H. R. 6523—226 
(6) The deployment and provision of capability for radio 
communications interoperability between U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection and State, local, and tribal law enforcement 
agencies. 
(7) The construction of checkpoints along the southern land 
border of the United States. 
(8) The use of additional mobile patrols by military or 
civilian personnel, particularly in rural, high-trafficked areas, 
as designated by the Commissioner of Customs and Border 
Protection. 
Subtitle G—Miscellaneous Authorities and 
Limitations 
SEC. 1061. PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
REPORTS REQUIRED BY LAW. 
(a) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 3 of title 10, United States Code, 
is amended by inserting after section 122 the following new 
section: 
‘‘§ 122a. Public availability of Department of Defense reports 
required by law 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that 
each report described in subsection (b) is made available to the 
public, upon request submitted on or after the date on which such 
report is submitted to Congress, through the Office of the Assistant 
Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. 
‘‘(b) COVERED REPORTS.—(1) Except as provided in paragraph 
(2), a report described in this subsection is any report that is 
required by law to be submitted to Congress by the Secretary 
of Defense, or by any element of the Department of Defense. 
‘‘(2) A report otherwise described in paragraph (1) is not a 
report described in this subsection if the report contains— 
‘‘(A) classified information; 
‘‘(B) proprietary information; 
‘‘(C) information that is exempt from disclosure under sec-
tion 552 of title 5 (commonly referred to as the ‘Freedom 
of Information Act’); or 
‘‘(D) any other type of information that the Secretary of 
Defense determines should not be made available to the public 
in the interest of national security.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at the 
beginning of chapter 3 of such title is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 122 the following new item: 
‘‘122a. Public availability of Department of Defense reports required by law.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Section 122a of title 10, United States 
Code (as added by subsection (a)), shall take effect 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, and shall apply with respect 
to reports that are required by law to be submitted to Congress 
on or after that date.
H. R. 6523—227 
SEC. 1062. PROHIBITION ON INFRINGING ON THE INDIVIDUAL RIGHT 
TO LAWFULLY ACQUIRE, POSSESS, OWN, CARRY, AND 
OTHERWISE USE PRIVATELY OWNED FIREARMS, AMMUNI-
TION, AND OTHER WEAPONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection (c), the 
Secretary of Defense shall not prohibit, issue any requirement 
relating to, or collect or record any information relating to the 
otherwise lawful acquisition, possession, ownership, carrying, or 
other use of a privately owned firearm, privately owned ammuni-
tion, or another privately owned weapon by a member of the Armed 
Forces or civilian employee of the Department of Defense on prop-
erty that is not— 
(1) a military installation; or 
(2) any other property that is owned or operated by the 
Department of Defense. 
(b) EXISTING REGULATIONS AND RECORDS.— 
(1) REGULATIONS.—Any regulation promulgated before the 
date of enactment of this Act shall have no force or effect 
to the extent that it requires conduct prohibited by this section. 
(2) RECORDS.—Not later than 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall destroy 
any record containing information described in subsection (a) 
that was collected before the date of enactment of this Act. 
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Subsection (a) shall not be con-
strued to limit the authority of the Secretary of Defense to— 
(1) create or maintain records relating to, or regulate the 
possession, carrying, or other use of a firearm, ammunition, 
or other weapon by a member of the Armed Forces or civilian 
employee of the Department of Defense while— 
(A) engaged in official duties on behalf of the Depart-
ment of Defense; or 
(B) wearing the uniform of an Armed Force; or 
(2) create or maintain records relating to an investigation, 
prosecution, or adjudication of an alleged violation of law 
(including regulations not prohibited under subsection (a)), 
including matters related to whether a member of the Armed 
Forces constitutes a threat to the member or others. 
(d) REVIEW.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall— 
(1) conduct a comprehensive review of the privately owned 
weapons policy of the Department of Defense, including legal 
and policy issues regarding the regulation of privately owned 
firearms off of a military installation, as recommended by the 
Department of Defense Independent Review Related to Fort 
Hood; and 
(2) submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the 
Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House 
of Representatives a report regarding the findings of and rec-
ommendations relating to the review conducted under para-
graph (1), including any recommendations for adjustments to 
the requirements under this section. 
(e) MILITARY INSTALLATION DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘‘military installation’’ has the meaning given that term under sec-
tion 2687(e)(1) of title 10, United States Code.
H. R. 6523—228 
SEC. 1063. DEVELOPMENT OF CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGY FOR 
DETERMINING THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF NUCLEAR 
WEAPONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Energy and the Secretary 
of Defense shall, acting through the Nuclear Weapons Council, 
develop the following: 
(1) Criteria for determining the appropriate baseline for 
safety and security of nuclear weapons through the life cycle 
of such weapons. 
