1183 
‘‘(i) paragraph (1) shall not apply 
with respect to the Secretary; and 
‘‘(ii) such body shall be deemed to be 
a board established in such military de-
partment under paragraph (1) for the pur-
poses of paragraphs (2) and (3). 
‘‘(C) DISSOLUTION.—If the body des-
ignated by the Secretary of Defense under this 
paragraph ceases to exist or becomes perma-
nently unable to carry out the responsibilities 
described in paragraph (2), the Secretary may 
designate another body in the Department of 
Defense to carry out such responsibilities or es-
tablish a board in accordance with paragraph 
(1), except that the Secretary shall establish 
such board not later than 180 days after the 
date on which the body designated by the Sec-
retary under this paragraph ceases to exist or 
becomes permanently unable to carry out such 
responsibilities. 
‘‘(d) ESTABLISHMENT OF AUTHORITY-TO-OPERATE 
EXPEDITED APPEALS BOARD FOR THE MILITARY DE-
PARTMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after enactment of this Act, each Secretary of a mili-
1184 
tary department shall establish in such military de-
partment a board. 
‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Each board estab-
lished in a military department under para-
graph (1) shall decide whether to grant each 
Authorization to Operate for which a relevant 
stakeholder in the Authorization to Operate 
submission process submits a request in accord-
ance with subparagraph (B) not later than 90 
days after the date on which such relevant 
stakeholder submits such request. 
‘‘(B) SUBMISSION.—A relevant stakeholder 
in the Authorization to Operate submission 
process seeking a decision from a board estab-
lished in a military department under para-
graph (1) with respect to an Authorization to 
Operate may submit a request for such decision 
to such board if— 
‘‘(i) a request for such Authorization 
to Operate was appropriately submitted to 
the authorizing official for such Authoriza-
tion to Operate not less than 180 days 
prior to the submission to the board;
1185 
‘‘(ii) the Authorization to Operate is 
for an information system of such military 
department; and 
‘‘(iii) as of the date of such submis-
sion, the authorizing official for such Au-
thorization to Operate has not made a 
final decision with respect such Authoriza-
tion to Operate. 
‘‘(C) AUTHORIZING
OFFICIAL
AUTHOR-
ITY.—Upon the submission of a request for an 
Authorization to Operate in accordance with 
subparagraph (B), the authorizing official for 
an Authorization to Operate shall cease to have 
authority to grant or deny such Authorization 
to Operate. 
‘‘(3) SUBMISSION CAPABILITY.—The Secretary 
concerned for a military department shall ensure 
that each relevant stakeholder in the Authorization 
to Operate submission process may submit to the 
board established in such military department under 
paragraph (1) a request for a decision under para-
graph (2). 
‘‘(4) BOARD REQUIREMENTS.—
1186 
‘‘(A) MEMBERSHIP.—A board established 
in a military department under paragraph (1) 
shall be composed of the following members: 
‘‘(i) The Chief Information Officer of 
such military department. 
‘‘(ii) The service acquisition executive 
of such military department. 
‘‘(iii) The commanders of the relevant 
service cyber components. 
‘‘(iv) Any other official determined ap-
propriate by the chair of such board. 
‘‘(B) CHAIR.—The chair of a board estab-
lished in a military department under para-
graph (1) shall be the Chief Information Officer 
of such military department. 
‘‘(C) FREQUENCY.—Each board estab-
lished under paragraph (1) shall meet not less 
than frequently than quarterly. 
‘‘(5) EXISTING FORUM.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of a 
military department may designate a body in 
such military department to carry the respon-
sibilities of described in paragraph (2) if—
1187 
‘‘(i) the body so designated is in exist-
ence as of the date of the enactment of 
this subsection: and 
‘‘(ii) the responsibilities of such body 
relate to managing risks for information 
technologies. 
‘‘(B) EFFECTS.—If the Secretary of a 
military department designates a body under 
subparagraph (A)— 
‘‘(i) paragraph (1) shall not apply 
with respect to such Secretary; and 
‘‘(ii) such body shall be deemed to be 
a board established in such military de-
partment under paragraph (1) for the pur-
poses of paragraphs (2) and (3). 
‘‘(C) DISSOLUTION.—If the body des-
ignated by the Secretary of a military depart-
ment under this paragraph ceases to exist or 
becomes permanently unable to carry out the 
responsibilities described in paragraph (2), the 
Secretary may designate another body in such 
military department to carry out such respon-
sibilities or establish a board in accordance with 
paragraph (1), except that the Secretary shall 
establish such board not later than 180 days
1188 
after the date on which the body designated by 
the Secretary under this paragraph ceases to 
exist or becomes permanently unable to carry 
out such responsibilities.’’; and 
(4) by inserting after subsection (e), as so re-
designated, the following new subsection: 
‘‘(f) BIANNUAL REPORT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than six months 
after the date of the enactment of this subsection, 
and every six months thereafter under October 1, 
2031, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 
congressional defense committees a report on activi-
ties under this section in the six-month period end-
ing on the date of the submission of such report. 
‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each report required under 
paragraph (1) shall include, for the period covered 
by such report— 
‘‘(A) the number of new Authorizations to 
Operate; 
‘‘(B) the number of Authorizations to Op-
erate evaluated; 
‘‘(C) the number of requests for Authoriza-
tions to Operate that were denied;
1189 
‘‘(D) the number of requests for Author-
izations to Operate submitted to the board es-
tablished under subsection (c); 
‘‘(E) the number of requests for Author-
izations to Operate resolved by the board estab-
lished under subsection (c); 
‘‘(F) the number of requests for Authoriza-
tions to Operate submitted to a board estab-
lished under subsection (d); 
‘‘(G) the number of requests for Author-
izations to Operate resolved by a board estab-
lished under subsection (d); 
‘‘(H) the average length of time required 
for a capability to receive an Authorization to 
Operate in accordance with the organization’s 
implementation of the risk management frame-
work publish by the National Institution of 
Standards and Technology in NIST Special 
Publication 800-37, or any amendatory or su-
perseding document thereto; 
‘‘(I) the number of Authorizations to Oper-
ate issued pursuant to the policy required by 
subsection (b);
1190 
‘‘(J) the number of requested reciprocal 
Authorizations to Operate denied due to insuffi-
ciency of supporting evidence; and 
‘‘(K) a narrative summary identifying defi-
ciencies in Bodies of Evidence packages that 
prevented an authorizing official from adopting 
the security analysis and artifacts, as appro-
priate, of a cloud-hosted platform, service, or 
application that has already been authorized by 
another authorizing official in the Department 
of Defense in accordance with the policy re-
quired by subsection (b).’’. 
SEC. 1502. CODIFICATION OF THE NATIONAL CENTERS OF 
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IN CYBERSECURITY. 
(a) MANAGEMENT OF THE NATIONAL CENTERS OF 
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IN CYBER.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of Cyber Aca-
demic Engagement Office shall manage the National 
Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber program. 
(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—In managing the Pro-
gram, the Director shall— 
(A) consult with the Director of the Na-
tional Security Agency, the Director of the Cy-
bersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency 
of the Department of Homeland Security, the
1191 
Director of the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology, the Director of the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation, and the Director of the 
National Science Foundation, to ensure that 
the cyber education programs and educational 
resource development efforts and programs of 
the Federal Government do not compete or con-
flict with each other; 
(B) consult with the heads of other appro-
priate Federal agencies and representatives of 
appropriate private sector entities, academic in-
stitutions, and other organizations as deter-
mined necessary by the Director to make the 
designations under subsection (b); and 
(C) manage instructional and participatory 
opportunities available through the efforts, pro-
grams, initiatives, and investments from pri-
mary through postsecondary levels accounted 
for in the report required under section 1649 of 
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fis-
cal Year 2020 (Public Law 116–92; 133 Stat. 
1758). 
(b) DESIGNATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition the responsibil-
ities under subsection (a)(2), in carrying out the
1192 
Program, the Director shall designate academic in-
stitutions as National Centers of Academic Excel-
lence in one or more of cyber defense, cyber oper-
ations, and cyber research. 
(2) CRITERIA.—The Director shall make the 
designations under paragraph (1) based on the fol-
lowing: 
(A) Academic requirements and best prac-
tices identified by the Director in consultation 
with Departments and Agencies enabling the 
development of educational programs reflecting 
the full range of cyber work roles specified in 
the Defense Cyber Workforce Framework, the 
National Initiative on Cyber Education Work-
force Framework for Cyber published by the 
National Institute of Standards and Technology 
in NIST Special Publication 800–181, Revision 
5, or any successor framework. 
(B) Institutional criteria and requirements 
emphasizing the following: 
(i) Outreach to the surrounding com-
munity of an eligible academic institution. 
(ii) Leadership in contributing to the 
development of a national cyber workforce,
1193 
including cultivating educational institution 
faculty and research leaders. 
(iii) Leadership in the development of 
educational and performance expectations 
for cyber professionals, including through 
curriculum and degree offerings to prepare 
future cyber professionals of all knowledge 
and skill levels. 
(iv) Demonstrated commitment to im-
plementing cyber best practices within the 
eligible academic institution across aca-
demic disciplines. 
(v) Demonstrated commitment to seek 
solutions to challenges in addressing Fed-
eral, State, local, territorial, and Tribal 
level Cyber education needs. 
(vi) Regional accreditation from one 
of the six regional accrediting agencies rec-
ognized by the Federal Department of 
Education providing external review to as-
sure quality and ongoing improvement. 
(C) Increasing collaboration within the 
cyber education community to support develop-
ment and sharing of educational materials and 
curriculum.
1194 
(D) Increasing collaboration with private 
sector entities and government employers at the 
Federal, State, local, territorial, and Tribal lev-
els to further define workforce requirements 
and assist in defining academic requirements to 
prepare students for the field of cyber. 
(c) METRICS AND REPORTING.— 
(1) METRICS.—The Director shall— 
(A) collaborate with the individuals de-
scribed in subsection (a)(2)(A) to identify 
metrics and annual data reporting requirements 
necessary to assess the degree to which the Pro-
gram is meeting the objectives of the Program; 
and 
(B) ensure adequate data and best prac-
tices are made available to the individuals de-
scribed in subsection (a)(2)(A) to measure the 
efficacy of the Program and the benefits pro-
vided to individuals participating in the Pro-
gram and to the Department compared to costs 
of the Program paid by academic institutions 
participating in the Program and sponsors of 
the Program. 
(2) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and an-
1195 
nually thereafter, the Director shall submit to Con-
gress a report on the benefits provided to individuals 
participating in the Program and to the Department 
compared to costs of the Program paid by academic 
institutions participating in the program and spon-
sors of the Program. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘academic institution’’ means an 
eligible and current United States community col-
lege, college, academy, institute, or university in the 
United States for designation under the Program. 
(2) The term ‘‘Cyber Academic Engagement 
Office’’ means the office established under section 
2192c(a) of title 10, United States Code. 
(3) The term ‘‘Director’’ means the Director of 
the Cyber Academic Engagement Office. 
(4) The term ‘‘Program’’ means the National 
Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber program. 
SEC. 1503. ASSESSMENT OF CYBER OPERATIONAL SUPPORT 
TO GEOGRAPHIC COMBATANT COMMANDS. 
