888 
‘‘(1) DEMONSTRATION
PROJECT.—The term 
‘demonstration project’ means the demonstration 
project authorized by section 1762 of this title. 
‘‘(2) PARTICIPATING
EMPLOYEE.—The term 
‘participating employee’ means an employee partici-
pating in the demonstration project pursuant to the 
authority under this section.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for chapter 81 of title 10, United States Code, is amended 
by adding at the end the following new item: 
‘‘1599k. Application of acquisition demonstration project to Department of the 
Air Force employees assigned to support United States Stra-
tegic Command and United States Space Command enter-
prises.’’. 
SEC. 1112. TEMPORARY EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO 
PROVIDE SECURITY FOR FORMER DEPART-
MENT OF DEFENSE OFFICIALS. 
During the period beginning on the date of enactment 
of this Act and ending on January 1, 2025, section 
714(b)(2)(B) of title 10, United States Code, shall be ap-
plied by substituting ‘‘four years’’ for ‘‘two years’’. 
SEC. 1113. GAO REPORT ON CIVILIAN SUPPORT POSITIONS 
AT REMOTE MILITARY INSTALLATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 
shall assess and submit a report to the Secretary of De-
fense on the following:
889 
(1) The average number of vacancies for civil-
ian support services positions at remote or isolated 
military installations in comparison to vacancies for 
such positions at other military installations. In car-
rying out this paragraph, the Comptroller General 
shall account for the differences in military popu-
lation size. 
(2) The average number of days required to fill 
such a vacancy at a remote and isolated military in-
stallation in comparison to filling a vacancy of a po-
sition with the same duties (to the greatest extent 
practicable) at such other installations. 
(3) Any recommendations on additional hiring 
incentives for civilian support services positions de-
scribed in subsection (b)(1)(A) at a remote or iso-
lated installations, and any recommendations on 
ways to ensure that such positions described in sub-
section (b)(1)(B) are able to effectively staff posi-
tions in order to meet the mission of their applicable 
military installation. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘civilian support services posi-
tions’’ means— 
(A) any position within the civil service (as 
that term is defined in section 2101 of title 5,
890 
United States Code), including any non-
appropriated fund (NAF) position; and 
(B) any Federal contractor (or subcon-
tractor at any tier); and 
(2) the term ‘‘military installation’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 2801 of title 10, 
United States Code. 
SEC. 1114. MODIFICATION TO SHORE LEAVE ACCRUAL FOR 
CREWS OF VESSELS TO SUPPORT CREW RO-
TATIONS AND IMPROVE RETENTION OF CI-
VILIAN MARINERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 81 of title 10, United 
States Code, as amended by section 1111(a), is further 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘§ 1599l. Shore leave accrual for civilian mariners of 
the Department of Defense 
‘‘With respect to an officer, crewmember, or other 
employee of the Department of Defense serving aboard an 
oceangoing vessel on an extended voyage, the first sen-
tence in the matter preceding paragraph (1) of subsection 
(c) of section 6305 of title 5 shall be applied by sub-
stituting ‘7 calendar days’ for ‘30 calendar days’.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for such chapter is amended by adding after the item re-
891 
lating to section 1599k, as added by section 1111(b), the 
following: 
‘‘1599l. Shore leave accrual for civilian mariners of the Department of De-
fense.’’. 
SEC. 1115. ASSESSMENTS OF STAFFING IN OFFICE OF THE 
UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR PER-
SONNEL AND READINESS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) DOD ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary of De-
fense shall conduct an assessment validating each 
civil service position in the Office of the Under Sec-
retary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness 
against existing personnel of the Office. For pur-
poses of carrying out such assessment, the head of 
the Office shall submit to the Secretary the align-
ment of total force manpower resources of the Office 
against core missions, tasks, and functions, includ-
ing a mapping of missions to the originating statute 
or Department policy. 
(2) OFFICE ASSESSMENT.—The head of the Of-
fice shall conduct an assessment on the tasks, func-
tions, and associated civilian personnel the Office be-
lieves are necessary to perform the duties of the Of-
fice. 
(3) DOD ANALYSIS.—The Secretary shall de-
termine whether there is any conflict between the as-
892 
sessment conducted under paragraph (1) and the as-
sessment under paragraph (2), and what personnel 
actions (if any) the Secretary will take to eliminate 
such conflict. 
(b) INTERIM BRIEFING AND REPORT.— 
(1) INTERIM BRIEFING.—Not later than April 
1, 2024, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to 
the congressional defense committees an interim 
briefing on the assessments under subsection (a). 
(2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall submit to the congressional defense com-
mittees a report on the assessments under sub-
section (a). Such report shall include the following: 
(A) A validation of every civil service posi-
tion in the Office against existing civilian per-
sonnel requirements. 
(B) The methodology and process through 
which such validation was performed. 
(C) Relevant statistical analysis on civil 
service position fill rates against validated re-
quirements. 
(D) Analysis of each civil service position 
and grade and whether the position description
893 
and grade match the function and task require-
ments of the position. 
(E) Plan to update grades and position de-
scriptions to meet current and future require-
ments, tasks, and functions. 
(F) Lessons learned through the civilian 
position validation process and statistical anal-
ysis under subparagraphs (B) through (F). 
(G) Any legislative, policy or budgetary 
recommendations of the Secretary related to the 
subject matter of the report. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘civil service’’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 2101 of title 5, United 
States Code; and 
(2) the term ‘‘Office’’ means the Office of the 
Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Read-
iness. 
SEC. 1116. MILITARY SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT ACT. 
(a) APPOINTMENT OF MILITARY SPOUSES.—Section 
3330d of title 5, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 
paragraph (4);
894 
(B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 
following: 
‘‘(3) The term ‘remote work’ refers to a par-
ticular type of telework under which an employee is 
not expected to report to an officially established 
agency location on a regular and recurring basis.’’; 
and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) The term ‘telework’ has the meaning given 
the term in section 6501.’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 
the end; 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) a spouse of a member of the Armed Forces 
on active duty, or a spouse of a disabled or deceased 
member of the Armed Forces, to a position in which 
the spouse will engage in remote work.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘subsection 
(a)(3)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (a)(4)’’. 
(b) GAO STUDY AND REPORT.— 
(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection—
895 
(A) the terms ‘‘agency’’ means an agency 
described in paragraph (1) or (2) of section 
901(b) of title 31, United States Code; 
(B) the term ‘‘employee’’ means an em-
ployee of an agency; 
(C) the term ‘‘remote work’’ means a par-
ticular type of telework under which an em-
ployee is not expected to report to an officially 
established agency location on a regular and re-
curring basis; and 
(D) the term ‘‘telework’’ means a work 
flexibility arrangement under which an em-
ployee performs the duties and responsibilities 
of such employee’s position, and other author-
ized activities, from an approved worksite other 
than the location from which the employee 
would otherwise work. 
(2) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 18 months 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comp-
troller General of the United States shall conduct a 
study and publish a report regarding the use of re-
mote work by agencies, which shall include a discus-
sion of what is known regarding— 
(A) the number of employees who are en-
gaging in remote work;
896 
(B) the role of remote work in agency re-
cruitment and retention efforts; 
(C) the geographic location of employees 
who engage in remote work; 
(D) the effect that remote work has had on 
how often employees are reporting to officially 
established agency locations to perform the du-
ties and responsibilities of the positions of those 
employees and other authorized activities; and 
(E) how the use of remote work has af-
fected Federal office space utilization and 
spending. 
SEC. 1117. AMENDMENTS TO THE JOHN S. MCCAIN STRA-
TEGIC DEFENSE FELLOWS PROGRAM. 
(a) 
SELECTION
OF
PARTICIPANTS.—Subsection 
(d)(2) of section 932 of the John S. McCain National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 
115–232; 10 U.S.C. 1580 note prec.) is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(2) GEOGRAPHICAL
REPRESENTATION.—Out 
of the total number of individuals selected to partici-
pate in the fellows program in any year, no more 
than 20 percent may be from any of the following 
geographic regions: 
‘‘(A) The Northeast United States.
897 
‘‘(B) The Southeast United States. 
‘‘(C) The Midwest United States. 
‘‘(D) The Southwest United States. 
‘‘(E) The Western United States. 
‘‘(F) Alaska, Hawaii, United States terri-
tories, and areas outside the United States.’’. 
(b) APPOINTMENT, PLACEMENT, 
AND
CONVER-
SION.—Such section is further amended— 
(1) in subsection (d)(3)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘assigned’’ and inserting 
‘‘appointed’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘assignment’’ and inserting 
‘‘appointment’’; and 
(2) by amending subsections (e) and (f) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(e) APPOINTMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An individual who partici-
pates in the fellows program shall be appointed into 
an excepted service position in the Department. 
‘‘(2) POSITION
REQUIREMENTS.—Each year, 
the head of each Department of Defense Component 
shall submit to the Secretary of Defense placement 
opportunities for participants in the fellows pro-
gram. Such placement opportunities shall provide for 
leadership development and potential commencement
898 
of a career track toward a position of senior leader-
ship in the Department. The Secretary of Defense, 
in coordination with the heads of Department of De-
fense Components, shall establish qualification re-
quirements for the appointment of participants 
under paragraph (1) and subsection (f)(2). 
‘‘(3) APPOINTMENT TO POSITIONS.—Each year, 
the Secretary of Defense shall appoint participants 
in the fellows program to positions in the Depart-
ment of Defense Components. In making such ap-
pointments, the Secretary shall seek to best match 
the qualifications and skills of the participants with 
the requirements for positions available for appoint-
ment. 
‘‘(4) TERM.—The term of each appointment 
under the fellows program shall be one year with the 
option to extend the appointment up to one addi-
tional year. 
‘‘(5) GRADE.—An individual appointed to a po-
sition under the fellows program shall be appointed 
at a level between GS–10 and GS–12 of the General 
Schedule based on the directly-related qualifications, 
skills, and professional experience of the individual. 
‘‘(6) EDUCATION LOAN REPAYMENT.—To the 
extent that funds are provided in advance in appro-
899 
priations Acts, the Secretary of Defense may repay 
a loan of a participant in the fellows program if the 
loan is described by subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) 
of section 16301(a)(1) of title 10, United States 
Code. Any repayment of a loan under this paragraph 
may require a minimum service agreement, as deter-
mined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(7) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE COMPONENT 
DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘Depart-
ment of Defense Component’ means a Department 
of Defense Component, as set forth in section 111 
of title 10, United States Code. 
‘‘(f) CAREER DEVELOPMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 
shall ensure that participants in the fellows pro-
gram— 
‘‘(A) receive career development opportuni-
ties and support appropriate for the commence-
ment of a career track within the Department 
leading toward a future position of senior lead-
ership within the Department, including ongo-
ing mentorship support through appropriate 
personnel from entities within the Department; 
and
900 
‘‘(B) are provided appropriate employment 
opportunities for competitive and excepted serv-
ice positions in the Department upon successful 
completion of the fellows program. 
‘‘(2) NONCOMPETITIVE APPOINTMENT OR CON-
VERSION.—Upon a participant’s successful comple-
tion of the fellows program, the Secretary may, with-
out regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chap-
ter 33 of title 5, United States Code, noncompeti-
tively appoint or convert the participant into a va-
cant competitive or excepted service position in the 
Department, if the Secretary determines that such 
appointment or conversion will contribute to the de-
velopment of highly qualified future senior leaders 
for the Department. The Secretary may appoint or 
convert the participant into a position up to the GS– 
13 level of the General Schedule or an equivalent po-
sition for which the participant is qualified without 
regard to any minimum time in grade requirements. 
‘‘(3) APPOINTMENT
OF
FORMER
PARTICI-
PANTS.—The Secretary may utilize the authority in 
paragraph (2) for a participant— 
‘‘(A) up to 2 years after the date of the 
participant’s successful completion of the fel-
lows program; or
901 
‘‘(B) in the case of a participant who en-
tered the fellows program before the date of the 
enactment of this subparagraph, up to 5 years 
after the date of the participant’s successful 
completion of the fellows program. 
‘‘(4) PUBLICATION OF SELECTION.—The Sec-
retary shall publish, on an Internet website of the 
Department available to the public, the names of the 
individuals selected to participate in the fellows pro-
gram.’’. 
SEC. 1118. INCLUDING MILITARY SERVICE IN DETER-
MINING FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ELIGI-
BILITY FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES. 
(a) TITLE 5.—Section 6381(1)(B) of title 5, United 
States Code, is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(B) has completed at least 12 months of 
service— 
‘‘(i) as an employee (as that term is 
defined in section 2105) of the Govern-
ment of the United States, including serv-
ice with the United States Postal Service, 
the Postal Regulatory Commission, and a 
nonappropriated fund instrumentality as 
described in section 2105(c); or
902 
‘‘(ii) which qualifies as honorable ac-
tive service in the Army, Navy, Air Force, 
Space Force, or Marine Corps of the 
United States;’’. 
(b) FMLA.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A covered employee who has 
completed 12 months of service which qualifies as 
honorable active service in the Army, Navy, Air 
Force, Space Force, or Marine Corps of the United 
States shall be deemed to have met the service re-
quirement in section 101(1)(A) of the Family and 
Medical Leave Act of 1993, notwithstanding the re-
quirements of such section 101(1)(A). 
(2) COVERED
EMPLOYEE
DEFINED.—In this 
subsection, the term ‘‘covered employee’’— 
(A) includes— 
(i) any Federal employee eligible for 
family and medical leave under the Family 
and Medical Leave Act of 1993 based on 
their status as such an employee; 
(ii) any Federal employee covered by 
the Congressional Accountability Act of 
1995 eligible for family and medical leave 
by operation of section 202 of such Act;
903 
(iii) any Federal employee of the Ex-
ecutive Office of the President eligible for 
family and medical leave by operation of 
section 412 of title 3, United States Code; 
and 
(iv) any non-judicial employee of the 
District of Columbia courts and any em-
ployee of the District of Columbia Public 
Defender Service; and 
(B) does not include any member of the 
Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Serv-
ice or the Commissioned Corps of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
(c) DEPARTMENT
OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.—Not 
later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall modify the 
family and medical leave program provided by operation 
of section 7425(c) of title 38, United States Code, to con-
form with the requirements of the amendment made by 
subsection (a) with respect to military service in section 
6381(1)(B)(ii) of title 5, United States Code, as added 
by such subsection.
904 
SEC. 1119. ASSESSMENTS OF STAFFING IN OFFICE OF THE 
UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR RE-
SEARCH AND ENGINEERING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) DOD ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary of De-
fense shall conduct an assessment validating each 
civil service position in the Office of the Under Sec-
retary of Defense for Research and Engineering 
against existing personnel of the Office. For pur-
poses of carrying out such assessment, the head of 
the Office shall submit to the Secretary the align-
ment of total force manpower resources of the Office 
against core missions, tasks, and functions, includ-
ing a mapping of missions to the originating statute 
or Department policy. 
(2) OFFICE ASSESSMENT.—The head of the Of-
fice shall conduct an assessment on the tasks, func-
tions, and associated civilian personnel the Office be-
lieves are necessary to perform the duties of the Of-
fice. 
(3) DOD ANALYSIS.—The Secretary shall de-
termine whether there is any conflict between the as-
sessment conducted under paragraph (1) and the as-
sessment under paragraph (2), and what personnel 
actions (if any) the Secretary will take to eliminate 
such conflict.
905 
(b) INTERIM BRIEFING AND REPORT.— 
(1) INTERIM BRIEFING.—Not later than April 
1, 2024, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to 
the congressional defense committees an interim 
briefing on the assessments under subsection (a). 
(2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall submit to the congressional defense com-
mittees a report on the assessments under sub-
section (a). Such report shall include the following: 
(A) A validation of every civil service posi-
tion in the Office against existing civilian per-
sonnel requirements. 
(B) The methodology and process through 
which such validation was performed. 
(C) Relevant statistical analysis on civil 
service position fill rates against validated re-
quirements. 
(D) Analysis of each civil service position 
and grade and whether the position description 
and grade match the function and task require-
ments of the position. 
(E) Plan to update grades and position de-
scriptions to meet current and future require-
ments, tasks, and functions.
906 
(F) Lessons learned through the civilian 
position validation process and statistical anal-
ysis under subparagraphs (B) through (F). 
(G) Any legislative, policy or budgetary 
recommendations of the Secretary related to the 
subject matter of the report. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘civil service’’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 2101 of title 5, United 
States Code; and 
(2) the term ‘‘Office’’ means the Office of the 
Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engi-
neering. 
SEC. 1120. ASSESSMENTS OF STAFFING IN DOD OFFICE FOR 
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) SECRETARY ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary 
of Defense shall conduct an assessment validating 
each civil service position in the Office for Diversity, 
Equity, and Inclusion against existing personnel of 
the Office. For purposes of carrying out such assess-
ment, the head of the Office shall submit to the Sec-
retary the alignment of total force manpower re-
sources of the Office against core missions, tasks,
907 
and functions, including a mapping of missions to 
the originating statute or Department policy. 
(2) OFFICE ASSESSMENT.—The head of the Of-
fice shall conduct an assessment on the tasks, func-
tions, and associated civilian personnel the Office be-
lieves are necessary to perform the duties of the Of-
fice. 
(3) 
SECRETARY
ANALYSIS.—The 
Secretary 
shall determine whether there is any conflict between 
the assessment conducted under paragraph (1) and 
the assessment under paragraph (2), and what per-
sonnel actions (if any) the Secretary will take to 
eliminate such conflict. 
(b) INTERIM BRIEFING AND REPORT.— 
(1) INTERIM BRIEFING.—Not later than April 
1, 2024, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to 
the congressional defense committees an interim 
briefing on the assessments under subsection (a). 
(2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall submit to the congressional defense com-
mittees a report on the assessments under sub-
section (a). Such report shall include the following:
908 
(A) A validation of every civil service posi-
tion in the Office against existing civilian per-
sonnel requirements. 
(B) The methodology and process through 
which such validation was performed. 
(C) Relevant statistical analysis on civil 
service position fill rates against validated re-
quirements. 
(D) Analysis of each civil service position 
and grade and whether the position description 
and grade match the function and task require-
ments of the position. 
(E) Plan to update grades and position de-
scriptions to meet current and future require-
ments, tasks, and functions. 
(F) Lessons learned through the civilian 
position validation process and statistical anal-
ysis under subparagraphs (B) through (F). 
(G) Any legislative, policy or budgetary 
recommendations of the Secretary related to the 
subject matter of the report. 
(c) BUDGET REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of De-
fense shall, in the Secretary’s annual budget submission 
to the Office of Management and Budget for fiscal year 
2025 and each fiscal year thereafter, identify mission
909 
changes, opportunities for automation, and business proc-
ess improvements that could better optimize the size, 
structure, composition of the Department of Defense’s 
workforce and its allocation against validated require-
ments. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘civil service’’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 2101 of title 5, United 
States Code; and 
(2) the term ‘‘Office’’ means the Office for Di-
versity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Department of 
Defense. 
SEC. 1121. EXPAND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CIVILIAN 
EMPLOYMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall ensure that, to the extent practicable, each commer-
cial position in the Department of Defense or an element 
of the Department is— 
(1) filled by a civilian employee of the Depart-
ment; or 
(2) performed by a contractor of the Depart-
ment. 
(b) COMMERCIAL POSITION DEFINED.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘‘commercial position’’ means a position the
910 
functions of which are determined by the Department of 
Defense to be commercial pursuant to Department of De-
fense Instruction 1100.22 (or any successor instruction). 
SEC. 1122. NATIONAL DIGITAL RESERVE CORPS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart I of part III of title 5, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following new chapter: 
‘‘CHAPTER 104—NATIONAL DIGITAL 
RESERVE CORPS 
‘‘10401. Definitions. 
‘‘10402. Establishment. 
‘‘10403. Organization. 
‘‘10404. Assignments. 
‘‘10405. Reservist continuing education. 
‘‘10406. Congressional reports. 
‘‘10407. Construction. 
‘‘§ 10401. Definitions 
‘‘In this chapter: 
‘‘(1) ACTIVE RESERVIST.—The term ‘active re-
servist’ means a reservist holding a position to which 
such reservist has been appointed under section 
10403(c)(2). 
‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘Adminis-
trator’ means the Administrator of the General 
Services Administration. 
‘‘(3) COVERED EXECUTIVE AGENCY.—The term 
‘covered Executive agency’ means an Executive 
agency as defined in section 105, except that such 
term includes the United States Postal Service, the
911 
Postal Regulatory Commission, and the Executive 
Office of the President. 
‘‘(4) PROGRAM.—The term ‘Program’ means 
the program established under section 10402(a). 
