘September 14 30, 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2029’’; 15 (3) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘January 1, 16 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘January 1, 2029’’; 17 (4) by redesignating subsections (f) and (g) as 18 subsections (g) and (h), respectively; 19 (5) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol- 20 lowing new subsection (f): 21 ‘‘(f) USE OF CERTAIN TECHNOLOGIES.—In carrying 22 out each project under the pilot program commencing on 23 or after the date of the enactment of the National Defense 24 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, the Secretary 25 concerned shall use not fewer than three technologies iden- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00998 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 999 •S 2296 RS tified in the report published by the Comptroller General 1 of the United States on February 11, 2025, and entitled 2 ‘Science & Tech Spotlight: Sustainable Building Tech- 3 nologies’ (GAO–25–107931).’’; 4 (6) in subsection (g)(1), as redesignated by 5 paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘December 31, 2025’’ 6 and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2030’’; and 7 (7) in subsection (h), as so redesignated, in the 8 first sentence, by inserting before the period the fol- 9 lowing: ‘‘that is identified in the report published by 10 the Comptroller General of the United States on 11 February 11, 2025, and entitled ‘Science & Tech 12 Spotlight: Sustainable Building Technologies’ 13 (GAO–25–107931)’’. 14 SEC. 2805. IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPTROLLER GENERAL 15 RECOMMENDATIONS RELATING TO INFORMA- 16 TION SHARING TO IMPROVE OVERSIGHT OF 17 MILITARY CONSTRUCTION. 18 Not later than one year after the date of the enact- 19 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall— 20 (1) implement the recommendations of the 21 Comptroller General of the United States contained 22 in the report published by the Comptroller General 23 in September 2024 and titled ‘‘Military Construc- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00999 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1000 •S 2296 RS tion: Better Information Sharing Would Improve 1 DOD’s Oversight’’ (GAO–24–106499); or 2 (2) if the Secretary does not implement any 3 such recommendation, submit to the Committees on 4 Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Rep- 5 resentatives a report explaining why the Secretary 6 has not implemented those recommendations. 7 SEC. 2806. EXTENSION OF REQUIREMENT FOR CONTRACT 8 FOR OBLIGATION AND EXECUTION OF DE- 9 SIGN FUNDS FOR MILITARY CONSTRUCTION 10 PROJECTS. 11 Section 2811(a) of the Military Construction Author- 12 ization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (division B of Public Law 13 118–159) is amended by striking ‘‘150 days’’ and insert- 14 ing ‘‘one year’’. 15 SEC. 2807. EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZATION OF DEPOT 16 WORKING CAPITAL FUNDS FOR UNSPECIFIED 17 MINOR MILITARY CONSTRUCTION. 18 Section 2208(u)(4) of title 10, United States Code, 19 is amended by striking ‘‘September 30, 2025’’ and insert- 20 ing ‘‘September 30, 2027’’. 21 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01000 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1001 •S 2296 RS SEC. 2808. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR TEMPORARY EX- 1 PANDED LAND ACQUISITION FOR EQUINE 2 WELFARE. 3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2804(c) of the Service- 4 member Quality of Life Improvement and National De- 5 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 6 118–159; 10 U.S.C. 2805 note) is amended by striking 7 ‘‘February 1, 2026’’ and inserting ‘‘August 1, 2026’’. 8 (b) BRIEFING REQUIRED.—Not later than February 9 20, 2026, the Secretary of the Army shall provide to the 10 congressional defense committees a briefing on the use of 11 the authority under section 2804(c) of the Servicemember 12 Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Au- 13 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118– 14 159; 10 U.S.C. 2805 note). 15 SEC. 2809. PROHIBITION ON DESIGNATION OF MILITARY 16 CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AS PART OF MILI- 17 TARY INTELLIGENCE PROGRAM. 18 The Secretary of Defense shall not designate any 19 military construction project as being part of the military 20 intelligence program. 21 SEC. 2810. EXPANSION OF DEFENSE COMMUNITY INFRA- 22 STRUCTURE PROGRAM TO INCLUDE INSTAL- 23 LATIONS OF THE COAST GUARD. 24 Section 2391 of title 10, United States Code, is 25 amended— 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1002 •S 2296 RS (1) in subsection (d)— 1 (A) in paragraph (1)(B), in the matter 2 preceding clause (i), by inserting ‘‘, and with 3 respect to Coast Guard-related projects, the 4 Secretary, with the concurrence of the Com- 5 mandant of the Coast Guard,’’ after ‘‘The Sec- 6 retary’’; and 7 (B) by adding at the end the following new 8 paragraph: 9 ‘‘(5)(A) In considering grants, agreements, or other 10 funding under paragraph (1)(A) with respect to commu- 11 nity infrastructure supportive of a military installation of 12 the Coast Guard, the Secretary of Defense shall seek the 13 concurrence of the Commandant of the Coast Guard with 14 respect to assessing the selection and prioritization of the 15 project concerned. 16 ‘‘(B) A grant made under this section shall be avail- 17 able to support any Coast Guard mission authorized under 18 section 888 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 19 U.S.C. 468).’’; and 20 (2) in subsection (e)(1), by adding at the end 21 the following new sentence: ‘‘For purposes of sub- 22 section (d), the term ‘military installation’ includes 23 an installation of the Coast Guard under the juris- 24 diction of the Department of Homeland Security.’’. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1003 •S 2296 RS Subtitle B—Military Housing 1 SEC. 2821. IMPROVEMENTS TO ANNUAL REPORTS OF DE- 2 PARTMENT OF DEFENSE ON WAIVERS OF PRI- 3 VACY AND CONFIGURATION STANDARDS FOR 4 COVERED MILITARY UNACCOMPANIED HOUS- 5 ING. 6 Subsection (b) of section 2856a of title 10, United 7 States Code, is amended— 8 (1) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 9 inserting a semicolon; 10 (2) in paragraph (5)(C), by striking the period 11 at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 12 (3) by adding at the end the following new 13 paragraphs: 14 ‘‘(6) an assessment of whether a need for fu- 15 ture waivers has been identified; 16 ‘‘(7) a summary of the analysis performed by 17 each military department to identify covered military 18 unaccompanied housing that requires such waivers, 19 including a certification by the Secretary of each 20 military department that the list of waivers for that 21 military department is complete and identifies all 22 permanent party unaccompanied housing that does 23 not meet covered privacy and configuration stand- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1004 •S 2296 RS ards or standards of the Department for health and 1 safety; 2 ‘‘(8) an action plan to bring covered military 3 unaccompanied housing that requires such waivers 4 into compliance with the standards of the Depart- 5 ment and a timeline for implementing the action 6 plan; 7 ‘‘(9) information about costs associated with 8 the remediation options for covered military unac- 9 companied housing that requires such waivers, in- 10 cluding— 11 ‘‘(A) funding needs for military construc- 12 tion projects; 13 ‘‘(B) funding needs for projects as part of 14 facilities sustainment, restoration, and mod- 15 ernization; and 16 ‘‘(C) any resulting increases in the need 17 for housing allowances for members of the 18 armed forces that would otherwise be living in 19 covered military unaccompanied housing; and 20 ‘‘(10) a description of the status of the re- 21 sponse of the Department to open recommendations 22 contained in the 2023 report by the Comptroller 23 General of the United States entitled, ‘Military Bar- 24 racks: Poor Living Conditions Undermine Quality of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1005 •S 2296 RS Life and Readiness’ (GAO–23–105797), including 1 the status of each military department in issuing 2 service standards that meet covered privacy and con- 3 figuration standards and standards of the Depart- 4 ment for health and safety for covered military un- 5 accompanied housing.’’. 6 SEC. 2822. MODIFICATION OF HOUSING REQUIREMENTS 7 AND MARKET ANALYSIS TO ACCOUNT FOR 8 IMPACT OF CIVILIANS AND CONTRACTORS. 9 Section 2837(d) of title 10, United States Code, is 10 amended by inserting before the period the following: ‘‘, 11 including an accounting for impacts of civilians and con- 12 tractors’’. 13 SEC. 2823. AUTHORITY FOR UNACCOMPANIED HOUSING 14 PROJECT UNDER PILOT AUTHORITY FOR USE 15 OF OTHER TRANSACTIONS FOR INSTALLA- 16 TION OR FACILITY PROTOTYPING. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense may 18 conduct an unaccompanied housing project under section 19 4022(i) of title 10, United States Code, that is not subject 20 to the limits under paragraph (2) of such section. 21 (b) USE OF AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may use the 22 authority under subsection (a) for not more than one 23 project. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1006 •S 2296 RS (c) LOCATION.—The project conducted under sub- 1 section (a) shall be located at a joint base of the Depart- 2 ment of Defense for medical training. 3 (d) USE OF FUNDS.—The aggregate value of all 4 transactions entered into under the project conducted 5 under subsection (a) may not exceed $500,000,000. 6 SEC. 2824. ELIMINATION OF INDOOR RESIDENTIAL MOLD 7 IN HOUSING OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 8 (a) STUDY AND REPORT ON HEALTH IMPACTS OF 9 INDOOR RESIDENTIAL MOLD.— 10 (1) STUDY.— 11 (A) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable 12 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 13 Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the 14 Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Af- 15 fairs, the Secretary of Housing and Urban De- 16 velopment, the Director of the Centers for Dis- 17 ease Control and Prevention, the Administrator 18 of the Environmental Protection Agency, and 19 the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 20 shall conduct a comprehensive study on the 21 health effects of indoor residential mold growth 22 in military unaccompanied housing or other 23 housing on military installations, using the 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1007 •S 2296 RS most up-to-date scientific peer-reviewed medical 1 literature. 2 (B) ELEMENTS.