(a) REPORTS.—Not later than one year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, each commander of a unified 
combatant command, other than the Commander of the 
United States Cyber Command, shall submit to the con-
gressional defense committees a report assessing the suffi-
1196 
ciency of support provided by the Commander of United 
States Cyber Command in carrying out the mission of 
such unified combatant command. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—Each report submitted by a com-
mander of a unified combatant command under subsection 
(a) shall include an evaluation of— 
(1) the ability of the United States Cyber Com-
mand and the service cyber components to provide 
to such combatant command capabilities that align 
with the operational requirements of such com-
mander, including capabilities to support such com-
mander acting with respect to targets on the joint 
integrated prioritized target list of such commander; 
and 
(2) such other matters as determined appro-
priate by such commander. 
SEC. 1504. LIMITATION ON THE DIVESTMENT, CONSOLIDA-
TION, AND CURTAILMENT OF CERTAIN ELEC-
TRONIC WARFARE TEST AND EVALUATION 
ACTIVITIES. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary of the Army shall 
not take any action to divest, consolidate, or curtail any 
electronic warfare test and evaluation activities that were 
part of an Army element of the Major Range and Test 
Facility Base on or before the date of the enactment of
1197 
this Act until the Secretary submits to the congressional 
defense committees the report described in subsection (b). 
(b) REPORT.—The report described in this subsection 
is a report on a decision of the Secretary to divest, consoli-
date, or curtail an electronic warfare test or evaluation 
activity described in subsection (a) that contains the fol-
lowing: 
(1) A description of the analytic basis used by 
the Secretary for making the decision, including 
matters relating to any cost, workload, and work-
force requirements, as well as any analysis relating 
to operational impact on users of the activities. 
(2) The findings from an independent review by 
the Director of the Office of Cost Assessment and 
Program Evaluation of all analyses described in 
paragraph (1). 
(3) A certification by the Director of the Test 
Resource Management Center that the analyses de-
scribed in paragraph (1) and the decision of the Sec-
retary meet the requirement of the Department of 
Defense, as required by section 4173(c)(1)(B) of 
title 10, United States Code.
1198 
SEC. 1505. INCENTIVIZATION PLAN FOR CRITICAL SKILLS 
FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES TO 
CARRY 
OUT 
DEPARTMENT 
OF 
DEFENSE 
CYBER OPERATIONS. 
(a) PLAN REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Defense, in 
consultation with the Commander of the United States 
Cyber Command, shall develop and implement a plan to 
incentivize critical skills and proficiencies for covered 
members of the Armed Forces required to carry out De-
partment of Defense cyber operations. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The plan required under subsection 
(a) shall include the following: 
(1) An identification of critical skills and pro-
ficiencies required by covered members of the Armed 
Forces to carry out Department of Defense cyber 
operations. 
(2) A process for reassessment of critical skills 
and identification of lessons learned with respect to 
such operations. 
(3) An identification of skill sets related to such 
operations that should require periodic recertifi-
cation. 
(4) Estimated personnel levels required for each 
skill set and proficiency related to such operations.
1199 
(5) A process for identifying personnel levels 
and skills of covered members of the Armed Forces 
that may be useful for such operations. 
(6) A process for providing continuation or cer-
tification pay for each skill set needed for such oper-
ations. 
(7) An anticipated budget for incentives to be 
used with— 
(A) the level of cyber operations personnel 
as of the date of the enactment of this Act; and 
(B) a level of cyber operations personnel 
that the Secretary considers to be full capacity. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than March 1, 2026, the 
Secretary of the Defense shall submit to the congressional 
defense committees a report containing the plan required 
under subsection (a). 
(d) COVERED MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES 
DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘covered members 
of the Armed Forces’’ means members of the Army, Navy, 
Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force. 
SEC. 1506. EVALUATION OF JOINT TASK FORCE-CYBER FOR 
THE 
INDO-PACIFIC 
AREA 
OF 
RESPONSI-
BILITY. 
(a) EVALUATION.—Not later than July 1, 2026, the 
Secretary of Defense, acting through the Assistant Sec-
1200 
retary of Defense for Cyber Policy, in collaboration with 
the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Com-
mander of United States Cyber Command, and the Com-
mander of United States Indo-Pacific Command, shall 
conduct a comprehensive evaluation and provide rec-
ommendations on establishing a Joint Task Force-Cyber 
for the Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility. 
(b) EVALUATION REQUIREMENTS.—The evaluation 
required under subsection (a) shall include the following: 
(1) An assessment of cyber force employment 
requirements and capabilities for the Indo-Pacific 
Command area of responsibility. 
(2) An assessment of the operational require-
ments for Joint Task Force-Cyber elements in each 
geographic combatant command area of operations. 
(3) An analysis of the optimal command and 
control structures for the elements of Joint Task 
Force-Cyber, including— 
(A) the designation of Joint Task Force 
Establishing Authority described in Joint Publi-
cation 3-33 of the Joint Task Force Head-
quarters (January 31, 2018); 
(B) the alignment of operational control 
and tactical control authorities over subordinate 
forces assigned to Joint Task Force-Cyber; and
1201 
(C) concurrent Joint Task Force Estab-
lishing Authority management structures be-
tween United States Cyber Command and the 
United States Indo-Pacific Command. 
(4) An assessment of force structure require-
ments, including— 
(A) the subordinate forces to be assigned 
to each planned element of Joint Task Force- 
Cyber, including— 
(i) Joint Forces Headquarters Cyber 
of the Navy; 
(ii) Joint Task Force Ares; 
(iii) Task Force Two of the Cyber Na-
tional Mission Force; and 
(iv) Forward Information Warfare 
Command Pacific of the Navy; 
(B) the personnel and resources required 
to carry out the mission of Joint Task Force- 
Cyber; and 
(C) sources of personnel required to meet 
such personnel requirements. 
(5) An evaluation of the integration and 
sustainment of cyber capabilities and effects. 
(6) An identification of supporting infrastruc-
ture requirements for the Indo-Pacific Command to
1202 
conduct cyber activities in support of the military 
objects of the Indo-Pacific Command. 
(7) A description of potential missions and lines 
of effort for elements of Joint Task Force-Cyber. 
(8) Such other matters as the Assistant Sec-
retary of Defense for Cyber Policy and the Vice 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff determine ap-
propriate. 
(c) IMPLEMENTATION
PLAN
FOR
JOINT
TASK 
FORCE-CYBER.—The evaluation required under sub-
section (a) shall include a comprehensive implementation 
plan for establishing Joint Task Force-Cyber for the 
United States Indo-Pacific Command area of responsi-
bility that is based, as determined appropriate, on the 
findings of such evaluation. 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than July 1, 2026, the As-
sistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy, the Vice 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Com-
mander of United States Cyber Command shall jointly 
submit to the Secretary of Defense and the congressional 
defense committees a report containing— 
(1) the results of the evaluation required under 
subsection (a); 
(2) the implementation plan required under 
subsection (c);
1203 
(3) the views from each of the geographic com-
batant commands regarding the findings of such 
evaluation and such implementation plan; and 
(4) recommendations for legislative or adminis-
trative actions required to implement such imple-
mentation plan. 
Subtitle B—Cybersecurity 
SEC. 1511. ANNUAL REPORT ON WEAPON SYSTEMS DATA 
ACCESSIBILITY AND SECURITY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than April 30, 2026, 
and annually thereafter until September 30, 2030, the 
Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary 
of the Army, Secretary of the Navy, and Secretary of the 
Air Force, shall submit to the congressional defense com-
mittees a report analyzing the weapons platforms of the 
Department of Defense that lack onboard, real-time cyber-
security capabilities. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—Each annual report submitted 
under subsection (a) shall include, for each weapons plat-
form analyzed in such report, the following: 
(1) An explanation of why onboard, real-time 
cybersecurity capabilities have not yet been inte-
grated into such weapons platform. 
(2) An estimate of the cost to implement on-
board, real-time cybersecurity capabilities into such
1204 
weapons platform to enable monitoring and detection 
of cyber intrusions. 
(3) A timeline, correlated with the cost estimate 
required under paragraph (2), to implement on-
board, real-time cybersecurity capabilities across the 
entire inventory of the Department of Defense of 
such weapons platform. 
(c) ONBOARD, REAL-TIME CYBERSECURITY CAPA-
BILITIES DEFINED.—In this section, ‘‘onboard, real-time 
cybersecurity capabilities’’ means technologies integrated 
into a weapons platform that mitigate cyber risks to oper-
ation, including serial bus monitoring capabilities or 
runtime application self-protection capabilities. 
SEC. 1512. INCORPORATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 
CONSIDERATIONS INTO ANNUAL CYBERSE-
CURITY TRAINING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of De-
fense, acting through the Chief Information Officer of the 
Department of Defense, shall revise the mandatory annual 
training on cybersecurity for members of the Armed 
Forces and civilian employees of the Department of De-
fense to include content related to the unique cybersecu-
rity challenges posed by the use of artificial intelligence.
1205 
(b) BRIEFINGS.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and every 90 days there-
after until the training described in subsection (a) has 
been revised as required by such subsection, the Chief In-
formation Officer of the Department of Defense shall pro-
vide to the Committees on Armed Services of the House 
of Representatives and Senate a briefing on the progress 
of such revision. 
SEC. 1513. UPDATE TO CYBER SECURITY REQUIREMENTS 
FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS CONTRACTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Navy 
shall implement regulations requiring that each covered 
telecommunications contract includes updated cyber secu-
rity requirements for Department wireless telecommuni-
cation devices to protect against domestic and inter-
national cybersecurity attacks, including SS7 signaling at-
tacks, diameter signaling attacks, SIM hacking, and simu-
lated cellular sites. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The cyber security requirements re-
quired to be included in covered telecommunication con-
tracts under subsection (a) shall include the following: 
(1) Disabling the use of 2G and 3G tele-
communication networks by Department wireless 
telecommunication 
devices, 
and 
security
1206 
vulnerabilities in inbound and outbound Signaling 
System 7 traffic from foreign countries and opera-
tors of foreign telecommunications networks. 
(2) Providing protection against all categories 
of Diameter protocol exploitation, including Category 
0 non-application information, Category 1 applica-
tion ID and command codes, Category 2 application- 
specific values, and Category 3 location and time. 
(3) Enabling and facilitating rotation of tradi-
tionally persistent alphanumeric identifiers used to 
authentic users, including the international mobile 
subscriber identity for users, including the inter-
national mobile subscriber identity. 
(4) Real-time monitoring and blocking of sus-
picious connections and requests that pose a high 
risk to cybersecurity, including any connection or re-
quest that would force a Department wireless tele-
communication device to use a 3G telecommuni-
cation network, improperly filtered signaling traffic, 
and connections or requests that do not match the 
location of the subscriber, as well as real-time alert-
ing when a user of Department wireless tele-
communication device is targeted by a high-risk con-
nection or request.
1207 
(5) 
Encrypting 
data 
and 
call 
sessions, 
encrypting call data records in storage, and storing 
call data records not longer than 60 days. 
(6) Apply modern cryptographic protections to 
prevent the ability to transfer phone numbers be-
tween devices and disabling user requests to transfer 
phone numbers between devices. 
(7) Hosting the software infrastructure for the 
mobile network in a commercial cloud computing en-
vironment and making publicly available quarterly 
cybersecurity audits conducted by independent audi-
tors on behalf of the Department of Defense. 
(c) CERTIFICATION.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 
Navy shall certify to the congressional defense committees 
that the Secretary of the Navy has implemented the regu-
lations required by subsection (a). 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘covered telecommunications con-
tract’’ means a contract— 
(A) that is entered into under the multiple 
award contract (as defined in section 3302(a) 
of title 41, United States Code) described in the 
memorandum of the Department of Defense en-
titled ‘‘DoD UNCLASSIFIED Wireless Mobile
1208 
Services and Devices Spiral 4’’ and dated May 
23, 2024; or 
(B) under which the Navy acquires wire-
less telecommunication services or devices. 
