IIA 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. J. RES. 31 

To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against al-Qaeda, the 

Taliban, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, successor organizations, 

and associated forces. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 2, 2017 

Mr. YOUNG introduced the following joint resolution; which was read twice 

and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

JOINT RESOLUTION 

To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against 

al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the Islamic State of Iraq and 

Syria, successor organizations, and associated forces. 

Whereas, on September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda committed acts 

of treacherous violence against the United States and the 

citizens of the United States; 

Whereas such acts render it both necessary and appropriate 

that the United States exercise its rights to self-defense 

and to protect the citizens of the United States both at 

home and abroad; 

Whereas al-Qaeda and its affiliates continue to a represent 

a threat to people of the United States and the national 

security of the United States; 


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•SJ 31 IS 

Whereas the Taliban continues to conduct attacks against 

people of the United States and allies of the United 

States, including the Government of Afghanistan; 

Whereas the terrorist organization referred to as the ‘‘Islamic 

State of Iraq and Syria’’ (ISIS), also known as the ‘‘Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant’’ (ISIL), the ‘‘Islamic 

State’’, or ‘‘Daesh’’, has systematically targeted, kidnapped, and killed innocent men, women, and children 

throughout Iraq and Syria; 

Whereas the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria poses a grave 

threat to the people of Iraq and Syria, the stability of the 

Middle East, and the national security interests of the 

United States and allies and partners of the United 

States; 

Whereas the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has conducted, 

supported, and inspired terrorist attacks that have resulted in the murder of people of the United States and 

allies of the United States; 

Whereas the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has committed 

genocide, despicable acts of violence, and mass executions 

against religious and ethnic minorities who do not subscribe to the depraved, violent, and oppressive ideology of 

the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria; and 

Whereas the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has targeted 

women and girls with horrific acts of violence, including 

abduction, enslavement, torture, rape, and forced marriage: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This joint resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Authoriza3 tion for Use of Military Force Against al-Qaeda, the 

4 Taliban, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’’. 

5 SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES 

6 ARMED FORCES. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President is authorized to 

8 use all necessary and appropriate force against al-Qaeda, 

9 the Taliban, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, successor 

10 organizations, and associated forces. 

11 (b) WAR POWERS RESOLUTION REQUIREMENTS.— 

12 (1) SPECIFIC STATUTORY AUTHORIZATION.— 

13 Consistent with section 8(a)(1) of the War Powers 

14 Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1547(a)(1)), Congress de15 clares that this section is intended to constitute spe16 cific statutory authorization within the meaning of 

17 section 5(b) of the War Powers Resolution. 

18 (2) APPLICABILITY OF OTHER REQUIRE19 MENTS.—Nothing in this joint resolution supercedes 

20 any requirement of the War Powers Resolution (50 

21 U.S.C. 1541 et seq.). 

22 SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO DETAIN. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The authority of the President to 

24 use all necessary and appropriate force pursuant to section 

25 2(a) includes the authority for the Armed Forces of the 

26 United States to detain, pending disposition under the law 


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1 of war, persons who are a part of or substantially sup2 ported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the Islamic State of Iraq 

3 and Syria, any successor organization, or any associated 

4 force of those organizations. 

5 (b) DISPOSITION UNDER LAW OF WAR.—The dis6 position of a person under the law of war described in 

7 subsection (a) includes the following: 

8 (1) Detention under the law of war without 

9 trial until the end of the hostilities authorized by 

10 section 2(a). 

11 (2) Trial under chapter 47A of title 10, United 

12 States Code. 

13 (3) Transfer for trial by an alternative court or 

14 competent tribunal having lawful jurisdiction. 

15 (4) Transfer to the custody or control of the 

16 person’s country of origin, any other foreign coun17 try, or any other foreign entity. 

18 SEC. 4. STRATEGY TO DEFEAT THE ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ 

19 AND SYRIA. 

20 (a) STRATEGY REQUIRED.—Not later than 30 days 

21 after the date of the enactment of this joint resolution, 

22 the President shall submit to the appropriate congres23 sional committees a comprehensive strategy to defeat the 

24 Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. 