‘‘(5) RESERVIST.—The term ‘reservist’ means 
an individual who is a member of the National Dig-
ital Reserve Corps. 
‘‘§ 10402. Establishment 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
General Services Administration a program to establish, 
recruit, manage, and assign a reserve of individuals with 
relevant skills and credentials, to be known as the ‘Na-
tional Digital Reserve Corps’, to help address the digital 
and cybersecurity needs of covered Executive agencies. 
‘‘(b) IMPLEMENTATION.— 
‘‘(1) GUIDANCE.—Not later than six months 
after the date of the enactment of this section, the 
Administrator, in consultation with the Director of 
the Office of Personnel Management, shall issue 
guidance for the National Digital Reserve Corps, 
which shall include procedures for coordinating with 
covered Executive agencies to— 
‘‘(A) identify digital and cybersecurity 
needs which may be addressed by the National 
Digital Reserve Corps; and
912 
‘‘(B) assign active reservists to address 
such needs. 
‘‘(2) RECRUITMENT
AND
INITIAL
ASSIGN-
MENTS.—Not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this section, the Administrator 
shall begin recruiting reservists and assigning active 
reservists under the Program. 
‘‘§ 10403. Organization 
‘‘(a) ADMINISTRATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The National Digital Re-
serve Corps shall be administered by the Adminis-
trator. 
‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—In carrying out the 
Program, the Administrator shall— 
‘‘(A) establish standards for serving as a 
reservist, including educational attainment, pro-
fessional qualifications, and background checks 
in accordance with existing Federal guidance; 
‘‘(B) ensure the standards established 
under subparagraph (A) are met; 
‘‘(C) recruit individuals to the National 
Digital Reserve Corps; 
‘‘(D) activate and deactivate reservists as 
necessary;
913 
‘‘(E) coordinate with covered Executive 
agencies to— 
‘‘(i) determine the digital and cyberse-
curity needs which reservists shall be as-
signed to address; 
‘‘(ii) ensure active reservists have ac-
cess, resources, and equipment required to 
address digital and cybersecurity needs 
which such reservists are assigned to ad-
dress; and 
‘‘(iii) analyze potential assignments 
for reservists to determine outcomes, de-
velop anticipated assignment timelines, and 
identify covered Executive agency partners; 
‘‘(F) ensure reservists acquire and main-
tain appropriate security clearances; and 
‘‘(G) determine what additional resources, 
if any, are required to successfully implement 
the Program. 
‘‘(b) NATIONAL DIGITAL RESERVE CORPS PARTICI-
PATION.— 
‘‘(1) SERVICE OBLIGATION AGREEMENT.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An individual may be-
come a reservist only if such individual enters
914 
into a written agreement with the Adminis-
trator to become a reservist. 
‘‘(B) CONTESTS.—The agreement under 
subparagraph (A) shall— 
‘‘(i) require the individual seeking to 
become a reservist to serve as a reservist 
for a 3-year period, during which such in-
dividual shall serve not less than 30 days 
per year as an active reservist; and 
‘‘(ii) set forth all other the rights and 
obligations of the individual and the Gen-
eral Services Administration. 
‘‘(2) COMPENSATION.—The Administrator shall 
determine the appropriate compensation for service 
as a reservist, except that the annual pay for such 
service shall not exceed $10,000. 
‘‘(3) EMPLOYMENT
PROTECTIONS.—The Sec-
retary of Labor shall prescribe such regulations as 
necessary to ensure the reemployment, continuation 
of benefits, and nondiscrimination in reemployment 
of active reservists, provided that such regulations 
shall include, at a minimum, those rights and obliga-
tions set forth under chapter 43 of title 38. 
‘‘(4) PENALTIES.—
915 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A reservist that fails 
to accept an appointment under subsection 
(c)(2) or fails to carry out the duties assigned 
to a reservist under such an appointment shall, 
after notice and an opportunity to be heard— 
‘‘(i) cease to be a reservist; and 
‘‘(ii) be fined an amount equal to the 
sum of— 
‘‘(I) an amount equal to the 
amounts, if any, paid under section 
10405 with respect to such reservist; 
and 
‘‘(II) the difference between the 
amount of compensation such reserv-
ist would have received if the reservist 
completed the entire term of service 
as a reservist agreed to in the agree-
ment described in paragraph (1) and 
the amount of compensation such re-
servist has received under such agree-
ment. 
‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Subparagraph (A) 
shall not apply with respect to a failure of 
a reservist to accept an appointment under
916 
subsection (c)(2) or to carry out the duties 
assigned to the reservist under such an ap-
pointment if— 
‘‘(I) the failure was due to the 
death or disability of such reservist; or 
‘‘(II) the Administrator, in con-
sultation with the head of the relevant 
covered Executive agency, determines 
that subparagraph (A) should not 
apply with respect to the failure. 
‘‘(ii) RELEVANT COVERED EXECUTIVE 
AGENCY DEFINED.—In this subparagraph, 
the term ‘relevant covered Executive agen-
cy’ means— 
‘‘(I) in the case of a reservist 
failing to accept an appointment 
under subsection (c)(2), the covered 
Executive agency to which such re-
servist would have been appointed; 
and 
‘‘(II) in the case of a reservist 
failing to carry out the duties as-
signed to such reservist under such an 
appointment, the covered Executive
917 
agency to which such reservist was 
appointed. 
‘‘(c) HIRING AUTHORITY.— 
‘‘(1) CORPS LEADERSHIP.—The Administrator 
may appoint qualified candidates to positions in the 
competitive service in the General Service Adminis-
tration for which the primary duties are related to 
the management or administration of the National 
Digital Reserve Corps, as determined by the Admin-
istrator. 
‘‘(2) CORPS RESERVISTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator 
may appoint qualified reservists to temporary 
positions in the competitive service for the pur-
pose of assigning such reservists under section 
10404 and to otherwise carry out the National 
Digital Reserve Corps. 
‘‘(B) APPOINTMENT LIMITS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 
may not appoint an individual under this 
paragraph if, during the 365-day period 
ending on the date of such appointment, 
such individual has been an officer or em-
ployee of the executive or legislative branch 
of the United States Government, of any
918 
independent agency of the United States, 
or of the District of Columbia for not less 
than 130 days. 
‘‘(ii) AUTOMATIC APPOINTMENT TER-
MINATION.—The appointment of an indi-
vidual under this paragraph shall termi-
nate upon such individual being employed 
as an officer or employee of the executive 
or legislative branch of the United States 
Government, of any independent agency of 
the United States, or of the District of Co-
lumbia for 130 days during the previous 
365 days. 
‘‘(C) EMPLOYEE
STATUS.—An individual 
appointed under this paragraph shall be consid-
ered a special Government employee (as such 
term is defined in section 202(a) of title 18). 
‘‘(D) CONFLICT
OF
INTEREST.—Individ-
uals appointed under this section shall not, as 
an active reservist, have access to proprietary or 
confidential information that is of commercial 
value to any private entity or individual employ-
ing such appointee. 
‘‘(E) ADDITIONAL
EMPLOYEES.—Individ-
uals appointed under this paragraph shall be in
919 
addition to any employees of the General Serv-
ices Administration whose duties relate to the 
digital or cybersecurity needs of the General 
Services Administration. 
‘‘§ 10404. Assignments 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may assign 
active reservists to address the digital and cybersecurity 
needs of covered Executive agencies, including cybersecu-
rity services, digital education and training, data triage, 
acquisition assistance, guidance on digital projects, devel-
opment of technical solutions, and bridging public needs 
and private sector capabilities. 
‘‘(b) ASSIGNMENT-SPECIFIC ACCESS, RESOURCES, 
SUPPLIES, OR EQUIPMENT.—The head of a covered Exec-
utive agency shall, to the extent practicable, provide each 
active reservist assigned to address a digital or cybersecu-
rity need of such covered Executive agency under sub-
section (a) with any specialized access, resources, supplies, 
or equipment required to address such digital or cyberse-
curity need. 
‘‘(c) DURATION.—An assignment of an individual 
under subsection (a) shall terminate on the earlier of— 
‘‘(1) the date determined by the Administrator; 
‘‘(2) the date on which the Administrator re-
ceives notification of the decision of the head of the
920 
covered Executive agency, the digital or cybersecu-
rity needs of which such individual is assigned to ad-
dress under subsection (a), that such assignment 
should terminate; or 
‘‘(3) the date on which the assigned individual 
ceases to be an active reservist. 
‘‘§ 10405. Reservist continuing education 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of ap-
propriations, the Administrator may pay for reservists to 
acquire training and receive continuing education related 
to the duties assigned to such reservists pursuant to ap-
pointments under section 10403(c)(2), including attending 
conferences and seminars and obtaining certifications, 
that will enable reservists to more effectively meet the dig-
ital and cybersecurity needs of covered Executive agencies. 
‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—The Administrator shall estab-
lish a process for reservists to apply for the payment of 
reasonable expenses related to the training or continuing 
education described in subsection (a). 
‘‘(c) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 
of the enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, 
the Administrator shall submit to Congress a report on 
the expenditures under this subsection.
921 
‘‘§ 10406. Congressional reports 
‘‘Not later than two years after the date of the enact-
ment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Adminis-
trator shall submit to Congress a report on the Program, 
including— 
‘‘(1) the number of reservists; 
‘‘(2) a list of covered Executive agencies that 
have submitted requests for support from the Na-
tional Digital Reserve Corps; 
‘‘(3) the nature and status of such requests; 
and 
‘‘(4) with respect to each such request to which 
active reservists have been assigned and for which 
work by the National Digital Reserve Corps has con-
cluded, an evaluation of such work and the results 
of such work by— 
‘‘(A) the covered Executive agency that 
submitted the request; and 
‘‘(B) the reservists assigned to such re-
quest. 
‘‘§ 10407. Construction 
‘‘Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to abro-
gate or otherwise affect the authorities or the responsibil-
ities of the head of any other Executive agency.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of chapters 
for part III of title 5, United States Code, is amended
922 
by inserting after the item related to chapter 103 the fol-
lowing new item: 
‘‘104. National Digital Reserve Corps .....................................................
10401 
’’. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000, to remain 
available until fiscal year 2025 to carry out the program 
established under section 10402(a) of title 5, United 
States Code, as added by this section. 
(d) TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.—Section 
1142(b)(3) of title 10, United States Code, is amended 
by inserting ‘‘and the National Digital Reserve Corps’’ 
after ‘‘Selected Reserve’’. 
(e) OFFSET.—Notwithstanding the amounts set forth 
in the funding tables in division D, the amounts author-
ized to be appropriated in section 301 for operation and 
maintence, Defense-wide, for Office of the Secretary of 
Defense, Line 490, as specified in the corresponding fund-
ing table in section 4301, is hereby reduced by 
$30,000,000.
923 
TITLE XII—MATTERS RELATING 
TO FOREIGN NATIONS 
Subtitle A—Assistance and 
Training 
SEC. 1201. SUPPORT OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS FOR IRREG-
ULAR WARFARE. 
(a) CODIFICATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 3 of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 
127c a new section 127d consisting of— 
(A) a heading as follows: 
‘‘§ 127d. Support of special operations for irregular 
warfare’’; and 
(B) a text consisting of the text of sub-
sections (a) through (i) of section 1202 of the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2018 (Public Law 115–91; 131 Stat. 
1639). 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions at the beginning of such chapter is amended 
by inserting after the item relating to section 127c 
the following new item: 
‘‘127d. Support of special operations for irregular warfare.’’. 
(b) MODIFICATION OF DOLLAR AMOUNT.—Section 
127d of title 10, United States Code, as so amended, is
924 
further 
amended 
in 
subsection 
(a) 
by 
striking 
‘‘$15,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$25,000,000’’. 
(c) CONFORMING REPEAL.—Section 1202 of the Na-
tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 is 
repealed. 
SEC. 1202. MODIFICATION OF COMBATANT COMMANDER 
INITIATIVE FUND. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 166a of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(11) Incremental expenses (as such term is de-
fined in section 301(5) of this title) related to secu-
rity cooperation programs and activities of the De-
partment of Defense (as such term is defined in sec-
tion 301(7) of this title).’’; and 
(2) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) incremental expenses related to security 
cooperation programs and activities of the Depart-
ment of Defense, as authorized by subsection
925 
(b)(11), for United States Africa Command and 
United States Southern Command.’’. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Funds 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Combatant Com-
mander Initiative Fund for fiscal year 2024, as specified 
in section 4301 of this Act, to carry out the activities au-
thorized by paragraphs (7), (8), and (11) (as added by 
subsection (a)(1)) of section 166a(b) of title 10, United 
States Code, for United States Africa Command and 
United States Southern Command. 
SEC. 1203. EQUIPMENT DISPOSITION WITH RESPECT TO 
BUILDING CAPACITY OF FOREIGN SECURITY 
FORCES. 
Section 333 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(h) EQUIPMENT DISPOSITION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 
may treat as stocks of the Department of Defense— 
‘‘(A) equipment procured to carry out a 
program pursuant to subsection (a) that has 
not yet been transferred to a foreign country 
and is no longer needed to support such pro-
gram or another program carried out pursuant 
to such subsection; and
926 
‘‘(B) equipment that has been transferred 
to a foreign country to carry out a program 
pursuant to subsection (a) and is returned by 
the foreign country to the United States. 
‘‘(2) NOTICE AND WAIT.—Not later than 15 
days before initiating activities under a program 
under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall 
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
written and electronic notice of the following: 
‘‘(A) The foreign country, and specific 
unit, whose capacity was intended to be built 
under the program, and the amount, type, and 
purpose of the equipment that was to be pro-
vided. 
‘‘(B) An explanation why the equipment is 
no longer needed to support such program or 
another program carried out pursuant to such 
subsection.’’. 
SEC. 1204. MISSION TRAINING THROUGH DISTRIBUTED 
SIMULATION. 
Section 346 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) by striking the section designation and 
heading and inserting the following:
927 
‘‘§ 346. Mission training of certain foreign forces 
through 
distributed 
simulation 
and 
networked technology to enhance mili-
tary 
interoperability 
and 
integration 
with United States Armed Forces’’; 
(2) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 
‘‘TRAINING
AND’’ before ‘‘DISTRIBUTION AU-
THORIZED’’; 
(B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 
by striking ‘‘interoperability’’ and inserting 
‘‘interoperability and integration’’; 
(C) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘per-
sistent advanced networked training and exer-
cise activities, also referred to as mission train-
ing through distributed simulation, and other’’ 
before ‘‘electronically-distributed learning con-
tent’’; and 
(D) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘com-
puter software’’ and inserting ‘‘hardware and 
software’’; and 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 
by striking ‘‘shall include’’ and inserting ‘‘may 
include’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following:
928 
‘‘(3) Persistent advanced networked training 
and exercise activities.’’. 
SEC. 1205. MODIFICATIONS TO SECURITY COOPERATION 
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND 
ESTABLISHMENT OF DEFENSE SECURITY CO-
OPERATION UNIVERSITY. 
(a) MODIFICATIONS TO PROGRAM.—Section 384 of 
title 10, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by amending subsection (c) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(c) ELEMENTS.—The Program shall consist of ele-
ments relating to the development and management of the 
security cooperation workforce for the purposes specified 
in subsection (b), including the following elements on 
training, certification, assignment, career development, 
and tracking of personnel of the security cooperation 
workforce: 
‘‘(1) Establishment of a comprehensive system 
to track and account for all Department of Defense 
personnel in the security cooperation workforce, 
using systems of record in the military departments, 
the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the combat-
ant commands, Defense Agencies, Department of 
Defense Field Activities, and the National Guard.
929 
‘‘(2) Establishment of a management informa-
tion system, pursuant to regulations prescribed by 
the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under 
Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Director of 
the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, to ensure 
that the all organizations and elements of the De-
partment provide standardized information and data 
to the Secretary on persons serving in security co-
operation positions. Such management information 
system shall, at a minimum, provide for the collec-
tion and retention of information concerning the 
qualification, assignments, and tenure of persons in 
the security cooperation workforce. 
‘‘(3) Implementation and management of the 
security cooperation human capital initiative under 
subsection (e). 
‘‘(4) Establishment of a defense security co-
operation service which shall include— 
‘‘(A) members of the armed forces and ci-
vilians assigned to security cooperation organi-
zations of United States missions overseas; and 
‘‘(B) personnel of the Department of De-
fense performing functions in furtherance of 
section 515 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321i).
930 
‘‘(5) Such other elements as the Secretary of 
Defense determines appropriate.’’; 
(2) in subsection (e)— 
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking 
‘‘GUIDANCE’’ and inserting ‘‘SECURITY
CO-
OPERATION HUMAN CAPITAL INITIATIVE’’; 
(B) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and 
inserting the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall imple-
ment a security cooperation human capital initiative 
to identify, account for, and manage the career pro-
gression of personnel in the security cooperation 
workforce.’’; 
(C) by striking ‘‘(3) SCOPE
OF
GUID-
ANCE.—The guidance shall do the following’’ 
and inserting ‘‘(2) ELEMENTS.—The security 
cooperation human capital initiative shall do the 
following:’’ 
(D) in paragraph (2) (as amended and re-
designated by subparagraph (C))— 
(i) by striking subparagraph (E); 
(ii) by redesignating subparagraphs 
(F) through (H) as paragraphs (E) 
through (G), respectively; and
931 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new subparagraphs: 
‘‘(H) Identify career paths that provide a 
competency-based road map for security co-
operation employees to aid in their career plan-
ning and professional development. 
‘‘(I) Develop a competency-based approach 
to the security cooperation workforce that en-
ables components of the Department of Defense 
to incorporate competencies in recruitment and 
retention tools such as job analysis, position de-
scriptions, vacancy announcements, selection as-
sessment questionnaires, and employee training 
and development plans. 
‘‘(J) Align with the Department of Defense 
and Defense Security Cooperation Agency stra-
tegic planning, budget process, performance 
management goals, and metrics to ensure the 
appropriate workforce mix and skill sets to ac-
complish the security cooperation mission. 
‘‘(K) Include assessment measures in-
tended to assess progress in implementing the 
security cooperation workforce using results-ori-
ented performance measures.’’
932 
(3) by redesignating subsections (f) through (h) 
as subsections (g) through (i), respectively; and 
(4) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(f) AUTHORITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF AS-
SISTANT SECRETARY.—Subject to the authority, direction, 
and control of the Secretary of Defense, the Assistant Sec-
retary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities 
shall— 
‘‘(1) carry out all powers, functions, and duties 
of the Secretary of Defense with respect to the secu-
rity cooperation workforce in the Department of De-
fense; 
‘‘(2) ensure that the policies of the Secretary of 
Defense established in accordance with this section 
are implemented throughout the Department of De-
fense; and 
‘‘(3) prescribe policies and requirements for the 
educational programs of the defense security co-
operation university structure established under sec-
tion 384a.’’. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF DEFENSE SECURITY CO-
OPERATION UNIVERSITY.—Subchapter VII of chapter 16 
of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after section 384 the following new section:
933 
‘‘§ 384a. Defense security cooperation university 
‘‘(a) DEFENSE SECURITY COOPERATION UNIVERSITY 
STRUCTURE.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through 
the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Direc-
tor of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, shall es-
tablish a structure for a defense security cooperation uni-
versity to provide for— 
‘‘(1) the professional educational development 
and training of the security cooperation workforce; 
‘‘(2) research and analysis of defense security 
cooperation policy issues from an academic perspec-
tive; 
‘‘(3) advancement of the profession of security 
cooperation by serving as an intellectual home for 
critical inquiry, research, knowledge, publication, 
and learning; 
‘‘(4) operation of university components deemed 
necessary for the execution of the university mission. 
‘‘(5) implementation and management of the 
program under section 384(a) of this title; and 
‘‘(6) implementation of the security cooperation 
human capital initiative required under section 
384(e) of this title to ensure the workforce is appro-
priately educated, trained, and allocated to execute 
its mission.
934 
‘‘(b) CIVILIAN FACULTY MEMBERS.—The Secretary 
of Defense may employ civilian faculty members at the 
Defense Security Cooperation University pursuant to sec-
tion 1595 of title 10, United States Code. 
‘‘(c) COMPONENT INSTITUTIONS.—The defense secu-
rity cooperation university structure shall include the 
School of Security Cooperation Studies and the College of 
Strategic Security Cooperation. 
‘‘(d) COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
AGREEMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—In engaging in research 
and development projects pursuant to subsection (a) 
of section 4001 of this title by a contract, coopera-
tive agreement, or grant pursuant to subsection 
(b)(1) of such section, the Secretary may enter into 
such contract or cooperative agreement or award 
such grant through the Defense Security Coopera-
tion University. 