(2) The term ‘‘Department wireless tele-
communication device’’ means a wireless tele-
communication device— 
(A) acquired under a covered telecommuni-
cations contract; or 
(B) that is using wireless telecommuni-
cation services under a covered telecommuni-
cations contract. 
SEC. 1514. FEDERAL CONTRACTOR VULNERABILITY DIS-
CLOSURE POLICY. 
(a) RECOMMENDATIONS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Di-
rector of the Office of Management and Budget, in 
consultation with the Director of the Cybersecurity 
and Infrastructure Security Agency, the National 
Cyber Director, the Director of the National Insti-
tute of Standards and Technology, and any other 
appropriate head of an Executive department, 
shall—
1209 
(A) review the Federal Acquisition Regula-
tion contract requirements and language for 
contractor vulnerability disclosure programs; 
and 
(B) recommend updates to such require-
ments and language to the Federal Acquisition 
Regulation Council. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The recommendations re-
quired by paragraph (1) shall include updates to 
such requirements designed to ensure that covered 
contractors implement a vulnerability disclosure pol-
icy consistent with NIST guidelines for contractors 
as required under section 5 of the IoT Cybersecurity 
Improvement Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 278g–3c; Pub-
lic Law 116–207). 
(b) PROCUREMENT REQUIREMENTS.—Not later than 
180 days after the date on which the recommended con-
tract language developed pursuant to subsection (a) is re-
ceived, the Federal Acquisition Regulation Council shall 
review the recommended contract language and update the 
FAR as necessary to incorporate requirements for covered 
contractors to receive information about a potential secu-
rity vulnerability relating to an information system owned 
or controlled by a contractor, in performance of the con-
tract.
1210 
(c) ELEMENTS.—The update to the FAR pursuant 
to subsection (b) shall— 
(1) to the maximum extent practicable, align 
with the security vulnerability disclosure process and 
coordinated disclosure requirements relating to Fed-
eral information systems under sections 5 and 6 of 
the IoT Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2020 
(Public Law 116–207; 15 U.S.C. 278g–3c and 
278g–3d); and 
(2) to the maximum extent practicable, be 
aligned with industry best practices and Standards 
29147 and 30111 of the International Standards 
Organization (or any successor standard) or any 
other appropriate, relevant, and widely used stand-
ard. 
(d) WAIVER.—The head of an agency may waive the 
security vulnerability disclosure policy requirement under 
subsection (b) if— 
(1) the agency Chief Information Officer deter-
mines that the waiver is necessary in the interest of 
national security or research purposes; and 
(2) if, not later than 30 days after granting a 
waiver, such head submits a notification and jus-
tification (including information about the duration 
of the waiver) to the Committee on Oversight and
1211 
Government Reform of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Homeland Security and Gov-
ernmental Affairs of the Senate. 
(e) DEPARTMENT
OF DEFENSE SUPPLEMENT
TO 
THE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION.— 
(1) REVIEW.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
of Defense shall review the Department of Defense 
Supplement to the Federal Acquisition Regulation 
contract requirements and language for contractor 
vulnerability disclosure programs and develop up-
dates to such requirements designed to ensure that 
covered contractors implement a vulnerability disclo-
sure policy consistent with NIST guidelines for con-
tractors as required under section 5 of the IoT Cy-
bersecurity Improvement Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 
278g–3c; Public Law 116–207). 
(2) REVISIONS.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date on which the review required under sub-
section (a) is completed, the Secretary shall revise 
the DFARS as necessary to incorporate require-
ments for covered contractors to receive information 
about a potential security vulnerability relating to an 
information system owned or controlled by a con-
tractor, in performance of the contract.
1212 
(3) ELEMENTS.—The Secretary shall ensure 
that the revision to the DFARS described in this 
subsection is carried out in accordance with the re-
quirements of paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection 
(c). 
(4) WAIVER.—The Chief Information Officer of 
the Department of Defense, in consultation with the 
National Manager for National Security Systems, 
may waive the security vulnerability disclosure policy 
requirements under paragraph (2) if the Chief Infor-
mation Officer— 
(A) determines that the waiver is necessary 
in the interest of national security or research 
purposes; and 
(B) not later than 30 days after granting 
a waiver, submits a notification and justifica-
tion (including information about the duration 
of the waiver) to the Committees on Armed 
Services of the House of Representatives and 
the Senate. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘agency’’ has the meaning given 
the term in section 3502 of title 44, United States 
Code.
1213 
(2) The term ‘‘covered contractor’’ means a 
contractor (as defined in section 7101 of title 41, 
United States Code)— 
(A) whose contract is in an amount the 
same as or greater than the simplified acquisi-
tion threshold; or 
(B) that uses, operates, manages, or main-
tains a Federal information system (as defined 
by section 11331 of title 40, United Stated 
Code) on behalf of an agency. 
(3) The term ‘‘DFARS’’ means the Department 
of Defense Supplement to the Federal Acquisition 
Regulation. 
(4) The term ‘‘Executive department’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 101 of title 5, 
United States Code. 
(5) The term ‘‘FAR’’ means the Federal Acqui-
sition Regulation. 
(6) The term ‘‘NIST’’ means the National In-
stitute of Standards and Technology. 
(7) The term ‘‘OMB’’ means the Office of Man-
agement and Budget. 
(8) The term ‘‘security vulnerability’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 2200 of the 
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 650).
1214 
(9) The term ‘‘simplified acquisition threshold’’ 
has the meaning given that term in section 134 of 
title 41, United States Code. 
SEC. 1515. STRATEGY TO DEFEND AGAINST RISKS POSED 
BY THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. 
(a) STRATEGY TO DEFEND AGAINST RISKS POSED 
BY AUTOMATED AND ENHANCED ADVERSARIAL CYBER 
OPERATIONS
CONDUCTED
WITH
ARTIFICIAL
INTEL-
LIGENCE.— 
(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, in con-
sultation with the officials described in paragraph 
(3), shall submit to Congress a report that includes 
the following: 
(A) A description of interagency policies 
and procedures to defend the defense industrial 
base, cybersecurity capabilities, supply chains, 
and physical and operational security of the 
United States from the national and economic 
security risks posed by the use of artificial in-
telligence in the commission of information es-
pionage and cyber attacks. 
(B) An itemized list of readily available re-
sources, hardware, software, and technologies
1215 
that can be immediately used to combat the use 
of artificial intelligence in the commission of in-
formation espionage and cyber attacks. 
(C) An itemized list of resources, hard-
ware, software, technologies, people, and budg-
etary estimates needed to help Federal agencies 
combat the use of artificial intelligence in the 
commission of information espionage and cyber 
attacks. 
(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—Each report required 
by paragraph (1) shall take the following risks into 
consideration the following: 
(A) Deepfakes. 
(B) Voice cloning. 
(C) Non-kinetic autonomous weapons sys-
tems. 
(D) Synthetic Identities. 
(E) Enhanced cyber capabilities and auto-
mated cyber attacks. 
(F) Overall digital flashpoint scenarios and 
escalation through speed. 
(3) OFFICIALS DESCRIBED.—The officials de-
scribed in this paragraph are the heads of the fol-
lowing:
1216 
(A) The Office of the Under Secretary of 
Defense for Policy. 
(B) The Defense Innovation Unit. 
(C) The United States Cyber Command. 
(D) The Office of Science and Technology 
Policy in the Executive Office of the President. 
(E) The Office of Strategic Capital. 
(F) The Chief Digital and Artificial Intel-
ligence Office. 
(b) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later than 90 days 
after the submission of a report under subsection (a), the 
Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a set of 
recommendations relating to such report that contains the 
following: 
(1) Recommendations for legislation to address 
the risks posed by the use of artificial intelligence in 
the commission of information espionage and cyber 
attacks. 
(2) Best practices to assist United State busi-
nesses and government entities with risk mitigation 
and incident response to address the risks posed by 
the use of artificial intelligence in the commission of 
information espionage and cyber attacks.
1217 
Subtitle C—Information 
Technology and Data Management 
SEC. 1521. BIOLOGICAL DATA FOR ARTIFICIAL INTEL-
LIGENCE. 
(a) AI ACCESSIBILITY TO QUALIFIED BIOLOGICAL 
DATA RESOURCES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than one year 
after the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of De-
fense shall develop and implement requirements that 
ensure qualified biological data resources created by 
research entirely funded by the Department of De-
fense are collected and stored in a manner that fa-
cilitates the use of such qualified biological data re-
sources for advanced computational methods, includ-
ing artificial intelligence. 
(2) RULES OF REQUIREMENTS.—The require-
ments implemented under subsection (a) shall in-
clude the following: 
(A) A definition of the term ‘‘qualified bio-
logical data resource’’ for the purposes of such 
requirements, which shall be based on one or 
more of the following criteria: 
(i) The type of biological data gen-
erated.
1218 
(ii) The size of collection of such bio-
logical data. 
(iii) The amount of Federal funds 
awarded to the research that created such 
qualified biological data resource. 
(iv) The level of sensitivity of the bio-
logical data generated. 
(v) Any other factor determined ap-
propriate by the Secretary of Defense. 
(B) Guidance on the metrics and metadata 
included under such requirements to indicate 
data quality, including usability, interoper-
ability, and completeness. 
(C) Requirements for tiered levels of cyber-
security safeguards and access controls for the 
storage of biological data. 
(D) Exceptions to such requirements, in-
cluding for biological data that may implicate 
national security. 
(E) Requirements for the protection of the 
privacy of individuals. 
(b) CONSULTATION.—In developing and imple-
menting the requirement under subsection (a), the Sec-
retary shall consult with the Secretaries of the Armed 
Forces, the heads of the research laboratories of each of
1219 
the Armed Services, and private sector and academia re-
cipients of funding for research from the Department of 
Defense to ensure that such requirements are not overly 
burdensome. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing the 
progress made in developing and implementing the re-
quirements under subsection (a), including— 
(1) the quantity of the biological data generated 
and stored in accordance with such requirement and 
accessible through application programming inter-
faces; 
(2) user engagement with biological data in ac-
cordance with such requirements. 
SEC. 1522. PROCUREMENT OF BEST-IN-CLASS CYBER DATA 
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, acting through 
the Chief Information Officer, shall provide a briefing to 
the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 
House of Representatives on plans to establish an open 
and competitive process pursuant to section 1521 of the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 
(Public Law 117–81; 10 U.S.C. 2224 note) to provide
1220 
best-in-class cybersecurity solutions (including endpoint, 
identity, and threat hunting solutions) and the benefits as-
sociated with the use of multiple different cybersecurity 
providers to support operational resilience of Department 
of Defense information networks. 
Subtitle D—Artificial Intelligence 
SEC. 
1531. 
ARTIFICIAL 
INTELLIGENCE 
AND 
MACHINE 
LEARNING SECURITY IN THE DEPARTMENT 
OF DEFENSE. 
(a) CYBERSECURITY POLICY FOR ARTIFICIAL INTEL-
LIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING USE.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall develop and implement a De-
partment-wide policy for the cybersecurity and gov-
ernance of artificial intelligence and machine learn-
ing, as well as the models for artificial intelligence 
and machine learning used in national defense appli-
cations. 
(2) POLICY
ELEMENTS.—The policy required 
under paragraph (1) shall address the following: 
(A) Protection against security threats spe-
cific to artificial intelligence and machine learn-
ing, including model serialization attacks, model 
tampering, data leakage, adversarial prompt in-
1221 
jection, model extraction, model jailbreaks, and 
supply chain attacks. 