—The study conducted 3 under subparagraph (A) shall ascertain— 4 (i) detailed information about harmful 5 or toxigenic mold that may impact the 6 military departments and individuals living 7 on military installations, as well as any 8 toxin or toxic compound such mold can 9 produce; 10 (ii) the most accurate research-based 11 methods of detecting harmful or toxigenic 12 mold; 13 (iii) improved understanding of the 14 different health symptomology that can re- 15 sult from exposure to mold in indoor resi- 16 dential environments on military installa- 17 tions, including military unaccompanied 18 housing; 19 (iv) the ability to conduct and the cost 20 of conducting ongoing surveillance of the 21 prevalence of idiopathic pulmonary hemor- 22 rhage in infants living on military installa- 23 tions; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1008 •S 2296 RS (v) longitudinal studies on the effects 1 of indoor mold exposure in early childhood 2 on the development of asthma and other 3 respiratory illnesses of children living on 4 military installations. 5 (2) REPORTS REQUIRED.— 6 (A) INTERIM FINDINGS.—Not later than 7 one year after the date of the enactment of this 8 Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to 9 the congressional defense committees a report 10 that contains the interim findings of the study 11 conducted under paragraph (1). 12 (B) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than two 13 years after the date of the enactment of this 14 Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to 15 the congressional defense committees a final re- 16 port detailing the results of the study conducted 17 under paragraph (1). 18 (b) IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS.—The Secretary of 19 Defense shall implement mitigation measures at military 20 installations found to have hazardous mold conditions fol- 21 lowing the submission of the interim findings under sub- 22 section (a)(2)(A). 23 (c) CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW HOUS- 24 ING ON MILITARY INSTALLATIONS.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1009 •S 2296 RS (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, in 1 consultation with the Secretary of Housing and 2 Urban Development, may develop model construction 3 standards and techniques for preventing and control- 4 ling indoor residential mold in new residential prop- 5 erties on a military installation if existing facilities 6 at the military installation are found to be inappro- 7 priately constructed for the environment. 8 (2) CONTENTS.—The model standards and 9 techniques developed under paragraph (1) shall pro- 10 vide for geographic differences in construction types 11 and materials, geology, weather, and other variables 12 that may affect indoor residential mold levels in new 13 buildings and on various military installations. 14 (3) CONSULTATION.—To the maximum extent 15 possible, model standards and techniques shall be 16 developed under paragraph (1) with the assistance 17 of organizations involved in establishing national 18 building construction standards and techniques. 19 (4) APPLICABILITY TO NEW CONSTRUCTION 20 AND REHABILITATION.—If the Secretary of Defense 21 develops model construction standards and tech- 22 niques under paragraph (1), not later than one year 23 after deciding to develop such standards and tech- 24 niques, the Secretary shall include such model stand- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1010 •S 2296 RS ards and techniques as a requirement for residential 1 rehabilitation or new construction projects conducted 2 by the Department of Defense with amounts appro- 3 priated to the Department. 4 (d) EDUCATION FOR MILITARY HEALTH PROFES- 5 SIONALS.—The Secretary of Defense shall include edu- 6 cation for military health professions on mold-related ill- 7 ness, including signs and symptoms of toxigenic mold ex- 8 posure, in recurring training received by miliary health 9 practitioners at such time and in such manner as the Sec- 10 retary chooses. 11 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 12 (1) INDOOR RESIDENTIAL MOLD.—The term 13 ‘‘indoor residential mold’’ means any form of multi- 14 cellular fungi found in water-damaged indoor envi- 15 ronments and building materials, including 16 cladosporium, penicillium, alternaria, aspergillus, fu- 17 sarium, trichoderma, memnoniella, mucor, 18 stachybotrys chartarum, streptomyces, and 19 epicoccumoften. 20 (2) MILITARY INSTALLATION.—The term ‘‘mili- 21 tary installation’’ has the meaning given that term 22 in section 2801(c) of title 10, United States Code. 23 (3) MILITARY UNACCOMPANIED HOUSING.—The 24 term ‘‘military unaccompanied housing’’ has the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1011 •S 2296 RS meaning given that term in section 2871 of title 10, 1 United States Code. 2 (4) TOXIGENIC MOLD.—The term ‘‘toxigenic 3 mold’’ means any indoor mold growth that may be 4 capable of producing a toxin or toxic compound, in- 5 cluding mycotoxins and microbial volatile organic 6 compounds, that can cause pulmonary, respiratory, 7 neurological, gastrointestinal, or dermatological ill- 8 nesses, or other major adverse health impacts, as de- 9 termined by the Secretary of Defense in consultation 10 with the Director of the National Institutes of 11 Health, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel- 12 opment, the Administrator of the Environmental 13 Protection Agency, and the Director of the Centers 14 for Disease Control and Prevention. 15 SEC. 2825. REQUIREMENT FOR DISCLOSURE OF INFORMA- 16 TION RELATING TO LIABILITY INSURANCE 17 AND DISPUTE RESOLUTIONS RELATING TO 18 PRIVATIZED MILITARY HOUSING. 19 Section 2891c(a)(2) of title 10, United States Code, 20 is amended by adding at the end the following new sub- 21 paragraphs: 22 ‘‘(G) The level of liability insurance coverage 23 maintained by the landlord for all such housing 24 units. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1012 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(H) The amount of any payments made to 1 tenants by landlords relating to dispute resolu- 2 tions.’’. 3 SEC. 2826. TREATMENT OF NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS 4 WITH RESPECT TO PRIVATIZED MILITARY 5 HOUSING. 6 Section 2890(f) of title 10, United States Code, is 7 amended— 8 (1) in paragraph (1)— 9 (A) by striking ‘‘(1) A tenant or prospec- 10 tive tenant of a housing unit may not be re- 11 quired to sign’’ and inserting ‘‘A landlord may 12 not request that a tenant, former tenant, or 13 prospective tenant of a housing unit sign’’; and 14 (B) in the first sentence, by inserting ‘‘or 15 in connection with the provision of services re- 16 lated to the housing unit’’ before the period; 17 and 18 (2) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3). 19 Subtitle C—Land Conveyances 20 SEC. 2831. AUTHORIZATION TO ACQUIRE THROUGH EX- 21 CHANGE OR LEASE CERTAIN LAND USED BY 22 THE ARMED FORCES IN HAWAII. 23 (a) ACQUISITION THROUGH EXCHANGE.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1013 •S 2296 RS (1) EXCHANGE AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary 1 of each military department may acquire through ex- 2 change, upon such terms and conditions as the Sec- 3 retary concerned determines appropriate, all right, 4 title, and interest in any land, or any portion there- 5 of, that is, as of the date of the enactment of this 6 Act— 7 (A) leased by the military department con- 8 cerned from the State of Hawaii; or 9 (B) owned by the State of Hawaii and sub- 10 ject to an easement benefitting the military de- 11 partment concerned. 12 (2) LAND FOR EXCHANGE.—To acquire land 13 under paragraph (1), the Secretary concerned 14 may— 15 (A) exchange right, title, and interest in 16 land under the jurisdiction and control of the 17 Secretary concerned, or under the jurisdiction 18 and control of the Secretary of another military 19 department with the consent of the Secretary 20 concerned, located in the State of Hawaii; and 21 (B) convey such land and interests therein 22 necessary to effect such an exchange. 23 (3) DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY.—The exact 24 acreage and legal description of any land or interests 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1014 •S 2296 RS in land to be exchanged under paragraph (1) shall 1 be determined by a survey satisfactory to the Sec- 2 retary concerned. 3 (4) STATUS OF LAND.—Land acquired through 4 exchange by the Secretary concerned under para- 5 graph (1) shall be administered by the Secretary 6 concerned. 7 (5) EXCHANGE OF LAND IN EXCESS OR BELOW 8 EQUAL VALUE.— 9 (A) EXCHANGES IN EXCESS OF EQUAL 10 VALUE.—Notwithstanding section 2869 of title 11 10, United States Code, the fair market value 12 of the land conveyed by the Secretary concerned 13 under paragraph (2) may exceed the fair mar- 14 ket value of the land acquired by the Secretary 15 concerned under paragraph (1) if the Secretary 16 concerned determines that it is in the public in- 17 terest. 18 (B) EXCHANGES BELOW EQUAL VALUE.— 19 (i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause 20 (ii), if the fair market value of the land 21 and interests in land to be acquired under 22 paragraph (1), as determined by the Sec- 23 retary concerned, is greater than fair mar- 24 ket value of the land and interests in land 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1015 •S 2296 RS to be conveyed under paragraph (2), the 1 Secretary concerned may use funds made 2 available to the Secretary concerned on or 3 after the date of the enactment of this Act 4 for military construction to provide pay- 5 ment or in-kind consideration to the State 6 of Hawaii in the amount of the difference 7 in value. 8 (ii) LIMITATION ON PAYMENT.—The 9 amount of any payment or in-kind consid- 10 eration provided under clause (i) may not 11 exceed $2,500,000. 12 (iii) IN-KIND CONSIDERATION.—In- 13 kind consideration provided under clause 14 (i) may include services or provision of real 15 property of the United States. 16 (b) LEASE.— 17 (1) LEASE AUTHORIZED.—If the Secretary con- 18 cerned determines that exchange under subsection 19 (a) is not appropriate or in the best interests of the 20 military department concerned, the Secretary con- 21 cerned may lease, upon such terms and conditions as 22 the Secretary concerned determines appropriate, any 23 land, or any portion thereof, that is, as of the date 24 of the enactment of this Act— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1016 •S 2296 RS (A) leased by the military department con- 1 cerned from the State of Hawaii; or 2 (B) owned by the State of Hawaii and sub- 3 ject to an easement benefitting the military de- 4 partment concerned. 5 (2) DURATION OF LEASE.—A lease entered into 6 under paragraph (1) may provide for a lease term 7 of not more than 25 years, with options that extend 8 the term to a total period of not more than 50 years. 