‘‘(2) LABORATORY STATUS.—The Defense Se-
curity Cooperation University shall be considered a 
Government-operated Federal laboratory for pur-
poses of section 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler Tech-
nology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a). 
‘‘(e) ACCEPTANCE OF RESEARCH GRANTS.—
935 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, 
acting through the Undersecretary of Defense for 
Policy and the Director of the Defense Security Co-
operation Agency, may authorize the President of 
the Defense Security Cooperation University to ac-
cept qualifying research grants. Any such grant may 
only be accepted if the work under the grant is to 
be carried out by a professor or instructor of the De-
fense Security Cooperation University for a sci-
entific, literary, or educational purpose. 
‘‘(2) QUALIFYING
GRANTS.—A qualifying re-
search grant under this section is a grant that is 
awarded on a competitive basis by an entity referred 
to in paragraph (3) for a research project with a sci-
entific, literary, or educational purpose. 
‘‘(3) ENTITIES FROM WHICH GRANTS MAY BE 
ACCEPTED.—A grant may be accepted under this 
section only from a corporation, fund, foundation, 
educational institution, or similar entity that is orga-
nized and operated primarily for scientific, literary, 
or educational purposes. 
‘‘(4) ADMINISTRATION OF GRANT FUNDS.—The 
Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agen-
cy shall establish an account for administering funds 
received as research grants under this section. The
936 
President of the Defense Security Cooperation Uni-
versity shall use the funds in the account in accord-
ance with applicable provisions of the regulations 
and the terms and condition of the grants received. 
‘‘(5) RELATED
EXPENSES.—Subject to such 
limitations as may be provided in appropriations 
Acts, appropriations available for the Defense Secu-
rity Cooperation University may be used to pay ex-
penses incurred by such University in applying for, 
and otherwise pursuing, the award of qualifying re-
search grants. 
‘‘(6) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of De-
fense, through the Under Secretary of Defense for 
Policy and the Director of the Defense Security Co-
operation Agency, shall prescribe regulations for the 
administration of this subsection.’’. 
(c) DESIGNATION OF CENTER OF EXCELLENCE.— 
Not later than January 1, 2025, the Secretary of Defense 
shall designate the School of Security Cooperation Studies 
or the College of Strategic Security Cooperation of the De-
fense Security Cooperation University to serve as a For-
eign Military Sales Center of Excellence for the following 
purposes:
937 
(1) To improve the training and education of 
personnel engaged in the planning and execution of 
foreign military sales. 
(2) To conduct research and establish best 
practices to ensure that foreign military sales are 
timely and effective. 
(3) To expand existing curriculum to ensure 
that the relevant workforce is fully trained and pre-
pared to manage and execute foreign military sales 
programs. 
(d) IMPLEMENTATION OF DEFENSE SECURITY CO-
OPERATION UNIVERSITY STRUCTURE.— 
(1) PLAN
REQUIRED.—The Secretary of De-
fense, acting through the Under Secretary of De-
fense for Policy and the Director of the Defense Se-
curity Cooperation Agency, shall develop an imple-
mentation plan for the structure for a defense secu-
rity cooperation university required under section 
384a of title 10, United States Code (as added by 
subsection (b)). 
(2) 
ELEMENTS.—The 
implementation 
plan 
under paragraph (1) shall provide for the following: 
(A) Operation under a charter developed 
by the Secretary of Defense.
938 
(B) Establishment of a university mission 
to achieve objectives formulated by the Sec-
retary of Defense. Such objectives shall in-
clude— 
(i) the achievement of more efficient 
and effective use of available security co-
operation resources by coordinating De-
partment of Defense security cooperation 
education and training programs and tai-
loring those programs to support the ca-
reers of personnel in security cooperation 
positions; 
(ii) the development of education, 
training, research, and publication capa-
bilities in the area of security cooperation; 
and 
(iii) implementation of the security co-
operation human capital initiative required 
under section 384(e) of title 10, United 
States Code (as amended by subsection 
(a)) to ensure the workforce is appro-
priately educated, trained, and allocated to 
execute its mission. 
(C) Establishment of appropriate lines of 
authority (including relationships between the
939 
university any existing security cooperation edu-
cation and training institutions and activities) 
and accountability for the accomplishment of 
the university mission (as established by the 
Secretary). 
(D) A coherent framework for the edu-
cational development of personnel in security 
cooperation positions. 
(E) Appropriate organizations, such as a 
policy guidance council, composed of senior De-
partment of Defense officials, to recommend or 
establish policy, and a board of visitors, com-
posed of persons selected for their preeminence 
in the fields of academia, business, and the de-
fense industry, to advise on organization man-
agement, curricula, methods of instruction, fa-
cilities, and other matters of interest to the uni-
versity. 
(F) Implementation of the management in-
formation 
system 
required 
under 
section 
384(c)(2) of title 10, United States Code (as 
added by subsection (a)), to address, with re-
spect to the security cooperation workforce: 
(i) the exchange of human resource 
data electronically, leveraging automated
940 
and secure real-time or near real-time 
interfaces between a program-managed 
management information system and the 
human resource system of record of the 
various components; 
(ii) the technical expertise and busi-
ness skills to ensure the Department is 
able to manage the full scope of chapter 16 
of title 10, United States Code including 
any and all reporting requirements while 
achieving best value for the expenditure of 
public resources; 
(iii) the collection and retention of in-
formation concerning the positions and bil-
lets; 
(iv) the collection and retention of in-
formation concerning the qualifications, as-
signments, and tenure of persons currently 
in the security cooperation workforce and 
alumni of the security cooperation work-
force who may return to the security co-
operation workforce; 
(v) the chain of command within each 
organization that employs members of the 
security cooperation workforce;
941 
(vi) the full workforce (whether full- 
time or part-time) engaged in planning, 
executing, and managing— 
(I) foreign military sales; 
(II) end-use monitoring and the 
number of hours of training and edu-
cation provided with respect to end- 
use monitoring laws, regulations, prin-
ciples, and practice; and 
(III) institutional capacity build-
ing and the training and education 
provided 
to 
institutional 
capacity 
building planners and practitioners. 
(vii) measures to ensure the workforce 
described in clause (vi) receives the appro-
priate levels of training and education: 
(viii) succession management and ca-
reer paths. 
(ix) expenditures associated with re-
cruiting, retention, awards, and other in-
centives available to, and provided to, the 
security cooperation workforce. 
(x) any other information necessary 
for the Secretary of Defense to comply
942 
with the requirements of this section and 
the amendments made by this section. 
(G) Implementation of the defense security 
cooperation service required under section 
384(c)(4) of title 10, United States Code (as 
added by subsection (a)), including plans and 
measures to address— 
(i) the overall command and control 
relationships and organizational construct 
of the defense security cooperation service; 
(ii) the anticipated number of per-
sonnel necessary to manage the defense se-
curity cooperation service at initial oper-
ating capacity and at full operational ca-
pacity; 
(iii) the conditions that define initial 
operating capacity and full operational ca-
pacity and the anticipated dates at which 
the defense security cooperation service is 
expected to reach those milestones; 
(iv) the number of military and civil-
ian personnel working at embassies of the 
United States abroad that will be incor-
porated into the defense security coopera-
tion service; and
943 
(v) any additional authorities needed 
for the effective implementation of the de-
fense security cooperation service. 
(H) Requirements for each military depart-
ment, combatant command, Defense Agency, 
Department of Defense Field Activity, or any 
other organization of the Department managing 
security cooperation workforce personnel to pro-
vide to the Defense Security Cooperation Agen-
cy, not later than July 1 of each year, a joint 
table of distribution or equivalent formal man-
power document that— 
(i) lists each position in the security 
cooperation workforce of the organization 
concerned; and 
(ii) uniquely codes every position with-
in component manpower systems for the 
security cooperation workforce. 
(3) SUBMITTAL TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 
90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under 
Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Director of 
the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, shall sub-
mit to the Committees on Armed Services of the 
Senate and House of Representatives the implemen-
944 
tation plan developed under paragraph (1), including 
the charter required under paragraph (2)(A). 
(4) DEADLINE
FOR
IMPLEMENTATION.—Not 
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, acting through 
the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and the 
Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agen-
cy, shall carry out the implementation plan devel-
oped under paragraph (1). 
(e) REPORT
ON SECURITY COOPERATION WORK-
FORCE.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than two years 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and not 
less frequently than once every two years thereafter, 
the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Com-
mittees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 
House of Representatives a report on the Depart-
ment of Defense security cooperation workforce. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—Each report under paragraph 
(1) shall— 
(A) identify current and projected security 
cooperation workforce manpower requirements, 
including expeditionary requirements within the 
context of total force planning, needed to meet 
the security cooperation mission;
946 
(G) include any other matters the Sec-
retary of Defense determines appropriate. 
(f) COMPTROLLER GENERAL EVALUATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of 
the United States shall conduct an independent eval-
uation of the actions taken by the Secretary of De-
fense to carry out the requirements of this section 
and the amendments made by this section. 
(2) REPORT.—Not later than two years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comp-
troller General shall submit to the Committees on 
Armed Services of the Senate and House of Rep-
resentatives a report on the evaluation conducted 
under paragraph (1). Such report shall include— 
(A) an analysis of the effectiveness of the 
actions taken by the Secretary to carry out the 
requirements of this section and the amend-
ments made by this section; and 
(B) such legislative and administrative rec-
ommendations as the Comptroller General con-
siders appropriate to meet the objectives of this 
section and the amendments made by this sec-
tion.
947 
SEC. 1206. REQUIREMENT FOR MILITARY EXERCISES. 
(a) EXERCISES REQUIRED.—Beginning on January 
1 of the year which begins after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall require the 
United States Central Command or other relevant com-
mands, units, or organizations of the United States Armed 
Forces, as the Secretary deems appropriate, to conduct 
military exercises that— 
(1) occur not fewer than two times in a cal-
endar year; 
(2) shall include invitations for the armed 
forces of Israel, provided that the Government of 
Israel consents to the participation of its forces in 
such exercises; 
(3) may include invitations for the armed forces 
of other allies and partners of the United States to 
take part in the exercises; 
(4) seek to enhance the interoperability and ef-
fectiveness of the United States Armed Forces, the 
armed forces of Israel, and the armed forces of other 
allies and partners of the United States in coalition 
operations; and 
(5) shall include, at a minimum, the following 
activities— 
(A) practicing or simulating large-scale 
and long-range strike missions;
948 
(B) practicing the aerial refueling of com-
bat aircraft of the armed forces of Israel by 
United States aerial refueling aircraft; and 
(C) practicing the provision by the United 
States Armed Forces of other enabling capabili-
ties to the armed forces of Israel, including— 
(i) logistics support; 
(ii) intelligence, surveillance, and re-
connaissance; and 
(iii) air defense. 
(b) SUNSET.—The requirements in subsection (a) 
shall terminate one year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
(c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres-
sional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Armed Services of the 
House of Representatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Armed Services of the 
Senate. 
SEC. 1207. REPORT ON END-USE MONITORING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 
of the United States shall submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees a report on Department of Defense
949 
and Department of State procedures related to alleged vio-
lations of requirements imposed by the United States Gov-
ernment with respect to use, transfers, and security of de-
fense articles and defense services provided to foreign 
countries pursuant to— 
(1) section 333 of title 10, United States Code 
(relating to authority to build the capacity of foreign 
security forces) or any other authority of the De-
partment of Defense to provide defense items to for-
eign countries; and 
(2) Foreign Military Sales under section 36 of 
the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2776). 
(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report re-
quired by subsection (a) shall include the following: 
(1) The extent to which the Department of De-
fense and the Department of State coordinate to 
track, report, and investigate violations described in 
subsection (a). 
(2) Any findings of Department of Defense or 
Department of State investigations of such violations 
and the actions taken in response to such findings. 
(3) The extent to which the Department of De-
fense and the Department of State have identified 
lessons learned or designated areas for increased 
monitoring as a result of such investigations.
950 
(4) The extent to which the Department of De-
fense and the Department of State have established 
expectations in policy and in transfer agreements re-
garding what would constitute such violations. 
(5) Any lessons learned on end-use monitoring 
with respect to the conflict in Ukraine and the feasi-
bility to apply such lessons to other regions affected 
by conflict. 
(6) Any other matters determined to be appro-
priate by the Comptroller General. 
(c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres-
sional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Armed Services and the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep-
resentatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Armed Services and the 
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate. 
SEC. 1208. REPORT ON ENHANCED END-USE MONITORING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 
of the United States shall submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees a report on enhanced end-use moni-
toring of defense items provided to foreign countries pur-
suant to—
951 
(1) section 333 of title 10, United States Code 
(relating to authority to build the capacity of foreign 
security forces) or any other authority of the De-
partment of Defense to provide defense items to for-
eign countries; and 
(2) Foreign Military Sales under section 36 of 
the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2776). 
(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report re-
quired by subsection (a) shall include the following: 
(1) A description of the Department of De-
fense’s process for determining the items subject to 
enhanced end-use monitoring and the factors the 
Department considers in designating items for such 
monitoring. 
(2) The extent to which, and how, the Depart-
ment of Defense coordinates with the Department of 
State and other agencies in designating items for 
such monitoring. 
(3) The extent to which the Department of De-
fense considers changing conditions in a country or 
region in designating items for such monitoring. 
(4) The extent to which security cooperation or-
ganizations at United States diplomatic missions 
overseas completed such monitoring as required by
952 
Department of Defense policy in each of the fiscal 
years 2018 through 2022. 
(5) Any lessons learned on such monitoring 
with respect to the conflict in Ukraine and the feasi-
bility to apply such lessons to other regions affected 
by conflict. 
(6) Any other matters determined to be appro-
priate by the Comptroller General. 
(c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres-
sional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Armed Services and the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep-
resentatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Armed Services and the 
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate. 
SEC. 1209. REPORT ON PARTNER COUNTRY FORCES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 
a report that— 
(1) specifies the number of partner countries 
whose military forces have participated in security 
cooperation training or equipping programs or re-
ceived security assistance training or equipping au-
953 
thorized under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
(22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) or chapter 16 of title 10, 
United States Code; and 
(2) lists each instance, during the period begin-
ning on January 1, 2000, and ending on the date 
of the submission of the report, in which a unit of 
a foreign military force trained or equipped under 
the authorities specified in paragraph (1) subse-
quently engaged in a coup, insurrection, or action to 
overthrow a democratically-elected government, or 
attempted any such action. 
(b) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMITTEES 
DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con-
gressional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Armed Services and the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep-
resentatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Armed Services and the 
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate. 
SEC. 1210. AUTHORITY TO BUILD CAPACITY OF FOREIGN 
SECURITY FORCES. 
Section 333(a) of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new para-
graph:
954 
‘‘(10) Counter-illegal, unreported, and unregu-
lated fishing operations.’’. 
SEC. 1210A. GENERAL THADDEUS KOSCIUSZKO MEMORIAL 
EXCHANGE PROGRAM FOR POLISH-AMER-
ICAN DEFENSE COOPERATION. 
(a) AUTHORITY.—The Commander of United States 
Army Special Operations Command shall seek to carry out 
a training program pursuant to section 322 of title 10, 
United States Code, between special operations forces 
under the jurisdiction of the Commander and special 
forces of the Polish Army. Such program shall be known 
as the ‘‘General Thaddeus Kosciuszko Memorial Exchange 
Program for Polish-American Defense Cooperation’’. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—Officers and enlisted members of 
such special operations forces may participate in the pro-
gram under this section. 
(c) PROGRESS REPORT.—Not later than 120 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Com-
mander shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services 
of the Senate and House of Representatives a report re-
garding progress of the Commander in carrying out the 
program under this section.
955 
SEC. 1210B. REPORT ON COORDINATION IN THE STATE 
PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM. 
The Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress 
a report on the feasibility of coordinating with private en-
tities and State governments to provide resources and per-
sonnel to support technical exchanges under the Depart-
ment of Defense State Partnership Program established 
under section 341 of title 10, United States Code. The 
report shall include— 
(1) an analysis of the gaps in implementation 
of the State Partnership Program that could be ad-
dressed in coordination with private entities or State 
governments; 
(2) the types of personnel and expertise that 
could be helpful to partner country participants in 
the State Partnership Program; and 
(3) barriers to leveraging such expertise from 
private entities and State governments, as applica-
ble, and 
(4) recommendations for modifications to stat-
ute or regulation to address removing such barriers. 
SEC. 1210C. ASSISTANCE TO ISRAEL FOR AERIAL REFUEL-
ING. 
(a) TRAINING ISRAELI PILOTS TO OPERATE KC–46 
AIRCRAFT.—
956 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
of the Air Force shall— 
(A) make available sufficient resources and 
accommodations within the United States to 
train members of the Israeli Air Force on the 
operation of KC–46 aircraft; and 
(B) conduct training for members of the 
Israeli Air Force, including— 
(i) training for pilots and crew on the 
operation of the KC–46 aircraft in accord-
ance with standards considered sufficient 
to conduct coalition operations of the 
United States Air Force and the Israeli 
Air Force; and 
(ii) training for ground personnel on 
the maintenance and sustainment require-
ments of the KC–46 aircraft considered 
sufficient for such operations. 
(2) UNITED STATES AIR FORCE MILITARY PER-
SONNEL
EXCHANGE
PROGRAM.—The Secretary of 
Defense shall, with respect to members of the Israeli 
Air Force associated with the operation of KC–46 
aircraft—
957 
(A) before the completion of the training 
required by paragraph (1)(B), authorize the 
participation of such members of the Israeli Air 
Force in the United States Air Force Military 
Personnel Exchange Program; 
(B) make available billets in the United 
States Air Force Military Personnel Exchange 
Program necessary for such members of the 
Israeli Air Force to participate in such pro-
gram; and 
(C) to the extent practicable, ensure that 
such members of the Israeli Air Force are able 
to participate in the United States Air Force 
Military Personnel Exchange Program imme-
diately after such members complete such train-
ing. 
(3) TERMINATION.—This subsection shall cease 
to have effect on the date that is ten years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the 
Senate and the House of Representatives a report that 
includes the following: 
(1) An assessment of—
958 
(A) the current operational requirements 
of the Government of Israel for aerial refueling; 
and 
(B) any gaps in current or near-term capa-
bilities. 
(2) The estimated date of delivery to Israel of 
KC–46 aircraft procured by the Government of 
Israel. 
(3) A detailed description of— 
(A) any actions the United States Govern-
ment is taking to expedite the delivery to Israel 
of KC–46 aircraft procured by the Government 
of Israel, while minimizing adverse impacts to 
United States defense readiness, including stra-
tegic forces readiness; 
(B) any additional actions the United 
States Government could take to expedite such 
delivery; and 
(C) additional authorities Congress could 
provide to help expedite such delivery. 
(4) A description of the availability of any 
United States aerial refueling tanker aircraft that 
are retired or are expected to be retired during the 
two-year period beginning on the date of the enact-
ment of this Act that could be provided to Israel.
959 
(c) FORWARD DEPLOYMENT
OF UNITED STATES 
KC–46 AIRCRAFT TO ISRAEL.— 
(1) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed 
Services of the Senate and the House of Representa-
tives a report that describes the capacity of and re-
quirements for the United States Air Force to for-
ward deploy KC–46 aircraft to Israel on a rotational 
basis until the date on which a KC–46 aircraft pro-
cured by the Government of Israel is commissioned 
into the Israeli Air Force and achieves full combat 
capability. 
(2) ROTATIONAL FORCES.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graphs (B) and (C), the Secretary of Defense 
shall, consistent with maintaining United States 
defense readiness, rotationally deploy one or 
more KC–46 aircraft to Israel until the earlier 
of— 
(i) the date on which a KC–46 air-
craft procured by the military forces of 
Israel is commissioned into such military 
forces and achieves full combat capability; 
or
960 
(ii) five years after the date of the en-
actment of this Act. 
(B) LIMITATION.—The Secretary of De-
fense may only carry out a rotational deploy-
ment under subparagraph (A) if the Govern-
ment of Israel consents to the deployment. 
(C) PRESENCE.—Beginning on January 1 
of the first calendar year that commences after 
the date that is 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, rotational deployments 
of United States KC–46 aircraft shall be 
present in Israel for not less than 270 days 
during each 1-year period until the applicable 
date under subparagraph (A). 
Subtitle B—Matters Relating to the 
Middle East and Central Asia 
SEC. 1211. EXTENSION OF CROSS-SERVICING AGREEMENTS 
FOR LOAN OF PERSONNEL PROTECTION AND 
PERSONNEL SURVIVABILITY EQUIPMENT IN 
COALITION OPERATIONS. 
