137
‘‘(2) examinations to obtain such credentials. 
‘‘(b) LIMITATION.—The authority under subsection 
(a) may not be used to pay the expenses of a member 
to obtain professional credentials that are a prerequisite 
for appointment in the armed forces.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding 
at the end the following new item:
‘‘2015. Payment of expenses to obtain professional credentials.’’.
SEC. 524. AUTHORITY FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVER-
SITY AWARD OF DEGREE OF MASTER OF 
SCIENCE IN JOINT CAMPAIGN PLANNING 
AND STRATEGY. 
(a) JOINT FORCES STAFF COLLEGE PROGRAM.—
Section 2163 of title 10, United States Code, is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘§ 2163. National Defense University: master of 
science degrees 
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY TO AWARD SPECIFIED DEGREES.—
The President of the National Defense University, upon 
the recommendation of the faculty of the respective college 
or other school within the University, may confer the mas-
ter of science degrees specified in subsection (b). 
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZED DEGREES.—The following degrees 
may be awarded under subsection (a):
138
‘‘(1) MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NATIONAL SECU-
RITY STRATEGY.—The degree of master of science in 
national security strategy, to graduates of the Uni-
versity who fulfill the requirements of the program 
of the National War College. 
‘‘(2) MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NATIONAL RE-
SOURCE
STRATEGY.—The degree of master of 
science in national resource strategy, to graduates of 
the University who fulfill the requirements of the 
program of the Industrial College of the Armed 
Forces. 
‘‘(3) MASTER OF SCIENCE IN JOINT CAMPAIGN 
PLANNING AND STRATEGY.—The degree of master 
of science in joint campaign planning and strategy, 
to graduates of the University who fulfill the re-
quirements of the program of the Joint Advanced 
Warfighting School at the Joint Forces Staff Col-
lege. 
‘‘(c) REGULATIONS.—The authority provided by this 
section shall be exercised under regulations prescribed by 
the Secretary of Defense.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The item relating to 
section 2163 in the table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 108 of such title is amended to read as follows:
‘‘2163. National Defense University: master of science degrees.’’.
139
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Paragraph (3) of section 
2163(b) of title 10, United States Code, as amended by 
subsection (a), shall take effect for degrees awarded after 
May 2005. 
SEC. 525. ONE-YEAR EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO USE AP-
PROPRIATED FUNDS TO PROVIDE RECOGNI-
TION ITEMS FOR RECRUITMENT AND RETEN-
TION OF CERTAIN RESERVE COMPONENT 
PERSONNEL. 
Section 18506(d) of title 10, United States Code, and 
section 717(e) of title 32, United States Code, are each 
amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 2005’’ and inserting 
‘‘December 31, 2006’’. 
SEC. 526. REPORT ON RATIONALE AND PLANS OF THE 
NAVY TO PROVIDE ENLISTED MEMBERS AN 
OPPORTUNITY TO OBTAIN GRADUATE DE-
GREES. 
(a) REPORT.—The Secretary of the Navy shall sub-
mit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate 
and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
Representatives a report on the plans, if any, of the Sec-
retary, and the rationale for those plans, for a program 
to provide enlisted members of the Navy with opportuni-
ties to pursue graduate degree programs either through 
Navy schools or paid for by the Navy in return for an
140
additional service obligation. The report shall include the 
following: 
(1) The underlying philosophy and objectives 
supporting a decision to provide opportunities for 
graduate degrees to enlisted members of the Navy. 
(2) An overall description of how the award of 
a graduate degree to an enlisted member would fit 
in an integrated, progressive, coordinated, and sys-
tematic way into the goals and requirements of the 
Navy for enlisted career development and for profes-
sional education, together with a discussion of a 
wider requirement, if any, for programs for the 
award of associate and baccalaureate degrees to en-
listed members, particularly in the career fields 
under consideration for the pilot program referred to 
in subsection (b). 
(3) A discussion of the scope and details of the 
plan to ensure that Navy enlisted members have the 
requisite academic baccalaureate degrees as a pre-
requisite for undertaking graduate-level work. 
(4) Identification of the specific enlisted career 
fields for which the Secretary has determined that a 
graduate degree should be a requirement, as well as 
the rationale for that determination.
141
(5) A description of the concept of the Sec-
retary of the Navy for the process and mechanism 
of providing graduate degrees to enlisted members, 
including, as a minimum, the Secretary’s plan for 
whether the degree programs would be provided 
through civilian or military degree-granting institu-
tions and whether through in-resident or distance 
learning or some combination thereof. 
(6) A description of the plan to ensure proper 
and effective utilization of enlisted members fol-
lowing the award of a graduate degree. 
(b) REPORT ON PILOT PROGRAM.—In addition to the 
report under subsection (a), the Secretary of the Navy 
may submit a plan for a pilot program to make available 
opportunities to pursue graduate degree programs to a 
limited number of Navy enlisted members in a specific, 
limited set of critical career fields. Such a plan shall in-
clude, as a minimum, the following: 
(1) The specific objectives of the pilot program. 
(2) An identification of the specific enlisted ca-
reer fields from which candidates for the program 
would be drawn, the numbers and prerequisite quali-
fications of initial candidates, and the process for se-
lecting the enlisted members who would initially par-
ticipate.