9 (3) CONSIDERATION UNDER LEASE.— 10 (A) PAYMENT IN EXCESS OF FAIR MARKET 11 RENTAL VALUE.—The Secretary concerned may 12 make rental payments under a lease entered 13 into under paragraph (1) that exceed fair mar- 14 ket value of the land to be leased, as deter- 15 mined by the Secretary concerned, if the Sec- 16 retary concerned determines that such pay- 17 ments are in the public interest. 18 (B) ADVANCE PAYMENT OF RENT.—A 19 lease entered into under paragraph (1) may au- 20 thorize the payment of rent in advance. 21 (C) FORM OF PAYMENT.— 22 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary con- 23 cerned may provide for payment or in-kind 24 consideration to the State of Hawaii as 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1017 •S 2296 RS consideration for a lease entered into 1 under paragraph (1). 2 (ii) IN-KIND CONSIDERATION.—In- 3 kind consideration provided under clause 4 (i) may include services or provision of real 5 property of the United States. 6 (4) SOURCE OF FUNDS FOR COSTS FOR EARLY 7 TERMINATION.—The costs associated with the early 8 termination of a lease entered into under paragraph 9 (1) may be paid from— 10 (A) authorizations available at the time the 11 lease was executed; 12 (B) authorizations available at the time the 13 United States terminates the lease; or 14 (C) any combination thereof. 15 (c) EXEMPTION FROM SCREENING REQUIRE- 16 MENTS.—The authority to convey land and interests 17 therein under this section is exempt from any screening 18 process required under section 2696(b) of title 10, United 19 States Code. 20 (d) SUNSET.—The authority to enter into any agree- 21 ment for lease or acquisition through exchange under this 22 section, except for lease extensions, shall expire on Decem- 23 ber 31, 2031. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1018 •S 2296 RS SEC. 2832. REPORT ON LAND WITHDRAWALS. 1 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 2 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 3 Army shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services 4 of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report 5 on the land withdrawals at Fort Greely and Fort Wain- 6 wright Training Ranges, Alaska, and McGregor Range, 7 Fort Bliss, New Mexico, under subsections (c) and (d) of 8 section 3011 of the Military Lands Withdrawal Act of 9 1999 (title XXX of Public Law 106–65; 113 Stat. 889). 10 (b) ELEMENTS REQUIRED.—The report required by 11 subsection (a) shall include— 12 (1) a description of the operational and training 13 impacts should the land withdrawals described in 14 subsection (a) not be renewed; and 15 (2) any requested changes to those land with- 16 drawals that would require an Act of Congress. 17 Subtitle D—Other Matters 18 SEC. 2841. MODIFICATIONS TO DEFENSE COMMUNITY IN- 19 FRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM. 20 (a) MODIFICATION TO CATEGORIES FOR ASSIST- 21 ANCE.—Section 2391(d)(1)(B) of title 10, United States 22 Code, is amended— 23 (1) in the matter preceding clause (i), by strik- 24 ing ‘‘, including selection’’ and all that follows 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1019 •S 2296 RS through ‘‘of priority’’ and inserting ‘‘for each of the 1 following categories’’; 2 (2) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘military value’’ 3 and all that follows through the period and inserting 4 ‘‘the readiness of a military department or mission 5 assurance at a military installation.’’; and 6 (3) by redesignating clauses (ii) and (iv) as 7 clauses (iv) and (ii), respectively, and— 8 (A) by moving clause (ii), as so redesig- 9 nated, after clause (i); and 10 (B) by moving clause (iv), as so redesig- 11 nated, after clause (iii). 12 (b) TEMPORARY PRIORITY AND ALLOCATION OF 13 FUNDS UNDER PROGRAM.—During the two-year period 14 beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the 15 Secretary of Defense shall— 16 (1) give priority under the Defense Community 17 Infrastructure Program under section 2391(d) of 18 title 10, United States Code, to projects under sub- 19 paragraph (B)(ii) of such section (as amended by 20 subsection (a)), for which an application has been 21 previously made for assistance under that program; 22 and 23 (2) allocate not less than two-thirds of the 24 amounts appropriated or otherwise made available 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1020 •S 2296 RS for such program equally among projects under sub- 1 paragraphs (B)(i) and (B)(ii) of such program (as 2 amended by subsection (a)). 3 SEC. 2842. DESIGNATION OF RONALD REAGAN SPACE AND 4 MISSILE TEST RANGE AT KWAJALEIN ATOLL 5 IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS. 6 (a) DESIGNATION.—The Ronald Reagan Ballistic 7 Missile Defense Test Site located at Kwajalein Atoll in the 8 Marshall Islands shall after the date of the enactment of 9 this Act be known and designated as the ‘‘Ronald Reagan 10 Space and Missile Test Range’’. 11 (b) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any law, regula- 12 tion, map, document, paper, or other record of the United 13 States to the site specified in subsection (a) shall be con- 14 sidered to be a reference to the Ronald Reagan Space and 15 Missile Test Range. 16 (c) CONFORMING REPEAL.—Section 2887 of the 17 Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 18 2001 (division B of Public Law 106–398; 114 Stat. 19 1654A–440) is repealed. 20 SEC. 2843. JOINT BASE FACILITY MANAGEMENT OF DE- 21 PARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 22 (a) WORKFORCE REASSESSMENT FOR JOINT BASE 23 FACILITY MANAGEMENT.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01020 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1021 •S 2296 RS (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 1 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 2 retary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on 3 Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Rep- 4 resentatives a report containing a reassessment by 5 the Secretary of each military department regarding 6 the joint base facility management workforce of the 7 Department of Defense. 8 (2) ELEMENTS.—Each reassessment required 9 under paragraph (1) shall include— 10 (A) an assessment of the workload require- 11 ments of facility management offices with re- 12 spect to the work required to maintain the fa- 13 cilities of jointly used installations in good 14 working order; 15 (B) an assessment of the workforce levels 16 needed to complete the workload identified 17 under subparagraph (A); 18 (C) information on workforce gaps, if any, 19 that exist between current facility management 20 workforce levels and the workforce levels identi- 21 fied in subparagraph (B) and the reasons for 22 the workforce gaps; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01021 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1022 •S 2296 RS (D) a strategy on how to address work- 1 force gaps, including periodic reassessment of 2 workforce levels and funding needs. 3 (b) CONSOLIDATED JOINT BASE INSTRUCTION.—Not 4 later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of 5 this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 6 Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 7 House of Representatives a report on the status of and 8 reason for any delay in producing a draft Department of 9 Defense instruction to establish policies for the manage- 10 ment of jointly used military installations. 11 (c) BRIEFING ON JOINT BASE FUNDING TO SUP- 12 PORTED COMPONENTS.—Not later than 120 days after 13 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 14 Defense shall provide to the Committees on Armed Serv- 15 ices of the Senate and the House of Representatives a 16 briefing on identifying the funding allocations among sup- 17 ported and supporting components for maintenance of fa- 18 cilities of jointly used military installations, and an assess- 19 ment of any risk to mission readiness resulting from those 20 funding levels. 21 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01022 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1023 •S 2296 RS SEC. 2844. LIMITATION ON USE OF AMOUNTS FOR TRAVEL 1 BASED ON COMPLIANCE WITH REQUIRE- 2 MENTS RELATED TO MINIMUM CAPITAL IN- 3 VESTMENT. 4 The Secretary and each service chief of a military de- 5 partment (including the Commandant of the Marine Corps 6 with respect to the Department of the Navy and the Chief 7 of Space Operations with respect to the Department of 8 the Air Force) may not use amounts appropriated to the 9 Department of Defense for travel outside the continental 10 United States if the Secretary of Defense determines that 11 the military department is not in compliance with the re- 12 quirements under section 2680 of title 10, United States 13 Code. 14 SEC. 2845. EXTENSION OF PROHIBITION ON JOINT USE OF 15 HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE WITH CIVIL 16 AVIATION. 17 Section 2874 of the Military Construction Authoriza- 18 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (division B of Public Law 19 117–263; 136 Stat. 3014), as amended by section 2808 20 of the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal 21 Year 2025 (division B of Public Law 118–159), is further 22 amended by striking ‘‘September 30, 2028’’ and inserting 23 ‘‘September 30, 2034’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1024 •S 2296 RS SEC. 2846. PILOT PROGRAM ON PROCUREMENT OF UTILITY 1 SERVICES FOR INSTALLATIONS OF THE DE- 2 PARTMENT OF DEFENSE THROUGH 3 AREAWIDE CONTRACTS. 4 (a) PILOT PROGRAM REQUIRED.—Not later than 30 5 days after the date of the enactment of the Act, the Sec- 6 retary of Defense shall establish a pilot program for the 7 purposes of procuring utility services through an areawide 8 contract with a public utility provider for any services that 9 support energy resilience and mission readiness of an in- 10 stallation of the Department of Defense (in this section 11 referred to as the ‘‘pilot program’’). 12 (b) DURATION.—The Secretary of Defense shall 13 carry out the pilot program during the one-year period be- 14 ginning on the date of the commencement of the pilot pro- 15 gram. 16 (c) DEADLINE FOR CONTRACTS.—Not later than 180 17 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 18 retary of each military department shall enter into at least 19 one areawide contract under the pilot program. 20 (d) PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS.—The Sec- 21 retary shall carry out the pilot program by entering into 22 one or more public-private partnerships through an 23 areawide contract entered into under the pilot program. 24 (e) COMPETITION.