(B) 
Use 
of 
cybersecurity 
measures 
throughout the life cycle of systems using artifi-
cial intelligence or machine learning. 
(C) Adoption of industry-recognized frame-
works to guide the development and implemen-
tation of artificial intelligence and machine 
learning security best practices. 
(D) Standards for governance, testing, au-
diting, and monitoring of systems using artifi-
cial intelligence and machine learning to ensure 
the integrity and resilience of such systems. 
(E) Training requirements for the work-
force of the Department of Defense to ensure 
personnel are prepared to identify and mitigate 
vulnerabilities that are specific to artificial in-
telligence and machine learning. 
(3) REVIEW AND REPORT.— 
(A) REVIEW.—The Secretary of Defense 
shall conduct a comprehensive review to identify 
and assess the effectiveness of the artificial in-
telligence and machine learning cybersecurity 
and governance practices of the Department of 
Defense.
1222 
(B) REPORT.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than Au-
gust 31, 2026, the Secretary of Defense 
shall submit to the Committees on Armed 
Services of the House of Representatives 
and the Senate a report on the findings of 
the review conducted under subparagraph 
(A). 
(ii) CONTENTS.—The report required 
under clause (i) shall include— 
(I) an assessment of the current 
security practices for artificial intel-
ligence and machine learning across 
the Department of Defense; 
(II) an assessment of the cyber-
security risks posed by the use of au-
thorized and unauthorized artificial 
intelligence software, including models 
developed by companies headquartered 
in or operating from foreign countries 
of concern, by the Department; 
(III) an identification of gaps in 
the existing security measures of the 
Department related to threats specific
1223 
to the use of artificial intelligence and 
machine learning; 
(IV) an analysis of the potential 
of security management, access, and 
runtime capabilities for artificial intel-
ligence in the commercial sector for 
use by the Department to defend sys-
tem using artificial intelligence from 
threats, minimize data exposure re-
sulting from the use of such systems, 
and maintain the trustworthiness of 
applications of the Department that 
use artificial intelligence; 
(V) an evaluation of the align-
ment of the policies of the Depart-
ment with industry frameworks; 
(VI) recommend actions to en-
hance the security, integrity, and gov-
ernance of artificial intelligence and 
machine learning models used by the 
Department; and 
(VII) an identification of any ad-
ditional authorities, resources, or leg-
islative actions required for the De-
partment to effectively implement ar-
1224 
tificial intelligence and machine learn-
ing model security policy required by 
paragraph (1). 
(b) BILL OF MATERIALS FOR ARTIFICIAL INTEL-
LIGENCE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Any policy, regulation, guid-
ance, or requirement issued by the Department of 
Defense relating to the use, submission, or mainte-
nance of a software bill of materials shall also apply 
to an artificial intelligence software bill of materials, 
to the extent practicable, for all artificial intelligence 
systems, models, and software used, developed, or 
procured by the Department. 
(2) IMPLEMENTATION
AND
OVERSIGHT.—Not 
later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Defense, acting through 
the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer 
of the Department of Defense and Chief Information 
Officer of the Department of Defense, shall revise 
the regulations, guidance, and policies of the De-
partment of Defense to comply with paragraph (1), 
including guidance and standards for artificial intel-
ligence software bill of materials, in accordance with 
the best practices for software bill of materials.
1225 
(3) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
the Department of Defense shall submit to the Com-
mittees on Armed Services of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Senate a report on— 
(A) the status of the implementation of re-
quirements for artificial intelligence software 
bill of materials under this subsection, including 
challenges, recommendations, and potential leg-
islative or regulatory modifications needed to 
enhance the effectiveness of such implementa-
tion; 
(B) the feasibility and necessity to update 
Department of Defense Instruction 5000.87, 
Operation of the Software Acquisition Pathway 
(October 2, 2020) and the software acquisition 
pathway established under section 3603 of title 
10, United States Code, with requirements for 
artificial intelligence software bill of materials 
and more detailed software bill of materials in 
the procurement of software, hardware, artifi-
cial intelligence technologies, and cryptographic 
technologies; and 
(C) the estimated costs for the implemen-
tation of the policies for artificial intelligence
1226 
software bill of materials and more detailed 
software bill of materials required under this 
subsection and described in subparagraph (B), 
including for any new systems or investments 
required to support greater implementation and 
adoption by the Department of Defense of arti-
ficial intelligence. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The terms ‘‘artificial intelligence’’ and ‘‘ma-
chine learning’’ have the meanings given such terms, 
respectively, in section 5001 of the National Artifi-
cial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 
9401). 
(2) The term ‘‘artificial intelligence software 
bill of materials’’ means the records kept in the nor-
mal course of business that identify each component, 
library, and dependency comprising an artificial in-
telligence software application. 
(3) The term ‘‘software bill of materials’’ means 
the records kept in the normal course of business 
that identify each component, library, and depend-
ency comprising a software application.
1227 
SEC. 1532. PILOT PROGRAM FOR DATA-ENABLED FLEET 
MAINTENANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned 
for a covered armed force, in consultation with the Chief 
Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Depart-
ment of Defense, shall establish in such covered armed 
force a pilot program under which the covered armed force 
shall use commercially available artificial intelligence tech-
nologies to improve the maintenance of ground vehicles 
performed by such covered armed force. 
(b) OBJECTIVES.—Under the pilot program estab-
lished under subsection (a), the Secretary concerned 
shall— 
(1) assess the feasibility and effectiveness of ar-
tificial intelligence-driven approaches in improving 
maintenance regimes for ground vehicles; 
(2) assess the cost savings resulting from the 
use of artificial intelligence technology for the main-
tenance of ground vehicles; and 
(3) identify and mitigate potential challenges 
and risks associated with the integration of artificial 
intelligence technology for modernized maintenance 
of ground vehicles, including cybersecurity concerns. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, each Secretary concerned
1228 
for a covered armed force shall submit to Committees on 
Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the 
Senate a report on the activities performed under the pilot 
program established under subsection (a) in such covered 
armed force. 
(d) TERMINATION.—The authority to carry out a 
pilot program under subsection (a) shall terminate on Jan-
uary 1, 2029. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘covered armed force’’ means the 
Army, Navy, or Air Force. 
(2) The term ‘‘Secretary concerned’’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 101(a) of title 
10, United States Code. 
SEC. 1533. GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR 
NATIONAL DEFENSE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of ap-
propriations, the Secretary of Defense shall carry out not 
less than two and not more than 12 generative artificial 
intelligence efforts to enhance the national security of the 
United States and the capabilities of the Department of 
Defense and to accelerate the adoption to generative artifi-
cial intelligence capabilities at the Department of Defense. 
(b) DESIGNATION
OF
RESPONSIBLE
ORGANIZA-
TION.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the en-
1229 
actment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall des-
ignate an organization in the Department of Defense 
which shall be responsible for managing and coordinating 
the efforts under subsection (a). 
(c) SCOPE.—In managing the efforts under sub-
section (a), the head of the organization designated under 
subsection (b), in coordination with the Chairman of the 
Joint Chiefs of Staff and the commanders of the combat-
ant commands, shall evaluate how generative artificial in-
telligence can enhance the efficiency and improve the mis-
sion effectiveness of the Department of Defense with re-
spect to the following: 
(1) Damage assessment from battlefield im-
agery and video. 
(2) Human and machine teaming interfaces. 
(3) Cybersecurity. 
(4) Mission analysis. 
(5) Order of battle. 
(6) Mission planning. 
(7) Intelligence collection and analysis. 
(8) Any other areas the Chairman of the Joint 
Chiefs of Staff or the commanders of the combatant 
commands determine appropriate in addressing ex-
isting or anticipated mission requirements of the De-
partment of Defense.
1230 
SEC. 1534. REPORTS ON AI USE FOR BUSINESS PROCESSES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this section, and annually there-
after as determined necessary, the Chief Information Offi-
cer of the Department of Defense, in coordination with 
the Chief Information Officers of each military depart-
ment (as defined in section 101(a) of title 10, United 
States Code), shall submit to the congressional defense 
committees a report analyzing the use of artificial intel-
ligence tools and capabilities across the business process 
of the Department of Defense for the purposes of estab-
lishing guidelines for the appropriate use of artificial intel-
ligence across the Department. 
(b) USE OF MARKET RESEARCH.—The Chief Infor-
mation Officer of the Department of Defense shall use 
market research in conducting the analysis required for 
the report under subsection (a). 
(c) CONTENTS.—The report required under sub-
section (a) shall include the following: 
(1) An overview of the use by the Department 
of Defense of artificial intelligence tools and capa-
bilities, including commercial technologies, in busi-
ness processes of the Department. 
(2) An overview of how the Department of De-
fense will carry out ongoing market research of 
emerging and commercial artificial intelligence tools
1231 
and capabilities for the modernization of defense 
business systems (as defined in section 2222(i) of 
title 10, United States Code) to ensure the Depart-
ment may leverage advancements by domestic indus-
try. 
(3) An analysis of the current and future costs 
to the Department of Defense from the use of artifi-
cial intelligence tools and capabilities for the mod-
ernization of defense business systems (as defined in 
section 2222(i) of title 10, United States Code), in-
cluding the cost of infrastructure required to sup-
port such tools and capabilities and cloud com-
puting. 
(4) Such other information that the Chief In-
formation Officer of the Department of Defense de-
termines appropriate. 
Subtitle E—Reports and Other 
Matters 
SEC. 1541. MODIFICATION TO CERTIFICATION REQUIRE-
MENT REGARDING CONTRACTING FOR MILI-
TARY RECRUITING. 
Section 1555 of the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 
581; 10 U.S.C. 503 note) is amended—
1232 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘does not’’ 
and all that follows through the end and inserting 
the following: ‘‘does not— 
‘‘(1) rate or rank news or information sources 
for the factual accuracy of their content; 
‘‘(2) provide ratings or opinions on news or in 
formation sources regarding misinformation, bias, 
adherence to journalistic standards, or ethics; or 
‘‘(3) acquire or use any service that provides 
any ratings, rankings, or opinions described in para-
graph (1) or (2) from any other person.’’; and 
(2) by striking subsection (c). 
SEC. 1542. OCCUPATIONAL RESILIENCY OF THE CYBER MIS-
SION FORCE. 
(a) REQUIREMENT.—Beginning not later than one 
year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under 
Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and the 
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, in coordination 
with the Principal Cyber Advisors of the military depart-
ments and the Commander of the United States Cyber 
Command, shall jointly carry out an initiative to under-
stand and address occupational resiliency challenges at the 
duty locations of the Cyber Mission Force by ensuring 
that—
1233 
(1) behavioral health professionals are assigned 
to the operating locations of United States Cyber 
Command and the Cyber Mission Force; and 
(2) each such professional holds the security 
clearance necessary to provide treatment to the 
members of the Armed Forces assigned at such duty 
locations. 
(b) QUARTERLY BRIEFINGS.—On a quarterly basis 
during the one-year period beginning on the date on which 
the initiative under subsection (a) commences, the Under 
Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and the 
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy shall 
jointly provide to the Committees on Armed Services of 
the Senate and the House of Representatives a briefing 
on the following: 
(1) The status of carrying out such initiative. 
(2) Validation of the security clearances held by 
behavioral health professionals assigned under such 
subsection. 
(3) An analysis of clinical acuity being treated 
by such professionals. 
(4) Identified challenges to carrying out such 
initiative. 
(5) Efforts to improve the awareness by mem-
bers of the Armed Forces assigned to the Cyber Mis-
1234 
sion Force with respect to the availability of appro-
priately cleared behavioral health professionals who 
can treat such members. 
