I 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4485 

To further the preparedness of the United States Armed Forces, in cooperation with regional allies, to prevent the Government of Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 24, 2012 

Mr. CONAWAY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign 

Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To further the preparedness of the United States Armed 

Forces, in cooperation with regional allies, to prevent 

the Government of Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Credible Military Option to Counter Iran Act’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 


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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Declaration of policy. 

Sec. 3. United States military preparedness in the Middle East. 

Sec. 4. United States military capabilities in the Central Command Area of Responsibility. 

Sec. 5. Enhancing the defense of Israel and United States interests in the Middle East. 

Sec. 6. Plan to enhance military capabilities of Persian Gulf allies. 

Sec. 7. Plan to increase strategic regional partnerships. 

Sec. 8. Definitions. 

1 SEC. 2. DECLARATION OF POLICY. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find3 ings: 

4 (1) Iran, which has long sought to foment in5 stability and promote extremism in the Middle East, 

6 is now seeking to exploit the dramatic political tran7 sition underway in the region to undermine govern8 ments traditionally aligned with the United States 

9 and support extremist political movements in these 

10 countries. 

11 (2) At the same time, Iran may soon attain a 

12 nuclear weapons capability, a development that 

13 would fundamentally threaten vital United States in14 terests, destabilize the region, encourage regional 

15 nuclear proliferation, further empower and embolden 

16 Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, 

17 and provide it the tools to threaten its neighbors, in18 cluding Israel. 

19 (3) With the assistance of Iran over the past 

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1 creased their stockpiles of rockets, with more than 

2 60,000 rockets now ready to be fired at Israel. Iran 

3 continues to add to its arsenal of ballistic missiles 

4 and cruise missiles, which threaten Iran’s neighbors, 

5 Israel, and United States Armed Forces in the re6 gion. 

7 (4) Preventing Iran from achieving nuclear 

8 weapons capability is among the most urgent na9 tional security challenges facing the United States. 

10 (5) Successive United States administrations 

11 have stated that a nuclear weapons-possessing Iran 

12 is unacceptable. 

13 (6) President Obama stated on January 24, 

14 2012, ‘‘Let there be no doubt: America is deter15 mined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weap16 on, and I will take no options off the table to achieve 

17 that goal.’’. 

18 (7) In order to prevent Iran from developing 

19 nuclear weapons, the United States, in cooperation 

20 with its allies, must utilize all elements of national 

21 power including diplomacy, robust economic sanc22 tions, and credible, visible preparations for a mili23 tary option. 

24 (8) Nevertheless, to date, diplomatic overtures, 

25 sanctions, and other non-kinetic actions toward Iran 


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1 have not caused the Government of Iran to abandon 

2 its nuclear weapons program. 

3 (9) With the impact of additional sanctions un4 certain, additional pressure on the Government of 

5 Iran could come from the credible threat of military 

6 action against Iran’s nuclear program. 

7 (b) DECLARATION OF POLICY.—It shall be the policy 

8 of the United States to take all necessary measures, in9 cluding military action if required, to prevent Iran from 

10 threatening the United States, its allies, or Iran’s neigh11 bors with a nuclear weapon. 

12 SEC. 3. UNITED STATES MILITARY PREPAREDNESS IN THE 

13 MIDDLE EAST. 

14 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con15 gress that— 

16 (1) military exercises conducted in the Persian 

17 Gulf and Gulf of Oman emphasize the United States 

18 resolve and the policy of the United States described 

19 in section 2(b) by enhancing the readiness of the 

20 United States military and allied forces, as well as 

21 signaling to the Government of Iran the commitment 

22 of the United States to defend its vital national se23 curity interests; and 

24 (2) the President, as Commander in Chief, 

25 should require the United States military to develop 


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1 a comprehensive plan to augment the presence of the 

2 United States Fifth Fleet in the Middle East and to 

3 conduct military deployments, exercises, or other 

4 visible, concrete military readiness activities to un5 derscore the policy of the United States described in 

6 section 2(b). 