—The pilot program shall include 25 the development of a justification and approval template 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1025 •S 2296 RS and waiver in accordance with part 6.302 of the Federal 1 Acquisition Regulation that is used by all acquisition com- 2 mands of the military departments in carrying out the 3 pilot program. 4 (f) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 90 5 days after the termination of the pilot program, the Sec- 6 retary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense 7 committees a report that includes— 8 (1) an analysis of the pilot program, including 9 any efficiencies, benefits, and cost-savings associated 10 with utilizing areawide contracts under the pilot pro- 11 gram to procure utility services from a public utility 12 provider; and 13 (2) proposed solutions, including recommended 14 legislative text and modifications to the Federal Ac- 15 quisition Regulation or policy guidance of the De- 16 partment of Defense, to overcome any remaining 17 legal and policy hurdles that the Department identi- 18 fies as inhibiting adherence to and implementation 19 of section 2811(b) of the Military Construction Au- 20 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (division B of 21 Public Law 118–31; 10 U.S.C. 2920 note). 22 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms 23 ‘‘areawide contract’’, ‘‘energy resilience’’, and ‘‘utility 24 service’’ have the meanings given those terms in section 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1026 •S 2296 RS 2811(b)(3) of the Military Construction Authorization Act 1 for Fiscal Year 2024 (division B of Public Law 118–31; 2 10 U.S.C. 2920 note). 3 SEC. 2847. AUTHORIZATION FOR MONETARY CONTRIBU- 4 TIONS TO THE CONVEYEES OF UTILITY SYS- 5 TEMS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVE- 6 MENTS. 7 Section 2688(k) of title 10, United States Codes, is 8 amended to read as follows: 9 ‘‘(k) IMPROVEMENT OF CONVEYED UTILITY SYS- 10 TEM.—(1) In lieu of carrying out a military construction 11 project for an infrastructure improvement that enhances 12 the reliability, resilience, efficiency, physical security, or 13 cybersecurity of a utility system conveyed under sub- 14 section (a), the Secretary concerned may use funds au- 15 thorized and appropriated for the project to make a mone- 16 tary contribution equal to the total amount for the com- 17 pleted project to the conveyee of the utility system to carry 18 out the project using a contract for utility services entered 19 into under subsection (d). 20 ‘‘(2) All right, title, and interest to infrastructure im- 21 provements constructed by the conveyee pursuant to para- 22 graph (1) shall vest in the conveyee. 23 ‘‘(3) The Secretary concerned shall provide to the 24 conveyee the necessary real property interests to access 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01026 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1027 •S 2296 RS and use lands under the jurisdiction and control of the 1 Secretary for construction of the project under paragraph 2 (1) and for ongoing use, operations, and maintenance. 3 ‘‘(4) If the Secretary concerned exercises a repur- 4 chase option under a contract entered into under sub- 5 section (d) for a system conveyed under subsection (a), 6 the Secretary shall receive an offset in the amount of the 7 contribution to the conveyee under paragraph (1) against 8 the payment made by the Secretary as consideration for 9 the repurchase, except that the maximum offset may not 10 exceed the full amount of the consideration for the repur- 11 chase. 12 ‘‘(5) The Secretary concerned may make a monetary 13 contribution authorized by paragraph (1) without regard 14 to the following provisions of law: 15 ‘‘(A) Sections 7540, 8612, and 9540 of this 16 title. 17 ‘‘(B) Subchapters I and III of chapter 169 of 18 this title. 19 ‘‘(C) Chapters 221 and 223 of this title.’’. 20 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1028 •S 2296 RS SEC. 2848. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR DEVELOP- 1 MENT OF GREENBURY POINT CONSERVATION 2 AREA AT NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY ANNAP- 3 OLIS, MARYLAND. 4 (a) IN GENERAL.—None of the funds authorized to 5 be appropriated to the Department of Defense for fiscal 6 year 2026 may be used for any activity of the Department 7 of Defense related to the construction of any project com- 8 mencing on or after the date of the enactment of this Act 9 at Greenbury Point Conservation Area at Naval Support 10 Activity Annapolis, Maryland, that— 11 (1) constructs a new golf course at Greenbury 12 Point Conservation Area; 13 (2) limits public access to Greenbury Point 14 Conservation Area; or 15 (3) is in violation of section 2855 of the Na- 16 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 17 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 766). 18 (b) OUTSIDE FUNDS PROHIBITED.—The Secretary 19 of Defense may not use any funds from sources outside 20 the Department of Defense to make improvements to 21 Greenbury Point Conservation Area at Naval Support Ac- 22 tivity Annapolis, Maryland. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1029 •S 2296 RS SEC. 2849. APPLICATION OF CERTAIN AUTHORITIES AND 1 STANDARDS TO HISTORIC MILITARY HOUS- 2 ING AND ASSOCIATED HISTORIC PROPERTIES 3 OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY AND THE 4 DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE. 5 Title 54, United States Code, is amended by inserting 6 after section 307108 the following new section: 7 ‘‘§ 307109. Application of certain authorities and 8 standards to historic military housing 9 and associated historic properties of the 10 Department of the Navy and the Depart- 11 ment of the Air Force 12 ‘‘(a) APPLICATION OF CERTAIN AUTHORITY TO NAVY 13 AND AIR FORCE MILITARY FAMILY HOUSING.—The Sec- 14 retary of the Navy and the Secretary of the Air Force, 15 in satisfaction of requirements under this division, may 16 apply the authority and standards contained in the docu- 17 ments titled ‘Department of the Army Program Comment 18 for the Preservation of Pre-1919 Historic Army Housing, 19 Associated Buildings and Structures, and Landscape Fea- 20 tures’ (published on June 13, 2024) (89 Fed. Reg. 21 50350), ‘Department of the Army Program Comment for 22 Inter-War Era Historic Housing, Associated Buildings 23 and Structures, and Landscape Features (1919–1940)’ 24 (published on October 13, 2020) (85 Fed. Reg. 64491), 25 and ‘Department of the Army Program Comment for Viet- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01029 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1030 •S 2296 RS nam War Era Historic Housing, Associated Buildings and 1 Structures, and Landscape Features (1963–1975)’ (pub- 2 lished on May 4, 2023) (88 Fed. Reg. 28573) to all mili- 3 tary housing (including privatized military housing under 4 subchapter IV of this chapter) constructed during the ap- 5 plicable periods. 6 ‘‘(b) APPLICATION OF CERTAIN AUTHORITY TO 7 CAPEHART AND WHERRY ERA NAVY AND AIR FORCE 8 MILITARY FAMILY HOUSING.—The Secretary of the Navy 9 and the Secretary of the Air Force may apply the author- 10 ity and standards contained in the document titled ‘Pro- 11 gram Comment for Capehart and Wherry Era Housing 12 and Associated Structures and Landscape Features 13 (1949–1962)’ (published on November 18, 2005) (70 Fed. 14 Reg. 69959) to all military housing (including privatized 15 military housing under subchapter IV of this chapter) con- 16 structed during the period beginning on January 1, 1941, 17 and ending on December 31, 1948, located on a military 18 installation under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the 19 Navy or the Secretary of the Air Force. 20 ‘‘(c) TEMPORARY APPLICATION OF CERTAIN AU- 21 THORITY TO VIETNAM WAR ERA NAVY AND AIR FORCE 22 MILITARY HOUSING.—During the period beginning on the 23 date of the enactment of the Military Construction Au- 24 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 and ending on De- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1031 •S 2296 RS cember 31, 2045, the Secretary of the Navy and the Sec- 1 retary of the Air Force, in satisfaction of requirements 2 under this division, may apply the authority and standards 3 contained in the document titled ‘Department of the Army 4 Program Comment for Vietnam War Era Historic Hous- 5 ing, Associated Buildings and Structures, and Landscape 6 Features (1963–1975)’ (published on May 4, 2023) (88 7 Fed. Reg. 28573) to all military housing (including 8 privatized military housing under subchapter IV of this 9 chapter) constructed after 1975 located on a military in- 10 stallation under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the 11 Navy or the Secretary of the Air Force. 12 ‘‘(d) REPORT.—As part of each report of the Navy 13 or the Air Force required under section 3(c) of Executive 14 Order 13287 (54 U.S.C. 306101 note), the Secretary of 15 the Navy or the Secretary of the Air Force, as the case 16 may be, shall submit to the Advisory Council on Historic 17 Preservation a report on the implementation of this sec- 18 tion. 19 ‘‘(e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec- 20 tion may be construed to preclude or require the amend- 21 ment of the documents of the Office of the Assistant Sec- 22 retary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environ- 23 ment described in subsection (a) by the Secretary of the 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01031 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1032 •S 2296 RS Army or the Chair of the Advisory Council on Historic 1 Preservation.’’. 2 DIVISION C—DEPARTMENT OF 3 ENERGY NATIONAL SECURITY 4 AUTHORIZATIONS AND 5 OTHER AUTHORIZATIONS 6 TITLE XXXI—DEPARTMENT OF 7 ENERGY NATIONAL SECURITY 8 PROGRAMS 9 Subtitle A—National Security 10 Programs and Authorizations 11 SEC. 3101. NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRA- 12 TION. 13 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Funds 14 are hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Depart- 15 ment of Energy for fiscal year 2026 for the activities of 16 the National Nuclear Security Administration in carrying 17 out programs as specified in the funding table in section 18 4701. 19 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF NEW PLANT PROJECTS.— 20 From funds referred to in subsection (a) that are available 21 for carrying out plant projects, the Secretary of Energy 22 may carry out new plant projects for the National Nuclear 23 Security Administration as follows: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01032 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1033 •S 2296 RS Project 26-D-511 MESA Photolithography Ca- 1 pability (MPC), Sandia National Laboratories, 2 $40,000,000. 3 Project 26-D-510 Product Realization Infra- 4 structure for Stockpile Modernization, Lawrence 5 Livermore National Laboratory, $15,000,000. 