Section 1207(f) of the Carl Levin and Howard P. 
‘‘Buck’’ McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2015 (Public Law 113–291; 10 U.S.C. 2342 
note) is amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 2024’’ and 
inserting ‘‘December 31, 2029’’.
961 
SEC. 1212. MODIFICATION OF QUARTERLY REPORTS ON EX- 
GRATIA PAYMENTS. 
Subsection (h)(2) of section 1213 of the National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (10 U.S.C. 
2731 note) is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), 
by striking ‘‘With respect to a preceding 90-day pe-
riod in which no ex gratia payments were made’’ and 
inserting ‘‘The status of all other pending ex gratia 
payments or requests, including’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘; or’’ and 
inserting ‘‘; and’’; 
(3) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) (as 
amended) and (B) as subparagraphs (D) and (E), 
respectively; and 
(4) by inserting before subparagraph (D), as so 
redesignated, the following: 
‘‘(A) when any such request was made; 
‘‘(B) what steps the Department is taking 
to respond to the request; 
‘‘(C) whether the Department denied any 
requests for any such payment, along with the 
reason for such denial;’’.
962 
SEC. 1213. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY 
TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO VETTED SYRIAN 
GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS. 
(a) EXTENSION.—Subsection (a) of section 1209 of 
the Carl Levin and Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (Public 
Law 113–291; 128 Stat. 3559) is amended in the matter 
preceding paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘December 31, 2023’’ 
and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2024’’. 
(b) SUNSET.—Subsection (l)(3)(D) of such section is 
amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 2023’’ and inserting 
‘‘December 31, 2024’’. 
SEC. 1214. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY 
TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO COUNTER THE 
ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ AND SYRIA. 
(a) EXTENSION.—Subsection (a) of section 1236 of 
the Carl Levin and Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (Public 
Law 113–291; 128 Stat. 3559) is amended in the matter 
preceding paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘December 31, 2023’’ 
and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2024’’. 
(b) FUNDING.—Subsection (g) of such section is 
amended by striking ‘‘Overseas Contingency Operations 
for fiscal year 2023, there are authorized to be appro-
priated $358,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2024, 
there are authorized to be appropriated $241,950,000’’.
963 
(c) SUNSET.—Subsection (o)(5) of such section is 
amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 2023’’ and inserting 
‘‘December 31, 2024’’. 
SEC. 1215. PLAN OF ACTION TO EQUIP AND TRAIN IRAQI SE-
CURITY FORCES AND KURDISH PESHMERGA 
FORCES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than February 1, 2024, 
the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Sec-
retary of State, shall develop a plan of action to equip 
and train Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga 
forces to defend against attack by missiles, rockets, and 
unmanned systems. The plan of action shall be based on 
and informed by the results of the report submitted by 
the Secretary of Defense pursuant to section 1237 of the 
James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263; 136 Stat. 2839). 
(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The plan required 
by subsection (a) shall include the following: 
(1) The provision of available equipment to Iraq 
and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region to counter the air 
and missile threats addressed in the report, to in-
clude air defense systems, to counter attack by mis-
siles, rockets, and unmanned systems. 
(2) The provision of appropriate training of 
Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga forces
965 
of the air defense equipping and training effort against 
the air and missile threat to Iraq, including in the Iraqi 
Kurdistan Region. 
SEC. 1216. EXTENSION OF UNITED STATES-ISRAEL ANTI- 
TUNNEL COOPERATION. 
Section 1279(f) of the National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114–92; 129 
Stat. 1079; 22 U.S.C. 8606 note) is amended by striking 
‘‘December 31, 2024’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 
2026’’. 
SEC. 1217. PLAN TO ENABLE ISRAEL TO GAIN OBSERVER 
STATUS IN THE EURO-NATO JOINT JET PILOT 
TRAINING PROGRAM. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall develop 
a plan to enable Israel to gain observer status in the Euro- 
NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program (ENJJPT). 
SEC. 1218. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF ANNUAL RE-
PORT ON MILITARY POWER OF IRAN. 
(a) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—Subsection (b) of 
section 1245 of the National Defense Authorization Act 
for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111–84) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (2)(D), by inserting after 
‘‘Iran’s conventional forces’’ the following: ‘‘and 
Iran’s unconventional or parallel military forces’’;
966 
(2) in paragraph (4)— 
(A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘mis-
sile launch sites’’ and inserting ‘‘missile launch 
and storage sites’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘; 
and’’ at the end; 
(C) in subparagraph (D), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 
and 
(D) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(E) an assessment of Iran’s space launch 
vehicle program and the ability of Iran to use 
those technologies to develop and field an inter-
continental ballistic missile; 
‘‘(F) a detailed analysis of the effectiveness 
of Iran’s drone forces; and 
‘‘(G) a description or estimation of the 
threat posed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary 
Guard Corps to European citizens or to mem-
ber countries of the European Union.’’; 
(3) in paragraph (7), by inserting ‘‘the People’s 
Republic of China,’’ before ‘‘Cuba’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(9) An assessment of groups that are sup-
ported by Iran and designated by the United States
967 
as foreign terrorist organizations and regional mili-
tary groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, the 
Houthis, and the Special Groups in Iraq, in par-
ticular those forces as having been assessed as to be 
willing to carry out terrorist operations on behalf of 
Iran. 
‘‘(10) An assessment of how Iran would utilize 
additional resources to further activities described in 
paragraphs (1) through (9).’’. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Subsection (c)(1)(B) of such sec-
tion is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(B) includes all branches and sub- 
branches of Iran’s national army or Artesh, 
such as its ground forces, air force, navy, and 
air defense forces as well as most branches of 
its parallel military, and the Islamic Revolu-
tionary Guard Corps excluding its Quds- 
Force.’’. 
SEC. 1219. PROHIBITION ON TRANSPORTING CURRENCY TO 
THE TALIBAN AND THE ISLAMIC EMIRATE OF 
AFGHANISTAN. 
None of the amounts authorized to be appropriated 
by this Act or otherwise made available to the Department 
of Defense may be made available for the operation of any 
aircraft of the Department of Defense to transport cur-
968 
rency or other items of value to the Taliban, the Islamic 
Emirate of Afghanistan, or any subsidiary, agent, or in-
strumentality of either the Taliban or the Islamic Emirate 
of Afghanistan. 
SEC. 1220. MODIFICATIONS TO THE OFFICE OF THE SPE-
CIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR AFGHANI-
STAN RECONSTRUCTION. 
Section 1229(m)(1)(B) of the National Defense Au-
thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 110– 
181; 5 App.) is amended by striking ‘‘the reconstruction 
of Afghanistan’’ and inserting ‘‘assistance for the benefit 
of the Afghan people’’. 
SEC. 1220A. RULES GOVERNING TRANSFER OF AERIAL RE-
FUELING TANKERS TO ISRAEL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 514(b) 
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
2321h(b)), and subject to subsections (b) and (c) of this 
section, the President, acting through the Secretary of De-
fense, may transfer to Israel one or more retired United 
States aerial refueling tankers, any United States aerial 
refueling tanker that the Secretary of Defense plans to 
retire during the two-year period beginning on the date 
of the enactment of this Act, or any other United States 
aerial refueling tanker the President considers appro-
priate, consistent with—
969 
(1) all other requirements set forth in the For-
eign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et 
seq.); and 
(2) the requirements set forth in the Arms Ex-
port Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.). 
(b) CONDITIONS.—Except in the case of an emer-
gency, as determined by the President, a transfer under 
subsection (a) may only occur if the transfer— 
(1) does not affect the ability of the United 
States to maintain a sufficient aerial refueling ca-
pacity to satisfy United States warfighting require-
ments; 
(2) does not harm the combat readiness of the 
United States; 
(3) does not affect the ability of the United 
States to meet its commitments to allies with respect 
to the transfer of aerial refueling capacity; and 
(4) is in the national security interest of the 
United States. 
(c) CERTIFICATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except in the case of an 
emergency, as determined by the President, not later 
than 15 days before making a transfer under sub-
section (a), the Secretary of Defense shall certify to 
the appropriate congressional committees that the
970 
transfer meets the conditions specified in subsection 
(b). 
(2) EMERGENCIES.—In the case of an emer-
gency, as determined by the President, not later 
than five days after making a transfer under sub-
section (a), the President shall— 
(A) certify to the appropriate congressional 
committees that the transfer supports the na-
tional security interests of the United States; 
and 
(B) provide to the appropriate congres-
sional committees an assessment of the impacts, 
risks, and mitigation measures with respect to 
the matters referred to in paragraphs (1) 
through (4) of subsection (b). 
(d) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMITTEES 
DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con-
gressional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Armed Services and the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep-
resentatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Armed Services and the 
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
971 
SEC. 1220B. PROHIBITION ON FUNDS TO IRAN. 
None of the amounts authorized to be appropriated 
by this Act or otherwise made available to the Department 
of Defense may be made available, directly or indirectly, 
to— 
(1) the Government of Iran; 
(2) any person owned or controlled by the Gov-
ernment of Iran; 
(3) any person identified on the list of specially 
designated nationals and blocked persons maintained 
by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the De-
partment of the Treasury, the property and interests 
in property of which are blocked pursuant to the 
International Emergency Economic Powers Act; 
(4) any person owned or controlled by a person 
described in paragraph (3); or 
(5) the Badr organization, Saraya Khorasani, 
or Kata’ib al-Imam Ali. 
SEC. 1220C. MODIFICATION AND EXTENSION OF ENHANCE-
MENT OF UNITED STATES-ISRAEL DEFENSE 
COOPERATION. 
(a) MODIFICATION.—Subsection (d) of section 1275 
of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Au-
thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (22 U.S.C. 2321h 
note) is amended to read as follows—
972 
‘‘(d) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ASSESSMENT OF 
QUANTITY
OF
PRECISION-GUIDED
MUNITIONS
AND 
OTHER MUNITIONS FOR USE BY ISRAEL.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than April 1, 
2024, and annually thereafter through 2026, the 
Secretary of Defense, in concurrence with the Sec-
retary of State, shall conduct an assessment with re-
spect to the following: 
‘‘(A) The quantity and type of precision- 
guided munitions necessary for Israel to protect 
Israel and prevail in the event of a sustained 
armed confrontation between Israel and the Is-
lamic Republic of Iran and the proxy forces of 
the 
Islamic 
Republic 
of 
Iran, 
including 
Hezbollah and Hamas. 
‘‘(B) The quantity and type of other muni-
tions necessary for Israel to protect Israel and 
prevail in the event of a sustained armed con-
frontation between Israel and the Islamic Re-
public of Iran and the proxy forces of the Is-
lamic Republic of Iran, including Hezbollah and 
Hamas. 
‘‘(C) The quantity and type of precision- 
guided munitions necessary for Israel to protect 
Israel and prevail in the event of a sustained
973 
armed 
confrontation 
between 
Israel 
and 
Hezbollah. 
‘‘(D) The quantity and type of precision- 
guided munitions necessary for Israel to protect 
Israel and prevail in the event of a sustained 
armed confrontation between Israel and any 
other armed group or terrorist organization, 
such as Hamas. 
‘‘(E) The resources the Government of 
Israel would need to dedicate to acquire the 
quantity and type of munitions described in 
subparagraphs (A) through (D). 
‘‘(F) Whether, as of the date on which the 
applicable assessment is completed, sufficient 
quantities and types of munitions to conduct 
operations described in subparagraphs (A) 
through (D) are present in— 
‘‘(i) the inventory of the military 
forces of Israel; 
‘‘(ii) the War Reserves Stock Allies- 
Israel; 
‘‘(iii) any other United States stock-
pile or depot within the area of responsi-
bility of United States Central Command, 
as the Secretary of Defense considers ap-
974 
propriate to disclose to the Government of 
Israel; or 
‘‘(iv) the inventory of the United 
States Armed Forces, as the Secretary of 
Defense considers appropriate to disclose 
to the Government of Israel. 
‘‘(G) United States planning— 
‘‘(i) to assist Israel to prepare for the 
contingencies described in subparagraphs 
(A) through (D); and 
‘‘(ii) to resupply Israel with the quan-
tity and type of munitions described in 
subparagraphs (A) through (D) in the 
event of such a contingency. 
‘‘(H) The quantity and pace at which the 
United States is capable of pre-positioning, rap-
idly replenishing, or assisting in the rapid re-
plenishment of, stockpiles of such munitions in 
the inventory of the military forces of Israel 
and the War Reserves Stock Allies-Israel in 
preparation for, and to conduct, the operations 
described in subparagraphs (A) through (D). 
‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the as-
sessment required by paragraph (1), the Secretary
975 
of Defense shall seek to consult with appropriate 
counterparts of the Government of Israel. 
‘‘(3) INVENTORY.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date on which the first assessment required by 
paragraph (1) is conducted, and every 90 days 
thereafter until December 31, 2028, the Secretary of 
Defense shall submit to the appropriate congres-
sional committees, the Committee on Appropriations 
of the House of Representatives, and the Committee 
on Appropriations of the Senate a report on the ac-
tions being taken and the progress made by the 
United States since the submission of the prior re-
port under this paragraph to ensure that the mili-
tary forces of Israel and the War Reserves Stock Al-
lies-Israel have the inventory and pre-positioned 
stocks necessary to prepare for, and to conduct, the 
operations described in subparagraphs (A) through 
(D) of paragraph (1), including procedures imple-
mented by the United States for rapidly replen-
ishing, or assisting in the rapid replenishment of, 
stockpiles of such munitions for use by Israel as may 
be necessary.’’. 
(b) MUNITIONS
TRANSFER
AUTHORITY
EXTEN-
SION.—Section 1275(e) of the William M. (Mac) Thorn-
berry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
976 
2021 (22 U.S.C. 2321h note) is amended by striking ‘‘the 
date that is three years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act’’ and inserting ‘‘January 1, 2025’’. 
SEC. 1220D. PROHIBITION ON TRANSFERS TO THE BADR 
ORGANIZATION. 
None of the amounts authorized to be appropriated 
by this Act or otherwise made available to the Department 
of Defense may be made available, directly or indirectly, 
to the Badr Organization. 
SEC. 1220E. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING ISRAEL. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) since 1948, Israel has been one of the 
strongest friends and allies of the United States; 
(2) Israel is a stable, democratic country in a 
region often marred by turmoil; 
(3) it is essential to the strategic interest of the 
United States to continue to offer security assistance 
and related support to Israel; and 
(4) such assistance and support is especially 
vital as Israel confronts a number of potential chal-
lenges at the present time, including continuing 
threats from Iran.
977 
SEC. 1220F. MODIFICATION AND UPDATE TO REPORT ON 
MILITARY CAPABILITIES OF IRAN AND RE-
LATED ACTIVITIES. 
Section 1227 of the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117–81; 135 Stat. 
1972) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)(C), by inserting ‘‘bal-
listic and cruise’’ after ‘‘instances of’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) in subparagraph (F), by striking 
‘‘The United Nations’’ and inserting ‘‘The 
effect of the United Nations’’; and 
(ii) by adding at the end the following 
new subparagraph: 
‘‘(H) Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps- 
affiliated operatives serving in diplomatic and 
consular posts, cultural centers, religious insti-
tutions, and religious functions outside of Iran 
and actions taken by the Secretary of Defense, 
the Secretary of State, and the heads of the ele-
ments of the intelligence community (as such 
term is defined in section 3 of the National Se-
curity Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003) to reduce 
the presence of such operations.’’;
978 
(2) by redesignating subsection (c) and (d) as 
subsections (d) and (e), respectively; 
(3) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(c) UPDATED REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of the National Defense 
Authorization Act of 2024, the Director of National Intel-
ligence shall submit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees an updated report that includes each of the mat-
ters listed in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a) and 
covers developments during the period beginning in June 
2022 and ending on the day before the date on which the 
updated report is submitted.’’; and 
(4) in subsection (d), as so redesignated, by in-
serting ‘‘, and the updated report required by sub-
section (b),’’ after ‘‘report required by subsection 
(a)’’. 
SEC. 
1220G. 
IMPROVEMENTS 
RELATING 
TO 
UNITED 
STATES-ISRAEL COOPERATION TO COUNTER 
UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS. 
Section 1278 of the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 116–92; 133 Stat. 
1702; 22 U.S.C. 8606 note) is amended— 
(1) 
in 
subsection 
(b)(4), 
by 
striking 
‘‘$40,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$55,000,000’’;
979 
(2) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as 
subsections (g) and (h), respectively; and 
(3) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol-
lowing new subsections: 
‘‘(e) REPORT
ON STATUS
OF COOPERATION
AND 
CERTAIN IRANIAN THREAT.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall submit to the appropriate commit-
tees of Congress a report containing the following: 
‘‘(1) An assessment of the status of cooperation 
between the United States and Israel on countering 
unmanned aerial systems, including an assessment 
of— 
‘‘(A) capabilities to counter unmanned aer-
ial systems under research and development; 
‘‘(B) capabilities to counter unmanned aer-
ial systems that have been fielded to the Armed 
Forces of the United States or Israel pursuant 
to this section; 
‘‘(C) proposed changes to authorizations, 
appropriations, or other provisions of law that 
would result in more effective capabilities to 
counter unmanned aerial systems and expedite 
the provision to the Armed Forces of the
980 
United States and Israel of capabilities to 
counter unmanned aerial systems; and 
‘‘(D) the extent to which the United 
States-Israel Operations-Technology Working 
Group 
established 
pursuant 
to 
section 
1299M(c) of the National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 
116–283; 134 Stat. 4014), or any successor 
working group, is being used to carry out the 
activities described in subsection (a)(1). 
‘‘(2) An assessment of the threat to the United 
States and Israel posed by unmanned aerial systems 
from Iran and associated proxies of Iran, including 
an assessment of deployed or otherwise available 
anti-unmanned aircraft capabilities of the United 
States and Israel and the adequacy of such capabili-
ties to offset such threat. 
‘‘(f) UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM DEFINED.—In this 
section, the term ‘unmanned aerial system’ includes loi-
tering munitions.’’. 
SEC. 1220H. REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST REGIONAL EXER-
CISES. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It the sense of the con-
gress that it is in the national security interest of the 
United States for the Department of Defense to promote
981 
and support multilateral exercises in the United States 
Central Command and United States Africa Command 
area of operations that include Israel and United States 
regional partners and allies. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall submit to the congressional defense committees a re-
port describing efforts to— 
(1) expand the frequency of bilateral and multi-
lateral exercises involving Israel and United States 
regional partners and allies in the Middle East; and 
(2) otherwise promote and participate in such 
exercises. 
(c) FORM.—The report required by subsection (b) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form and may contain 
a classified annex. 
SEC. 1220I. PROHIBITION ON PROVIDING FUNDING TO IRA-
NIAN ENTITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—None of the funds authorized to 
be appropriated to the Department of Defense or other-
wise made available by this Act may be made available, 
directly or indirectly, to— 
(1) the Government of Iran; 
(2) any person owned or controlled by the Gov-
ernment of Iran;
982 
(3) any person that is on the List of Specially 
Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons main-
tained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the 
Department of the Treasury and the property and 
interests in property of which are blocked pursuant 
to the International Emergency Economic Powers 
Act; or 
(4) any person owned or controlled by a person 
described in paragraph (3). 
(b) EXCEPTION FOR INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES.— 
The prohibition under subsection (a) shall not apply with 
respect to activities subject to the reporting requirements 
under title V of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 
U.S.C. 3091 et seq.) or any authorized intelligence activi-
ties of the United States. 
SEC. 1220J. REPORT ON UNITED STATES FORCE CAPABILI-
TIES IN THE CENTCOM AREA OF RESPONSI-
BILITY. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the United States should maintain robust capa-
bilities in the United States Central Command area of re-
sponsibility to respond to a range of issues of critical na-
tional security importance to the United States and 
United States allies and partners, to include any attempt
983 
by the Islamic Republic of Iran to pursue, develop, or oth-
erwise acquire a nuclear weapon or such capabilities. 
(b) REPORT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Com-
mander for United States Central Command shall 
submit to the congressional defense committees a re-
port that contains the elements described in para-
graph (2). 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by this 
subsection shall contain the following elements: 
(A) An assessment of United States mili-
tary capabilities in the United States Central 
Command area of responsibility. 
(B) An identification of any capabilities 
gaps related to the assessment in described in 
subparagraph (A) and recommendations for ad-
dressing such capabilities gaps. 
(3) FORM.—The report required by this sub-
section shall be submitted in unclassified form and 
may contain a classified annex. 