(6) Any other information the Under Secretary 
or the Assistant Secretary determines appropriate. 
(c) OCCUPATIONAL RESILIENCY CHALLENGES DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘occupational resiliency 
challenges’’ means behavioral health challenges relating to 
an occupation and work-related stress. 
SEC. 1543. ASSESSMENT OF CYBER-PHYISCAL RANGES AS 
POTENTIAL NATIONAL CYBER RANGE COM-
PLEXES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary 
of Defense for Research and Engineering shall submit to 
the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Senate a report assessing the benefits 
and costs of designating the cyber-physical ranges of the 
Department of Defense as National Cyber Range com-
plexes or providing the treatment of such cyber-physical 
ranges in a manner that is similar to the treatment of 
a National Cyber Range complex, including— 
(1) an assessment of whether to so designate 
one or more such cyber-physical ranges or to so 
treat such cyber-physical ranges; and
1235 
(2) a plan for making such designations and a 
plan for so treating such cyber-physical ranges, each 
of which shall include— 
(A) the designation of an entity within the 
Office of the Under Secretary that is best 
placed to assume responsibility for the over-
sight, operation, and sustainment of such cyber- 
physical ranges; 
(B) the annual funding requirements for 
entity designated under subparagraph (A) to 
operate, sustain, and, if necessary, modernize 
such cyber-physical ranges; and 
(C) an estimated timeline for transitioning 
the management of such cyber-physical ranges 
to the entity designated under subparagraph 
(A). 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘cyber-physical range’’ means a 
range that simulates a real-world environment across 
physical, logical and cyber-persona layers that can 
be used for research, development, testing, training 
and evaluation through the competition continuum. 
(2) The term ‘‘National Cyber Range complex’’ 
means an integrated cyber range capability operated
1236 
by the Department of Defense Test Resource Man-
agement Center. 
SEC. 1544. REPORT ON REPLACEMENT OF TIME DIVISION 
MULTIPLEXING LINES AT ARMORIES OF THE 
AIR NATIONAL GUARD AND THE ARMY NA-
TIONAL GUARD. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 
Air Force and the Secretary of the Army shall jointly sub-
mit to the Committee on Armed Services of the House 
of Representatives a report detailing the costs and 
timelines for replacing Time Division Multiplexing lines 
with modern communication technologies in armories of 
the Air National Guard and the Army National Guard. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The report required under sub-
section (a) shall include— 
(1) an identification of the Time Division Multi-
plexing lines technologies to be replaced and the re-
placement modern communication technologies, in-
cluding the current deployment of such technologies 
across the Department of Defense; 
(2) an explanation of the costs associated with 
replacing Time Division Multiplexing lines tech-
nologies identified under paragraph (1), including
1237 
any changes to sustainment costs, and the sources 
of funding to pay for such costs; 
(3) an assessment of the operational effects as-
sociated with the replacement described in sub-
section (a); and 
(4) the current timelines and resources allo-
cated for such replacement. 
TITLE XVI—SPACE ACTIVITIES, 
STRATEGIC PROGRAMS, AND 
INTELLIGENCE MATTERS 
Subtitle A—Space Activities 
SEC. 1601. ACQUISITION CAREER PATH IN THE SPACE 
FORCE. 
(a) ASSIGNMENT AFTER INITIAL OFFICER TRAIN-
ING.—Chapter 908 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 9088. Duty assignments after officer training 
course 
‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of the Air Force 
shall ensure that not less than 40 percent of the members 
of the Space Force in each class of members that complete 
an initial Space Force officer training course are assigned 
to— 
‘‘(1) an integrated mission delta; 
‘‘(2) the National Reconnaissance Office; or
1238 
‘‘(3) an office or command within the Space 
Force that provides opportunities for both acquisi-
tion and operational experience during an initial 
duty assignment after completion of such course. 
‘‘(b) REPORT.—Not later than 15 days after a class 
of members of the Space Force completes an initial Space 
Force officer training course, the Secretary of the Air 
Force shall submit to the congressional defense commit-
tees— 
‘‘(1) a certification indicating that the Sec-
retary has complied with subsection (a); and 
‘‘(2) a description of the first duty assignment 
for each person that was a member of such class.’’. 
(b) INTEGRATED MISSION DELTA COMMAND RE-
QUIREMENT.—Such chapter 908 is further amended by 
adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 9089. Integrated Mission Deltas: command require-
ment 
‘‘The Secretary of the Air Force shall ensure that the 
commander or deputy commander of each integrated mis-
sion delta of the Space Force is a member of the armed 
forces serving in a military occupational specialty that is 
primarily responsible for acquisition matters.’’.
1239 
(c) PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICER FOR ASSURED 
ACCESS.—Such chapter 908 is further amended by adding 
at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 9090. Program Executive Officer for Assured Ac-
cess to Space 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—(1) There is a Program Ex-
ecutive Officer for Assured Access to Space within the 
Space Force, appointed by the President, by and with the 
advice and consent of the Senate, from the general officers 
of the Space Force. The Program Executive Officer serves 
at the pleasure of the President. 
‘‘(2) The Program Executive Officer for Assured Ac-
cess to Space shall be appointed for a term of four years. 
‘‘(b) GRADE.—The Program Executive Officer for 
Assured Access to Space, while so serving, shall have the 
grade of brigadier general, major general, lieutenant gen-
eral, or general. 
‘‘(c) ADDITIONAL DUTIES.—The Program Executive 
Officer for Assured Access to Space, while serving as the 
Program Executive Officer, shall also serve as the Com-
mander of Space Launch Delta 45.’’. 
(d) TRAINING REQUIREMENTS.—Chapter 951 of title 
10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following new section:
1240 
‘‘§ 9421. Space Force officer training course require-
ments 
‘‘The Secretary of the Air Force shall ensure that the 
initial Space Force officer training course for officers of 
the Space Force provides approximately equal training in 
operations, intelligence, cyber, and acquisition matters.’’. 
(e) PROMOTION REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 20233 of title 10, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘designa-
tion as joint qualified officer re-
quired’’ and inserting ‘‘requirements’’; 
(B) in subsection (a)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘unless the officer has 
been’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘unless 
the officer has— 
‘‘(1) been’’; 
(ii) in paragraph (1), as designated by 
subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, by 
striking the period and inserting a semi-
colon; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new paragraphs: 
‘‘(2) completed a duty assignment with a com-
mand or other organization that is primarily respon-
1241 
sible for acquisition matters, as determined by the 
Secretary of the Air Force; and 
‘‘(3) completed a duty assignment with a com-
mand or other organization that is primarily respon-
sible for operations, as determined by the Secretary 
of the Air Force.’’; and 
(C) in subsection (b) in the matter pre-
ceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘subsection 
(a)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (a)(1)’’. 
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 
by paragraph (1) shall take effect on January 1, 
2029, and apply to all appointments to the grade of 
brigadier general on or after that date. 
(f) REPORTS.—Part I of subtitle F of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new chapter: 
‘‘CHAPTER 2015—REPORTS 
‘‘Sec. 
‘‘20701. Promotion rates. 
‘‘20702. Modifications to career fields and codes. 
‘‘§ 20701. Promotion rates 
‘‘Not later than December 31 of each year, the Sec-
retary of the Air Force shall submit to the congressional 
defense committees a report on the promotion rates of 
members of the Space Force for the preceding fiscal year. 
Such report shall include—
1242 
‘‘(1) the number of and percentage of members 
of the Space Force in each grade selected for pro-
motion; 
‘‘(2) the number of and percentage of members 
of the Space Force in each career field selected for 
promotion; and 
‘‘(3) the number of members of the Space 
Force who were selected for promotion to the grade 
of brigadier general, major general, lieutenant gen-
eral, or general, disaggregated by career field. 
‘‘§ 20702. Modifications to career fields and codes 
‘‘Not later than 60 days before the date on which 
a change is made to the career fields or mission occupa-
tional specialty codes for the Space Force, the Secretary 
of the Air Force shall submit to the congressional defense 
committees a report that includes— 
‘‘(1) a description of the changes intended to be 
made to such career fields or mission occupational 
specialty codes; and 
‘‘(2) the plan of the Secretary to maintain the 
Space Force competencies and comply with require-
ments in law with respect to Space Force career 
fields and duty assignments.’’.
1243 
SEC. 1602. ADVANCE PAYMENTS FOR COMMERCIAL SAT-
ELLITE COMMUNICATION SERVICES. 
Section 3805 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘The head’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Except as provided by subsection (e), 
the head’’; 
(2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘Advance’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Except as provided by subsection (e), 
advance’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(e) SPECIAL RULES FOR COMMERCIAL SATELLITE 
COMMUNICATION SERVICES.—(1) The head of the agency 
may satisfy the adequate security requirements of sub-
section (b) with respect to advance payments for commer-
cial satellite communication services by making a written 
determination of— 
‘‘(A) the creditworthiness of the provider of 
such services; and 
‘‘(B) the ability of the provider to remain a 
going concern during the period of the advanced 
payment. 
‘‘(2) With respect to advance payments for commer-
cial satellite communication services, subsection (c) shall
1244 
be administered by substituting ‘100 percent’ for ‘15 per-
cent’.’’. 
SEC. 
1603. 
NOISE 
MITIGATION 
REGARDING 
SPACE 
LAUNCHES. 
Section 2276a(c)(1) of title 10, United States Code, 
is amended by inserting ‘‘, including such activities relat-
ing to studying and mitigating the noise caused by 
launches at launch sites of the Space Force’’ after ‘‘vehi-
cle’’. 
SEC. 1604. TACTICAL SURVEILLANCE, RECONNAISSANCE 
AND TRACKING PROGRAM. 
(a) 
REQUIREMENTS
OF
COMBATANT
COM-
MANDERS.—The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 
shall establish requirements pursuant to section 181 of 
title 10, United States Code, with respect to the tactical 
surveillance, reconnaissance and tracking program pro-
viding capabilities to meet the requirements of the com-
manders of the combatant commands. 
(b) PROGRAM OF RECORD.—The Secretary of the Air 
Force shall establish the tactical surveillance, reconnais-
sance and tracking program as a program of record. 
(c) TACTICAL
SURVEILLANCE, RECONNAISSANCE 
AND TRACKING PROGRAM DEFINED.—In this section, the 
term ‘‘tactical surveillance, reconnaissance and tracking 
program’’ means the pilot program carried out by the
1245 
Space Force to use commercial data and analytics to pro-
vide surveillance, reconnaissance and tracking information 
to the combatant commands. 
SEC. 1605. REPORTS ON SPACEPORT OF THE FUTURE INI-
TIATIVE. 
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, and not later than March 1 of each of 
2027 through 2031, the Secretary of the Air Force, in 
coordination with the Chief of Space Operations and the 
Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition 
and Integration, shall submit to the congressional defense 
committees a report on the Spaceport of the Future initia-
tive of the Space Force. Each such report shall include 
the following: 
(1) A list of each project being carried out 
under such initiative (including projects at State 
space launch facilities), including— 
(A) the status of the project; 
(B) the estimated completion date of the 
project; and 
(C) the total cost to complete the project. 
(2) An assessment of additional funding re-
quired to implement such initiative beyond the funds 
estimated in the most recent future-years defense
1246 
program under section 221 of title 10, United States 
Code. 
(3) An assessment of including mission develop-
ment zones under such initiative to promote re-
search, development, innovation, and fielding of 
space and other advanced technologies adjacent to 
Federal and State launch ranges. 