6 Project 26-D-512 LANSCE Modernization 7 Project (LAMP), Los Alamos National Laboratory, 8 $20,000,000. 9 Project 26-D-513 Combined Radiation Environ- 10 ments for Survivability Testing, Sandia National 11 Laboratories, $52,248,000. 12 Project 26-D-514 NIF Enhanced Fusion Yield 13 Capability, Lawrence Livermore National Labora- 14 tory, $26,000,000. 15 Project 26-D-530 East Side Office Building, 16 $75,000,000. 17 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01033 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1034 •S 2296 RS SEC. 3102. DEFENSE ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP. 1 Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated to 2 the Department of Energy for fiscal year 2026 for defense 3 environmental cleanup activities in carrying out programs 4 as specified in the funding table in section 4701. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01034 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1035 •S 2296 RS SEC. 3103. OTHER DEFENSE ACTIVITIES. 1 Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated to 2 the Department of Energy for fiscal year 2026 for other 3 defense activities in carrying out programs as specified in 4 the funding table in section 4701. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01035 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1036 •S 2296 RS SEC. 3104. NUCLEAR ENERGY. 1 Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated to 2 the Department of Energy for fiscal year 2026 for nuclear 3 energy as specified in the funding table in section 4701. 4 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01036 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1037 •S 2296 RS Subtitle B—Program Authoriza- 1 tions, Restrictions, and Limita- 2 tions 3 SEC. 3111. ORGANIZATION AND CODIFICATION OF PROVI- 4 SIONS OF LAW RELATING TO ATOMIC EN- 5 ERGY DEFENSE ACTIVITIES. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart A of part VI of subtitle 7 A of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding 8 at the end the following new chapter: 9 ‘‘CHAPTER 552—ATOMIC ENERGY 10 DEFENSE 11 ‘‘CHAPTER 552—ATOMIC ENERGY DEFENSE ‘‘Sec. 5601. Definitions. ‘‘SUBCHAPTER I—ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS ‘‘Sec. 5611. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. ‘‘Sec. 5612. Management structure for nuclear security enterprise. ‘‘Sec. 5613. Monitoring of industrial base for nuclear weapons components, subsystems, and materials . ‘‘Sec. 5614. Common financial reporting system for the nuclear security enter- prise . ‘‘Sec. 5615. Restriction on licensing requirement for certain defense activities and facilities. ‘‘Sec. 5616. Establishment of Center for Security Technology, Analysis, Re- sponse, and Testing. ‘‘SUBCHAPTER II—NUCLEAR WEAPONS STOCKPILE MATTERS ‘‘PART A—STOCKPILE STEWARDSHIP AND WEAPONS PRODUCTION ‘‘Sec. 5621. Stockpile stewardship program. ‘‘Sec. 5622. Portfolio management framework for National Nuclear Security Administration . ‘‘Sec. 5623. Stockpile stewardship criteria. ‘‘Sec. 5624. Nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship, management, and respon- siveness plan. ‘‘Sec. 5625. Major warhead refurbishment program . ‘‘Sec. 5626. Stockpile management program. ‘‘Sec. 5627. Annual assessments and reports to the President and Congress re- garding the condition of the United States nuclear weapons stockpile. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01037 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1038 •S 2296 RS ‘‘Sec. 5628. Form of certifications regarding the safety or reliability of the nu- clear weapons stockpile. ‘‘Sec. 5629. Nuclear test ban readiness program. ‘‘Sec. 5630. Requirements for specific request for new or modified nuclear weapons. ‘‘Sec. 5631. Testing of nuclear weapons. ‘‘Sec. 5632. Manufacturing infrastructure for refabrication and certification of nuclear weapons stockpile. ‘‘Sec. 5633. Acceleration of depleted uranium manufacturing processes . ‘‘Sec. 5634. Reports on critical difficulties at national security laboratories and nuclear weapons production facilities. ‘‘Sec. 5635. Selected acquisition reports and independent cost estimates and re- views of certain programs and facilities. ‘‘Sec. 5636. Advice to President and Congress regarding safety, security, and reliability of United States nuclear weapons stockpile. ‘‘Sec. 5637. Notification of certain regulations that impact the National Nu- clear Security Administration . ‘‘Sec. 5638. Plutonium pit production capacity. ‘‘Sec. 5639. Certification of completion of milestones with respect to plutonium pit aging . ‘‘Sec. 5640. Authorization of workforce development and training partnership programs within National Nuclear Security Administration . ‘‘Sec. 5641. Stockpile responsiveness program. ‘‘Sec. 5642. Long-term plan for meeting national security requirements for unencumbered uranium. ‘‘Sec. 5643. Plan for domestic enrichment capability to satisfy Department of Defense uranium requirements . ‘‘Sec. 5644. Incorporation of integrated surety architecture. ‘‘Sec. 5645. W93 nuclear warhead acquisition process. ‘‘Sec. 5646. Earned value management and technology readiness levels for life extension programs. ‘‘PART B—TRITIUM ‘‘Sec. 5651. Tritium production program. ‘‘Sec. 5652. Tritium recycling. ‘‘Sec. 5653. Modernization and consolidation of tritium recycling facilities . ‘‘SUBCHAPTER III—PROLIFERATION MATTERS ‘‘Sec. 5661. Authority to conduct program relating to fissile materials. ‘‘Sec. 5662. Completion of material protection, control, and accounting activi- ties in the Russian Federation . ‘‘Sec. 5663. Disposition of weapons-usable plutonium at Savannah River Site. ‘‘Sec. 5664. Disposition of surplus defense plutonium at Savannah River Site, Aiken, South Carolina. ‘‘Sec. 5665. Acceleration of removal or security of fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment at vulnerable sites worldwide. ‘‘Sec. 5666. Acceleration of replacement of cesium blood irradiation sources . ‘‘Sec. 5667. International agreements on nuclear weapons data. ‘‘Sec. 5668. International agreements on information on radioactive materials. ‘‘Sec. 5669. Defense nuclear nonproliferation management plan. ‘‘Sec. 5670. Information relating to certain defense nuclear nonproliferation programs. ‘‘Sec. 5671. Annual Selected Acquisition Reports on certain hardware relating to defense nuclear nonproliferation. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01038 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1039 •S 2296 RS ‘‘SUBCHAPTER IV—DEFENSE ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP MATTERS ‘‘PART A—DEFENSE ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP ‘‘Sec. 5681. Defense environmental cleanup account. ‘‘Sec. 5682. Classification of defense environmental cleanup as capital asset projects or operations activities . ‘‘Sec. 5683. Requirement to develop future use plans for defense environmental cleanup. ‘‘Sec. 5684. Future-years defense environmental cleanup plan. ‘‘Sec. 5685. Accelerated schedule for defense environmental cleanup activities. ‘‘Sec. 5686. Defense environmental cleanup technology program. ‘‘Sec. 5687. Other programs relating to technology development. ‘‘Sec. 5688. Report on defense environmental cleanup expenditures. ‘‘Sec. 5689. Public participation in planning for defense environmental cleanup. ‘‘Sec. 5690. Policy of Department of Energy regarding future defense environ- mental management matters . ‘‘Sec. 5691. Estimation of costs of meeting defense environmental cleanup mile- stones required by consent orders. ‘‘Sec. 5692. Public statement of environmental liabilities. ‘‘PART B—CLOSURE OF FACILITIES ‘‘Sec. 5701. Reports in connection with permanent closures of Department of Energy defense nuclear facilities. ‘‘Sec. 5702. Defense site acceleration completion . ‘‘Sec. 5703. Sandia National Laboratories . ‘‘Sec. 5704. Plan for deactivation and decommissioning of nonoperational de- fense nuclear facilities. ‘‘PART C—HANFORD RESERVATION, WASHINGTON ‘‘Sec. 5711. Safety measures for waste tanks at Hanford Nuclear Reservation. ‘‘Sec. 5712. Hanford waste tank cleanup program reforms. ‘‘Sec. 5713. River protection project. ‘‘Sec. 5714. Notification regarding air release of radioactive or hazardous mate- rial. ‘‘PART D—SAVANNAH RIVER SITE, SOUTH CAROLINA ‘‘Sec. 5721. Accelerated schedule for isolating high-level nuclear waste at the Defense Waste Processing Facility, Savannah River Site. ‘‘Sec. 5722. Multi-year plan for clean-up. ‘‘Sec. 5723. Continuation of processing, treatment, and disposal of legacy nu- clear materials. ‘‘SUBCHAPTER V—SAFEGUARDS AND SECURITY MATTERS ‘‘PART A—SAFEGUARDS AND SECURITY ‘‘Sec. 5731. Prohibition on international inspections of Department of Energy facilities unless protection of restricted data is certified. ‘‘Sec. 5732. Restrictions on access to national security laboratories by foreign visitors from sensitive countries. ‘‘Sec. 5733. Background investigations of certain personnel at Department of Energy facilities. ‘‘Sec. 5734. Department of Energy counterintelligence polygraph program. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01039 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1040 •S 2296 RS ‘‘Sec. 5735. Notice to congressional committees of certain security and counter- intelligence failures within atomic energy defense programs. ‘‘Sec. 5736. Annual report and certification on status of security of atomic en- ergy defense facilities. ‘‘Sec. 5737. Protection of certain nuclear facilities and assets from unmanned aircraft. ‘‘Sec. 5738. Reporting on penetrations of networks of contractors and sub- contractors. ‘‘PART B—CLASSIFIED INFORMATION ‘‘Sec. 5741. Review of certain documents before declassification and release. ‘‘Sec. 5742. Protection against inadvertent release of restricted data and for- merly restricted data. ‘‘Sec. 5743. Supplement to plan for declassification of restricted data and for- merly restricted data. ‘‘Sec. 5744. Protection of classified information during laboratory-to-laboratory exchanges. ‘‘Sec. 5745. Identification in budget materials of amounts for declassification activities and limitation on expenditures for such activities. ‘‘SUBCHAPTER VI—PERSONNEL MATTERS ‘‘PART A—PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT ‘‘Sec. 5751. Authority for appointment of certain scientific, engineering, and technical personnel. ‘‘Sec. 5752. Whistleblower protection program. ‘‘Sec. 5753. Department of Energy defense nuclear facilities workforce restruc- turing plan. ‘‘Sec. 5754. Authority to provide certificate of commendation to Department of Energy and contractor employees for exemplary service in stockpile stewardship and security. ‘‘PART B—EDUCATION AND TRAINING ‘‘Sec. 5761. Executive management