7 (b) PLAN.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 

9 shall prepare a plan to augment the presence of the 

10 United States Fifth Fleet in the Middle East and to 

11 conduct military deployments, exercises, or other 

12 visible, concrete military readiness activities to un13 derscore the policy of the United States described in 

14 section 2(b). 

15 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The plan re16 quired under paragraph (1) shall include, at a min17 imum, steps necessary to support the policy of the 

18 United States described in section 2(b), including— 

19 (A) pre-positioning sufficient supplies of 

20 aircraft, munitions, fuel, and other materials 

21 for both air- and sea-based missions at key for22 ward locations in the Middle East and Indian 

23 Ocean; 

24 (B) maintaining sufficient naval assets in 

25 the region necessary to signal United States reVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:20 Apr 26, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4485.IH H4485

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1 solve and to bolster United States capabilities 

2 to launch a sustained sea and air campaign 

3 against a range of Iranian nuclear and military 

4 targets, to protect seaborne shipping, and to 

5 deny Iranian retaliation against United States 

6 interests in the region; 

7 (C) discussing the viability of deploying at 

8 least two United States aircraft carriers, an ad9 ditional large deck amphibious ship, and a Mine 

10 Countermeasures Squadron in the region on a 

11 continual basis, in support of the actions de12 scribed in subparagraph (B); and 

13 (D) conducting naval fleet exercises similar 

14 to the United States Fifth Fleet’s major exer15 cise in the region in March 2007 to dem16 onstrate ability to keep the Strait of Hormuz 

17 open and to counter the use of anti-ship mis18 siles and swarming high-speed boats. 

19 (3) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—The plan re20 quired under paragraph (1) shall be submitted to 

21 the congressional defense committees not later than 

22 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 4. UNITED STATES MILITARY CAPABILITIES IN THE 

2 CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSI3 BILITY. 

4 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR FIS5 CAL YEAR 2012.—In order to enhance United States mili6 tary capabilities in the Central Command Area of Respon7 sibility, funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated for 

8 fiscal year 2012 as follows: 

9 (1) $80,000,000 for Other Procurement, Navy 

10 to be available for MK 38 Mod 2 machine gun sys11 tem for Coastal Patrol Craft. 

12 (2) $44,600,000 for Weapons Procurement, 

13 Navy to be available for— 

14 (A) Griffin missile for Coastal Patrol 

15 Craft; and 

16 (B) Spike shoulder-fired electro-optic 

17 weapon. 

18 (3) $72,481,000 for Research, Development, 

19 Test and Evaluation, Navy to be available for— 

20 (A) Program Element 0205601N for dig21 ital rocket launchers; 

22 (B) Beyond line of sight command and 

23 control architecture; and 

24 (C) MAGIC VIEW. 

25 (4) $134,552,000 for Research, Development, 

26 Test and Evaluation, Air Force to be available for 


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1 Hard and Deeply Buried Target Defeat System Pro2 gram, Program Element 0604327F. 

3 (5) $7,000,000 for Research, Development, 

4 Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide to be available 

5 for— 

6 (A) Indications and Warning; and 

7 (B) Systems Performance. 

8 (6) $14,000,000 for Operation and Mainte9 nance, Navy to be available for Scan Eagle. 

10 (7) $2,000,000 for Operation and Maintenance, 

11 Air Force to be available for tactics development and 

12 evaluation. 

13 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR FIS14 CAL YEAR 2013.—In order to enhance United States mili15 tary capabilities in the Central Command Area of Respon16 sibility, funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated for 

17 fiscal year 2013 as follows: 

18 (1) $22,654,000 for Other Procurement, Navy 

19 to be available for— 

20 (A) Underwater Explosive Ordnance Dis21 posal Programs; 

22 (B) Naval Military Intelligence Program 

23 Support Equipment; and 

24 (C) MK 38 Mod 2 machine gun system for 

25 Coastal Patrol Craft. 


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1 (2) $31,000,000 for Weapons Procurement, 

2 Navy to be available for— 

3 (A) Griffin missile for Coastal Patrol 

4 Craft; and 

5 (B) Spike shoulder-fired electro-optic 

6 weapon. 