SEC. 1220K. PROHIBITION ON FUNDING FOR AND REMOVAL 
OF SANCTIONS AGAINST THE TALIBAN. 
(a) PROHIBITION ON FUNDING.—None of the funds 
authorized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise
984 
made available for the Department of Defense for fiscal 
year 2024 may be used to provide any kind of support 
to the Taliban or any Taliban affiliate, including financial, 
humanitarian, or materiel assistance. 
(b) PROHIBITION ON REMOVAL OF SANCTIONS.—Any 
sanctions, financial or otherwise, imposed by the United 
States against the Taliban or any Taliban affiliate on or 
before August 18, 2021, may not be waived or in any way 
mitigated except by enactment of a law after the date of 
the enactment of this Act specifically providing for such 
waiver or mitigation. 
(c) AFFILIATE DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘‘affiliate’’— 
(1) has the meaning given such term in section 
230.405 of title 17, Code of Federal Regulations (as 
in effect on the date of enactment of this Act); 
(2) means a person that is closely associated 
with another person typically in a dependent or sub-
ordinate manner; or 
(3) means a person that has a common purpose 
or shared characteristics with another person. 
SEC. 1220L. REPORT ON AGREEMENTS MADE BY THE 
UNITED STATES WITH THE TALIBAN. 
(a) CONGRESSIONAL
REVIEW
OF
AGREEMENTS 
MADE WITH THE TALIBAN.—The Secretary of State, in
985 
coordination with the Secretary of Defense and the Ad-
ministrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development, shall submit to the appropriate congres-
sional committees the following: 
(1) Any agreement made and entered into by 
the United States and the Taliban. Submission 
thereof shall occur not later than 30 days prior to 
entry absent notification to the appropriate congres-
sional committees, in which case submission thereof 
shall occur not later than 10 days prior to taking ef-
fect. 
(2) Any agreement made and entered into by 
third parties and the Taliban or notice of any such 
agreement. Submission of any such agreement or no-
tice thereof shall occur not later than 30 days after 
custody by the United States. 
(b) REPORT
ON PRIOR AGREEMENTS WITH
THE 
TALIBAN.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordina-
tion with the Secretary of Defense and the Administrator 
of the United States Agency for International Develop-
ment, shall submit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees any agreements made and entered into by the 
United States or third parties and the Taliban from Au-
gust 1, 2021, until such date of enactment.
986 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) AGREEMENT.—The term ‘‘agreement’’ in-
cludes memoranda of understanding and other mani-
festations of mutual assent. 
(2) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means the congressional defense commit-
tees, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
of Representatives, and the Committee on Foreign 
Relations of the Senate. 
(3) THIRD PARTIES.—The term ‘‘third parties’’ 
means organizations or entities in receipt of United 
States Government funding, including sub-recipients 
thereof. 
SEC. 1220M. REPORT ON PROVISION OF FUNDING AND 
OTHER ASSISTANCE TO IRAQI POPULAR MO-
BILIZATION FORCES. 
(a) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and 
the Director of National Intelligence, in coordination with 
the Secretary of State, shall jointly submit to the appro-
priate congressional committees a report containing— 
(1) an assessment of whether United States as-
sistance has been provided to, or has benefitted, the 
Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces for military train-
987 
ing or professional military education, including 
through assistance provided to the Ministry of De-
fense of Iraq; 
(2) an assessment of whether United States as-
sistance has been provided to, or has benefitted, any 
person who is— 
(A) a member of any organization des-
ignated a foreign terrorist organization by the 
Secretary of State under section 219 of the Im-
migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189); 
or 
(B) a person determined by the Secretary 
of the Treasury to be a specially designated na-
tional. 
(3) a description of how the government of Iraq 
and the Federal budget of such government provide 
direct funding to the Iraqi Popular Mobilization 
Forces; and 
(4) an assessment of how the relationship and 
interactions between the Ministry of Defense of Iraq 
and the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces affect the 
Strategic Framework Agreement for a Relationship 
of Friendship and Cooperation between the United 
States and the Republic of Iraq, done at Baghdad
988 
on November 17, 2008, and entered into force Janu-
ary 1, 2009. 
(b) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMITTEES 
DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con-
gressional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent 
Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of 
Representatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the 
Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Select 
Committee on Intelligence of the Senate. 
Subtitle C—Matters Relating to 
Ukraine 
SEC. 1221. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY FOR CERTAIN PER-
SONNEL OF THE OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR 
GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DE-
FENSE. 
Section 9905 of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 
DEFENSE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Inspector General of 
the Department of Defense, in connection with the 
Inspector General’s oversight of United States sup-
989 
port and activities carried out in response to Rus-
sia’s further invasion of Ukraine, may select, ap-
point, and employ, without regard to the provisions 
of subchapter I of chapter 33 (other than sections 
3303 and 3328 of such chapter), qualified can-
didates to any of positions in the Office of Inspector 
General involved in or for the conduct of reviews, 
audits, evaluations, inspections, and investigations 
with respect to oversight of such support and activi-
ties, including— 
‘‘(A) financial management, accounting, 
auditing, actuarial, cost estimation, or oper-
ational research; and 
‘‘(B) scientific, technology, technical, engi-
neering, data science, or mathematics. 
‘‘(2) SUNSET.—The authority provided under 
this subsection shall expire on the later of— 
‘‘(A) the date established under subsection 
(b)(1); or 
‘‘(B) the end of the first fiscal year in 
which the total amount appropriated for United 
States support and activities carried out in re-
sponse to Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine, 
including amounts made available for the recon-
990 
struction 
of 
Ukraine, 
is 
less 
than 
$1,000,000,000. 
‘‘(e) HIRING AUTHORITY FOR INSPECTORS GENERAL 
OF THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND USAID.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—To facilitate the assign-
ment of persons to assist on matters relating to the 
Inspectors General of the Department of Defense, 
Department of State, and United States Agency for 
International Development’s oversight of Ukraine re-
sponse activities as well as to functions vacated by 
personnel assisting on matters relating to oversight 
of Ukraine response activities, the Inspectors Gen-
eral of the Department of State and United States 
Agency for International Development may— 
‘‘(A) appoint on a temporary basis using 
the authorities in section 3161 (without regard 
to subsection (b)(2) of such section) such per-
sonnel as the Inspector General considers ap-
propriate; 
‘‘(B) employ Civil Service Retirement Sys-
tem and Federal Employees’ Retirement Sys-
tem annuitants for the purposes of assisting the 
Inspector General under this section; 
‘‘(C) employ Foreign Service Retirement 
and Disability System or the Foreign Service
991 
Pension System annuitants under chapter 8 of 
title I of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 
U.S.C. 4041 et seq.) for the purposes of assist-
ing the Inspector General under this section; 
and 
‘‘(D) appoint, without regard to the provi-
sions of subchapter I of chapter 33, (other than 
sections 3303 and 3328 of such chapter), quali-
fied candidates to the following series for the 
purposes of supporting the Inspector General’s 
oversight of Ukraine response activities under 
this section: 0080, 0201, 0301, 0343, 0340, 
0511, 0560, 0905, 1530, 1801, 1805, 1811, 
2210. 
‘‘(2) APPLICATION.— 
‘‘(A) COMPETITIVE
STATUS.—A person 
employed under paragraph (1)(A) shall acquire 
competitive status for appointment to any posi-
tion in the competitive service for which the em-
ployee possesses the required qualifications 
upon the completion of 13 months of contin-
uous service as an employee under this section. 
‘‘(B) ANNUITANTS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Reemployment of 
an annuitant under paragraph (1)(B) shall
992 
be subject to the provisions of section 
9902(g) as if the Inspector General was 
the Department of Defense. 
‘‘(ii) FOREIGN
SERVICE.—An annu-
itant 
reemployed 
under 
paragraph 
(1)(C)— 
‘‘(I) shall continue to receive an 
annuity; 
‘‘(II) shall not be considered a 
participant for purposes of chapter 8 
of title I of the Foreign Service Act of 
1980 (22 U.S.C. 4041 et seq.) or an 
employee for purposes of subchapter 
III of chapter 83 or chapter 84; and 
‘‘(III) may elect in writing, not 
later than 90 days after the date of 
reemployment, to be subject to section 
824 of the Foreign Service Act of 
1980 (22 U.S.C. 4064). 
‘‘(C) DIRECT HIRE.—Appointments under 
paragraph (1)(D) shall be capped at 45 posi-
tions per Office of Inspector General per year. 
‘‘(3) SUNSET.—The Inspectors General of the 
Department of State and United States Agency for 
International Development’s authority to appoint
993 
personnel under this section shall cease at the end 
of the first fiscal year in which the total amount ap-
propriated to the Department of State and United 
States Agency for International Development for 
Ukraine 
response 
activities 
is 
less 
than 
$1,000,000,000.’’. 
SEC. 1222. SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR UKRAINE 
ASSISTANCE. 
(a) OFFICE OF SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL.— 
There is established the Office of the Special Inspector 
General for Ukraine Assistance for the following: 
(1) To provide for the independent and objec-
tive conduct and supervision of audits and investiga-
tions, including within the territory of Ukraine, re-
lating to the programs and operations funded with 
amounts appropriated or otherwise made available 
for the military and nonmilitary support of Ukraine. 
(2) To provide for the independent and objec-
tive leadership and coordination of, and rec-
ommendations on, policies designed to prevent and 
detect waste, fraud, and abuse in such programs and 
operations described in paragraph (1). 
(3) To provide for an independent and objective 
means of keeping the Secretary of State, the Sec-
retary of Defense, and Congress fully and currently
994 
informed about problems and deficiencies relating to 
the administration of such programs and operations 
and the necessity for and progress on corrective ac-
tion. 
(b) APPOINTMENT
OF SPECIAL INSPECTOR GEN-
ERAL; REMOVAL.— 
(1) APPOINTMENT.—The head of the Office of 
the Special Inspector General for Ukraine Assistance 
shall be known as the Special Inspector General for 
Ukraine Assistance (in this section referred to as the 
‘‘Special Inspector General’’), who shall be des-
ignated by the President, with the advice and con-
sent of the Senate. 
(2) QUALIFICATIONS.—The appointment of the 
Special Inspector General shall be made solely on 
the basis of integrity and demonstrated ability in ac-
counting, auditing, financial analysis, law, manage-
ment analysis, public administration, or investiga-
tions. 
(3) SELECTION.—The Special Inspector Gen-
eral may be a member of the civil service or Foreign 
Service and may be selected from among the offices 
of the Inspectors General. 
(4) DEADLINE
FOR
APPOINTMENT.—The ap-
pointment of an individual as Special Inspector Gen-
995 
eral shall be made not later than 30 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
(5) PROHIBITION ON POLITICAL ACTIVITIES.— 
For purposes of section 7324 of title 5, United 
States Code, the Special Inspector General shall not 
be considered an employee who determines policies 
to be pursued by the United States in the nation-
wide administration of Federal law. 
(6) REMOVAL.—The Inspectors General shall be 
removable from office in accordance with the provi-
sions of section 403(b) of title 5, United States 
Code. 
(7) INDEPENDENCE TO CONDUCT INVESTIGA-
TIONS AND AUDITS.—No officer of the Department 
of Defense, the Department of State, or the United 
States Agency for International Development shall 
prevent or prohibit the Special Inspector General 
from initiating, carrying out, or completing any 
audit or investigation related to amounts appro-
priated or otherwise made available for the military 
and nonmilitary support of Ukraine or from issuing 
any subpoena during the course of any such audit or 
investigation. 
(c) SUPERVISION.—
996 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Special Inspector Gen-
eral shall report directly to, and be under the gen-
eral supervision of, the Secretary of State and the 
Secretary of Defense. 
(2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 
section may be construed to limit the ability of the 
Inspectors General to enter into agreements to con-
duct joint audits, inspections, or investigations in 
the exercise of their oversight responsibilities in ac-
cordance with this section with respect to Ukraine. 
(d) DUTIES.—It shall be the duty of the Special In-
spector General to conduct, supervise, and coordinate au-
dits and investigations of the treatment, handling, and ex-
penditure of amounts appropriated or otherwise made 
available for the military and nonmilitary support of 
Ukraine, and of the programs, operations, and contracts 
carried out utilizing such funds. Such duty shall also in-
clude the following: 
(1) To appoint, from among the offices of the 
Inspectors General, an Assistant Inspector General, 
who shall supervise auditing and investigative activi-
ties and assist the Special Inspector General in the 
discharge of responsibilities under this subsection. 
(2) The investigation of overpayments such as 
duplicate payments or duplicate billing and any po-
997 
tential unethical or illegal actions of Federal employ-
ees, contractors, or affiliated entities and the refer-
ral of such reports, as necessary, to the Department 
of Justice to ensure further investigations, prosecu-
tions, recovery of further funds, or other remedies. 
(3) The oversight and accounting of the obliga-
tion and expenditure of such funds; the monitoring 
and review of contracts funded by such funds. 
(4) The monitoring and review of the transfer 
of such funds and associated information between 
and among departments, agencies, and entities of 
the United States and private and nongovernmental 
entities. 
(5) The maintenance of records on the use of 
such funds to facilitate future audits and investiga-
tions of the use of such funds. 
(6) To develop and carry out, in coordination 
with the offices of the Inspectors General, a joint 
strategic plan to conduct comprehensive oversight of 
all military and nonmilitary United States support 
for Ukraine. 
(7) To apply key lessons from prior oversight 
work, in coordination with the offices of the Inspec-
tors General, to Ukraine response programs and op-
erations to minimize waste, fraud, and abuse.
998 
(8) With respect to military and nonmilitary 
United States support for Ukraine— 
(A) to ensure, through joint or individual 
audits, inspections, and investigations, inde-
pendent and effective oversight of— 
(i) all funds appropriated or otherwise 
made available for such support; and 
(ii) the programs, operations, and 
contracts carried out using such funds; 
and 
(B) to review and ascertain the accuracy of 
information provided by Federal agencies relat-
ing to— 
(i) obligations and expenditures; 
(ii) costs of programs and projects; 
(iii) accountability of funds; 
(iv) the tracking and monitoring of all 
lethal and nonlethal security assistance 
and compliance with end-use certification 
requirements; and 
(v) the award and execution of major 
contracts, grants, and agreements in sup-
port of Ukraine. 
(9) To employ, or authorize the employment by 
the Inspectors General, on a temporary basis using
999 
the authorities in section 3161 of title 5, United 
States Code (without regard to subsection (b)(2) of 
such section), such auditors, investigators, and other 
personnel as the Special Inspector General considers 
appropriate to carrying out the duties described in 
this subsection. 
(10) To carry out such other responsibilities re-
lating to the coordination and efficient and effective 
discharge by the Inspectors General of duties relat-
ing to United States military and nonmilitary sup-
port for Ukraine as the Special Inspector General 
shall specify. 
(11) To discharge the responsibilities under this 
subsection in a manner consistent with the authori-
ties and requirements of this section and the au-
thorities and requirements applicable to the Inspec-
tors General under chapter 4 of title 5, United 
States Code. 
(12) To review and ascertain that all Federal 
agencies involved in the distribution of any weaponry 
and equipment sent to Ukraine evaluated the finan-
cial value of all weaponry and equipment accurately 
and consistently since February 24, 2022. 
(e) EMPLOYMENT
OF
EXPERTS
AND
CONSULT-
ANTS.—The Special Inspector General may obtain services
1000 
as authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United States 
Code, at daily rates not to exceed the equivalent rate pre-
scribed for grade GS–15 of the General Schedule by sec-
tion 5332 of such title. 
(f) CONTRACTING AUTHORITY.—To the extent and in 
such amounts as may be provided in advance by appro-
priations Acts, the Special Inspector General may enter 
into contracts and other arrangements for audits, studies, 
analyses, and other services with public agencies and with 
private persons, and make such payments as may be nec-
essary to carry out the duties of the Special Inspector 
General. 
(g) DEPLOYMENT OF SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL 
STAFF.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Office of the Special In-
spector General for Ukraine shall maintain a pres-
ence of at least 1 individual in the country of 
Ukraine at all times. 
(2) EVACUTION PLAN.—The Special Inspector 
General shall coordinate with the appropriate chief 
of mission for this purpose and shall maintain a 
plan to evacuate personnel should it be required. 
(3) NOTICE AND JUSTIFICATION.—To any ex-
tent that the Special Inspector General determines 
that the Office of the Special Inspector General can-
1001 
not maintain such a presence in Ukraine, the Special 
Inspector General shall notify the appropriate con-
gressional committees in writing within 7 days of 
such determination, along with a justification for 
why the presence could not be maintained. 
(4) RESOURCES.—The Secretary of State or the 
Secretary of Defense, as appropriate, shall provide 
the Special Inspector General with— 
(A) appropriate and adequate office space 
at appropriate locations of the Department of 
State or the Department of Defense (as the 
case may be) in Ukraine, or at an appropriate 
United States military installation in the Euro-
pean theater, together with such equipment, of-
fice supplies, and communications facilities and 
services as may be necessary for the operation 
of such offices, and shall provide necessary 
maintenance services for such offices and the 
equipment and facilities located therein; and 
(B) appropriate and adequate support for 
audits, investigations, and related activities by 
the Special Inspector General or assigned per-
sonnel within the territory of Ukraine. 
(5) ASSISTANCE FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.—
1002 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Upon request of the 
Special Inspector General for information or as-
sistance from any department, agency, or other 
entity of the Federal Government, the head of 
such entity shall, insofar as is practicable and 
not in contravention of any existing law, furnish 
such information or assistance to the Special 
Inspector General, or an authorized designee. 
(B) REPORTING
OF
REFUSED
ASSIST-
ANCE.—Whenever information or assistance re-
quested by the Special Inspector General is, in 
the judgment of the Special Inspector General, 
unreasonably refused or not provided, the Spe-
cial Inspector General shall report the cir-
cumstances to the Secretary of State or the 
Secretary of Defense, as appropriate, and to the 
appropriate congressional committees without 
delay. 
(h) REPORTS.— 
(1) QUARTERLY REPORTS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days 
after the end of each fiscal-year quarter, the 
Special Inspector General shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report 
summarizing with respect to that quarter and,
1003 
to the extent possible, the period from the end 
of such quarter to the date on which the report 
is submitted, the activities during such period 
of the Special Inspector General and the activi-
ties under programs and operations funded with 
amounts appropriated or otherwise made avail-
able for the military and nonmilitary support of 
Ukraine. Each report shall include, for the pe-
riod covered by such report, a detailed state-
ment of all obligations, expenditures, and reve-
nues associated with military and nonmilitary 
support of Ukraine, including the following: 
(i) Obligations and expenditures of 
appropriated funds. 
(ii) Operating expenses of agencies or 
entities receiving amounts appropriated or 
otherwise made available for the military 
and nonmilitary support of Ukraine. 
(iii) In the case of any contract, 
grant, agreement, or other funding mecha-
nism described in paragraph (4)— 
(I) the amount of the contract, 
grant, agreement, or other funding 
mechanism;
1004 
(II) a brief discussion of the 
scope of the contract, grant, agree-
ment, or other funding mechanism; 
(III) a discussion of how the de-
partment or agency of the United 
States Government involved in the 
contract, grant, agreement, or other 
funding mechanism identified, and so-
licited offers from, potential individ-
uals or entities to perform the con-
tract, grant, agreement, or other 
funding mechanism, together with a 
list of the potential individuals or en-
tities that were issued solicitations for 
the offers; and 
(IV) the justification and ap-
proval documents on which was based 
the determination to use procedures 
other than procedures that provide for 
full and open competition. 
(iv) An accounting comparison of— 
(I) the military and nonmilitary 
support provided to Ukraine by the 
United States; and
1005 
(II) the military and nonmilitary 
support provided to Ukraine by other 
North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
member countries, including allied 
contributions to Ukraine that are sub-
sequently 
backfilled 
or 
subsidized 
using United States funds. 
(B) ELEMENTS.—Each report required by 
subparagraph (A) shall include, for the period 
covered by the report— 
(i) a description of any identified 
waste, fraud, or abuse with respect to pro-
grams and operations funded with amounts 
appropriated or otherwise made available 
for the military and nonmilitary support of 
Ukraine; 
(ii) a description of the status and re-
sults of— 
(I) 
investigations, 
inspections, 
and audits; and 
(II) referrals to the Department 
of Justice; 
(iii) a description of the overall plans 
for review by the Inspectors General of 
such support of Ukraine, including plans
1006 
for investigations, inspections, and audits; 
and 
(iv) an evaluation of the compliance of 
the Government of Ukraine with all re-
quirements for receiving United States 
funds, including a specific description of 
any instances where the Government of 
Ukraine failed to comply with the require-
ments specified to receive United States 
funds, weaponry, and equipment. 