(4) A summary of feedback from launch service 
providers, other spaceport tenants, and operators of 
non-Federal ranges to understand how such initia-
tive can meet the needs of such providers, tenants, 
and operators, and any adjustments made in re-
sponse to that feedback. 
SEC. 1606. USE OF MIDDLE TIER ACQUISITION PROGRAM 
FOR PROLIFERATED WARFIGHTER SPACE AR-
CHITECTURE 
OF 
SPACE 
DEVELOPMENT 
AGENCY. 
Section 1608(a) of the National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 10 
U.S.C. 2271 note) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new paragraphs: 
‘‘(4) Tranche 4. 
‘‘(5) Tranche 5. 
‘‘(6) Tranche 6.’’.
1247 
SEC. 1607. AUXILIARY PAYLOAD FOR NEXT GENERATION 
POLAR OVERHEAD PERSISTENT INFRARED 
SATELLITES. 
(a) REVISED ACQUISITION STRATEGY.—The Sec-
retary of the Defense shall direct the milestone decision 
authority for the Next Generation Polar Overhead Per-
sistent Infrared satellite program to revise the acquisition 
strategy for such program to include the auxiliary payload 
(commoly referred to ‘‘APS-A’’) in the program of record. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘acqui-
sition strategy’’ and ‘‘milestone decision authority’’ have 
the meanings given those terms in section 4211 of title 
10, United States Code. 
SEC. 1608. ASSISTANCE BY UNITED STATES SPACE COM-
MAND TO TRACK FENTANYL TRAFFICKING. 
(a) AUTHORITY.—Chapter 135 of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘§ 2279e. Provision of assistance to track fentanyl 
trafficking 
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Defense and the 
Commander of the United States Space Command shall 
use the technology and resources of the United States 
Space Command to provide assistance to covered depart-
ments and agencies with respect to tracking fentanyl traf-
1248 
ficking, including precursor chemicals and supplies and 
the entities carrying out such trafficking. 
‘‘(b) COVERED DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES.—In 
this section, the term ‘covered departments and agencies’ 
means the following: 
‘‘(1) The Department of Justice. 
‘‘(2) The Federal Bureau of Investigation. 
‘‘(3) The Drug Enforcement Administration. 
‘‘(4) The Office of Homeland Security Inves-
tigations of the Department of Homeland Security. 
‘‘(5) Any other department or agency of the 
Federal Government, including elements of the intel-
ligence community, the Secretary determines appro-
priate.’’. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than five years after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall submit to Congress a report on assistance provided 
under section 2279e of title 10, United States Code, as 
added by subsection (a), including an assessment of— 
(1) the effectiveness of the technology used to 
provide such assistance; and 
(2) how such assistance has affected fentanyl 
trafficking investigations.
1249 
Subtitle B—Defense Intelligence 
and Intelligence-Related Activities 
SEC. 1611. CLANDESTINE ACTIVITIES VENDOR DATABASE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 21 of title 
10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following new section: 
‘‘§ 430e. Clandestine activities vendor database 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT
AND
MAINTENANCE.—The 
Secretary of Defense shall establish, maintain, and con-
tinuously update a secure, centralized database containing 
a list of all commercial vendors that perform work for the 
Department of Defense in support of a clandestine activ-
ity. 
‘‘(b) SCOPE.—The database required by subsection 
(a) shall include information on all commercial vendors, 
including all subcontractors, that have performed, are per-
forming, or have agreed to perform work described in such 
subsection. 
‘‘(c) EXCLUSION
OF VENDORS.—Notwithstanding 
subsections (a) and (b), if the Secretary of Defense deter-
mines that a commercial vendor should not be included 
in the database required by subsection (a) due to oper-
ational, counterintelligence, or other national security con-
cerns, the Secretary—
1250 
‘‘(1) may exclude the commercial vendor from 
the database required by subsection (a); and 
‘‘(2) not later than 7 days after making a de-
termination that the commercial vendor should not 
be included in such database, shall submit to the 
congressional defense committees, the Select Com-
mittee on Intelligence of the Senate, and the Perma-
nent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House 
of Representatives notice of the determination that 
includes— 
‘‘(A) the type or category of vendor ex-
cluded; 
‘‘(B) a synopsis of the contract and the 
scope of work involved; and 
‘‘(C) the rationale for exclusion from the 
database. 
‘‘(d) DECONFLICTION.—The Secretary of Defense 
shall ensure the database required by subsection (a) is 
used to— 
‘‘(1) deconflict clandestine activities of the De-
partment of Defense that involve the use of commer-
cial vendors; and 
‘‘(2) assess operational risk and counterintel-
ligence exposure attributable to the use of commer-
1251 
cial vendors in support of clandestine activities of 
the Department of Defense. 
‘‘(e) CLANDESTINE ACTIVITY DEFINED.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘clandestine activity’ means any activity 
where it is intended that the role of the United States 
Government will not be apparent or acknowledged pub-
licly.’’. 
(b) IMPLEMENTATION DEADLINE AND REPORTS.— 
(1) IMPLEMENTATION DEADLINE AND CERTIFI-
CATION.—Not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall— 
(A) implement the requirements of section 
430e of title 10, United States Code, as added 
by subsection (a) of this section; and 
(B) submit to the congressional defense 
committees, the Select Committee on Intel-
ligence of the Senate, and the Permanent Select 
Committee on Intelligence of the House of Rep-
resentatives a certification that such require-
ments have been implemented. 
(2) SUBMISSION OF PLAN.—Not later than 90 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Defense shall—
1252 
(A) submit to the committees described in 
paragraph (1)(B) a report containing the plan 
to implement the requirements of such section 
430e; and 
(B) provide to such committees a briefing 
with respect to such plan. 
(3) PROGRESS REPORT.—Not later than 270 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Defense shall provide to the committees 
described in paragraph (1)(B) a briefing describing 
the progress of the Secretary towards implementing 
the requirements of such section 430e. 
SEC. 1612. MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY OF ARMY COUN-
TERINTELLIGENCE 
AGENTS 
TO 
EXECUTE 
WARRANTS AND MAKE ARRESTS. 
Section 7377(b)(2) of title 10, United States Code, 
is amended by striking ‘‘during the four-year period begin-
ning on the date of the enactment of the National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025,’’. 
SEC. 1613. MODIFICATIONS TO AND CODIFICATION OF THE 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE INSIDER THREAT 
PROGRAM. 
(a) CODIFICATION OF EXISTING PROGRAM.— 
(1) TRANSFER TO TITLE 10.—Chapter 131 of 
title 10, United States Code, is amended by insert-
1253 
ing after section 2224a a new section 2225 con-
sisting of— 
(A) a heading as follows: 
‘‘§ 2225. Insider threat detection’’; and 
(B) a text consisting of the text of sub-
sections (a) and (b) of section 922 of the Na-
tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2012 (Public Law 112-81; 10 U.S.C. 
2224 note). 
(2) REPEAL OF EXISTING PROVISION.—Section 
922 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2012 (Public Law 112-81; 10 U.S.C. 
2224 note) is repealed. 
(b) MODIFICATIONS.—Section 2225 of title 10, 
United States Code, as added by subsection (a) of this 
section, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘ELE-
MENTS’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘REQUIRED
ELE-
MENTS’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by striking subparagraphs (C), 
(D), (E), and (F);
1254 
(ii) by redesignating subparagraphs 
(A) and (B) as subparagraphs (B) and 
(C), respectively; 
(iii) by inserting before subparagraph 
(B) (as so redesignated) the following new 
subparagraph: 
‘‘(A) user activity monitoring in accord-
ance with the Committee on National Security 
Systems Directive 504, issued February 4, 
2014, or any successor directive;’’. 
(iv) in subparagraph (C), as redesig-
nated by clause (ii) of this subparagraph, 
by striking the semicolon and inserting ‘‘; 
and’’; and 
(v) by redesignating subparagraph (G) 
as subparagraph (D); and 
(2) by adding at the end of the following new 
subsections: 
‘‘(c) ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS.—The Secretary may 
include additional elements in the program established 
under subsection (a), including— 
‘‘(1) solutions and capabilities to prevent the 
unauthorized export of information from a network 
or to render such information unusable in the event 
of the unauthorized export of such information;
1255 
‘‘(2) using a roles-based access certification sys-
tem; 
‘‘(3) cross-domain solutions adhering to the 
Raise the Bar strategy of the Cross Domain Strat-
egy and Management Office of the National Security 
Agency or any successor strategy; 
‘‘(4) analytic solutions to detect anomalous user 
activity and triage user activity monitoring alerts to 
elevate the highest risk events for immediate review; 
‘‘(5) case management solutions to minimize 
disclosure risk, orchestrate effective response, and 
ensure appropriate governance; and 
‘‘(6) full-motion video screen recording and 
deep context. 
‘‘(d) APPLICABILITY.—The program established 
under subsection (a) shall apply to networks and enclaves 
used by— 
‘‘(1) civilian personnel of the Department of 
Defense; 
‘‘(2) privileged users; 
‘‘(3) members of the armed forces; and 
‘‘(4) contractors to the Department of Defense 
that have access to classified, controlled unclassified, 
or personally identifiable information in furtherance 
of work on behalf of the Department.’’.
1256 
(c) OPERATING CAPABILITY.—The Secretary of De-
fense shall ensure the program established under 2225 of 
title 10, United States Code, as added and amended by 
subsections (a) and (b) of this section— 
(1) achieves initial operating capability not later 
than October 1, 2027; and 
(2) achieves full operating capability not later 
than October 1, 2028. 
(d) REPORTS.— 
(1) PLAN FOR IMPLEMENTATION.—Before the 
Secretary implements section 2225 of title 10, 
United States Code, as added and amended by sub-
sections (a) and (b) of this section, the Secretary 
shall submit to the congressional defense commit-
tees— 
(A) a written notification that describes 
the personnel of the Department affected by the 
implementation; 
(B) a plan to implement such section; 
(C) an identification of the resources re-
quired to implement such section; 
(D) an identification of any legal or tech-
nical concerns that may need to be addressed 
prior to implementation; and
1257 
(E) and any other issues related to such 
implementation that the Secretary considers ap-
propriate. 
(2) INITIAL OPERATING CAPABILITY.—Not later 
than December 1, 2027, the Secretary shall submit 
to the congressional defense committees a report on 
the implementation of section 2225 of title 10, 
United States Code, including the resources required 
and planned expenditures to achieve full operating 
capability not later than October 1, 2028. 
SEC. 1614. FACILITY CLEARANCE ACCELERATION FOR 
MEMBERS OF DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL CON-
SORTIUMS. 
(a) ACCELERATION OF FACILITY CLEARANCE.—The 
Secretary of Defense shall ensure that each entity that 
is a member of the consortium established by section 1842 
of this Act or a member of the Defense Industrial Base 
Consortium with which the Department of Defense has en-
tered an other transaction authority agreement— 
(1) is sponsored for a facility clearance; 
(2) is provided access to classified work areas 
and networks where the member can perform classi-
fied work; and
1258 
(3) not less than quarterly, is invited in person 
to meetings with relevant Department of Defense 
personnel to discuss classified information. 
(b) PLAN.—Not later than 90 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
submit a report to the congressional defense committees 
detailing a plan to increase the number of facility clear-
ances provided to members described in subsection (a). 
Such plan shall include— 
(1) an assessment of any existing related efforts 
to increase facility clearance access and how such ef-
forts might be accelerated and elevated in priority; 
(2) target metrics for increased facility clear-
ances in association with membership in a consor-
tium described in subsection (a); 
(3) an identification of any additional funding 
or authorities required to support increased facility 
clearance processing; and 
(4) any other matters the Secretary of Defense 
considers relevant. 
