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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9947 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9947

 To direct the Secretary of Defense to design and implement a foreign 
        military officer subject matter expert exchange program.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 8, 2024

 Mr. Panetta (for himself, Mr. Nunn of Iowa, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Trone, 
 Mrs. Wagner, and Mrs. Rodgers of Washington) introduced the following 
      bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To direct the Secretary of Defense to design and implement a foreign 
        military officer subject matter expert exchange program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Learning Integrated National 
Knowledge for the Abraham Accords Act of 2024'' or the ``LINK Act of 
2024''.

SEC. 2. KEY PARTNERS FOR MIDDLE EAST REGIONAL INTEGRATION MILITARY 
              SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT EXCHANGE PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense, using existing 
authorities, including section 311 of title 10, United States Code, as 
applicable, and in consultation with the head of any other Federal 
agency, as appropriate, shall design and implement a foreign military 
officer subject matter expert exchange program to be known as the `` 
Middle East Regional Integration Military Subject Matter Expert 
Exchange Program'' (referred to in this section as the ``exchange 
program'').
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the exchange program shall be to 
facilitate interaction, cultural exchange, and mutual learning of 
members of participating militaries in support of Middle East regional 
integration in order to deepen and expand such integration.
    (c) Membership.--
            (1) Composition.--The exchange program shall be composed of 
        members of the Armed Forces of participating militaries in 
        support of Middle East regional integration and members of the 
        Armed Forces of the United States.
            (2) Subject matter.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall 
                select exchange program participants with a wide range 
                of experiences collectively covering the tactical, 
                operational, and strategic levels.
                    (B) Participant pay grade levels.--The Secretary of 
                Defense shall include in the exchange program 
                participants at each of the following military pay 
                grades, or equivalent foreign military pay grades:
                            (i) E-7 through E-9.
                            (ii) CW-3 through CW-5.
                            (iii) O-3 through O-9.
                            (iv) Such other pay grade levels at the 
                        discretion of the Secretary of Defense.
                    (C) Expertise.--A participant in the exchange 
                program shall have expertise in one or more of the 
                following subject matter areas:
                            (i) Strategic doctrine.
                            (ii) Defense planning.
                            (iii) Civilian and military relations.
                            (iv) Military law.
                            (v) Public affairs.
                            (vi) Civil affairs.
                            (vii) Military budgeting and acquisition.
                            (viii) Integrated air and missile defense.
                            (ix) Integrated maritime domain awareness 
                        and interdiction.
                            (x) Cyber resilience and defense.
                            (xi) Counterterrorism.
                            (xii) Defense information sharing.
                            (xiii) Any other subject matter area that 
                        the Secretary of Defense determines to be 
                        appropriate.
    (d) Exchange Program Content.--The exchange program--
            (1) shall include learning modalities and methods, as 
        determined by the Exchange Program Coordinator;
            (2) may include separate agendas and experiences for 
        participants in order to--
                    (A) facilitate interaction on particular topics;
                    (B) cater to participant backgrounds or rank 
                levels; or
                    (C) achieve other pedagogical ends as determined by 
                the Exchange Program Coordinator; and
            (3) may include discussion, comparison, and information 
        regarding the development of--
                    (A) defense doctrine;
                    (B) exercise development;
                    (C) budget planning;
                    (D) military law and law of armed conflict;
                    (E) military cooperation with civilian agencies;
                    (F) standard operating procedures;
                    (G) operational plans and the operational art;
                    (H) gaps and opportunities for improvement in 
                existing procedures and plans;
                    (I) existing technical challenges;
                    (J) emerging technical challenges;
                    (K) the current and future threat environment;
                    (L) trust and capacity for multilateral sharing of 
                information;
                    (M) additional mechanisms and ideas for integrated 
                cooperation;
                    (N) ways to promote the meaningful participation of 
                women in matters of peace and security; and
                    (O) other content, as appropriate, developed to 
                advance integration and tactical, operational, and 
                strategic proficiency.
    (e) Meetings.--Participants in the exchange program shall meet in-
person not less frequently than quarterly.
    (f) Exchange Program Coordinator.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall designate 
        an Exchange Program Coordinator, who shall be assigned to a 
        Department of Defense School, to oversee the exchange program.
            (2) Duties.--(2) The Exchange Program Coordinator shall--
                    (A) design the exchange program;
                    (B) ensure that the exchange program complies with 
                the requirements of this section;
                    (C) provide to the Secretary of Defense reports on 
                developments, insights, and progress of the exchange 
                program; and
                    (D) notify the Secretary of Defense of any failures 
                of the exchange program to comply with the in-person 
                requirements of subsection (e).
            (3) Notification to congress.--Not later than 15 days after 
        receiving a notification under paragraph (2)(D), the Secretary 
        of Defense shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of 
        the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
        Representatives a report describing--
                    (A) the reasons an in-person meeting did not occur 
                during such quarter; and
                    (B) any measures taken to ensure that an in-person 
                meeting occurs during the following quarter.
    (g) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 5 years, 
        the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committee on Armed 
        Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of 
        the House of Representatives a report that includes--
                    (A) a summary of the activities of the exchange 
                program during the prior year, including--
                            (i) the countries participating;
                            (ii) the subject matter covered;
                            (iii) developments, insights, and progress 
                        achieved through the program; and
                            (iv) any new topics added to the exchange 
                        as well as a justification for adding the new 
                        topic;
                    (B) an assessment of the effectiveness of the 
                exchange program; and
                    (C) recommendations on further improvements to the 
                exchange program.
            (2) Form.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall be 
        submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified 
        annex.
    (h) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Department of defense school.--The term ``Department of 
        Defense school'' means any institution listed in section 
        1595(c) or section 2162(d) of title 10, United States Code.
            (2) Participating militaries in support of middle east 
        regional integration.--The term ``participating militaries in 
        support of Middle East regional integration'' means military 
        allies and partner forces of the United States working to 
        advance regional integration in the Middle East.
                                 <all>
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