to civilians and other protected persons and objects 
resulting from United States military operations, 
and to encourage the Department to make addi-
tional progress in— 
(A) developing at all combatant commands 
personnel and offices responsible for advising 
the commanders of such commands, and inte-
grating into command strategy, the promotion 
of observance of human rights and the protec-
tion of civilians and other protected persons 
and objects; 
(B) finalizing and implementing the policy 
of the Department relating to civilian casualties 
resulting from United States military oper-
ations, as required by section 936 of the John 
S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act 
for Fiscal Year 2019 (10 U.S.C. 134 note); 
(C) finalizing Department-wide regulations 
to implement section 1213 of the National De-
fense Authorization for Fiscal Year 2020 (Pub-
lic Law 116–92) for ex gratia payments for 
damage, personal injury, or death that is inci-
dent to the use of force by the United States 
Armed Forces, a coalition that includes the 
United States, a military organization sup-
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porting the United States, or a military organi-
zation supporting the United States or such co-
alition; and 
(D) professionalizing foreign partner forces 
to reduce civilian casualties, including in con-
nection with train and equip programs, advise, 
assist, accompany, and enable missions, and 
fully combined and coalition operations. 
SEC. 3. MODIFICATION OF ANNUAL REPORT ON CIVILIAN 
CASUALTIES IN CONNECTION WITH UNITED 
STATES MILITARY OPERATIONS. 
Section 1057 of the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (10 U.S.C. 113 note) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subsection (b)— 
(A) 
by 
redesignating 
paragraphs 
(2) 
through (9) as paragraphs (3) through (10), re-
spectively; 
(B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 
following new paragraph (2): 
‘‘(2) A list of each authorized advise, assist, ac-
company, and enable mission during the year cov-
ered by such report during which civilian casualties 
or human rights abuses by partner forces were ob-
served or later reported.’’; and 
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(C) in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4), 
as redesignated by subparagraph (A) of this 
paragraph, by inserting before the semicolon 
the following: ‘‘, and any measures in place for 
preventing, mitigating, and responding to the 
death or injury to civilians that occurs during 
advise, assist, accompany, and enable missions 
conducted by United States military personnel’’; 
(2) in subsection (d)— 
(A) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘, 
and shall be made available’’ and all that fol-
lows and inserting a period; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
sentence: ‘‘The unclassified form of each report 
shall be published on an Internet website of the 
Department available to the public concurrently 
with its submission to Congress.’’; 
(3) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub-
section (f); and 
(4) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol-
lowing new subsection (e): 
‘‘(e) HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES DEFINED.—In this 
section the term ‘human rights abuses’ has the meaning 
given the term ‘gross violations of internationally recog-
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nized human rights’ in section 502B(d)(1) of the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2304(d)(1)).’’. 
SEC. 4. INTEGRITY OF CIVILIAN CASUALTY INVESTIGA-
TIONS. 
(a) INVESTIGATIONS BY OFFICERS OUTSIDE UNIT 
OR CHAIN OF COMMAND.—A commander in the Armed 
Forces conducting an administrative investigation, com-
mander directed inquiry, or equivalent investigation on ci-
vilian casualties resulting from a United States military 
operation that was undertaken by one or more units under 
the command of the commander shall, to the extent prac-
ticable, select as an officer to conduct such investigation 
an officer in the Armed Forces outside of such units or 
chain of command. 
(b) SEPARATION
OF INVESTIGATIVE PERSONNEL 
FROM PERSONNEL INVOLVED
IN OPERATIONS.—The 
military or civilian personnel of the Armed Forces who 
conduct an investigation on civilian casualties resulting 
from a United States military operation shall, to the ex-
tent practicable, be operationally separate from members 
of the Armed Forces who were directly involved in such 
operation. 
(c) SITE VISITATIONS IN INVESTIGATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each investigation on civil-
ian casualties resulting from a United States mili-
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tary operation shall, to the extent practicable, in-
clude a visit (including the interview of civilian sur-
vivors and witnesses after their informed consent) by 
appropriate members of the United States Armed 
Forces to each site at which civilian casualties were 
confirmed or reasonably suspected in connection 
with such operation. 
(2) VISITS BY ALTERNATIVE PERSONNEL.—If 
the Secretary of Defense determines that a visit by 
members of the United States Armed Forces to a 
site as otherwise required by paragraph (1) is not 
practicable, the Secretary shall— 
(A) memorialize, in writing, the justifica-
tion for such determination; 
(B) make every reasonable effort to obtain 
such a visit by appropriate military or civilian 
personnel of a partner or coalition military 
force, or by personnel of the national govern-
ment concerned, or a local government, capable 
of making such a visit in connection with the 
investigation concerned; and 
(C) memorialize, in writing— 
(i) the results of any visit under sub-
paragraph (B); or 
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(ii) if no visit could be obtained under 
that subparagraph, the gaps in evidence in 
the investigation concerned as a result of 
the lack of such a visit. 
