H. R. 1735—395 
(ii) Plans for coordination with the heads of other 
Federal agencies and State and local governments 
pursuant to the exercises required under clause (i). 
(iii) A list of any other exercises previously con-
ducted that are used in the formulation of the plan 
required by subparagraph (A), such as Operation Noble 
Eagle. 
(iv) Descriptions of the roles, responsibilities, and 
expectations of Federal, State, and local authorities 
as the Secretary understands them. 
(v) Descriptions of the roles, responsibilities, and 
expectations of the active components and reserve 
components of the Armed Forces. 
(vi) A description of such legislative and adminis-
trative action as may be necessary to carry out the 
plan required by subparagraph (A). 
(2) COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES REVIEW 
OF PLAN.—The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
review the plan developed under paragraph (1)(A). 
(b) BIENNIAL EXERCISES ON RESPONDING TO CYBER ATTACKS 
AGAINST CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.— 
(1) BIENNIAL
EXERCISES
REQUIRED.—Not less frequently 
than once every two years until the date that is six years 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
of Defense shall, in coordination with the Secretary of Home-
land Security, the Director of National Intelligence, the Director 
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the heads of the 
critical infrastructure sector-specific agencies designated under 
Presidential Policy Directive-21 (titled ‘‘Critical Infrastructure 
Security Resilience’’ and dated February 12, 2013) and in con-
sultation with Governors of the States and the owners and 
operators of critical infrastructure, organize and execute one 
or more exercises based on scenarios in which— 
(A) critical infrastructure of the United States is 
attacked through cyberspace; and 
(B) the President directs the Secretary of Defense to— 
(i) defend the United States; and 
(ii) 
provide 
support 
to 
civil 
authorities 
in 
responding to and recovering from cyber attacks, while 
exercising any guidance derived from the plan devel-
oped under subsection (a) or any subsequent updates 
to that plan. 
(2) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the exercises required by 
paragraph (1) are as follows: 
(A) To exercise command and control, coordination, 
communications, and information sharing capabilities 
under the stressing conditions of an ongoing cyber attack. 
(B) To identify gaps and problems that require new 
enhanced training, capabilities, procedures, or authorities. 
(C) To identify— 
(i) interdependencies; 
(ii) strengths that should be leveraged; and 
(iii) weaknesses that need to be mitigated.
H. R. 1735—396 
(3) REQUIREMENT
FOR
VARIATION
OF
ASSUMPTIONS
AND 
CONDITIONS.—In conducting the exercises required by para-
graph (1), the Secretary shall ensure that there is an appro-
priate degree of variation from exercise to exercise of the fol-
lowing: 
(A) The size, scope, duration, and sophistication of 
the cyber attacks. 
(B) The degree of warning and knowledge that is avail-
able to the Department of Defense about the attack, the 
means used in the attack, and the degree of delegation 
of authority from the President to react, including with 
pre-planned responses. 
(C) The effectiveness of the National Mission Force 
of the United States Cyber Command in preempting and 
defeating the attack. 
(D) The effectiveness of the attacks on critical infra-
structure in general and particularly in specific industry 
sectors. 
(E) The effectiveness of resilience and recovery mecha-
nisms. 
(4) COST-SHARING
AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary shall 
coordinate with those with whom the Secretary is required 
to coordinate under paragraph (1) to develop equitable cost- 
sharing agreements to defray the expenses of the exercises 
required by paragraph (1). 
SEC. 1649. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON REVIEWING AND CONSIDERING 
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF COUNCIL OF GOV-
ERNORS ON CYBER CAPABILITIES OF THE ARMED 
FORCES. 
It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense should 
review and consider any findings and recommendations of the 
Council of Governors established under section 1822 of the National 
Defense Authorization Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–181; 122 Stat. 
500; 32 U.S.C. 104 note) pertaining to cyber mission force require-
ments and any proposed reductions in and synchronization of the 
cyber capabilities of active or reserve components of the Armed 
Forces. 
Subtitle D—Nuclear Forces 
SEC. 1651. ASSESSMENT OF THREATS TO NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COM-
MAND, CONTROL, AND COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM. 
Section 171a of title 10, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (f), (g), and (h), as sub-
sections (g), (h), and (i), respectively; 
(2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following new sub-
section (f): 
‘‘(f) COLLECTION OF ASSESSMENTS ON CERTAIN THREATS.—The 
Council shall collect and assess (consistent with the provision of 
classified information and intelligence sources and methods) all 
reports and assessments otherwise conducted by the intelligence 
community (as defined in section 3(4) of the National Security 
Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)) regarding foreign threats, including 
cyber threats, to the command, control, and communications system
H. R. 1735—397 
for the national leadership of the United States and the 
vulnerabilities of such system to such threats.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (e), by adding at the end the following 
new paragraph: 
‘‘(5) An assessment of the threats and vulnerabilities 
described in the reports and assessments collected under sub-
section (f) during the previous year, including any plans to 
address such threats and vulnerabilities.’’. 
