I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5232 

To direct the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan to equip and train 

Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 18, 2023 

Mr. BACON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, 

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 direct the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan to 

equip and train Iraqi security forces and Kurdish 

Peshmerga forces, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Iraqi and Kurdish 

5 Peshmerga Forces Defense Act of 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PLAN TO EQUIP AND TRAIN IRAQI SECURITY 

2 FORCES AND KURDISH PESHMERGA FORCES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than February 1, 2024, 

4 the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Sec5 retary of State, shall develop a plan of action to equip 

6 and train Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga 

7 forces to defend against attack by missiles, rockets, and 

8 unmanned systems. The plan of action shall be based on 

9 and informed by the results of the report submitted by 

10 the Secretary of Defense pursuant to section 1237 of the 

11 James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for 

12 Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263; 136 Stat. 2839). 

13 (b) MATTERS.—The plan under subsection (a) shall 

14 include the following: 

15 (1) The provision of available equipment to Iraq 

16 and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region to counter the air 

17 and missile threats addressed in the report, to in18 clude air defense systems, to counter attack by mis19 siles, rockets, and unmanned systems. 

20 (2) The provision of appropriate training of 

21 Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga forces 

22 to support fielding and operational employment of 

23 the available equipment described in paragraph (1). 

24 (c) IMPLEMENTATION.— 

25 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para26 graph (2), not later than 90 days after the date on 


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1 which the Secretary of Defense develops the plan 

2 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall commence 

3 the implementation of such plan. 

4 (2) WAIVER.—The Secretary of Defense may 

5 delay implementation of the plan under subsection 

6 (a) if— 

7 (A) the Secretary determines such imple8 mentation would adversely impact United 

9 States stocks and military readiness; 

10 (B) the Secretary notifies the congressional 

11 defense committees of the proposed exercise of 

12 such waiver; and 

13 (C) a 10-day period has elapsed since such 

14 notification. 

15 (3) CONTINUED CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICA16 TION.—If the Secretary of Defense exercises the 

17 waiver authority under paragraph (2), every 30 days 

18 during the period beginning on the date of the initial 

19 notification under paragraph (2)(B) and ending on 

20 the date on which the implementation of the plan 

21 under subsection (a) commences, the Secretary shall 

22 notify the congressional defense committees of the 

23 exercise of such authority. 

24 (d) CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING.—Not later than July 

25 1, 2024, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the conVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:19 Aug 24, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5232.IH H5232

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•HR 5232 IH

1 gressional defense committees a briefing on progress of 

2 the air defense equipping and training effort against the 

3 air and missile threat to Iraq, including in the Iraqi 

4 Kurdistan Region. 

5 (e) CONGRESSIONAL DEFENSE COMMITTEES DE6 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘congressional defense 

7 committees’’ has the meaning given that term in section 

8 101 of title 10, United States Code. 

Æ 


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