training in Department of Energy. ‘‘Sec. 5762. Stockpile stewardship recruitment and training program. ‘‘Sec. 5763. Fellowship program for development of skills critical to the nuclear security enterprise. ‘‘PART C—WORKER SAFETY ‘‘Sec. 5771. Worker protection at nuclear weapons facilities. ‘‘Sec. 5772. Safety oversight and enforcement at defense nuclear facilities. ‘‘Sec. 5773. Program to monitor department of energy workers exposed to haz- ardous and radioactive substances. ‘‘Sec. 5774. Programs for persons who may have been exposed to radiation re- leased from Hanford Nuclear Reservation. ‘‘Sec. 5775. Use of probabilistic risk assessment to ensure nuclear safety of fa- cilities of the Administration and the Office of Environmental Management. ‘‘Sec. 5776. Notification of nuclear criticality and non-nuclear incidents. ‘‘SUBCHAPTER VII—BUDGET AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT MATTERS ‘‘PART A—RECURRING NATIONAL SECURITY AUTHORIZATION PROVISIONS VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01040 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1041 •S 2296 RS ‘‘Sec. 5781. Definitions. ‘‘Sec. 5782. Reprogramming. ‘‘Sec. 5783. Minor construction projects. ‘‘Sec. 5784. General plant projects . ‘‘Sec. 5785. Limits on construction projects. ‘‘Sec. 5786. Fund transfer authority. ‘‘Sec. 5787. Conceptual and construction design. ‘‘Sec. 5788. Authority for emergency planning, design, and construction activi- ties. ‘‘Sec. 5789. Scope of authority to carry out plant projects. ‘‘Sec. 5790. Availability of funds. ‘‘Sec. 5791. Transfer of defense environmental cleanup funds. ‘‘Sec. 5792. Transfer of weapons activities funds. ‘‘Sec. 5793. Funds available for all national security programs of the Depart- ment of Energy. ‘‘Sec. 5794. Notification of cost overruns for certain Department of Energy projects. ‘‘Sec. 5795. Life-cycle cost estimates of certain atomic energy defense capital assets. ‘‘Sec. 5796. Use of best practices for capital asset projects and nuclear weapon life extension programs . ‘‘Sec. 5797. Matters relating to critical decisions. ‘‘Sec. 5798. Unfunded priorities of the Administration. ‘‘Sec. 5799. Review of adequacy of nuclear weapons budget. ‘‘Sec. 5800. Improvements to cost estimates informing analyses of alternatives. ‘‘PART B—PENALTIES ‘‘Sec. 5801. Restriction on use of funds to pay penalties under environmental laws. ‘‘Sec. 5802. Restriction on use of funds to pay penalties under Clean Air Act. ‘‘PART C—OTHER MATTERS ‘‘Sec. 5811. Reports on financial balances for atomic energy defense activities. ‘‘Sec. 5812. Independent acquisition project reviews of capital assets acquisition projects. ‘‘SUBCHAPTER VIII—ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS ‘‘PART A—CONTRACTS ‘‘Sec. 5821. Costs not allowed under covered contracts. ‘‘Sec. 5822. Prohibition and report on bonuses to contractors operating defense nuclear facilities. ‘‘Sec. 5823. Assessments of emergency preparedness of defense nuclear facili- ties. ‘‘Sec. 5824. Contractor liability for injury or loss of property arising out of atomic weapons testing programs. ‘‘Sec. 5825. Notice-and-wait requirement applicable to certain third-party fi- nancing arrangements. ‘‘Sec. 5826. Publication of contractor performance evaluations leading to award fees. ‘‘Sec. 5827. Enhanced procurement authority to manage supply chain risk. ‘‘Sec. 5828. Cost-benefit analyses for competition of management and operating contracts. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01041 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1042 •S 2296 RS ‘‘PART B—RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ‘‘Sec. 5831. Laboratory-directed research and development programs. ‘‘Sec. 5832. Laboratory-directed research and development. ‘‘Sec. 5833. Funding for laboratory directed research and development . ‘‘Sec. 5834. Charges to individual program, project, or activity. ‘‘Sec. 5835. Limitations on use of funds for laboratory directed research and development purposes. ‘‘Sec. 5836. Report on use of funds for certain research and development pur- poses. ‘‘Sec. 5837. Critical technology partnerships and cooperative research and de- velopment centers. ‘‘Sec. 5838. University-based research collaboration program. ‘‘Sec. 5839. Limitation on establishing an enduring bioassurance program with- in the administration. ‘‘PART C—FACILITIES MANAGEMENT ‘‘Sec. 5841. Transfers of real property at certain Department of Energy facili- ties. ‘‘Sec. 5842. Engineering and manufacturing research, development, and dem- onstration by managers of certain nuclear weapons production facilities. ‘‘Sec. 5843. Activities at covered nuclear weapons facilities . ‘‘Sec. 5844. Pilot program relating to use of proceeds of disposal or utilization of certain department of energy assets. ‘‘Sec. 5845. Department of Energy energy parks program. ‘‘Sec. 5846. Authority to use passenger carriers for contractor commuting. ‘‘PART D—OTHER MATTERS ‘‘Sec. 5851. Payment of costs of operation and maintenance of infrastructure at Nevada National Security Site. ‘‘Sec. 5852. University-based defense nuclear policy collaboration program. ‘‘§ 5601. Definitions 1 ‘‘Except as otherwise provided, in this chapter: 2 ‘‘(1) The term ‘Administration’ means the Na- 3 tional Nuclear Security Administration. 4 ‘‘(2) The term ‘Administrator’ means the Ad- 5 ministrator for Nuclear Security. 6 ‘‘(3) The term ‘classified information’ means 7 any information that has been determined pursuant 8 to Executive Order No. 12333 of December 4, 1981 9 (50 U.S.C. 3001 note), Executive Order No. 12958 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01042 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1043 •S 2296 RS of April 17, 1995 (50 U.S.C. 3161 note), Executive 1 Order No. 13526 of December 29, 2009 (50 U.S.C. 2 3161 note), or successor orders, to require protec- 3 tion against unauthorized disclosure and that is so 4 designated. 5 ‘‘(4) The term ‘congressional defense commit- 6 tees’ means— 7 ‘‘(A) the Committee on Armed Services 8 and the Committee on Appropriations of the 9 Senate; and 10 ‘‘(B) the Committee on Armed Services 11 and the Committee on Appropriations of the 12 House of Representatives. 13 ‘‘(5) The terms ‘defense nuclear facility’ and 14 ‘Department of Energy defense nuclear facility’ have 15 the meaning given the term ‘Department of Energy 16 defense nuclear facility’ in section 318 of the Atomic 17 Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2286g). 18 ‘‘(6) The term ‘nuclear security enterprise’ 19 means the physical facilities, technology, and human 20 capital of the national security laboratories and the 21 nuclear weapons production facilities. 22 ‘‘(7) The term ‘national security laboratory’ 23 means any of the following: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01043 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1044 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(A) Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los 1 Alamos, New Mexico. 2 ‘‘(B) Sandia National Laboratories, Albu- 3 querque, New Mexico, and Livermore, Cali- 4 fornia. 5 ‘‘(C) Lawrence Livermore National Lab- 6 oratory, Livermore, California. 7 ‘‘(8) The term ‘Nuclear Weapons Council’ 8 means the Nuclear Weapons Council established by 9 section 179. 10 ‘‘(9) The term ‘nuclear weapons production fa- 11 cility’ means any of the following: 12 ‘‘(A) The Kansas City National Security 13 Campus, Kansas City, Missouri. 14 ‘‘(B) The Pantex Plant, Amarillo, Texas. 15 ‘‘(C) The Y–12 National Security Com- 16 plex, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. 17 ‘‘(D) The Savannah River Site, Aiken, 18 South Carolina. 19 ‘‘(E) The Nevada National Security Site, 20 Nevada. 21 ‘‘(F) Any facility of the Department of En- 22 ergy that the Secretary of Energy, in consulta- 23 tion with the Administrator and Congress, de- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01044 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1045 •S 2296 RS termines to be consistent with the mission of 1 the Administration. 2 ‘‘(10) The term ‘Restricted Data’ has the 3 meaning given such term in section 11 y. of the 4 Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2014(y)). 5 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER I—ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS 6 ‘‘§ 5611. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program 7 ‘‘The provisions of Executive Order Numbered 8 12344, dated February 1, 1982, pertaining to the Naval 9 Nuclear Propulsion Program, shall remain in force until 10 changed by law. 11 ‘‘§ 5612. Management structure for nuclear security 12 enterprise 13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall estab- 14 lish a management structure for the nuclear security en- 15 terprise in accordance with the National Nuclear Security 16 Administration Act (50 U.S.C. 2401 et seq.). 17 ‘‘(b) NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRA- 18 TION COUNCIL.— 19 ‘‘(1) The Administrator shall establish a council 20 to be known as the ‘National Nuclear Security Ad- 21 ministration Council’. The Council may advise the 22 Administrator on— 23 ‘‘(A) scientific and technical issues relating 24 to policy matters; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01045 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1046 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(B) operational concerns; 1 ‘‘(C) strategic planning; 2 ‘‘(D) the development of priorities relating 3 to the mission and operations of the Adminis- 4 tration and the nuclear security enterprise; and 5 ‘‘(E) such other matters as the Adminis- 6 trator determines appropriate. 7 ‘‘(2) The Council shall be composed of the di- 8 rectors of the national security laboratories and the 9 nuclear weapons production facilities. 10 ‘‘(3) The Council may provide the Adminis- 11 trator or the Secretary of Energy recommenda- 12 tions— 13 ‘‘(A) for improving the governance, man- 14 agement, effectiveness, and efficiency of the Ad- 15 ministration; and 16 ‘‘(B) relating to any other matter in ac- 17 cordance with paragraph (1). 18 ‘‘(4) Not later than 60 days after the date on 19 which any recommendation under paragraph (3) is 20 received, the Administrator or the Secretary, as the 21 case may be, shall respond to the Council with re- 22 spect to whether such recommendation will be imple- 23 mented and the reasoning for implementing or not 24 implementing such recommendation. