129 
fore the date of the enactment of this Act, shall continue 
to apply in the case of any individual selected before the 
date of the enactment of this Act for appointment as a cadet 
or midshipman under section 2107 or 2107a of such title. 
SEC. 522. INCREASED ENROLLMENT FOR ELIGIBLE DE-
FENSE INDUSTRY EMPLOYEES IN THE DE-
FENSE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM 
AT NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL. 
Section 7049(a) of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) by inserting ‘‘and systems engineering’’ after 
‘‘curriculum related to defense product development’’; 
and 
(2) by striking ‘‘10’’ and inserting ‘‘25’’. 
SEC. 523. PAYMENT OF EXPENSES TO OBTAIN PROFES-
SIONAL CREDENTIALS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 101 of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following 
new section: 
‘‘§ 2015. Payment of expenses to obtain professional 
credentials 
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Defense and the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, with respect to the Coast 
Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, 
may pay for—
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‘‘(1) expenses for members of the armed forces to 
obtain professional credentials, including expenses for 
professional accreditation, State-imposed and profes-
sional licenses, and professional certification; and 
‘‘(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 appoint-
ment 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.—Sec-
tion 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
131 
other school within the University, may confer the master 
of science degrees specified in subsection (b). 
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZED DEGREES.—The following degrees 
may be awarded under subsection (a): 
‘‘(1) MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NATIONAL SECU-
RITY STRATEGY.—The degree of master of science in 
national security strategy, to graduates of the Univer-
sity 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 Uni-
versity 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 require-
ments of the program of the Joint Advanced 
Warfighting School at the Joint Forces Staff College. 
‘‘(c) REGULATIONS.—The authority provided by this 
section shall be exercised under regulations prescribed by 
the Secretary of Defense.’’.
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(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The item relating to sec-
tion 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.’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Paragraph (3) of section 
2163(b) of title 10, United States Code, as amended by sub-
section (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 OPPOR-
TUNITY TO OBTAIN GRADUATE DEGREES. 
(a) REPORT.—The Secretary of the Navy shall submit 
to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the 
Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representa-
tives a report on the plans, if any, of the Secretary, and 
the rationale for those plans, for a program to provide en-
listed members of the Navy with opportunities to pursue
133 
graduate degree programs either through Navy schools or 
paid for by the Navy in return for an 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 system-
atic way into the goals and requirements of the Navy 
for enlisted career development and for professional 
education, together with a discussion of a wider re-
quirement, if any, for programs for the award of asso-
ciate and baccalaureate degrees to enlisted 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.