SEC. 5. COORDINATION BETWEEN GEOGRAPHIC COMBAT-
ANT COMMANDS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF 
STATE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall direct each commander of a geographic combatant 
command to coordinate with the Department of State to 
establish and maintain an uninterrupted line of commu-
nication between such command and the Chief of Mission 
(of the Chief’s designee) in any country in which such 
command is conducting military operations in order to as-
sist in the response to reports of civilian casualties result-
ing from such military operations. 
(b) PRIMARY OBJECTIVE.—The primary objective of 
the line of communication under this section shall be to 
serve as a channel for fielding and coordinating reports 
of civilian casualties resulting from United States military 
operations undertaken by the command concerned in the 
country concerned. 
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SEC. 6. DATABASE ON REPORTS ON INVESTIGATIONS. 
(a) DATABASE REQUIRED.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
of Defense shall establish and maintain within the Depart-
ment of Defense a database that preserves and organizes 
reports of the Department on investigations of civilian cas-
ualties resulting from United States military operations 
(including reports under section 1057 of the National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, as amended 
by section 3 of this Act), and the results of such investiga-
tions. 
(b) SEARCHABILITY.—The database required by sub-
section (a) shall be searchable by personnel across the De-
partment. 
(c) AVAILABILITY TO PUBLIC.—The public shall have 
access to, and be able to search, the database required 
by subsection (a) through an internet website of the De-
partment that is available to the public. For purposes of 
such access, appropriate information in the database may 
be maintained in a classified annex in the interests of the 
national security of the United States, and access to such 
annex appropriately limited. 
(d) UPDATE.—The database required by subsection 
(a) shall be updated not less frequently than once each 
year. 
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SEC. 7. RESOURCES TO IMPLEMENT DEPARTMENT OF DE-
FENSE POLICY ON CIVILIAN CASUALTIES IN 
CONNECTION WITH UNITED STATES MILI-
TARY OPERATIONS. 
(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to fa-
cilitate fulfillment of the requirements in section 936 of 
the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act 
for Fiscal Year 2019 (10 U.S.C. 134 note). 
(b) PERSONNEL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall do the following: 
(1) Add to, and assign within, each of the 
United States Central Command, the United States 
Africa Command, the United States Special Oper-
ations Command, the United States European Com-
mand, the United States Southern Command, the 
United States Indo-Pacific Command, and the 
United States Northern Command not fewer than 
two personnel who shall have primary responsibility 
for the following in connection with military oper-
ations undertaken by such command: 
(A) Providing guidance and oversight re-
lating to prevention of and response to civilian 
casualties, promotion of observance of human 
rights, and the protection of civilians and civil-
ian infrastructure. 
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(B) Overseeing civilian casualty response 
functions on behalf of the commander of such 
command. 
(C) Receiving reports of civilian casualties 
and conduct of civilian casualty assessments. 
(D) Analyzing civilian casualty incidents 
and trends. 
(E) Offering condolences for casualties, in-
cluding ex gratia payments. 
(F) Ensuring the integration of activities 
relating to civilian casualty mitigation, protec-
tion of civilians, and promotion of observance of 
human rights in security cooperation activities. 
(G) Consulting with non-governmental or-
ganizations on civilian casualty and human 
rights matters. 
(2) Add to, and assign within, the Office of the 
Under Secretary for Policy not fewer than two per-
sonnel who shall have primary responsibility for im-
plementing and overseeing implementation by the 
components of the Department of Defense of De-
partment policy on civilian casualties resulting from 
United States military operations. 
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(3) Add to, and assign within, the Joint Staff 
not fewer than two personnel who shall have primary 
responsibility for the following: 
(A) Overseeing implementation by the com-
ponents of the Department of Defense of De-
partment policy on civilian casualties resulting 
from United States military operations. 
(B) Developing and sharing in the imple-
mentation of such policy. 
(C) Communicating operational guidance 
on such policy. 
(c) TRAINING, SOFTWARE, AND OTHER REQUIRE-
MENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In each of fiscal years 2021 
through 2023, the Secretary of Defense and each 
Secretary of a military department may obligate and 
expend, from amounts specified in paragraph (2), 
not more than $5,000,000 for the following: 
(A) Training related to civilian casualty 
mitigation and response. 
(B) Information technology equipment, 
support and maintenance, and data storage, in 
order to implement— 
(i) the policy of the Department re-
lated relating to civilian casualties result-
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ing from United States military operations 
as required by section 936 of the John S. 
McCain National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2019; and 
(ii) the database required by section 
6. 
(2) FUNDS.—The funds for a fiscal year speci-
fied in this subparagraph are funds as follows: 
(A) In the case of the Secretary of De-
fense, amounts authorized to be appropriated 
for such fiscal year for operation and mainte-
nance, Defense-wide. 
(B) In the case of a Secretary of a military 
department, amounts authorized to be appro-
priated for such fiscal year for operation and 
maintenance for the components of the Armed 
Forces under the jurisdiction of such Secretary. 
SEC. 8. UNITED STATES MILITARY OPERATIONS DEFINED. 
In this Act, the term ‘‘United States military oper-
ations’’ includes any mission, strike, engagement, raid, or 
incident involving United States Armed Forces. 
Æ 
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