SEC. 1652. ORGANIZATION OF NUCLEAR DETERRENCE FUNCTIONS OF 
THE AIR FORCE. 
(a) OVERSIGHT OF NUCLEAR DETERRENCE MISSION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 805 of title 10, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
section: 
‘‘§ 8040. Oversight of nuclear deterrence mission 
‘‘(a) OVERSIGHT OF NUCLEAR DETERRENCE MISSION.—Subject 
to the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of the 
Air Force, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force shall be responsible 
for overseeing the safety, security, reliability, effectiveness, and 
credibility of the nuclear deterrence mission of the Air Force. 
‘‘(b) DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF.—Not later than March 1, 2016, 
the Chief of Staff shall designate a Deputy Chief of Staff to carry 
out the following duties: 
‘‘(1) Provide direction, guidance, integration, and advocacy 
regarding the nuclear deterrence mission of the Air Force. 
‘‘(2) Conduct monitoring and oversight activities regarding 
the safety, security, reliability, effectiveness, and credibility 
of the nuclear deterrence mission of the Air Force. 
‘‘(3) Conduct periodic comprehensive assessments of all 
aspects of the nuclear deterrence mission of the Air Force 
and provide such assessments to the Secretary of the Air Force 
and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at the 
beginning of such chapter is amended by adding after the 
item relating to section 8039 the following new item: 
‘‘8040. Oversight of nuclear deterrence mission.’’. 
(3) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 8033(d)(5) of such 
title is amended by inserting before the semicolon the following: 
‘‘, including pursuant to section 8040 of this title’’. 
(d) CONSOLIDATION.— 
(1) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that 
the Secretary of the Air Force should— 
(A) consolidate, to the extent the Secretary determines 
appropriate, under a major command commanded by a 
single general officer the responsibility, authority, account-
ability, and resources for carrying out all aspects of the 
nuclear deterrence mission of the Air Force, including with 
respect to nuclear weapons, nuclear weapon delivery sys-
tems, and the nuclear command, control, and communica-
tions system; and 
(B) issue, including through the Chief of Staff of the 
Air Force and other elements of the Air Force, guidance, 
directives, and orders to carry out such consolidation.
H. R. 1735—398 
(2) REPORT.—Not later than February 28, 2016, the Sec-
retary of the Air Force shall submit to the congressional defense 
committees a report on any actions taken or planned to be 
taken by the Secretary to reorganize, streamline, and clarify 
the responsibilities, authorities, accountabilities, and resources 
for carrying out the nuclear deterrence mission of the Air 
Force. Such report shall include the following: 
(A) How elements of the Air Force will coordinate 
and integrate to carry out such mission. 
(B) What guidance, directives, and orders have been 
or will be issued by the Secretary, the Chief of Staff of 
the Air Force, or other elements of the Air Force to ensure 
roles, responsibilities, authorities, and accountabilities are 
clear and institutionalized with respect to such mission. 
SEC. 1653. PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY FOR CERTAIN PARTS OF INTER-
CONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE FUZES. 
(a) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Notwithstanding section 1502(a) 
of title 31, United States Code, of the amount authorized to be 
appropriated for fiscal year 2016 by section 101 and available 
for Missile Procurement, Air Force, as specified in the funding 
table in section 4101, $13,700,000 shall be available for the procure-
ment of covered parts pursuant to contracts entered into under 
section 1645(a) of the Carl Levin and Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ Mckeon 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (Public 
Law 113–291; 128 Stat. 3651). 
(b) COVERED PARTS DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘cov-
ered parts’’ means commercially available off-the-shelf items as 
defined in section 104 of title 41, United States Code. 
SEC. 1654. PROHIBITION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR DE- 
ALERTING INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILES. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—Except as provided by subsection (b), none 
of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise 
made available for fiscal year 2016 for the Department of Defense 
may be obligated or expended to reduce, or prepare to reduce, 
the responsiveness or alert level of the intercontinental ballistic 
missiles of the United States. 
(b) EXCEPTIONS.—The prohibition in subsection (a) shall not 
apply to any of the following activities: 
(1) The maintenance or sustainment of intercontinental 
ballistic missiles. 
(2) Ensuring the safety, security, or reliability of interconti-
nental ballistic missiles. 
(3) Reductions in the number of deployed intercontinental 
ballistic missiles that are carried out in compliance with— 
(A) the limitations of the New START Treaty (as 
defined in section 494(a)(2)(D) of title 10, United States 
Code); and 
(B) section 1644 of the Carl Levin and Howard P. 
‘‘Buck’’ Mckeon National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2015 (Public Law 113–291; 128 Stat. 3651; 
10 U.S.C. 494 note). 
SEC. 1655. ASSESSMENT OF GLOBAL NUCLEAR ENVIRONMENT. 
(a) ASSESSMENT REQUIRED.—The Director of Net Assessment 
of the Department of Defense, in coordination with the Commander