I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5528 
To direct the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress a plan for 
improvements to traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress research. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 17, 2018 
Mr. BACON (for himself, Mr. KELLY of Mississippi, Mr. BRADY of Pennsyl-
vania, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, and Ms. ROSEN) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress 
a plan for improvements to traumatic brain injury and 
post-traumatic stress research. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Speed Warrior Out-
comes, Research, Detection and Diagnosis Act of 2018’’ 
or the ‘‘SWORDD Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The Department of Defense and the De-
fense and Veterans Brain Injury Center estimate 
that 22 percent of all combat casualties from con-
flicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are brain injuries, 
compared to 12 percent of Vietnam-related combat 
casualties. 
(2) The complex physiology of the human brain 
presents unique challenges in the diagnosis and 
treatment of these injuries, and places significant 
emotional and financial burdens on families living 
with those who suffer from post-traumatic stress 
and traumatic brain injuries. 
(3) Despite considerable effort and investment 
devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of invisible 
wounds incurred from military service during the 
past decade, detection and diagnostic methods, 
therapies, and outcomes for post-traumatic stress 
and traumatic brain injuries are still not reaching 
the military and veteran population fast enough. 
(4) Accelerating innovation and treatment deliv-
ery for brain disease, particularly traumatic brain 
injury and post-traumatic stress, would be assisted 
by policies to improve collaboration between the De-
partment of Defense, the National Institutes of 
Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and 
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medical research translation offices at major univer-
sities. 
(5) Existing interagency mechanisms, such as 
the Federal Interagency Traumatic Brain Injury Re-
search and the Chronic Effects Neurotrama Consor-
tium, play an important role in enabling break-
through therapies for traumatic brain injury and 
post-traumatic stress by sharing science between 
military and nonmilitary patients affected by brain 
disease; however, new partnerships, policies, and 
processes are required to speed treatment by more 
effectively combining scientific research, commercial 
technologies, and private equity firm resources to ac-
celerate the detection, diagnosis, and delivery of 
therapies for military patients. 
(6) Within the Department of Defense, the De-
fense Health Agency serves as the lead advocate for 
brain disease diagnosis and treatment for members 
of the Armed Forces. 
SEC. 3. PLAN FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO TRAUMATIC BRAIN 
INJURY AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS RE-
SEARCH. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit 
to the congressional defense committees (as defined in sec-
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tion 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code) a report 
containing the following: 
(1) A plan— 
(A) for the Director of the Defense Health 
Agency, in collaboration with the National In-
stitutes of Health, the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs, major universities, and private firms, as 
appropriate, to accelerate cooperative research, 
development, and the fielding of breakthrough 
therapies for traumatic brain injury and post- 
traumatic stress; 
(B) describing actions for the Director to 
maximize the coordination and use of scientific 
research efforts carried out by other elements of 
the Department of Defense, the National Insti-
tutes of Health, the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs, major universities, and private firms, as 
appropriate; 
(C) describing the strategy of the Depart-
ment of Defense to leverage existing other 
transaction agreements pursuant to section 
2371 of title 10, United States Code, such as 
the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium 
of the Army, to encourage financial collabora-
tion and accelerate breakthrough therapies for 
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the treatment of traumatic brain injury and 
post-traumatic stress; and 
(D) describing new processes to accelerate 
scientific research and delivery of breakthrough 
therapies for traumatic brain injury and post- 
traumatic stress. 
(2) Recommendations by the Secretary for exec-
utive or legislative actions necessary to carry out the 
plan. 
Æ 
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