### §344. Participation in multinational centers of excellence

(a) Participation Authorized.—The Secretary of Defense may, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, authorize the participation of members of the armed forces and Department of Defense civilian personnel in any multinational center of excellence for purposes of—

(1) enhancing the ability of military forces and civilian personnel of the nations participating in such center to engage in joint exercises or coalition or international military operations; or

(2) improving interoperability between the armed forces and the military forces of friendly foreign nations.

(b) Memorandum of Understanding.—(1) The participation of members of the armed forces or Department of Defense civilian personnel in a multinational center of excellence under subsection (a) shall be in accordance with the terms of one or more memoranda of understanding entered into by the Secretary of Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, or entered into by the Secretary of State, and the foreign nation or nations concerned.

(2) If Department of Defense facilities, equipment, or funds are used to support a multinational center of excellence under subsection (a), the memoranda of understanding under paragraph (1) with respect to that center shall provide details of any cost-sharing arrangement or other funding arrangement.

(c) Availability of Appropriated Funds.—(1) Funds appropriated to the Department of Defense for operation and maintenance are available as follows:

(A) To pay the United States share of the operating expenses of any multinational center of excellence in which the United States participates under this section.

(B) To pay the costs of the participation of members of the armed forces and Department of Defense civilian personnel in multinational centers of excellence under this section, including the costs of expenses of such participants.

(2) No funds may be used under this section to fund the pay or salaries of members of the armed forces and Department of Defense civilian personnel who participate in multinational centers of excellence under this section.

(d) Use of Department of Defense Facilities and Equipment.—Facilities and equipment of the Department of Defense may be used for purposes of the support of multinational centers of excellence under this section that are hosted by the Department.

(e) Notification.—Not later than 30 days before the date on which the Secretary of Defense authorizes participation under subsection (a) in a new multinational center of excellence, the Secretary shall notify the congressional defense committees of such participation.

(f) Multinational Center Of Excellence Defined.—In this section, the term "multinational center of excellence" means—

(1) an entity sponsored by one or more nations that is accredited and approved by the Military Committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as offering recognized expertise and experience to personnel participating in the activities of such entity for the benefit of NATO by providing such personnel opportunities to—

(A) enhance education and training;

(B) improve interoperability and capabilities;

(C) assist in the development of doctrine;

(D) validate concepts through experimentation;

(2) the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, established in 2017 and located in Helsinki, Finland; and

(3) the International Special Training Centre, established in 1979 and located in Pfullendorf, Germany.

(Added Pub. L. 110–417, [div. A], title XII, §1232(a)(1), Oct. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 4637, §2350m; amended Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title X, §1076(f)(25), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1953; renumbered §344 and amended Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title XII, §1241(g), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2507; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XII, §1206(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3912; Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title XII, §1203, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2826.)

#### **Editorial Notes**

#### Amendments

2022—Subsec. (f)(3). Pub. L. 117–263 added par. (3).

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1206(a)(1)–(3), in section catchline, substituted "multinational centers of excellence" for "multinational military centers of excellence" and, in text, substituted "multinational center of excellence" for "multinational military center of excellence" and "multinational centers of excellence" for "multinational military centers of excellence" wherever appearing.

Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 116–283, §1206(a)(4), inserted "or entered into by the Secretary of State," after "Secretary of State,".

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 115–283, §1206(a)(7), added subsec. (e). Former subsec. (e) redesignated (f).

Pub. L. 116–283, §1206(a)(5)(B)–(F), substituted "means—" for "means", designated remainder of existing provisions as par. (1), redesignated former pars. (1) to (4) as subpars. (A) to (D), respectively, of par. (1) and realigned margins, and added par. (2).

Pub. L. 116–283, §1206(a)(5)(A), substituted "Multinational Center Of Excellence" for "Multinational Military Center of Excellence" in heading.

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 116–283, §1206(a)(6), redesignated subsec. (e) as (f).

2016—Pub. L. 114–328, §1241(g)(1), renumbered section 2350m of this title as this section.

Subsecs. (e), (f). Pub. L. 114–328, §1241(g)(2), redesignated subsec. (f) as (e) and struck out former subsec. (e) which required the Secretary of Defense, not later than October 31 of each year, to submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report on the use of the authority in this section during the preceding fiscal year.

2013—Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 112–239 substituted "Not later than October 31 each year" for "Not later than October 31, 2009, and annually thereafter".

#### **Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries**

#### Effective Date

Pub. L. 110–417, [div. A], title XII, §1232(c), Oct. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 4639, provided that: "The amendments made by this section [enacting this section] shall take effect on October 1, 2008."