(2) PUBLIC
AVAILABILITY.—The Special In-
spector General shall publish on a publicly available 
internet website each report required by paragraph 
(1) in English and any other language the Special 
Inspector General determines is widely used and un-
derstood in Ukraine. 
(3) FORM.—Each report required by this sub-
section shall be submitted in unclassified form, but 
may include a classified annex if the Special Inspec-
tor General considers it necessary. 
(4) COVERED
CONTRACTS, GRANTS, AGREE-
MENTS, AND FUNDING MECHANISMS DESCRIBED.—A 
covered contract, grant, agreement, or other funding 
mechanism described in this paragraph is any major 
contract, grant, agreement, or other funding mecha-
1007 
nism that is entered into by any department or 
agency of the United States Government that in-
volves the use of amounts appropriated or otherwise 
made available for the military and nonmilitary sup-
port of Ukraine with any public or private sector en-
tity for any of the following purposes: 
(A) To build or rebuild physical infrastruc-
ture of Ukraine. 
(B) To establish or reestablish a political 
or societal institution of Ukraine. 
(C) To provide products or services to the 
people of Ukraine. 
(D) To provide lethal or nonlethal weap-
onry to Ukraine. 
(E) To otherwise provide military or non-
military support to Ukraine. 
(5) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 
subsection may be construed to authorize the public 
disclosure of information that is— 
(A) specifically prohibited from disclosure 
by any other provision of law; or 
(B) a part of an ongoing criminal inves-
tigation. 
(i) REPORT COORDINATION.—
1008 
(1) TRANSMISSION TO SECRETARIES OF STATE 
AND DEFENSE.—The Special Inspector General shall 
also transmit each report required by subsection (g) 
to the Secretary of State and the Secretary of De-
fense. 
(2) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days 
after receipt of a report pursuant to paragraph 
(1), the Secretary of State and the Secretary of 
Defense shall separately submit to the appro-
priate congressional committees any comments 
on the matters covered by the report. Such 
comments shall be submitted in unclassified 
form, but may include a classified annex if the 
Secretary of State or the Secretary of Defense, 
as the case may be, considers it necessary. 
(B) ACCESS.—On request, any Member of 
Congress may view the comments submitted 
pursuant to subparagraph (A), including the 
classified annex. 
(j) TRANSPARENCY.— 
(1) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after 
submission to the appropriate congressional commit-
tees of a report required by subsection (g), the Sec-
retary of State and the Secretary of Defense shall
1009 
jointly make copies of the report available to the 
public upon request, and at a reasonable cost. 
(2) COMMENTS ON MATTERS COVERED BY RE-
PORT.—Not later than 60 days after submission to 
the appropriate congressional committees pursuant 
to subsection (h)(2)(A) of comments on a report re-
quired by subsection (g), the Secretary of State and 
the Secretary of Defense shall jointly make copies of 
the comments available to the public upon request, 
and at a reasonable cost. 
(k) WAIVER.— 
(1) AUTHORITY.—The President may waive the 
requirement under paragraph (1) or (2) of sub-
section (i) with respect to the public availability of 
any element in a report required by subsection (g), 
or any comment submitted pursuant to subsection 
(h)(2)(A), if the President determines that the waiv-
er is justified for national security reasons. 
(2) NOTICE OF WAIVER.—The President shall 
publish a notice of each waiver made under this sub-
section in the Federal Register no later than the 
date on which a report required by subsection (g), 
or any comment submitted pursuant to subsection 
(h)(2)(A), is submitted to the appropriate congres-
sional committees. The report and comments shall
1010 
specify whether waivers under this subsection were 
made and with respect to which elements in the re-
port or which comments, as appropriate. 
(3) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 
subsection may be construed to authorize the Presi-
dent to waive any requirement under subsection 
(h)(2) with respect to the availability of comments 
submitted pursuant to such subsection. 
(l) PUBLICATION OF UNITED STATES MILITARY AND 
NONMILITARY ASSISTANCE TO UKRAINE.—Not later than 
30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Presi-
dent, acting through the Secretary of Defense and Sec-
retary of State, shall publish a comprehensive accounting 
of amounts appropriated or otherwise made available by 
the United States for military and nonmilitary support for 
Ukraine on a publicly available website of the United 
States Government. 
(m) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘amounts appropriated or other-
wise made available for the military and nonmilitary 
support of Ukraine’’ means— 
(A) amounts appropriated or otherwise 
made available on or after January 1, 2022, 
for—
1011 
(i) the Ukraine Security Assistance 
Initiative under section 1250 of the Na-
tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2016 (Public Law 114–92; 129 Stat. 
1608); 
(ii) any foreign military financing 
accessed by the Government of Ukraine; 
(iii) the presidential drawdown au-
thority under section 506(a) of the Foreign 
Assistance 
Act 
of 
1961 
(22 
U.S.C. 
2318(a)); 
(iv) the defense institution building 
program under section 332 of title 10, 
United States Code; 
(v) the building partner capacity pro-
gram under section 333 of title 10, United 
States Code; 
(vi) the international military edu-
cation and training program of the Depart-
ment of State; and 
(vii) the United States European 
Command; and 
(B) amounts appropriated or otherwise 
made available on or after January 1, 2022, for 
the military, economic, reconstruction, or hu-
1012 
manitarian support of Ukraine under any ac-
count or for any purpose not described in sub-
paragraph (A). 
(2) The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Appropriations, the 
Committee on Armed Services, the Committee 
on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
of the Senate; and 
(B) the Committee on Appropriations, the 
Committee on Armed Services, the Committee 
on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on 
Oversight and Accountability of the House of 
Representatives. 
(3) The term ‘‘Inspectors General’’ means the 
following: 
(A) The Inspector General of the Depart-
ment of Defense. 
(B) The Inspector General of the Depart-
ment of State. 
(C) The Inspector General of the United 
States Agency for International Development. 
(n) TERMINATION.—The Office of the Special Inspec-
tor General for Ukraine Assistance shall terminate 180
1013 
days after the date on which amounts appropriated or oth-
erwise made available for the military and nonmilitary 
support of Ukraine are less than the amounts that were 
appropriated or otherwise available for the military and 
nonmilitary support of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. 
(o) FINAL REPORT.—The Special Inspector General 
shall, prior to the termination of the Office of the Special 
Inspector General for Ukraine Assistance under sub-
section (m), prepare and submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees a final forensic audit report on pro-
grams and operations funded with amounts appropriated 
or otherwise made available for the military and non-
military support of Ukraine. 
(p) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 
appropriated $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 to 
carry out this section. 
(2) OFFSET.—Notwithstanding the amounts set 
forth in the funding tables in division D, the amount 
authorized to be appropriated in section 301 for op-
eration and maintenance, as specified in the cor-
responding funding table in section 4301 for ‘‘Oper-
ation and maintenance, defense-wide–Line 490–Of-
fice of the Secretary of Defense’’, is hereby reduced 
by $20,000,000.
1014 
SEC. 1223. EXTENSION OF UKRAINE SECURITY ASSISTANCE 
INITIATIVE. 
Section 1250 of the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114–92; 129 Stat. 
1068) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (f)— 
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 
by striking ‘‘for overseas contingency oper-
ations’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(9) For fiscal year 2024, $300,000,000.’’; and 
(2) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘December 
31, 2024’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2025’’. 
SEC. 1224. EXTENSION OF LEND-LEASE AUTHORITY TO 
UKRAINE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2(a)(1) of the Ukraine 
Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 (Public Law 
117–118; 136 Stat. 1184) is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal 
years 2022 and 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2022 
through 2024’’. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall submit to Congress a report on— 
(1) the impact of the exercise of the lend-lease 
authority under the Ukraine Democracy Defense
1015 
Lend-Lease Act of 2022 on United States defense 
stockpiles and readiness; and 
(2) the accounting of United States military 
equipment provided to the Government of Ukraine, 
including a strategy and timeline for recovering de-
fense articles provided to Ukraine under such lend- 
lease authority when it expires. 
SEC. 1225. PLAN AND REPORT RELATING TO ALLIED AND 
PARTNER SUPPORT TO UKRAINE. 
(a) PLAN AND REPORTS REQUIRED.—The Secretary 
of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense com-
mittees— 
(1) a plan to encourage increased total con-
tributions made by allied and partner countries to 
meet the military contributions of the United States; 
and 
(2) every 90 days after the submission of the 
plan described in paragraph (1) until the date de-
scribed in subsection (c)— 
(A) a report on all contributions to 
Ukraine 
in 
absolute 
and 
relative 
terms, 
disaggregated by country, in the preceding 90- 
day period; and 
(B) an update on efforts under the such 
plan.
1016 
(b) FORM.—The report required under subsection 
(a)(2) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may 
include a classified annex. 
(c) SUNSET.—The reporting requirement in sub-
section (a)(2) shall terminate on the earlier of— 
(1) the date that is 180 days after the date on 
which amounts appropriated or otherwise made 
available for the support of Ukraine are less than 
the amounts that were appropriated or otherwise 
made available for the support of Ukraine on Feb-
ruary 24, 2022; or 
(2) December 31, 2025. 
SEC. 1226. REPORT ON WAR IN UKRAINE. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit 
to Congress a report on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine 
that includes information on causalities, wounded, and 
materials or equipment losses for both sides of the conflict. 
SEC. 1227. REPORT ON CERTAIN ASSISTANCE TO UKRAINE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Inspector General 
of the Department of Defense shall submit to Congress 
a report reconciling all United States assistance to 
Ukraine, including all normal and supplemental Ukraine 
appropriations and drawdowns, from January 1, 2022,
1017 
through the date of such submission. The report shall spe-
cifically detail the countries, entities, and individuals who 
received such assistance. 
(b) ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS.—The report required 
under subsection (a) shall also detail the following: 
(1) All contracts awarded to third parties with 
enumerated amounts, including an identification of 
each such third party recipient and a specification of 
the amount awarded to each such third party. 
(2) The total of appropriated or authorized 
amounts that have been obligated or expended, as 
well as the total amounts of authorized or appro-
priated funds that have not been so obligated or ex-
pended. 
(c) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain 
a classified annex. 
SEC. 1228. BRIEFINGS ON ARMS DELIVERIES TO UKRAINE. 
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act and every 90 days thereafter for one year, 
the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State shall 
jointly brief the congressional defense committees, the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representa-
tives, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Sen-
ate on the status of weapons the United States has com-
1018 
mitted to sending to Ukraine and to other regional allies 
and partners who are providing weapons to Ukraine, in-
cluding an estimated delivery timetable for such weapons, 
and a description of measures being taken to expedite the 
delivery of such weapons. 
SEC. 1229. REPORT ON DETAILED OVERSIGHT OF UNITED 
STATES ASSISTANCE TO UKRAINE. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Office of the Inspector General of 
the Department of Defense shall submit to Congress a re-
port on detailed oversight of United States assistance to 
Ukraine. 
SEC. 1230. REPORT ON ALLIED CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE 
COMMON DEFENSE. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) section 1003 of the Department of Defense 
Authorization Act, 1985 (Public Law 98–525; 63 
Stat. 2241)— 
(A) expresses that due to threats that are 
ever-changing, Congress must be informed with 
respect to allied contributions to the common 
defense to properly assess the readiness of the 
United States and the countries described in 
subsection (b)(2) for threats; and
1019 
(B) requires that the Secretary of Defense 
to submit to Congress an annual report on the 
contributions of allies to the common defense; 
(2) the threats facing the United States— 
(A) extend beyond the global war on ter-
ror; and 
(B) include near-peer threats; and 
(3) the President should seek from each coun-
try described in subsection (b)(2) acceptance of 
international security responsibilities and agree-
ments to make contributions to the common defense 
in accordance with the collective defense agreements 
or treaties to which such country is a party. 
(b) REPORTS ON ALLIED CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE 
COMMON DEFENSE.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than March 1, 
each year, the Secretary, in coordination with the 
heads of other Federal agencies, as the Secretary de-
termines to be necessary, shall submit to the appro-
priate committees of Congress a report containing a 
description of— 
(A) the annual defense spending by each 
country described in paragraph (2), including 
available data on nominal budget figures and 
defense spending as a percentage of the gross
1020 
domestic products of each such country for the 
fiscal year immediately preceding the fiscal year 
in which the report is submitted; 
(B) the activities of each such country to 
contribute to military or stability operations in 
which the Armed Forces of the United States 
are a participant or may be called upon in ac-
cordance with a cooperative defense agreement 
to which the United States is a party; 
(C) any limitations placed by any such 
country on the use of such contributions; and 
(D) any actions undertaken by the United 
States or by other countries to minimize such 
limitations. 
(2) COUNTRIES DESCRIBED.—The countries de-
scribed in this paragraph are the following: 
(A) Each member country of the North At-
lantic Treaty Organization. 
(B) Each member country of the Gulf Co-
operation Council. 
(C) Each country party to the Inter-Amer-
ican Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Trea-
ty), done at Rio de Janeiro September 2, 1947, 
and entered into force December 3, 1948 
(TIAS 1838).
1021 
(D) Australia. 
(E) Japan. 
(F) New Zealand. 
(G) The Philippines. 
(H) South Korea. 
(I) Thailand. 
(3) FORM.—Each report under paragraph (1) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may 
contain a classified annex. 
(4) AVAILABILITY.—A report submitted under 
paragraph (1) shall be made available on request to 
any Member of Congress. 
(c) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate commit-
tees of Congress’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 
Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Committee 
on Appropriations of the Senate; and 
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee 
on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
1022 
Subtitle D—Matters Relating to 
Russia, Europe, and NATO 
SEC. 1231. STATEMENT OF POLICY RELATING TO NATO- 
RUSSIA FOUNDING ACT. 
It is the policy of the United States that the agree-
ment titled ‘‘Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Coopera-
tion and Security between NATO and the Russian Federa-
tion’’, done at Paris on May 27, 1997 (commonly referred 
to as the ‘‘NATO-Russia Founding Act’’), does not— 
(1) prohibit the establishment of a permanent 
presence of the United States Armed Forces in Eu-
rope; or 
(2) constrain in any manner the deployment of 
United States Armed Forces or North Atlantic 
Treaty Organization (NATO) forces. 
SEC. 1232. STRATEGY TO DELAY, DISRUPT, AND DEGRADE 
ROSATOM’S PROLIFERATION ACTIVITIES AND 
OTHER REVENUE STREAMS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy cor-
poration, Rosatom, is providing the People’s Repub-
lic of China highly enriched uranium for Chinese 
Communist Party fast-breeder reactors. 
(2) The Department of Defense’s 2022 report 
to Congress on the Military and Security Develop-
1023 
ments Involving the People’s Republic of China 
noted the key role that increased weapons-grade plu-
tonium production is key to China’s nuclear pro-
gram, stating: ‘‘The PRC is also supporting this ex-
pansion by increasing its capacity to produce and 
separate plutonium by constructing fast breeder re-
actors and reprocessing facilities.’’. The report also 
cites the CFR-600 reactors and notes that each re-
actor will be capable of producing ‘‘enough pluto-
nium for dozens of nuclear warheads annually’’. 
This buildup puts China in violation of Article VI of 
the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 
Weapons, requiring states to make good-faith efforts 
to cease an arms race and to engage in good-faith 
arms control negotiations. 
(3) There are also credible reports that ‘‘Rus-
sia’s state nuclear power conglomerate has been 
working to supply the Russian arms industry with 
components, technology and raw materials for mis-
sile(s)’’. Specifically, a letter from a Rosatom de-
partment chief, dated October 2022, shows Rosatom 
offering to provide goods to Russian military units 
and to Russian weapons manufacturers that are 
under sanctions.
1024 
(4) The United States Government has taken 
steps against Rosatom, such as sanctioning three 
Rosatom subsidiaries on February 24, 2023, and 
speaking out publicly against Rosatom’s behavior. 
(5) Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space 
Policy, Dr. John F. Plumb, testified before the 
House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic 
Forces on March 8, 2023, that ‘‘It’s very troubling 
to see Russia and China cooperating on this . . . 
They may have talking points around it, but there’s 
no getting around the fact that breeder reactors are 
plutonium, and plutonium is for weapons. So, I 
think the [Defense] Department is concerned. And 
of course, it matches our concerns about China’s in-
creased expansion of its nuclear forces as well, be-
cause you need more plutonium for more weapons.’’. 
(b) STRATEGY.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of De-
fense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, the Sec-
retary of the Treasury, and the Secretary of Energy, with 
the assistance of the Director of National Intelligence, 
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 
a strategy to delay, disrupt, and degrade Rosatom’s and 
other Russian state-owned entities’ proliferation activities
1025 
and other revenue streams that directly fund Russia’s 
military forces. 
(c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE-
FINED.—In subsection (b), the term ‘‘appropriate congres-
sional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce, the Committee on Financial 
Services, and the Permanent Select Committee on 
Intelligence of the House of Representatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources, the Committee on 
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and the Se-
lect Committee on Intelligence of the Senate. 
SEC. 1233. BALTIC SECURITY INITIATIVE. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) supporting and strengthening the security 
of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lith-
uania is in the national security interests of the 
United States; 
(2) the United States and the Baltic states are 
leaders in the mission of defending independence 
and democracy from aggression and in promoting
1026 
stability and security within the North Atlantic 
Treaty Organization (NATO), with non-NATO part-
ners, and with other international organizations such 
as the European Union; 
(3) the Baltic states are model NATO allies in 
terms of burden sharing, investing over 2 percent of 
their gross domestic product on defense expenditure, 
allocating over 20 percent of their defense budgets 
on capital modernization, matching security assist-
ance from the United States, frequently deploying 
their forces around the world in support of allied 
and United States objectives, and sharing diplo-
matic, technical, military, and analytical expertise on 
defense and security matters; 
(4) the United States should pursue consistent 
efforts focused on defense and security assistance, 
coordination, and planning, such as the United 
States Baltic Dialogue, designed to ensure the con-
tinued security of the Baltic states and on deterring 
current and future challenges to the national sov-
ereignty of United States allies and partners in the 
Baltic region; 
(5) the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of 
State should seek to require matching funds from
1027 
those Baltic states in amounts commensurate with 
amounts provided. 
(b) STRATEGY.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of De-
fense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, shall 
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a re-
port setting forth a strategy to deepen security coopera-
tion with the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lith-
uania to— 
(1) achieve United States national security 
strategy objectives; 
(2) enhance regional planning and cooperation 
among Baltic states, particularly with respect to 
long-term regional capability projects; and 
(3) enhance the Baltic states’ defenses and re-
siliency. 
(c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres-
sional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Armed Services and the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep-
resentatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Armed Services and the 
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
1028 
SEC. 1234. PROHIBITION ON NEW START TREATY INFORMA-
TION SHARING. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—None of the funds authorized to 
be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available 
for fiscal year 2024 for the Department of Defense may 
be used to provide the Russian Federation with notifica-
tions as required by the New START Treaty. 
(b) WAIVER.—The Secretary of Defense may waive 
the prohibition in subsection (a) on a case-by-case basis 
if the Secretary of Defense certifies to the appropriate 
congressional committees in writing, 30 days in advance 
of exercising such a waiver, that— 
(1) the waiver is in the national security inter-
est of the United States; and 
(2) the Russian Federation is providing similar 
information to the United States as required by the 
New START Treaty. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Armed Services and 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
of Representatives; and 
(B) the Committee on Armed Services and 
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Sen-
ate; and
1029 
(2) the term ‘‘New START Treaty’’ means the 
Treaty between the United States of America and 
the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further 
Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive 
Arms, signed at Prague April 8, 2010, and entered 
into force February 5, 2011. 
SEC. 1235. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON DEFENSE BY NATO 
MEMBER STATES. 
It is the sense of Congress that each North Atlantic 
Treaty Organization (NATO) member state should com-
mit to providing, at a minimum, 2 percent of its Gross 
Domestic Product (GDP) to defense to continue to ensure 
NATO’s military readiness. 
SEC. 1236. REPORT ON THE SECURITY RELATIONSHIP BE-
TWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE HEL-
LENIC REPUBLIC. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
and the Secretary of State shall jointly submit to the ap-
propriate congressional committees a report on the secu-
rity relationship between the United States and the Hel-
lenic Republic. 
(b) REPORT CONTENTS.—The report required under 
subsection (a) shall include the following:
1030 
(1) A description of the basing rights granted 
to the United States under the updated U.S.-Greece 
Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA) 
signed October 14, 2021. 