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1 (b) ELEMENTS.—The comprehensive strategy re2 quired by subsection (a) shall, at a minimum, detail the 

3 following: 

4 (1) Vital and important United States national 

5 security interests threatened by the Islamic State of 

6 Iraq and Syria. 

7 (2) Strategic and operational objectives. 

8 (3) Milestones for assessing progress toward po9 litical, diplomatic, development, informational, and 

10 military goals. 

11 (4) Risks for the strategy. 

12 (5) Public diplomacy, information operations, 

13 and cyber strategies to isolate and delegitimize the 

14 Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and its radical 

15 Islamist ideology. 

16 (6) Actual and proposed contributions of coali17 tion partners. 

18 (7) Humanitarian assistance and support for 

19 displaced civilian populations. 

20 (8) Mechanisms to cut off or seize the financial 

21 support of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, in22 cluding financial transfers, money laundering, oil 

23 revenue, human trafficking, sales of looted art and 

24 historical artifacts, and other sources of revenue. 


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1 (9) Plans for countering the international travel 

2 of terrorists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. 

3 (10) Plans for the law of war detention and in4 terrogation of combatants of the Islamic State of 

5 Iraq and Syria. 

6 (11) Plans for sustainable governance and secu7 rity in areas retaken from the Islamic State of Iraq 

8 and Syria. 

9 (12) An endstate and exit strategy for any 

10 planned combat deployment of United States con11 ventional ground forces. 

12 (13) An estimate of the costs of carrying out 

13 the strategy. 

14 (14) Plans to inform periodically the people of 

15 the United States about the campaign to defeat the 

16 Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. 

17 (c) FORM OF SUBMISSION.—The plan submitted 

18 under subsection (a) shall be submitted in classified form 

19 with an unclassified summary. 

20 (d) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES

21 DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con22 gressional committees’’ means— 

23 (1) the Committee on Appropriations, the Com24 mittee on Armed Services, the Committee on For25 eign Relations, the Committee on Homeland SecuVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:07 Mar 02, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SJ31.IS SJ31

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1 rity and Governmental Affairs, and the Select Com2 mittee on Intelligence of the Senate; and 

3 (2) the Committee on Appropriations, the Com4 mittee on Armed Services, the Committee on For5 eign Affairs, the Committee on Homeland Security, 

6 and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 

7 of the House of Representatives. 

8 SEC. 5. REPORTS TO CONGRESS. 

9 (a) REPORTS.—Not less frequently than once every 

10 60 days, the President shall submit to Congress a report 

11 on matters relevant to this joint resolution, including ac12 tions taken pursuant to the exercise of authority granted 

13 by this joint resolution. 

14 (b) SINGLE CONSOLIDATED REPORT.—To the extent 

15 that the submission of any report described in subsection 

16 (a) coincides with the submission of any other report on 

17 matters relevant to this joint resolution otherwise required 

18 to be submitted to Congress pursuant to the reporting re19 quirements of the War Powers Resolution, all such reports 

20 may be submitted as a single consolidated report to Con21 gress. 


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1 SEC. 6. REPEAL OF AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF MILITARY 

2 FORCE. 

3 (a) REPEAL.—The Authorization for Use of Military 

4 Force (Public Law 107–40; 50 U.S.C. 1541 note) is here5 by repealed. 

6 (b) CONTINUATION OF ONGOING OPERATIONS AND

7 ACTIVITIES.—Nothing in this section shall be construed 

8 as prohibiting the continuation after the date of the enact9 ment of this joint resolution of operations and activities 

10 being carried out under the Authorization for Use of Mili11 tary Force as of the date of the enactment of this joint 

12 resolution. 

13 SEC. 7. REPEAL OF AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF MILITARY 

14 FORCE AGAINST IRAQ. 

15 The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against 

16 Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107–243; 116 Stat. 

17 1498; 50 U.S.C. 1541 note) is hereby repealed. 

Æ 


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