I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9279 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize more enlisted members 
of the Armed Forces to attend the Naval Postgraduate School. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 7, 2022 
Mr. PANETTA (for himself, Mr. BACON, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. 
WALTZ, and Mr. FALLON) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize more 
enlisted members of the Armed Forces to attend the 
Naval Postgraduate School. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening the 
Force and Fleet Through Enlisted Education Act’’ or the 
‘‘Smart Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that: 
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(1) The demands of the future operating envi-
ronment need to be met by the most professional, in-
telligent, innovative, and capable servicemembers our 
Nation has ever produced. 
(2) Though officers comprise roughly 18 per-
cent of the Armed Forces, they receive significantly 
higher investments into their education up to the 
PhD level than that of their enlisted counterparts. 
(3) Investing in enlisted advanced education 
will strengthen the lethality of the Armed Forces by 
producing higher quantities of noncommissioned offi-
cers able to operate through the intellectual de-
mands of complex contingencies, producing military 
leaders at rates higher than is otherwise feasible 
with the pool of eligible officers. 
(4) Conducting research and analysis on the 
impact 
of 
advanced 
education 
on 
enlisted 
servicemembers performance, promotion rate, mis-
conduct, and retention is critical to propelling the 
Department of Defense’s initiatives for a modern, 
state-of-the art approach to education and research 
to create and sustain an intellectual overmatch in to-
day’s warfighting domains. 
(5) The Naval Postgraduate School serves as a 
converging point for all branches of the United 
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States military while simultaneously offering innova-
tive learning environments that, combined, offers an 
ideal testing ground to evaluate the potential bene-
fits of expanding enlisted higher education across 
the Joint Force. 
SEC. 3. NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL: ATTENDANCE BY 
ENLISTED MEMBERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a)(2)(D)(iii) of sec-
tion 8545 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ‘‘only on a space-available basis’’ and inserting 
‘‘at a rate of acceptance not to be conditioned by the num-
ber of officer applications’’. 
(b) BRIEFING.—Six years after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall brief the 
Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House 
of Representatives on the effects of increasing enrollment 
of enlisted members at the Naval Postgraduate School 
pursuant to the amendment made by subsection (a). Such 
briefing shall include the following elements: 
(1) Any increase to the lethality of the Armed 
Forces. 
(2) Effects on rates of recruitment, promotion 
(including compensation to members), and retention. 
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(3) Effects on malign behavior by members of 
the Armed Forces. 
Æ 
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