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01046 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1047 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—This section may 1 not be construed as affecting the authority of the Sec- 2 retary of Energy, in carrying out national security pro- 3 grams, with respect to the management, planning, and 4 oversight of the Administration or as affecting the delega- 5 tion by the Secretary of authority to carry out such activi- 6 ties, as set forth under subsection (a) of section 4102 of 7 the Atomic Energy Defense Act (50 U.S.C. 2512) as it 8 existed before the date of the enactment of the National 9 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (Public 10 Law 112–239; 126 Stat. 2169). 11 ‘‘§ 5613. Monitoring of industrial base for nuclear 12 weapons components, subsystems, and 13 materials 14 ‘‘(a) DESIGNATION OF OFFICIAL.—Not later than 15 March 1, 2021, the Administrator shall designate a senior 16 official within the Administration to be responsible for 17 monitoring the industrial base that supports the nuclear 18 weapons components, subsystems, and materials of the 19 Administration, including— 20 ‘‘(1) the consistent monitoring of the current 21 status of the industrial base; 22 ‘‘(2) tracking of industrial base issues over 23 time; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01047 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1048 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(3) proactively identifying gaps or risks in spe- 1 cific areas relating to the industrial base. 2 ‘‘(b) PROVISION OF RESOURCES.—The Adminis- 3 trator shall ensure that the official designated under sub- 4 section (a) is provided with resources sufficient to conduct 5 the monitoring required by that subsection. 6 ‘‘(c) CONSULTATIONS.—The Administrator, acting 7 through the official designated under subsection (a), shall, 8 to the extent practicable and beneficial, in conducting the 9 monitoring required by that subsection, consult with— 10 ‘‘(1) officials of the Department of Defense who 11 are members of the Nuclear Weapons Council estab- 12 lished under section 179; 13 ‘‘(2) officials of the Department of Defense re- 14 sponsible for the defense industrial base; and 15 ‘‘(3) other components of the Department of 16 Energy that rely on similar components, subsystems, 17 or materials. 18 ‘‘(d) BRIEFINGS.— 19 ‘‘(1) INITIAL BRIEFING.—Not later than April 20 1, 2021, the Administrator shall provide to the Com- 21 mittees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 22 House of Representatives a briefing on the designa- 23 tion of the official required by subsection (a), includ- 24 ing on— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01048 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1049 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(A) the responsibilities assigned to that 1 official; and 2 ‘‘(B) the plan for providing that official 3 with resources sufficient to conduct the moni- 4 toring required by subsection (a). 5 ‘‘(2) SUBSEQUENT BRIEFINGS.—Not later than 6 April 1, 2022, and annually thereafter through 7 2024, the Administrator shall provide to the Com- 8 mittees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 9 House of Representatives a briefing on activities car- 10 ried out under this section that includes an assess- 11 ment of the progress made by the official designated 12 under subsection (a) in conducting the monitoring 13 required by that subsection. 14 ‘‘(e) REPORTS.—The Administrator, acting through 15 the official designated under subsection (a), shall submit 16 to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and 17 the House of Representatives, contemporaneously with 18 each briefing required by subsection (d)(2), a report— 19 ‘‘(1) identifying actual or potential risks to or 20 specific gaps in any element of the industrial base 21 that supports the nuclear weapons components, sub- 22 systems, or materials of the Administration; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01049 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1050 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(2) describing the actions the Administration 1 is taking to further assess, characterize, and 2 prioritize such risks and gaps; 3 ‘‘(3) describing mitigating actions, if any, the 4 Administration has underway or planned to mitigate 5 any such risks or gaps; 6 ‘‘(4) setting forth the anticipated timelines and 7 resources needed for such mitigating actions; and 8 ‘‘(5) describing the nature of any coordination 9 with or burden sharing by other departments or 10 agencies of the Federal Government or the private 11 sector to address such risks and gaps. 12 ‘‘§ 5614. Common financial reporting system for the 13 nuclear security enterprise 14 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—By not later than four years 15 after the date of the enactment of the National Defense 16 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114– 17 328), the Administrator shall, in consultation with the Na- 18 tional Nuclear Security Administration Council estab- 19 lished by section 5612, complete, to the extent practicable, 20 the implementation of a common financial reporting sys- 21 tem for the nuclear security enterprise. 22 ‘‘(b) ELEMENTS.—The common financial reporting 23 system implemented pursuant to subsection (a) shall in- 24 clude the following: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01050 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1051 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(1) Common data reporting requirements for 1 work performed using funds of the Administration, 2 including reporting of financial data by standardized 3 labor categories, labor hours, functional elements, 4 and cost elements. 5 ‘‘(2) A common work breakdown structure for 6 the Administration that aligns contractor work 7 breakdown structures with the budget structure of 8 the Administration. 9 ‘‘(3) Definitions and methodologies for identi- 10 fying and reporting costs for programs of records 11 and base capabilities within the Administration. 12 ‘‘(4) A capability to leverage, where appro- 13 priate, the Defense Cost Analysis Resource Center 14 of the Office of Cost Assessment and Program Eval- 15 uation of the Department of Defense using historical 16 costing data by the Administration. 17 ‘‘(c) REPORTS.— 18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than March 1, 19 2017, and annually thereafter, the Administrator 20 shall, in consultation with the National Nuclear Se- 21 curity Administration Council, submit to the con- 22 gressional defense committees a report on progress 23 of the Administration toward implementing a com- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01051 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1052 •S 2296 RS mon financial reporting system for the nuclear secu- 1 rity enterprise as required by subsection (a). 2 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—Each report under this sub- 3 section shall include the following: 4 ‘‘(A) A summary of activities, accomplish- 5 ments, challenges, benefits, and costs related to 6 the implementation of a common financial re- 7 porting system for the nuclear security enter- 8 prise during the year preceding the year in 9 which such report is submitted. 10 ‘‘(B) A summary of planned activities in 11 connection with the implementation of a com- 12 mon financial reporting system for the nuclear 13 security enterprise in the year in which such re- 14 port is submitted. 15 ‘‘(C) A description of any anticipated 16 modifications to the schedule for implementing 17 a common financial reporting system for the 18 nuclear security enterprise, including an update 19 on possible risks, challenges, and costs related 20 to such implementation. 21 ‘‘(3) TERMINATION.—No report is required 22 under this subsection after the completion of the im- 23 plementation of a common financial reporting sys- 24 tem for the nuclear security enterprise. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01052 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1053 •S 2296 RS ‘‘§ 5615. Restriction on licensing requirement for cer- 1 tain defense activities and facilities 2 ‘‘None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by 3 the Department of Energy National Security and Military 4 Applications of Nuclear Energy Authorization Act of 1981 5 (Public Law 96–540; 94 Stat. 3197) or any other Act may 6 be used for any purpose related to licensing of any defense 7 activity or facility of the Department of Energy by the 8 Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 9 ‘‘§ 5616. Establishment of Center for Security Tech- 10 nology, Analysis, Response, and Testing 11 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator for Nu- 12 clear Security shall establish within the nuclear security 13 enterprise a Center for Security Technology, Analysis, Re- 14 sponse, and Testing. 15 ‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The center established under sub- 16 section (a) shall carry out the following: 17 ‘‘(1) Provide to the Administrator, the Chief of 18 Defense Nuclear Security, and the management and 19 operating contractors of the nuclear security enter- 20 prise a wide range of objective expertise on security 21 technologies, systems, analysis, testing, and response 22 forces. 23 ‘‘(2) Assist the Administrator in developing 24 standards, requirements, analysis methods, and test- 25 ing criteria with respect to security. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01053 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1054 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(3) Collect, analyze, and distribute lessons 1 learned with respect to security. 2 ‘‘(4) Support inspections and oversight activi- 3 ties with respect to security. 4 ‘‘(5) Promote professional development and 5 training for security professionals. 6 ‘‘(6) Provide for advance and bulk procurement 7 for security-related acquisitions that affect multiple 8 facilities of the nuclear security enterprise. 9 ‘‘(7) Advocate for continual improvement and 10 security excellence throughout the nuclear security 11 enterprise. 12 ‘‘(8) Such other duties as the Administrator 13 may assign. 14 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER II—NUCLEAR WEAPONS 15 STOCKPILE MATTERS 16 ‘‘PART A—STOCKPILE STEWARDSHIP AND 17 WEAPONS PRODUCTION 18 ‘‘§ 5621. Stockpile stewardship program 19 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Energy, 20 acting through the Administrator, shall establish a stew- 21 ardship program to ensure— 22 ‘‘(1) the preservation of the core intellectual 23 and technical competencies of the United States in 24 nuclear weapons, including weapons design, system 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01054 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1055 •S 2296 RS integration, manufacturing, security, use control, re- 1 liability assessment, and certification; and 2 ‘‘(2) that the nuclear weapons stockpile is safe, 3 secure, and reliable without the use of underground 4 nuclear weapons testing. 