7 (3) $72,481,000 for Research, Development, 

8 Test and Evaluation, Army to be available for Un9 manned Aerial Vehicle Detection and Tracking. 

10 (4) $72,481,000 for Research, Development, 

11 Test and Evaluation, Navy to be available for— 

12 (A) Joint Service Explosive Ordnance De13 velopment, Program Element 0603654N; 

14 (B) Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Mis15 sile in Program Element 0205601N; and 

16 (C) Integrated, Fixed Surveillance System, 

17 Program Element 0204311N. 

18 (5) $72,481,000 for Research, Development, 

19 Test and Evaluation, Air Force to be available for 

20 Cyber Command Activities within Program Element 

21 0208059F. 


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1 SEC. 5. ENHANCING THE DEFENSE OF ISRAEL AND UNITED 

2 STATES INTERESTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. 

3 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con4 gress that the United States should take the following ac5 tions to assist in the defense of Israel: 

6 (1) Provide Israel such support as may be nec7 essary to increase development and production of 

8 joint missile defense systems, particularly such sys9 tems that defend the urgent threat posed to Israel 

10 and United States forces in the region. 

11 (2) Provide Israel defense articles, intelligence, 

12 and defense services through such mechanisms as 

13 appropriate, to include air refueling tankers, missile 

14 defense capabilities, and specialized munitions. 

15 (3) Allocate additional weaponry and munitions 

16 for the forward-deployed United States stockpile in 

17 Israel. 

18 (4) Provide Israel additional surplus defense ar19 ticles and defense services, as appropriate, in the 

20 wake of the withdrawal of United States forces from 

21 Iraq. 

22 (5) Offer the Israeli Air Force additional train23 ing and exercise opportunities in the United States 

24 to compensate for Israel’s limited air space. 

25 (6) Expand Israel’s authority to make pur26 chases under section 23 of the Arms Export Control 


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1 Act (relating to the ‘‘Foreign Military Financing’’ 

2 program) on a commercial basis. 

3 (7) Seek to enhance the capabilities of the 

4 United States and Israel to address emerging com5 mon threats, increase security cooperation, and ex6 pand joint military exercises. 

7 (8) Encourage an expanded role for Israel with8 in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), 

9 including an enhanced presence at NATO head10 quarters and exercises. 

11 (9) Support extension of the long-standing loan 

12 guarantee program for Israel, recognizing Israel’s 

13 unbroken record of repaying its loans on time and 

14 in full. 

15 (10) Expand already-close intelligence coopera16 tion, including satellite intelligence, with Israel. 

17 (b) REPORT ON ISRAEL’S QUALITATIVE MILITARY

18 EDGE.— 

19 (1) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of 

20 the United States— 

21 (A) to help Israel preserve its qualitative 

22 military edge amid rapid and uncertain regional 

23 political transformation; and 

24 (B) to encourage further development of 

25 advanced technology programs between the 


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1 United States and Israel in light of current 

2 trends and instability in the region. 

3 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

4 the date of the enactment of this Act, the President 

5 shall submit to the appropriate congressional com6 mittees a report on the status of Israel’s qualitative 

7 military edge in light of current trends and insta8 bility in the region. 

9 (c) REPORT ON OTHER MATTERS.—Not later than 

10 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

11 President shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

12 committees a report on each of the following: 

13 (1) Taking into account Israel’s urgent require14 ment for F–35 aircraft, actions to improve the proc15 ess relating to Israel’s purchase of F–35 aircraft to 

16 improve cost efficiency and timely delivery. 

17 (2) Efforts to expand cooperation between the 

18 United States and Israel in homeland defense, 

19 counter-terrorism, maritime security, cybersecurity, 

20 and other appropriate areas. 

21 (3) Actions to integrate Israel into the defense 

22 of the Eastern Mediterranean. 