(2) A description of United States activities and 
investment on the bases covered in the MDCA since 
such date. 
(3) An analysis of the potential for additional 
bases or expanded United States military presence 
in the Hellenic Republic, particularly on Greek is-
lands. 
(4) An assessment of the status of the security 
cooperation mandated by subtitle B of title XIII of 
division A of the National Defense Authorization Act 
for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117-81; 135 Stat. 
1999; relating to the United States-Greece Defense 
and Interparliamentary Partnership Act of 2021). 
(c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro-
priate congressional committees’’ means— 
(1) the congressional defense committees; and 
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
House of Representatives.
1031 
SEC. 1237. REVIVAL OF AUTHORITY FOR PARTICIPATION 
OF NATO NAVAL PERSONNEL IN SUBMARINE 
SAFETY PROGRAMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (e) of section 8634 of 
title 10, United States Code, is repealed. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Subsection (a) of 
such section 8634 is amended by striking ‘‘the Secretary 
of the Navy may conduct a program’’ and inserting ‘‘the 
Secretary of the Navy may conduct a program beginning 
on or after the date of the enactment of the National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024’’. 
Subtitle E—Matters Relating to the 
Armed Forces Abroad and the 
Authorities of the Department 
of Defense 
SEC. 1241. REPORT ON HOSTILITIES INVOLVING UNITED 
STATES ARMED FORCES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 48 hours after any 
incident in which the United States Armed Forces are in-
volved in an attack or hostilities, whether in an offensive 
or defensive capacity, the President shall transmit to the 
congressional defense committees, the Committee on For-
eign Relations of the Senate, and the Committee on For-
eign Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on 
the incident, unless the President—
1032 
(1) otherwise reports the incident within 48 
hours pursuant to section 4 of the War Powers Res-
olution (50 U.S.C. 1543); or 
(2) has determined prior to the incident, and so 
reported pursuant to section 1264 of the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (50 
U.S.C. 1549), that the United States Armed Forces 
involved in the incident would be operating under 
specific statutory authorization within the meaning 
of section 5(b) of the War Powers Resolution (50 
U.S.C. 1544(b)). 
(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—Each report re-
quired by subsection (a) shall include— 
(1) the statutory and operational authorities 
under which the United States Armed Forces were 
operating when the incident occurred, including any 
relevant executive orders and an identification of the 
operational activities authorized under any such ex-
ecutive orders; 
(2) the date, location, and duration of the inci-
dent and the other parties involved; 
(3) a description of the United States Armed 
Forces involved in the incident and the mission of 
such Armed Forces;
1033 
(4) the numbers of any combatant casualties 
and civilian casualties that occurred as a result of 
the incident; and 
(5) any other information the President deter-
mines appropriate. 
(c) FORM.—Each report required by subsection (a) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include 
a classified annex. 
SEC. 1242. PROTECTION AND LEGAL PREPAREDNESS FOR 
SERVICEMEMBERS ABROAD. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, in co-
ordination with the Secretary of State, shall seek to ensure 
that members of the Armed Forces stationed in each for-
eign country with which the United States maintains a 
Status of Forces Agreement are afforded, at a minimum: 
(1) the right to legal counsel for his or her de-
fense, in accordance with the Status of Forces 
Agreement or other binding law or agreement with 
another country; 
(2) access to competent language translation 
services; 
(3) a prompt and speedy trial; 
(4) the right to be confronted with the wit-
nesses against him or her; and
1034 
(5) a compulsory process for obtaining wit-
nesses in his or her favor if they are within the for-
eign country’s jurisdiction. 
(b) REVIEW REQUIRED.—Not later than December 
31, 2024, the Secretary of Defense, in collaboration with 
the Secretary of State, shall— 
(1) review the 10 largest foreign countries by 
United States Armed Forces presence and evaluate 
local legal systems, protections afforded by bilateral 
agreements between the United States and countries 
being evaluated, and how the rights and privileges 
afforded under such agreements may differ from 
United States law; and 
(2) brief the Committee on Armed Services and 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Armed Serv-
ices and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
Senate on the findings of the review. 
(c) TRAINING REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Defense 
shall review and improve as necessary training and edu-
cational materials for members of the Armed Forces, their 
spouses, and dependents, as appropriate, who are sta-
tioned in a country reviewed pursuant to subsection (b)(1) 
regarding relevant foreign laws, how such foreign laws 
may differ from the laws of the United States, and the
1035 
rights of accused in common scenarios under such foreign 
laws. 
(d) TRANSLATION STANDARDS AND READINESS.— 
The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Sec-
retary of State, shall review foreign language standards 
for servicemembers and employees of the Department of 
Defense and Department of State who are responsible for 
providing foreign language translation services in situa-
tions involving foreign law enforcement where a service-
member may be being detained, to ensure such persons 
maintain an appropriate proficiency in the legal termi-
nology and meaning of essential terms in a relevant lan-
guage. 
SEC. 1243. PROHIBITION ON FUNDING FOR THE GLOBAL 
ENGAGEMENT CENTER. 
None of the amounts authorized to be appropriated 
to the Department of Defense or otherwise made available 
by this Act may be made available for the Global Engage-
ment Center established pursuant to section 1287 of the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 
(22 U.S.C. 2656 note). 
SEC. 1244. DETERMINATION OF LOCATION FOR MCCAIN IR-
REGULAR WARFARE CENTER. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The ‘‘John S. McCain III Center 
for Security Studies in Irregular Warfare Center’’, author-
1036 
ized by section 1299L of the William M. (Mac) Thorn-
berry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2021 (10 U.S.C. 342 note) and by the amendments made 
to section 345 of title 10, United States Code, by section 
1204 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act for Fiscal Year 2023, shall be established at a 
location determined suitable pursuant to subsection (b). 
(b) LOCATION CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall select 
a permanent location based on established criteria, which 
should include that the location— 
(1) is an academic institution that studies secu-
rity implications with respect to irregular warfare 
and the full spectrum of competition and conflict; 
(2) has an established record in interdiscipli-
nary studies relevant to irregular warfare; 
(3) has a demonstrated network of foreign aca-
demic and government partners; 
(4) has availability of facility space and staff; 
and 
(5) has the ability to provide immediate support 
for full operational capability.
1037 
SEC. 1245. DESIGNATION OF PRIORITY THEATERS OF OPER-
ATION AND COMBATANT COMMANDS; PRI-
ORITY FOR SALES OF DEFENSE ARTICLES 
AND SERVICES. 
Section 22 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 
U.S.C. 2762) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(e) DESIGNATION OF PRIORITY THEATERS OF OP-
ERATION AND COMBATANT COMMANDS; PRIORITY FOR 
SALES OF DEFENSE ARTICLES AND SERVICES.— 
‘‘(1) DESIGNATION.—Not later than October 31 
of each fiscal year, the Secretary of Defense shall, 
consistent with the United States National Defense 
Strategy and United State national defense prior-
ities, designate theaters of operation that are to be 
considered priority theaters of operation and com-
batant commands that are to be considered priority 
combatant commands for purposes of paragraph (2) 
for that fiscal year. 
‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In entering into contracts for 
the procurement of defense articles or defense serv-
ices for sales to foreign countries under this section, 
the President and the Secretary of State shall give 
priority to sales to—
1038 
‘‘(A) countries located in theaters of oper-
ation that are designated as priority theaters of 
operation under paragraph (1); and 
‘‘(B) countries located in areas under the 
responsibility of combatant commands that are 
designated as priority combatant commands 
under paragraph (1).’’. 
SEC. 1246. REPORT ON HOW TO PROTECT UNITED STATES 
DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY SOLD TO FOREIGN 
PARTNERS. 
Within 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with 
the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of 
State, shall prepare and submit (in such manner as the 
Secretary of Defense may decide) to the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Armed Services, and 
the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
House of Representatives a written report that outlines 
how the Secretary of Defense will prevent unauthorized 
users of United States defense technology sold or trans-
ferred to foreign partners and allies of the United States 
under the foreign military sales program or any other au-
thority available to the United States from accessing sen-
sitive information about the technical capabilities and limi-
tations of the technology, and includes—
1039 
(1) a specification of the threat that intellectual 
technology hardware originating in the People’s Re-
public of China poses to United States defense tech-
nology; 
(2) a description of the steps our foreign part-
ners have taken to mitigate the threat; 
(3) an overview of the ability of the defense in-
dustrial base to understand and address that threat; 
and 
(4) recommendations for changes to policy, reg-
ulation, and statute to address that threat. 
SEC. 1247. INCLUSION OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES IN 
PLANNING AND STRATEGY RELATING TO THE 
ARCTIC REGION. 
(a) STRATEGY.— 
(1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Commander of the United States Special Operations 
Command, in consultation with the Secretary of De-
fense and the Commander of the United States 
Northern Command, shall develop and submit to the 
Committees on Armed Services of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Senate a Special Operations 
Forces Arctic Security Strategy, applicable across 
each component of the special operations forces and
1040 
within each Armed Force (in this section referred to 
as the ‘‘strategy’’). 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The strategy shall— 
(A) build upon the findings of the report 
under section 1090(a)(3) of the National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 
(Public Law 117–81; 10 U.S.C. 113 note) and 
the 2022 National Defense Strategy; 
(B) facilitate a consistent understanding of 
Arctic security priorities across the Department 
of Defense and a common understanding of the 
use and purpose of special operations forces for 
Arctic activities across the Armed Forces, com-
batant commands, and other relevant elements 
of the Department of Defense; and 
(C) promote greater use and prioritization 
of special operations forces capabilities, particu-
larly with respect to the special operations force 
of the Army, in Arctic security planning and co-
ordination with Indigenous populations and 
High North allies and partners. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The strategy shall include the fol-
lowing: 
(1) A plan for the leveraging of North Amer-
ican Indigenous Arctic populations, and the estab-
1041 
lishment of working definitions and parameters for 
cooperation with such populations in the following 
areas: 
(A) Intelligence, surveillance, and recon-
naissance gathering. 
(B) Improved Arctic training and oper-
ation tactics, techniques, and procedures. 
(C) Empowering local populations to create 
solutions to regional issues. 
(D) Building resilience against invasion 
and occupation and enhancing deterrence capa-
bilities. 
(E) Improving the capacity of allies and 
partners to build capabilities in the region that 
produce advantages against adversaries. 
(F) Building United States credibility for 
combat operations in the region. 
(G) Demonstrating United States commit-
ment to improving living standards in the re-
gion. 
(H) Any other area the of the Commander 
of the United States Special Operations Com-
mand determines appropriate.
1042 
(2) A requirement that special operations forces 
achieve readiness with respect to not more than two 
Arctic environments. 
(3) With respect to terminology and working 
definitions of the Department— 
(A) a requirement that— 
(i) the use of the terms ‘‘Arctic-capa-
ble’’ and ‘‘Arctic-ready’’ may no longer be 
used in any document or other material 
produced by the Department of Defense 
that outlines Arctic strategies; 
(ii) the replacement terms ‘‘Arctic- 
trained’’ and ‘‘Arctic-proficient’’ shall be 
used in lieu of ‘‘Arctic-capable’’ and ‘‘Arc-
tic-ready’’, respectively; and 
(iii) the Department shall provide 
clear definitions and readiness require-
ments for each replacement term under 
clause (ii). 
(B) a review of terminology, and the use of 
such terminology, relating to military doctrinal 
readiness (such as the terms ‘‘trained’’ and 
‘‘proficient’’) in the Arctic context, to ensure 
that the Armed Forces meet operational expec-
tations and may fully partake in joint-training
1043 
exercises with allies and partners of the United 
States. 
(4) A description of the conditions necessary to 
establish a standardized pathway for self-validation 
for each Armed Force that requires units to be Arc-
tic capable, with such standardized pathway being 
tailored to each Armed Force but consistent with re-
spect to shared terminology, an agreed upon list of 
Arctic environments, and agreed upon standards to 
become Arctic capable in each such environment. 
(5) A requirement that the Commander of the 
United States Special Operations Command, in con-
sultation with the Secretary of Defense and the 
Commander of the United States Northern Com-
mand, include in any future years plan for the Arc-
tic Security Initiative required under section 
1090(b)(2)(B) of the National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117–81; 
10 U.S.C. 113 note) the following: 
(A) Updates on ongoing priorities for Arc-
tic objectives of the special operations forces. 
(B) Assessments of the integration of Arc-
tic operations of the special operations forces, 
including the use of Indigenous approaches to 
domain awareness.
1044 
(C) A description of the activities and re-
sources needed for the special operations forces 
to obtain readiness in the Arctic region, includ-
ing manning, training, equipping, and funding 
requirements. 
(D) Any other matter the Commander of 
the United States Northern Command and the 
Secretary of Defense jointly determine appro-
priate. 
(6) A requirement that, on an annual basis, the 
Commander of the United States Special Operations 
Command submit to the Committees on Armed 
Services of the House of Representatives and the 
Senate a progress report (in unclassified form, but 
with the option of including a classified annex) on 
the implementation and use of the strategy, includ-
ing— 
(A) an assessment of the ability of the 
strategy to address new and ongoing concerns; 
(B) areas relating to the strategy in need 
of improvement, including any new funding nec-
essary; 
(C) use of the strategy across each Armed 
Force; and
1045 
(D) an updated threat assessment with re-
spect to the Arctic region. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the term ‘‘special 
operations forces’’ means forces described under section 
167(j) of title 10, United States Code. 
SEC. 1248. LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR PRODUC-
TION OF FILMS AND PROHIBITION ON USE OF 
SUCH FUNDS FOR FILMS SUBJECT TO CONDI-
TIONS 
ON 
CONTENT 
OR 
ALTERED 
FOR 
SCREENING IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF 
CHINA OR AT THE REQUEST OF THE CHINESE 
COMMUNIST PARTY. 
(a) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.—The Secretary 
of Defense may only authorize the provision of technical 
support or access to an asset controlled by or related to 
the Department of Defense to enter into a contract relat-
ing to the production or funding of a film by a United 
States company if the United States company, as a condi-
tion of receiving the support or access— 
(1) provides to the Secretary a list of all films 
produced or funded by that company the content of 
which has been submitted, during the shorter of the 
preceding 10-year period or the period beginning on 
the date of the enactment of this Act, to an official 
of the Government of the People’s Republic of China
1046 
(PRC) or the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for 
evaluation with respect to screening the film in the 
PRC; 
(2) includes, with respect to each such film— 
(A) the title of the film; and 
(B) the date on which such submission oc-
curred; 
(3) enters into a written agreement with the 
Secretary of Defense not to alter the content of the 
film in response to, or in anticipation of, a request 
by an official of the Government of the PRC or the 
CCP; and 
(4) submits such agreement to the Secretary. 
(b) PROHIBITION WITH RESPECT TO FILMS SUB-
JECT TO CONDITIONS ON CONTENT OR ALTERED FOR 
SCREENING IN CHINA.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), 
the President may not authorize the provision of technical 
support or access to any asset controlled by the Federal 
Government for, or authorize the head of a Federal agency 
to enter into any contract relating to, the production or 
funding of a film by a United States company if— 
(1) the film is co-produced by an entity located 
in the PRC that is subject to conditions on content 
imposed by an official of the Government of the 
PRC or the CCP; or
1047 
(2) with respect to the most recent report sub-
mitted under subsection (c), the United States com-
pany is listed in the report pursuant to subpara-
graph (C) or (D) of paragraph (2) of that sub-
section. 
(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and an-
nually thereafter, the Secretary of Defense shall sub-
mit to the appropriate committees of Congress a re-
port on films disclosed under subsection (a) that are 
associated with a United States company that has 
received technical support or access to an asset con-
trolled by the Department of Defense for, or has en-
tered into a contract with the Federal Government 
relating to, the production or funding of a film. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—Each report required by para-
graph (1) shall include the following: 
(A) A description of each film listed pursu-
ant to the requirement under subsection (a)(1), 
the content of which was submitted, during the 
shorter of the preceding 10-year period or the 
period beginning on the date of the enactment 
of this Act, by a United States company to an 
official of the Government of the PRC or the
1048 
CCP for evaluation with respect to screening 
the film in the PRC, including— 
(i) the United States company that 
submitted the contents of the film; 
(ii) the title of the film; and 
(iii) the date on which such submis-
sion occurred. 
(B) A description of each film with respect 
to which a United States company entered into 
a written agreement with the Department of 
Defense providing the support or access, as ap-
plicable, pursuant to the requirement under 
subsection (a)(2) not to alter the content of the 
film in response to, or in anticipation of, a re-
quest by an official of the Government of the 
PRC or the CCP, during the shorter of the pre-
ceding 10-year period or the period beginning 
on the date of the enactment of this Act, in-
cluding— 
(i) the United States company that 
entered into the agreement; and 
(ii) the title of the film. 
(C) The title of any film described pursu-
ant to subparagraph (A), and the corresponding
1049 
United States company described pursuant to 
clause (i) of that subparagraph— 
(i) that was submitted to an official of 
the Government of the PRC or the CCP 
during the preceding 3-year period; and 
(ii) for which the Secretary assesses 
that the content was altered in response to, 
or in anticipation of, a request by an offi-
cial of the Government of the PRC or the 
CCP. 
(D) The title of any film that is described 
in both subparagraph (A) and subparagraph 
(B), and the corresponding one or more United 
States companies described in clause (i) of each 
such subparagraph— 
(i) that was submitted to an official of 
the Government of the PRC or the CCP 
during the preceding 10-year period; and 
(ii) for which the Secretary assesses 
that the content was altered in response to, 
or in anticipation of, a request by an offi-
cial of the Government of the PRC or the 
CCP. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
1050 
(1) 
APPROPRIATE
COMMITTEES
OF
CON-
GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con-
gress’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations 
and the Committee on Armed Services of the 
Senate and 
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 
the Committee on Armed Services of the House 
of Representatives. 
(2) CONTENT.—The term ‘‘content’’ means any 
description of a film, including the script. 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Defense. 
(4) UNITED
STATES
COMPANY.—The term 
‘‘United States company’’ means a private entity in-
corporated under the laws of the United States or 
any jurisdiction within the United States. 
SEC. 1249. REPORT. 
(a) REPORT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report 
on whether any products sold at commissary or ex-
change stores in fiscal years 2022 or 2023 were pro-
duced by companies described in paragraph (2) that
1051 
have participated in a boycott action against the 
State of Israel. 
(2) COMPANIES
DESCRIBED.—The companies 
described in this paragraph are companies that— 
(A) have entered into a contract with the 
Department of Defense to sell products de-
scribed in paragraph (1) the total value of 
which exceeds $100,000; or 
(B) companies that have more than 10 
full-time employees. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—Congress is concerned 
about the antisemitic efforts of the Boycott, Divestment, 
and Sanctions (BDS) movement against the State of 
Israel, including its efforts to delegitimize, isolate, and ul-
timately destroy the Jewish state. 
(c) DEFINITION.—In subsection (a), the term ‘‘boy-
cott action against the State of Israel’’ means engaging 
in a boycott action targeting the State of Israel, companies 
or individuals doing business in or with the State of Israel, 
or companies authorized by, licensed by, or organized 
under the laws of the State of Israel to do business.
1052 
SEC. 1250. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS PEND-
ING PLAN REGARDING DELIVERY OF HAR-
POON MISSILES AND OTHER COASTAL DE-
FENSE CAPABILITIES TO SECURITY PART-
NERS. 
(a) LIMITATION.—Of the funds authorized to be ap-
propriated by this Act or otherwise made available for fis-
cal year 2024, and available for the Office of the Secretary 
of Defense for the travel of persons, not more than 90 
percent may be obligated or expended until the date on 
which the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 
Sustainment submits to the congressional defense commit-
tees the plan required under subsection (b). 
(b) PLAN REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 
Sustainment shall develop and implement a plan to 
provide covered Harpoon missiles to security part-
ners pursuant to the authority provided under sec-
tion 506 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
U.S.C. 2318). 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The plan under paragraph (1) 
shall address the following:
1053 
(A) Lessons learned from any similar expe-
riences in support of military forces of security 
partners in 2022. 
(B) Consultation with private industry. 
(C) Use of existing ground-based launch-
ers. 
(D) Use of existing vehicles of the Federal 
Government. 
(E) Integration and modernization of re-
quired systems. 
(F) Any security risks, challenges, and 
mitigation steps required. 
(G) Expected costs. 
(H) A timeline for the delivery of covered 
Harpoon missiles to security partners. 
(3) SUBMITTAL TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 
Sustainment, shall submit to the congressional de-
fense committees the plan required under paragraph 
(1). 