5 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—The program shall in- 6 clude the following: 7 ‘‘(1) An increased level of effort for the con- 8 struction of new facilities and the modernization of 9 existing facilities with production and manufacturing 10 capabilities that are necessary to support the deter- 11 rence of strategic attacks against the United States 12 by maintaining and enhancing the performance, reli- 13 ability, and security of the United States nuclear 14 weapons stockpile, including— 15 ‘‘(A) the nuclear weapons production facili- 16 ties; and 17 ‘‘(B) production and manufacturing capa- 18 bilities resident in the national security labora- 19 tories. 20 ‘‘(2) Support for advanced computational capa- 21 bilities to enhance the simulation and modeling ca- 22 pabilities of the United States with respect to the 23 performance over time of nuclear weapons. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01055 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1056 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(3) Support for above-ground experimental 1 programs, such as hydrotesting, high-energy lasers, 2 inertial confinement fusion, plasma physics, and ma- 3 terials research. 4 ‘‘(4) Support for the modernization of facilities 5 and projects that contribute to the experimental ca- 6 pabilities of the United States that support the 7 sustainment and modernization of the United States 8 nuclear weapons stockpile and the capabilities re- 9 quired to assess nuclear weapons effects. 10 ‘‘(5) Support for the use of, and experiments 11 facilitated by, the advanced experimental facilities of 12 the United States, including— 13 ‘‘(A) the National Ignition Facility at Law- 14 rence Livermore National Laboratory; 15 ‘‘(B) the Dual Axis Radiographic Hydro- 16 dynamic Test Facility at Los Alamos National 17 Laboratory; 18 ‘‘(C) the Z Machine at Sandia National 19 Laboratories; and 20 ‘‘(D) the experimental facilities at the Ne- 21 vada National Security Site. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01056 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1057 •S 2296 RS ‘‘§ 5622. Portfolio management framework for Na- 1 tional Nuclear Security Administration 2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 3 date of the enactment of the National Defense Authoriza- 4 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117–81), the 5 Administrator shall— 6 ‘‘(1) in consultation with the Nuclear Weapons 7 Council established under section 179, develop and 8 implement a portfolio management framework for 9 the nuclear security enterprise that— 10 ‘‘(A) defines the Administration’s portfolio 11 of nuclear weapons stockpile and infrastructure 12 maintenance and modernization programs; 13 ‘‘(B) establishes a portfolio governance 14 structure, including portfolio-level selection cri- 15 teria, prioritization criteria, and performance 16 metrics; 17 ‘‘(C) outlines the approach of the Adminis- 18 tration to managing that portfolio; and 19 ‘‘(D) incorporates the leading practices 20 identified by the Comptroller General of the 21 United States in the report titled ‘‘Nuclear Se- 22 curity Enterprise: NNSA Should Use Portfolio 23 Management Leading Practices to Support 24 Modernization Efforts’’ (GAO-21-398) and 25 dated June 2021; and 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01057 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1058 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(2) complete an integrated, comprehensive as- 1 sessment of the portfolio management capabilities 2 required to execute the weapons activities portfolio 3 of the Administration. 4 ‘‘(b) BRIEFING REQUIREMENT.—Not later than June 5 1, 2022, the Administrator shall provide to the congres- 6 sional defense committees a briefing on— 7 ‘‘(1) the progress of the Administrator in devel- 8 oping the framework described in paragraph (1) of 9 subsection (a) and completing the assessment re- 10 quired by paragraph (2) of that subsection; and 11 ‘‘(2) the plans of the Administrator for imple- 12 menting the recommendations of the Comptroller 13 General in the report referred to in paragraph 14 (1)(D) of that subsection. 15 ‘‘§ 5623. Stockpile stewardship criteria 16 ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT FOR CRITERIA.—The Secretary 17 of Energy shall develop clear and specific criteria for judg- 18 ing whether the science-based tools being used by the De- 19 partment of Energy for determining the safety and reli- 20 ability of the nuclear weapons stockpile are performing in 21 a manner that will provide an adequate degree of certainty 22 that the stockpile is safe and reliable. 23 ‘‘(b) COORDINATION WITH SECRETARY OF DE- 24 FENSE.—The Secretary of Energy, in developing the cri- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01058 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1059 •S 2296 RS teria required by subsection (a), shall coordinate with the 1 Secretary of Defense. 2 ‘‘§ 5624. Nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship, 3 management, and responsiveness plan 4 ‘‘(a) PLAN REQUIREMENT.—The Administrator, in 5 consultation with the Secretary of Defense and other ap- 6 propriate officials of the departments and agencies of the 7 Federal Government, shall develop and annually update 8 a plan for sustaining the nuclear weapons stockpile. The 9 plan shall cover, at a minimum, stockpile stewardship, 10 stockpile management, stockpile responsiveness, stockpile 11 surveillance, program direction, infrastructure moderniza- 12 tion, human capital, and nuclear test readiness. The plan 13 shall be consistent with the programmatic and technical 14 requirements of the most recent annual Nuclear Weapons 15 Stockpile Memorandum. 16 ‘‘(b) SUBMISSIONS TO CONGRESS.— 17 ‘‘(1) In accordance with subsection (c), not 18 later than March 15 of each even-numbered year, 19 the Administrator shall submit to the congressional 20 defense committees a summary of the plan developed 21 under subsection (a). 22 ‘‘(2) In accordance with subsection (d), not 23 later than March 15 of each odd-numbered year, the 24 Administrator shall submit to the congressional de- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01059 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1060 •S 2296 RS fense committees a detailed report on the plan devel- 1 oped under subsection (a). 2 ‘‘(3) The summaries and reports required by 3 this subsection shall be submitted in unclassified 4 form, but may include a classified annex. 5 ‘‘(c) ELEMENTS OF BIENNIAL PLAN SUMMARY.— 6 Each summary of the plan submitted under subsection 7 (b)(1) shall include, at a minimum, the following: 8 ‘‘(1) A summary of the status of the nuclear 9 weapons stockpile, including the number and age of 10 warheads (including both active and inactive) for 11 each warhead type. 12 ‘‘(2) A summary of the status, plans, budgets, 13 and schedules for warhead life extension programs 14 and any other programs to modify, update, or re- 15 place warhead types. 16 ‘‘(3) A summary of the methods and informa- 17 tion used to determine that the nuclear weapons 18 stockpile is safe and reliable, as well as the relation- 19 ship of science-based tools to the collection and in- 20 terpretation of such information. 21 ‘‘(4) A summary of the status of the nuclear se- 22 curity enterprise, including programs and plans for 23 infrastructure modernization and retention of human 24 capital, as well as associated budgets and schedules. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01060 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1061 •S 2296 RS ‘‘(5) A summary of the status, plans, and budg- 1 ets for carrying out the stockpile responsiveness pro- 2 gram under section 5641. 3 ‘‘(6) A summary of the plan regarding the re- 4 search and development, deployment, and lifecycle 5 sustainment of technologies described in subsection 6 (d)(7). 7 ‘‘(7) A summary of the assessment under sub- 8 section (d)(8) regarding the execution of programs 9 with current and projected budgets and any associ- 10 ated risks. 11 ‘‘(8) Identification of any modifications or up- 12 dates to the plan since the previous summary or de- 13 tailed report was submitted under subsection (b). 14 ‘‘(9) Such other information as the Adminis- 15 trator considers appropriate. 16 ‘‘(d) ELEMENTS OF BIENNIAL DETAILED REPORT.— 17 Each detailed report on the plan submitted under sub- 18 section (b)(2) shall include, at a minimum, the following: 19 ‘‘(1) With respect to stockpile stewardship, 20 stockpile management, and stockpile responsive- 21 ness— 22 ‘‘(A) the status of the nuclear weapons 23 stockpile, including the number and age of war- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01061 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1062 •S 2296 RS heads (including both active and inactive) for 1 each warhead type; 2 ‘‘(B) for each five-year period occurring 3 during the period beginning on the date of the 4 report and ending on the date that is 20 years 5 after the date of the report— 6 ‘‘(i) the planned number of nuclear 7 warheads (including active and inactive) 8 for each warhead type in the nuclear weap- 9 ons stockpile; and 10 ‘‘(ii) the past and projected future 11 total lifecycle cost of each type of nuclear 12 weapon; 13 ‘‘(C) the status, plans, budgets, and sched- 14 ules for warhead life extension programs and 15 any other programs to modify, update, or re- 16 place warhead types; 17 ‘‘(D) a description of the process by which 18 the Administrator assesses the lifetimes, and re- 19 quirements for life extension or replacement, of 20 the nuclear and non-nuclear components of the 21 warheads (including active and inactive war- 22 heads) in the nuclear weapons stockpile; 23 ‘‘(E) a description of the process used in 24 recertifying the safety, security, and reliability 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Jul 16, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01062 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2296.RS S2296 DMWilson on DSK7X7S144PROD with BILLS 1063 •S 2296 RS of each warhead type in the nuclear weapons 1 stockpile; 2 ‘‘(F) any concerns of the Administrator 3 that would affect the ability of the Adminis- 4 trator to recertify the safety, security, or reli- 5 ability of warheads in the nuclear weapons 6 stockpile (including active and inactive war- 7 heads); 8 ‘‘(G) mechanisms to provide for the manu- 9 facture, maintenance, and modernization of 10 each warhead type in the nuclear weapons 11 stockpile, as needed; 12 ‘‘(H) mechanisms to expedite the collection 13 of information necessary for carrying out the 14 stockpile management program required by sec- 15 tion 5626, including information relating to the 16 aging of materials and components, new manu- 17