SEC. 1615. REQUIREMENT TO AUTHORIZE ADDITIONAL SE-
CURITY CLEARANCES FOR CERTAIN CON-
TRACTORS. 
(a) DESIGNATION OF ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL.— 
Any entity that enters into a covered contract or agree-
1259 
ment with a component of the Department of Defense may 
designate additional covered persons who may submit an 
application for a security clearance in accordance with this 
section. 
(b) INVESTIGATION AND ADJUDICATION.—The ap-
propriate authorized investigative agency and authorized 
adjudicative agency shall, upon receiving an application by 
an additional covered person designated under paragraph 
(1)— 
(1) conduct an investigation of the background 
of an additional covered person for purposes of de-
termining the eligibility of such additional covered 
person for access to classified information; and 
(2) make a determination as to whether such 
additional covered person is eligible for access to 
classified information. 
(c) FINAL DETERMINATION.—If an entity that enters 
into a covered contract or agreement determines an initial 
covered person is unable to perform the work intended to 
be performed by that person under such covered contract 
or agreement person, an additional covered person may 
perform such work in lieu of the initial covered person if— 
(1) the person received a favorable determina-
tion under subsection (b) with respect to eligibility 
for access to classified information;
1260 
(2) the person has a demonstrated need-to- 
know under Executive Order 12968, provided that 
demonstrating such need-to-know shall not require 
an investigation or adjudication with respect to eligi-
bility for access to classified information in addition 
to the investigation and adjudication required under 
subsection (b); and 
(3) the person signs appropriate agreements 
with respect to non-disclosure of classified informa-
tion. 
(d) LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF PERSONNEL.— 
(1) MAXIMUM PER CONTRACT.—The number of 
additional covered persons designated by an entity 
under subsection (a) for each covered contract or 
agreement may not exceed the greater of— 
(A)(i) during the 5-year period that begins 
on the date of the enactment of this Act, 5 per-
cent of the number of security clearances re-
quired to be held by covered persons to perform 
work under the covered contract or agreement; 
and 
(ii) after the 5-year period that begins on 
the date of the enactment of this Act, 10 per-
cent of the number of security clearances re-
quired to be held by covered persons to perform
1261 
work under the covered contract or agreement; 
and 
(B) 1 person. 
(2) MAXIMUM
PER
ENTITY.—The number of 
additional covered persons designated by an entity 
under subsection (a) may not exceed the greater 
of— 
(A) 10 percent of the total number of secu-
rity clearances required to be held by covered 
persons to perform work under all covered con-
tracts or agreements of the entity; and 
(B) 1 person. 
(e) COSTS.— 
(1) AUTHORITY TO CHARGE AND COLLECT.— 
The Secretary of Defense may charge fees or collect 
amounts to cover the costs associated with inves-
tigating, adjudicating, and maintaining a security 
clearance for which an application is submitted 
under subsection (a). 
(2) 
RETENTION
OF
AMOUNTS.—Notwith-
standing section 3302(b) of title 31, United States 
Code— 
(A) the Secretary of Defense may retain 
amounts received under paragraph (1); and
1262 
(B) any amount so retained shall be depos-
ited into an account to be determined by the 
Secretary of Defense and shall be made avail-
able without further appropriation until ex-
pended for the purpose of investigating, adjudi-
cating, or maintaining security clearances. 
(3) PROHIBITION
ON
BEARING
COSTS.—The 
Secretary of Defense may not bear any cost associ-
ated with investigating, adjudicating, or maintaining 
a security clearance the application for which is sub-
mitted pursuant to subsection (a). 
(4) UNALLOWABLE COST.—Any fees charged or 
amounts collected under this subsection to cover the 
costs associated with investigating, adjudicating, and 
maintaining a security clearance for which an appli-
cation is submitted under subsection (a) may not be 
considered an allowable cost under a covered con-
tract or agreement. 
(f) APPLICABILITY.—This section shall apply with re-
spect to contracts and other agreements entered into on 
or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(g) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion shall be construed to require the Secretary of Defense 
to grant any person access to classified information unless
1263 
a favorable determination of eligibility to access such clas-
sified information is made with respect to such person. 
(h) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS.—This section 
shall apply subject to Executive Order 12968, Executive 
Order 10865, and any successor executive orders, but not-
withstanding any other provision of law. 
(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ADDITIONAL COVERED PERSON.—The term 
‘‘additional covered person’’ means a covered person 
designated by a private-sector entity as an alter-
native covered person who is intended to be available 
to conduct work under a covered contract or agree-
ment that requires a security clearance if an initial 
covered person becomes unavailable to complete such 
work. 
(2) AUTHORIZED ADJUDICATIVE AGENCY; AU-
THORIZED
INVESTIGATIVE
AGENCY.—The terms 
‘‘authorized adjudicative agency’’ and ‘‘authorized 
investigative agency’’ have the meaning given the 
terms in section 3001(a) of the Intelligence Reform 
and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (50 U.S.C. 
3341(a)). 
(3) COVERED CONTRACT OR AGREEMENT.—The 
term ‘‘covered contract or agreement’’ means a con-
tract or other agreement between a private-sector
1264 
entity and a component of the Department of De-
fense the performance of which requires a specified 
number of covered persons to hold a security clear-
ance. 
(4) COVERED
PERSON.—The term ‘‘covered 
person’’ means a contractor to or employee of a pri-
vate-sector entity. 
(5) INITIAL COVERED PERSON.—The term ‘‘ini-
tial covered person’’ means a covered person des-
ignated by a private-sector entity as responsible for 
conducting work under a covered contract or agree-
ment that requires a security clearance. 
SEC. 1616. PROHIBITION ON ACCESS TO DEPARTMENT OF 
DEFENSE CLOUD-BASED RESOURCES BY IN-
DIVIDUALS WHO ARE NOT CITIZENS OF THE 
UNITED STATES OR ALLIED COUNTRIES. 
(a) MAINTENANCE, ADMINISTRATION, OPERATION, 
AND ACCESS.— 
(1) PROHIBITION.—No individual who is a cit-
izen of a foreign country of concern may maintain, 
administer, operate, use, receive information about, 
or directly access or indirectly access, regardless of 
whether the individual is supervised by a citizen of 
the United States, any Department of Defense cloud 
computing system.
1265 
(2) SAFEGUARDS.—The Secretary of Defense 
shall establish regulations to carry out this sub-
section, including safeguards to ensure that only in-
dividuals the Secretary determines appropriate may 
maintain, administer, operate, access, and use the 
systems, software, and data described in paragraph 
(1). 
(b) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE GUIDANCE, DIREC-
TIVES, PROCEDURES, REQUIREMENTS, AND REGULA-
TIONS.—The Secretary shall— 
(1) review all relevant guidance, directives, pro-
cedures, requirements, and regulations of the De-
partment of Defense, including the Cloud Computing 
Security Requirements Guide, the Security Technical 
Implementation Guides, and related Department in-
structions; and 
(2) make such revisions as may be necessary to 
ensure conformity and compliance with subsection 
(a). 
(c) REVIEW AND REPORT.—The Secretary shall— 
(1) conduct a review of all cloud computing con-
tracts in effect for the Department— 
(A) for any violations of section 252.225– 
7058 of the Defense Federal Acquisition Regu-
1266 
lation Supplement and recommended penalties; 
and 
(B) to determine— 
(i) which contracts have allowed unau-
thorized individuals to maintain, admin-
ister, operate, or directly access or indi-
rectly access, whether supervised or unsu-
pervised by a United States citizen, any 
Government cloud computing system; and 
(ii) how many of the individuals de-
scribed in clause (i) are citizens of foreign 
countries of concern; and 
(2) submit to the Committee on Armed Services 
of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services 
of the House of Representatives a report on the 
findings of the Secretary with respect to the review 
conducted pursuant to paragraph (1). 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—ln this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘cloud computing’’ has the mean-
ing given such term in section 239.7601 of the De-
fense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, or 
successor regulation. 
(2) The term ‘‘directly access’’, with respect to 
a system, software, or data, means—
1267 
(A) to physically access the system, soft-
ware, or data; or 
(B) to logically access the system, soft-
ware, or data, through proxy, virtual, adminis-
trative, or programmatic means such that an 
individual can modify, alter, control, administer, 
configure, or deploy the system, software, or 
data. 
(3) The term ‘‘foreign country of concern’’ has 
the meaning given that term in section 9901 of the 
William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Au-
thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (15 U.S.C. 
4651). 
(4) The term ‘‘indirectly access’’, with respect 
to a system, software, or data, means to obtain, re-
ceive, collect, or derive information from the system, 
software, or data regarding technical details, oper-
ational characteristics, or security-related attributes, 
including— 
(A) system configurations; 
(B) network architecture; 
(C) security controls; 
(D) data schemas; 
(E) performance metrics; and
1268 
(F) access logs or other information that 
could compromise the confidentiality, integrity, 
or availability of the system, software, or data. 
SEC. 1617. NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY SUPPORT FOR DE-
FENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE AND CRITICAL IN-
FRASTRUCTURE 
CYBERSECURITY 
OPER-
ATIONS. 
Subchapter I of chapter 21 of title 10, United States 
Code, as amended by section 1611 of this Act, is further 
amended by adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 430f. National Security Agency support for defense 
industrial base and critical infrastruc-
ture cybersecurity operations 
‘‘The Director of the National Security Agency may 
carry out activities to support the cybersecurity of the de-
fense industrial base, the telecommunications sector, and 
cybersecurity service providers, including— 
‘‘(1) programs to facilitate the bidirectional 
sharing of cyber threat intelligence to— 
‘‘(A) share classified and unclassified cyber 
threat intelligence, security guidance, and tech-
nical resources to support threat detection and 
mitigation; and 
‘‘(B) receive voluntarily provided informa-
tion to support the activities of the National Se-
1269 
curity Agency and other departments and agen-
cies of the Federal Government, including to— 
‘‘(i) conduct offensive and defensive 
cybersecurity operations; and 
‘‘(ii) develop jointly produced cyberse-
curity products in coordination with the 
private sector; and 
‘‘(2) providing direct cybersecurity support, 
upon request, to entities within the defense indus-
trial base, the telecommunications sector, and cyber-
security service providers to— 
‘‘(A) enhance the capability of such entities 
to defend such entities and customers of such 
entities; 
‘‘(B) respond swiftly to cyber incidents; 
and 
‘‘(C) implement effective mitigation meas-
ures.’’. 
SEC. 1618. REPORT ON RUSSIAN ACTIVE MEASURES IN 
NATO TERRITORY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National 
Intelligence, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense 
and the Secretary of State, shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report that includes—
1270 
(1) an assessment of the extent of Russia’s ac-
tive measures against NATO allies and partners, 
specifically with regard to industrial, commercial, 
and military sabotage; 
(2) a detailed description of Russia’s recruit-
ment methods of agents in NATO countries, such as 
blackmail, bribery, and threats of harm; 
(3) a threat assessment of these actions toward 
U.S. and NATO bases and infrastructure; and 
(4) an assessment of the extent of direct in-
volvement by the Russian intelligence services in 
these operations. 
(b) FORM.—The report required by subsection (a) 
shall be submitted in an unclassified form, but portions 
of the report may contain a classified annex, so long as 
such annex is provided separately from the unclassified re-
port. 