(c) COVERED HARPOON MISSILE DEFINED.—In this 
section, the term ‘‘covered Harpoon missile’’ means a 
block IC Harpoon missile designated with a ‘‘sundown’’, 
‘‘deep stow’’, or ‘‘demilitarized’’ condition code and in-
1054 
cludes missiles with that designation that have been re-
moved from surface vessels of the Navy. 
TITLE 
XIII—OTHER 
MATTERS 
RELATING TO FOREIGN NA-
TIONS. 
Subtitle A—Matters Relating to the 
Indo-Pacific and Pacific Regions 
SEC. 1301. EXTENSION OF PACIFIC DETERRENCE INITIA-
TIVE AND REPORT, BRIEFINGS, AND PLAN 
UNDER THE INITIATIVE. 
(a) EXTENSION OF INITIATIVE.—Subsection (c) of 
section 1251 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry Na-
tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (10 
U.S.C. 113 note) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘the National Defense Author-
ization Act for Fiscal Year 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2024’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2023’’ and inserting 
‘‘fiscal year 2024’’. 
(b) EXTENSION OF REPORT AND BRIEFINGS.—Sub-
section (d) of such section is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘fiscal 
years 2024 and 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 
2025 and 2026’’; and
1055 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘fiscal years 
2023 and 2024’’ each place it appears and inserting 
‘‘fiscal years 2025 and 2026’’. 
(c) EXTENSION OF PLAN.—Subsection (e) of such 
section is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal years 2023 and 
2024’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2025 and 2026’’. 
SEC. 1302. INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT AND REPORT ON 
THE PROGRESS MADE UNDER THE PACIFIC 
DETERRENCE INITIATIVE. 
(a) INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
of Defense shall select and enter into an agreement 
with a federally funded research and development 
center, or another appropriate independent entity, 
with expertise on defense matters pertaining to the 
Indo-Pacific region to conduct an assessment of the 
Department of Defense activities carried out pursu-
ant to the Pacific Deterrence Initiative established 
under section 1251 of the William M. (Mac) Thorn-
berry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2021. 
(2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The assess-
ment required by paragraph (1) shall include up-
1056 
dates on the current state of defense posture in the 
Indo-Pacific region, to include— 
(A) base infrastructure and resiliency ef-
forts; 
(B) prepositioned equipment and muni-
tions stocks; 
(C) investments required to address con-
tested logistics; 
(D) the status of current and planned mili-
tary construction; 
(E) the planned Indo-Pacom exercise 
schedule and joint operations; 
(F) whether Pacific Deterrence Initiative 
funding has aligned with the purpose described 
in section 1251 of the William M. (Mac) Thorn-
berry National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2021; and 
(G) any recommendations to improve the 
Department of Defense’s posture, resiliency, 
presence, or lethality in the Indo-Pacific region 
that may be advisable together with analysis of 
the feasibility of implementing such rec-
ommendations. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the independent entity se-
1057 
lected under subsection (a) shall submit to the congres-
sional defense committees a report on the findings of the 
assessment conducted under that subsection. 
(c) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SUPPORT.—The Sec-
retary of Defense shall provide the independent entity se-
lected under subsection (a) with timely access to appro-
priate information, data, resources, and analyses nec-
essary for the independent entity to conduct the assess-
ment required by that subsection in a thorough and inde-
pendent manner. 
SEC. 1303. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON SOUTH KOREA. 
It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of De-
fense should reinforce the United States alliance with the 
Republic of Korea, including by maintaining the presence 
of approximately 28,500 members of the United States 
Armed Forces deployed to the country and affirming the 
United States commitment to extended deterrence using 
the full range of United States defense capabilities, and 
with deeper coordination on nuclear deterrence as high-
lighted in the Washington Declaration adopted by the two 
leaders during President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit on 
April 26, 2023, consistent with the Mutual Defense Treaty 
Between the United States and the Republic of Korea, 
signed at Washington, October 1, 1953, in support of the
1058 
shared objective of a peaceful and stable Korean Peninsula 
and a free, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. 
SEC. 1304. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON TAIWAN DEFENSE RE-
LATIONS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the Taiwan Relations Act (Public Law 96– 
8; 22 U.S.C. et seq.) and the Six Assurances pro-
vided by the United States to Taiwan in July 1982 
are the foundation for United States-Taiwan rela-
tions; 
(2) as set forth in the Taiwan Relations Act, 
the United States decision to establish diplomatic re-
lations with the People’s Republic of China rests 
upon the expectation that the future of Taiwan will 
be determined by peaceful means, and that any ef-
fort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than 
peaceful means, including boycotts and embargoes, 
is of grave concern to the United States; 
(3) the increasingly coercive and aggressive be-
havior of the People’s Republic of China toward Tai-
wan is contrary to the expectation of the peaceful 
resolution of the future of Taiwan; 
(4) as set forth in the Taiwan Relations Act, 
the capacity to resist any resort to force or other 
forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security,
1059 
or the social or economic system, of the people on 
Taiwan should be maintained; 
(5) the United States should continue to sup-
port the development of capable, ready, and modern 
defense forces necessary for Taiwan to maintain suf-
ficient defensive capabilities, including by— 
(A) supporting acquisition by Taiwan of 
defense articles and services through foreign 
military sales, direct commercial sales, and in-
dustrial cooperation, with an emphasis on capa-
bilities that support an asymmetric strategy; 
(B) ensuring timely review of and response 
to requests of Taiwan for defense articles and 
services; 
(C) conducting practical training and mili-
tary exercises with Taiwan that enable Taiwan 
to maintain sufficient defensive capabilities, as 
described in the Taiwan Relations Act; 
(D) exchanges between defense officials 
and officers of the United States and Taiwan at 
the strategic, policy, and functional levels, con-
sistent with the Taiwan Travel Act (Public Law 
115–135; 132 Stat. 341), especially for the pur-
poses of—
1060 
(i) enhancing cooperation on defense 
planning; 
(ii) improving the interoperability of 
the military forces of the United States 
and Taiwan; and 
(iii) improving the reserve force of 
Taiwan; 
(E) cooperating with Taiwan to improve its 
ability to employ military capabilities in asym-
metric ways, as described in the Taiwan Rela-
tions Act; and 
(F) expanding cooperation in humanitarian 
assistance and disaster relief; and 
(6) the United States should increase its sup-
port to a free and open society in the face of aggres-
sive efforts by the Government of the People’s Re-
public of China to curtail or influence the free exer-
cise of rights and democratic franchise. 
SEC. 1305. BRIEFING ON MULTI-YEAR PLAN TO FULFILL DE-
FENSIVE 
REQUIREMENTS 
OF 
MILITARY 
FORCES OF TAIWAN. 
(a) BRIEFING REQUIRED.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of State and 
the Director of National Intelligence, shall brief the appro-
1061 
priate congressional committees on the status of the ef-
forts to develop and implement the joint multi-year plan 
to fulfill defensive requirements of military forces of Tai-
wan required under section 5506 of the James M. Inhofe 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 
(Public Law 117–263; 22 U.S.C. 3355). 
(b) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMITTEES 
DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con-
gressional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent 
Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of 
Representatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the 
Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Select 
Committee on Intelligence of the Senate. 
SEC. 1306. MODIFICATION TO THE AMERICAN, BRITISH, CA-
NADIAN, AND AUSTRALIAN ARMIES’ PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1274(a) of the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (10 
U.S.C. 2350a(a) note) is amended by inserting ‘‘or the 
air force program known as the Five Eyes Air Force Inter-
operability Council’’ after ‘‘the American, British, Cana-
dian, and Australian Armies’ Program’’.
1062 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The heading of section 
1274 of such Act (and the entry in the table of contents 
for such Act corresponding to such section 1274) is 
amended to read as follows: ‘‘Administration of the Amer-
ican, British, Canadian, and Australian Armies’ Program 
and the Five Eyes Air Force Interoperability Council’’. 
SEC. 1307. MODIFICATIONS TO INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT 
PROTECTION OF NATIONAL SECURITY ACA-
DEMIC RESEARCHERS FROM UNDUE INFLU-
ENCE AND OTHER SECURITY THREATS. 
(a) PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS.—Section 1286 
of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. 
4001 note) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 
following new paragraph: 
‘‘(10)(A) The development and implementation 
of measures of effectiveness and performance to as-
sess and track progress of the Department in car-
rying out the initiative. 
‘‘(B) In developing and implementing such 
measures, the Secretary— 
‘‘(i) shall seek independent advice and 
guidance to ensure such measures—
1063 
‘‘(I) align with the measures of effec-
tiveness and performance used in other re-
search security initiatives of the Federal 
Government; and 
‘‘(II) incorporate relevant input from 
institutions of higher education and other 
entities in academic community; and 
‘‘(ii) shall consider— 
‘‘(I) the quality of data available to 
support assessments based on such meas-
ures, including identification of any areas 
in which gaps in the data available to the 
Secretary may require collection of new 
data or modifications to existing data sets; 
‘‘(II) available means and methods for 
the automated collection of such data, in-
cluding identification of areas in which 
gaps exist that may require the develop-
ment of new means and methods of data 
collection or data visualization; and 
‘‘(III) development of an analysis and 
assessment methodology framework that 
incorporates the measures developed under 
this paragraph while also taking into ac-
count, to the extent appropriate, other
1064 
methods of assessing undue foreign influ-
ence on Department of Defense research 
activities, such as commercial due diligence 
and the analysis of beneficial ownership, 
foreign ownership, and foreign control and 
influence.’’; and 
(2) in subsection (e)(2), by adding at the end 
the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(G) Based on the measures of effective-
ness and performance developed under sub-
section (c)(10)— 
‘‘(i) an evaluation of the effectiveness 
of the initiative and the Department’s per-
formance during the period covered by the 
report; and 
‘‘(ii) an assessment of whether and to 
what extent the implementation of such 
measures affected the ability of the De-
partment to achieve the goals of the initia-
tive.’’. 
(b) INSTITUTIONAL
RESEARCH
SECURITY
PRO-
GRAMS.—Such section 1286 is further amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (h) as sub-
section (i); and
1065 
(2) by inserting after subsection (g) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(h) INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH SECURITY PRO-
GRAMS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each institution of higher 
education that receives more than $50,000,000 in 
funds in a fiscal year from the Department of De-
fense for defense research and engineering activities 
shall, as a condition of receiving such funds, estab-
lish and maintain a research security policies relat-
ing to managing security risks relating to such de-
fense research and engineering activities in accord-
ance with the National Security Presidential Memo-
randum 33 (relating to research security) issued by 
the President on January 14, 2021. 
‘‘(2) ELEMENTS.—Each research security pro-
gram under paragraph (1) shall include, at a min-
imum, measures to address— 
‘‘(A) cybersecurity; 
‘‘(B) foreign travel security; 
‘‘(C) insider threat awareness; and 
‘‘(D) export controls. 
‘‘(3) CERTIFICATION.—On an annual basis each 
institution subject to paragraph (1) shall certify to 
the Secretary of Defense that the institution has im-
1066 
plemented the research security program required 
under such paragraph.’’. 
SEC. 1308. MODIFICATION OF INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT PRO-
TECTION OF NATIONAL SECURITY ACADEMIC 
RESEARCHERS 
FROM 
UNDUE 
INFLUENCE 
AND OTHER SECURITY THREATS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1286(c)(8)(A)(iii) of the 
John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2019 (10 U.S.C. 4001 note) is amended— 
(1) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 
end; and 
(2) by adding at the end of the following: 
‘‘(III) to provide documented support 
to a defense or an intelligence agency of 
the applicable country; or’’. 
(b) PROHIBITION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—None of the funds author-
ized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise 
made available for fiscal year 2024 or any subse-
quent fiscal year for the Department of Defense for 
research, development, test, and evaluation may be 
provided to an entity that maintains a contract be-
tween the entity and an academic institution of the 
People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, 
or another country that—
1067 
(A) is identified on the list developed under 
section 1286(c)(8)(A) of the John S. McCain 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2019 (10 U.S.C. 4001 note) (as amended 
by subsection (a)); and 
(B) is included on such list because the in-
stitution meets the criteria specified in clause 
(ii) or clause (iii) of such section. 
(2) WAIVER.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of De-
fense may waive the prohibition under para-
graph (1) with respect to an entity, on a case- 
by-case basis, if the Secretary determines that 
such a waiver is appropriate. 
(B) REPORTING.—Not later than 30 days 
after issuing a waiver under subparagraph (A), 
the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 
Committees on Armed Services of the Senate 
and the House of Representatives a report that 
explains the Secretary’s reasons for issuing the 
waiver.
1068 
SEC. 1309. EXPANSION OF INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY 
FOCUSED PARTNERSHIPS AND EXPERIMEN-
TATION ACTIVITIES IN THE INDO-PACIFIC. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall develop a plan and roadmap to— 
(1) expand international technology-focused 
partnerships, agreements, and experimentation ac-
tivities in the Indo-Pacific region in order to— 
(A) accelerate the creation and fielding of 
new capabilities and critical technologies as out-
lined in the National Defense Science and 
Technology Strategy, as directed by section 211 
of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117-81), con-
sistent with the strategic plans of the Depart-
ment of Defense with respect to the activities of 
Indo-Pacific Command; 
(B) leverage the technological and manu-
facturing capabilities of private sector and gov-
ernment organizations in the United States and 
international partners; 
(C) identify opportunities for cost sharing 
and financial and non-financial contributions by 
partner countries for activities to develop and 
deploy new operational capabilities; and
1069 
(D) coordinate with partner countries and 
their agencies that are currently involved, or 
could become involved, in co-production of capa-
bilities; 
(2) enhance capabilities, including those capa-
bilities which use unmanned platforms, using lessons 
learned from Task Force-59, to— 
(A) respond to grey zone activity; and 
(B) enhance Indo-Pacific partner capacity 
to protect national resources against illegal fish-
ing and resource extraction; and 
(3) identify and accelerate the fielding of new 
capabilities and critical technologies that would im-
prove Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities. 
(b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion shall be construed to affect section 112b(b) of title 
1, United States Code. 
(c) BRIEFING.—Not later than 270 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall provide the congressional defense committees a brief-
ing on the plan and roadmap required under subsection 
(a).
1070 
SEC. 1310. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON EMERGING TECH-
NOLOGY IN THE UNITED STATES INDO-PA-
CIFIC STRATEGY. 
It is in the Sense of Congress that— 
(1) the United States has been a steadfast re-
gional ally in the Indo-Pacific and must do our part 
to extend and modernize our capabilities to defend 
our interests and deter aggression against our allies 
and partners, in accordance with the United States- 
Indo-Pacific Strategy; 
(2) the Secretary of Defense, in coordination 
with the Secretary of State and the heads of other 
relevant departments and agencies, should continue 
efforts that strengthen United States defense alli-
ances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region, 
including by— 
(A) prioritizing critical and emerging tech-
nology partnerships as an imperative for Amer-
ica’s regional alliances and national security in-
terests in the Indo-Pacific region; and 
(B) bolstering innovation for dual-use tech-
nologies to ensure the United States military 
can operate in rapidly evolving digital threat en-
vironments and emerging-technology areas; 
(3) the Department of Defense and the Depart-
ment of State should focus on the ongoing and
1071 
emerging dual-use technology partnerships with pri-
ority countries, including— 
(A) Australia and the United Kingdom 
through AUKUS Pillar II; 
(B) Japan and the Republic of Korea; 
(C) India through the United States-India 
Critical 
and 
Emerging 
Tech 
Partnership; 
(iCET); and 
(D) ASEAN security partners; 
(4) the Secretary of Defense should seek to 
prioritize cooperative research, co-development, and 
testing with Indo-Pacific allies and partners in the 
areas of— 
(A) microelectronics; 
(B) cybersecurity; 
(C) artificial intelligence; 
(D) sensing and surveillance; and 
(E) data security and secure information 
sharing; and 
(5) the Offices of the Secretary of Defense for 
Policy, Research and Engineering, Acquisition and 
Sustainment, and the Services should conduct a 90- 
day review of paths to strengthen tech cooperation 
with the priority countries, and report back with ac-
1072 
tions Congress can take to support such initiatives 
within 90 days of such review. 
SEC. 1310A. REPORT ON REESTABLISHMENT OF CIVIC AC-
TION TEAMS IN PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 
Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, in coordination with Com-
mander of United State Indo-Pacific Command, shall sub-
mit to the congressional defense committees a report con-
taining— 
(1) an assessment of the feasibility and advis-
ability of reestablishing civic action teams in the Re-
public of the Marshall Islands and the Federated 
States of Micronesia, as authorized under the Com-
pact of Free Association Act of 1985 (Public Law 
99–239), the Palau Compact of Free Association 
Act (Public Law 99–658), and the Compact of Free 
Association Amendments Act of 2003 (Public Law 
108–188), including the estimated costs, potential 
activities of joint interest to the Department of De-
fense and the host countries, and the timeline need-
ed to set up new teams; and 
(2) an assessment of the benefits and chal-
lenges of establishing civic action teams in each of— 
(A) the Cook Islands;
1073 
(B) Fiji; 
(C) Kiribati; 
(D) Nauru; 
(E) Niue; 
(F) Papua New Guinea; 
(G) Samoa; 
(H) Solomon Islands; 
(I) Tonga; 
(J) Tuvalu; and 
(K) Vanuatu. 
SEC. 1310B. MODIFICATION OF PILOT PROGRAM TO DE-
VELOP YOUNG CIVILIAN DEFENSE LEADERS 
IN THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION. 
Section 1261 of the James M. Inhofe National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (10 U.S.C. 
311 note) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘or other ap-
propriate ministries with a security mission’’ after 
‘‘civilian leaders in foreign partner ministries of de-
fense’’ each place it appears; and 
(2) in subsection (c), by inserting ‘‘or civilian 
leaders from other appropriate ministries with a se-
curity mission’’ after ‘‘civilian defense leaders from 
foreign partner ministries of defense’’.
1074 
SEC. 1310C. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that the United States 
and Taiwan should explore all measures to expand Tai-
wan’s source of energy and harden Taiwan’s facilities, in-
cluding exploring nuclear power. 
SEC. 1310D. UNITED STATES-TAIWAN COMBINED PLANNING 
GROUP STUDY AND REPORT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of De-
fense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall— 
(1) conduct a study of the feasibility and advis-
ability of establishing the United States-Taiwan 
Combined Planning Group or an alternative mecha-
nism; and 
(2) submit to the congressional defense commit-
tees, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
of Representatives, and the Committee on Foreign 
Relations of the Senate, a report that contains the 
results of the study. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The study required by subsection 
(a) shall consider— 
(1) the necessary resources, organizational ele-
ments, and roles and responsibilities associated with 
the potential establishment of the United States-Tai-
wan Combined Planning Group or an alternative
1075 
mechanism, as well as any other relevant consider-
ations determined by the Secretaries; 
(2) a timetable for establishing a United States- 
Taiwan Combined Planning Group or an alternative 
mechanism, if determined feasible and advisable; 
(3) any barriers that would make the establish-
ment of a United States-Taiwan Combined Planning 
Group or an alternative mechanism infeasible or in-
advisable, together with any recommended steps for 
mitigation; 
(4) whether a United States-Taiwan Combined 
Planning Group or an alternative mechanism would 
improve Taiwan’s planning processes for developing 
Taiwan’s defense force requirements or efficiencies 
in Taiwan’s defense procurements and investments; 
(5) whether a United States-Taiwan Combined 
Planning Group or an alternative mechanism would 
facilitate the provision of defense articles and de-
fense services to Taiwan; 
(6) whether a United States-Taiwan Combined 
Planning Group or an alternative mechanism would 
enhance combined training and exercises with Tai-
wan; and 
(7) whether a United States-Taiwan Combined 
Planning Group or an alternative mechanism would
1076 
reinforce the deterrent effect of Taiwan’s self-de-
fense capability. 
SEC. 1310E. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON LIAISONS WITH TAI-
WAN. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) building trust and familiarity between the 
United States and Taiwan is an important compo-
nent of helping Taiwan improve its self-defense ca-
pabilities; 
(2) strengthening working-level communication 
and coordination among United States and Tai-
wanese elements would enhance the effectiveness of 
the United States’ provision of defense articles to 
Taiwan, joint military exercises with Taiwan, and 
other efforts to improve Taiwan’s self-defense capa-
bilities; and 
(3) the Secretary of Defense should utilize ex-
isting authorities to facilitate communication and co-
ordination, including relating to— 
(A) maximizing the deterrent effects of the 
United States’ provision of defense articles to 
Taiwan and of Taiwan’s domestic defense pro-
curements and investments; 
(B) conducting exercises that involve com-
plex challenges in multiple warfare domains;