(2) A methodology for determining the level of safety and 
security that may be achieved through a life extension program 
for each type of nuclear weapon. 
(b) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than March 1, 2012, the 
Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of Defense shall jointly 
submit to the congressional defense committees a report containing 
the criteria and the methodology developed pursuant to subsection 
(a). 
Subtitle H—Other Matters 
SEC. 1071. NATIONAL DEFENSE PANEL. 
Subsection (f) of section 118 of title 10, United States Code, 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(f) NATIONAL DEFENSE PANEL.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than February 1 of a year 
in which a quadrennial defense review is conducted under 
this section, there shall be established an independent panel 
to be known as the National Defense Panel (in this subsection 
referred to as the ‘Panel’). The Panel shall have the duties 
set forth in this subsection. 
‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Panel shall be composed of ten 
members from private civilian life who are recognized experts 
in matters relating to the national security of the United States. 
Eight of the members shall be appointed as follows: 
‘‘(A) Two by the chairman of the Committee on Armed 
Services of the House of Representatives. 
‘‘(B) Two by the chairman of the Committee on Armed 
Services of the Senate. 
‘‘(C) Two by the ranking member of the Committee 
on Armed Services of the House of Representatives. 
‘‘(D) Two by the ranking member of the Committee 
on Armed Services of the Senate. 
‘‘(3) CO-CHAIRS OF THE PANEL.—In addition to the members 
appointed under paragraph (2), the Secretary of Defense shall 
appoint two members from private civilian life to serve as 
co-chairs of the panel. 
‘‘(4) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.—Members shall 
be appointed for the life of the Panel. Any vacancy in the 
Panel shall be filled in the same manner as the original appoint-
ment. 
‘‘(5) DUTIES.—The Panel shall have the following duties 
with respect to a quadrennial defense review: 
‘‘(A) While the review is being conducted, the Panel 
shall review the updates from the Secretary of Defense 
required under paragraph (8) on the conduct of the review. 
‘‘(B) The Panel shall—
H. R. 6523—229 
‘‘(i) review the Secretary of Defense’s terms of ref-
erence and any other materials providing the basis 
for, or substantial inputs to, the work of the Depart-
ment of Defense on the quadrennial defense review; 
‘‘(ii) conduct an assessment of the assumptions, 
strategy, findings, and risks of the report on the 
quadrennial defense review required in subsection (d), 
with particular attention paid to the risks described 
in that report; 
‘‘(iii) conduct an independent assessment of a 
variety of possible force structures of the armed forces, 
including the force structure identified in the report 
on the quadrennial defense review required in sub-
section (d); 
‘‘(iv) review the resource requirements identified 
pursuant to subsection (b)(3) and, to the extent prac-
ticable, make a general comparison to the resource 
requirements to support the forces contemplated under 
the force structures assessed under this subparagraph; 
and 
‘‘(v) provide to Congress and the Secretary of 
Defense, through the report under paragraph (7), any 
recommendations it considers appropriate for their 
consideration. 
‘‘(6) FIRST MEETING.—If the Secretary of Defense has not 
made the Secretary’s appointments to the Panel under para-
graph (3) by February 1 of a year in which a quadrennial 
defense review is conducted under this section, the Panel shall 
convene for its first meeting with the remaining members. 
‘‘(7) REPORT.—Not later than 3 months after the date on 
which the report on a quadrennial defense review is submitted 
under subsection (d) to the congressional committees named 
in that subsection, the Panel established under paragraph (1) 
shall submit to those committees an assessment of the quadren-
nial defense review, including a description of the items 
addressed under paragraph (5) with respect to that quadrennial 
defense review. 
‘‘(8) UPDATES FROM SECRETARY OF DEFENSE.—The Secretary 
of Defense shall ensure that periodically, but not less often 
than every 60 days, or at the request of the co-chairs, the 
Department of Defense briefs the Panel on the progress of 
the conduct of a quadrennial defense review under subsection 
(a). 
‘‘(9) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.— 
‘‘(A) The Panel may request directly from the Depart-
ment of Defense and any of its components such informa-
tion as the Panel considers necessary to carry out its duties 
under this subsection. The head of the department or 
agency concerned shall cooperate with the Panel to ensure 
that information requested by the Panel under this para-
graph is promptly provided to the maximum extent prac-
tical. 
‘‘(B) Upon the request of the co-chairs, the Secretary 
of Defense shall make available to the Panel the services 
of any federally funded research and development center 
that is covered by a sponsoring agreement of the Depart-
ment of Defense.