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1 SEC. 6. PLAN TO ENHANCE MILITARY CAPABILITIES OF 

2 PERSIAN GULF ALLIES. 

3 (a) PLAN.—The Secretary of Defense, in consultation 

4 with the Secretary of State, shall develop a plan to en5 hance the military capabilities of Persian Gulf allies to bol6 ster the posture of such allies in relation to Iran. 

7 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The plan required 

8 under subsection (a) shall include the following: 

9 (1) A description of the means to augment the 

10 offensive strike capabilities of key Gulf Cooperation 

11 Council allies, including the potential sale or up12 grades of strike attack aircraft and bunker buster 

13 munitions, to augment the viability of a credible 

14 military option and to strengthen such allies’ self-de15 fense capabilities against retaliation or military ag16 gression by Iran. 

17 (2) A needs-based assessment, or an update to 

18 an existing needs-based assessment, of the military 

19 requirements of Persian Gulf allies to support a 

20 credible military option and to defend against poten21 tial military aggression by Iran. 

22 (3) A detailed summary of any arms sales and 

23 training requests by Persian Gulf allies and a de24 scription and justification for United States actions 

25 taken. 


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1 (c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in the plan 

2 required under subsection (a) shall be construed to alter 

3 Israel’s qualitative military edge. 

4 (d) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—The plan required 

5 under subsection (a) shall be submitted to the appropriate 

6 congressional committees not later than 180 days after the 

7 date of the enactment of this Act. 

8 (e) FORM.—The plan required under subsection (a) 

9 shall be submitted in an unclassified form, but may con10 tain a classified annex. 

11 SEC. 7. PLAN TO INCREASE STRATEGIC REGIONAL PART12 NERSHIPS. 

13 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

14 (1) The United States should ensure that it has 

15 the broadest set of geographic approaches to mili16 tarily access Iran. 

17 (2) United States Armed Forces and support 

18 staff currently have access from the eastern, south19 ern, and western borders of Iran. 

20 (3) Azerbaijan borders the northern frontier of 

21 Iran closest to nuclear sites near Tehran and the 

22 Government of Azerbaijan cooperates with the 

23 United States on Caspian Sea security and energy 

24 issues. 


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1 (b) POLICY.—It shall be the policy of the United 

2 States to— 

3 (1) increase pressure on Iran by providing 

4 United States Armed Forces with the broadest set 

5 of geographic approaches to militarily access Iran; 

6 and 

7 (2) explore means to enhance access to military 

8 facilities on the northern border of Iran. 

9 (c) PLAN.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, in 

11 consultation with the Secretary of State, shall de12 velop a plan to increase the strategic partnership 

13 with regional allies to provide United States Armed 

14 Forces with the broadest set of geographic ap15 proaches to militarily access Iran. 

16 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The plan re17 quired under paragraph (1) shall include the fol18 lowing information: 

19 (A) Mechanisms to broaden the geo20 graphical approaches to militarily access Iran. 

21 (B) The need, if any, to strengthen the 

22 self-defense capabilities of regional allies as a 

23 result of such partnerships. 

24 (C) The viability of increasing access for 

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1 baijan to augment the viability of a credible 

2 military option. 

3 (3) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—The plan re4 quired under paragraph (1) shall be submitted to 

5 the appropriate congressional committees not later 

6 than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 

7 this Act. 

8 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

9 In this Act: 

10 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT11 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com12 mittees’’ means— 

13 (A) the Committee on Appropriations, the 

14 Committee on Armed Services, and the Com15 mittee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep16 resentatives; and 

17 (B) the Committee on Appropriations, the 

18 Committee on Armed Services, and the Com19 mittee on Foreign Relations of the Senate. 

20 (2) CONGRESSIONAL DEFENSE COMMITTEES.— 

21 The term ‘‘congressional defense committees’’ has 

22 the meaning given that term in section 101(a)(16) 

23 of title 10, United States Code. 

24 (3) QUALITATIVE MILITARY EDGE.—The term 

25 ‘‘qualitative military edge’’ has the meaning given 


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1 the term in section 36(h)(2) of the Arms Export 

2 Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2776(h)(2)). 

Æ 


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