(c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres-
sional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Select 
Committee On Intelligence, the Committee on Ap-
propriations, and the Committee on Homeland Secu-
rity of the House of Representatives; and
1271 
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the 
Committee on Foreign Relations, the Select Com-
mittee on Intelligence, the Committee on Appropria-
tions, and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs of the Senate. 
SEC. 1619. REPORT ON DELAYS IN ACCREDITATION OF SEN-
SITIVE COMPARTMENTED INFORMATION FA-
CILITIES. 
(a) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, 
acting through the Director of the Defense Intelligence 
Agency, shall submit to the congressional defense commit-
tees a report on delays in the accreditation of sensitive 
compartmented information facilities. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The report required under sub-
section (a) shall include— 
(1) the average amount of time it takes to ac-
credit a sensitive compartmented information facil-
ity; 
(2) an identification of each request for accredi-
tation of such a facility that has been pending for 
more than 30 days, including the amount of time 
each request has been pending;
1272 
(3) an assessment of the primary causes of 
delays in accreditation of sensitive compartmented 
information facilities; and 
(4) recommendations to ensure timely accredi-
tation of such facilities. 
Subtitle C—Nuclear Forces 
SEC. 1621. ESTABLISHMENT OF AIR FORCE GLOBAL STRIKE 
COMMAND. 
Chapter 907 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 9068. Global Strike Command 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is in the Air Force a 
major command, which shall be known as Global Strike 
Command. 
‘‘(b) COMMANDER.—(1) The Commander of Global 
Strike Command shall hold the grade of general while 
serving in that position, without vacating that officer’s 
permanent grade. The commander shall be appointed to 
that grade by the President, by and with the advice and 
consent of the Senate, for service in that position. 
‘‘(2) The commander shall serve as the single ac-
countable officer responsible to the Secretary of the Air 
Force and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force for carrying 
out all aspects of the nuclear and long-range strike mis-
1273 
sions of the Air Force, including such aspects described 
in subsection (c). 
‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS.—The Commander of Global Strike 
Command shall be responsible for carrying out all ele-
ments and activities of the nuclear and long-range strike 
missions of the Air Force. Such elements include nuclear 
weapons, nuclear weapon delivery systems, long-range 
strike bomber aircraft, and the nuclear command, control, 
and communication system. Such activities include the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(1) Providing combat-ready nuclear and long- 
range conventional strike forces in support of Presi-
dential and combatant commander directives. 
‘‘(2) Administrating, organizing, training, and 
equipping assigned and gained forces. 
‘‘(3) Assessing the readiness of assigned and 
gained forces and submitting to the Secretary and 
the Chief of Staff periodic reports with respect to 
such assessments. 
‘‘(4) Leading development in the Air Force of— 
‘‘(A) military requirements with respect to 
nuclear and long-range strike missions; 
‘‘(B) budget proposals necessary to carry 
out the missions of the Global Strike Command;
1274 
‘‘(C) long-range investment plans and pri-
orities to sustain, modernize, and recapitalize 
assigned forces; and 
‘‘(D) strategy, employment concepts, tac-
tics, techniques, and procedures with respect to 
nuclear deterrence and conventional long-range 
strike operations. 
‘‘(5) Advising the Secretary, as necessary, on 
the adequacy of resources of the Department of the 
Air Force dedicated to support and execute nuclear 
missions. 
‘‘(6) Such other functions as the Secretary de-
termines necessary or appropriate for the execution 
of nuclear deterrence and long-range strike mis-
sions.’’. 
SEC. 1622. MATTERS RELATING TO THE NUCLEAR-ARMED, 
SEA-LAUNCHED CRUISE MISSILE. 
Section 1640(a) of the National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 137 
Stat. 595), as amended by section 1627 of the Service-
member Quality of Life Improvement and National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 
118–159; 138 Stat. 2174), is amended— 
(1) by striking paragraph (2);
1275 
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘paragraph 
(3)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (2)’’; and 
(3) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through 
(5) as paragraphs (2) through (4), respectively. 
SEC. 1623. PROHIBITION ON REDUCTION OF INTERCONTI-
NENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILES OF THE UNITED 
STATES. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—Except as provided in subsection 
(b), none of the funds authorized to be appropriated by 
this Act for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of De-
fense may be obligated or expended for the following, and 
the Department may not otherwise take any action to do 
the following: 
(1) Reduce, or prepare to reduce, the respon-
siveness or alert level of the intercontinental ballistic 
missiles of the United States. 
(2) Reduce, or prepare to reduce, the quantity 
of deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles of the 
United States to a number less than 400. 
(b) EXCEPTION.—The prohibition in subsection (a) 
shall not apply to any of the following activities: 
(1) The maintenance or sustainment of inter-
continental ballistic missiles. 
(2) Ensuring the safety, security, or reliability 
of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
1276 
(3) Facilitating the transition from the LGM– 
30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile 
to the LGM–35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic 
missile. 
SEC. 1624. STRATEGY TO SUSTAIN MINUTEMAN III INTER-
CONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE AND MAXI-
MIZE END-OF-LIFE MARGIN. 
(a) STRATEGY REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Concurrent with the first 
submission to Congress of a budget pursuant to sec-
tion 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, and with each 
budget submitted to Congress pursuant to such sec-
tion until the Under Secretary of Defense for Acqui-
sition and Sustainment determines the LGM–35A 
Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile reaches full 
operational capacity, the Secretary of the Air Force, 
in consultation with the Under Secretary, shall sub-
mit to the congressional defense committees a strat-
egy, with respect to the LGM–30G Minuteman III 
intercontinental ballistic missiles, associated ground 
systems, and other supporting systems to address 
aging components and maximize the end-of-life mar-
gin.
1277 
(2) ELEMENTS.—Each strategy required by 
paragraph (1) shall include the following: 
(A) A comprehensive identification of all 
significant age-related and supportability chal-
lenges for the LGM–30G Minuteman III inter-
continental ballistic missiles that includes a de-
scription of— 
(i) efforts of the Secretary to address 
each such challenge; and 
(ii) activities the Secretary intends to 
carry out to address each such challenge. 
(B) A description of effects on the system 
performance of Minuteman III missiles that re-
sult from aging components, including such ef-
fects with respect to shortfalls in capability. 
(C) A summary of test activities conducted 
with Minuteman III missiles during the cal-
ender year that precedes the date of the sub-
mission of the strategy, including a description 
of any observations of anomalous performance 
during such test activities. 
(D) A discussion of opportunities to in-
crease the end-of-life margin or overall perform-
ance of Minuteman III missiles.
1278 
(E) A statement of the total inventory of 
such Minuteman III missiles available to the 
United States, including spares. 
(F) A forecast with respect to the asset at-
trition that includes an identification of key 
drivers of such asset attrition. 
(G) An identification, as specific budget 
line items, of all funding with respect to the 
LGM–30G Minuteman III intercontinental bal-
listic missiles, associated ground systems, and 
other and supporting systems included in the 
budget of the Department of Defense for the 
fiscal year during which the strategy is sub-
mitted. 
(H) An estimate of the amount of such 
funding the Secretary determines is necessary 
across the period covered by the most recent fu-
ture-years defense program submitted to Con-
gress under section 221 of title 10, United 
States Code, to ensure the continued effective 
operation of the the LGM–30G Minuteman III 
intercontinental 
ballistic 
missile, 
associated 
ground systems, and other and supporting sys-
tems until the LGM–35A Sentinel interconti-
1279 
nental ballistic missile reaches full operational 
capacity. 
(b) INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OF STRATEGY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall 
review each strategy required under subsection (a) 
to assess whether the strategy is sufficient to ensure 
the continued effective operation of the LGM–30G 
Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile sys-
tem until the LGM–35A Sentinel intercontinental 
ballistic missile reaches full operational capacity. 
(2) REPORTS.—During the period the require-
ment under subsection (a) is effective, the Under 
Secretary shall, not later than 45 days after any 
date on which a budget is submitted to Congress 
pursuant to section 1105(a) of title 31, United 
States Code, submit to the congressional defense 
committees a report that includes— 
(A) the findings of the assessment required 
under paragraph (1); 
(B) a discussion of any unfunded priorities 
and risk reduction opportunities with respect to 
the LGM–30G Minuteman III intercontinental 
ballistic missile, associated ground systems, and 
other supporting systems; and
1280 
(C) any other matters as the Under Sec-
retary determines appropriate. 
SEC. 1625. REPORT ON ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DE-
FENSE FOR NUCLEAR DETERRENCE, CHEM-
ICAL, AND BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE POLICY 
AND PROGRAMS. 
Not later than 60 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit 
to the congressional defense committees a report on the 
continued implementation of the amendments made by 
section 1621 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Na-
tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 
(Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 2170) that includes— 
(1) a proposal to consolidate administrative and 
resource support functions for personnel assigned to 
the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 
Nuclear Deterrence, Chemical, and Biological De-
fense Policy and Programs to a single office in the 
Department of Defense; 
(2) a plan to clarify the relationships between— 
(A) the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 
Nuclear Deterrence, Chemical, and Biological 
Defense Policy and Programs; 
(B) the Under Secretary of Defense for 
Acquisition and Sustainment; and
1281 
(C) the Under Secretary of Defense for 
Policy; 
(3) a proposal for an organizational framework 
through which the Assistant Secretary will perform 
the portfolio management duties required under sec-
tion 499c of title 10, United States Code; 
(4) a description of resource requirements for 
the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 
Nuclear Deterrence, Chemical, and Biological De-
fense Policy and Programs; and 
(5) such other matters as the Secretary deter-
mines appropriate. 
SEC. 1626. IMPROVEMENTS TO CERTAIN DEPARTMENT OF 
DEFENSE INDEMNIFICATION PROCEDURES 
TO ENABLE PROCUREMENT OF COMMERCIAL 
ADVANCED NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGIES. 
(a) REVIEW.—The review of a request submitted to 
a Department of Defense contracting officer by a con-
tractor pursuant to Public Law 85–804 (50 U.S.C. 1431 
et. seq) for indemnification against nuclear and unusually 
hazardous risks, including those involving the procurement 
of commercial nuclear technology, shall include, to the 
maximum extent practicable, input from the Defense Con-
tract Management Agency, including reviews of insurance
1282 
markets and coverage availability from the Contractor In-
surance/Pension Review group. 
(b) DEADLINE.—The Secretary of Defense shall en-
sure that the review of any indemnification request de-
scribed in subsection (a) shall be completed with a final 
decision on approval or denial, including an executed 
memorandum of decision, within the 90-day period begin-
ning on the date on which the contractor submits the in-
demnification request. 
SEC. 1627. REVIEW OF THE OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND 
SAFETY CONDITIONS OF OPERATIONAL FA-
CILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE LGM–30G 
MINUTEMAN III INTERCONTINENTAL BAL-
LISTIC MISSILE SYSTEM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Assistant Secretary of De-
fense for Health Affairs, in consultation with the Assistant 
Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Deterrence, Chemical 
and Biological Defense Policy and Programs, shall seek 
to enter into an agreement with the Executive Officer of 
the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Med-
icine for a review of the occupational health and safety 
conditions of covered operational facilities. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The review required by subsection 
(a) shall include the following:
1283 
(1) An independent review of the methodology 
and findings of the Missile Community Cancer 
Study conducted by the Air Force Medical Service 
and Air Force Global Strike Command. 
(2) An independent assessment of occupational 
hazards, covered toxic substances, and operational 
activities associated with the LGM–30G Minuteman 
III intercontinental ballistic missile system that ac-
counts for— 
(A) enclosed space dynamics; 
(B) ventilation inefficiencies; and 
(C) limited fresh air exchange rates. 
(3) An independent case-controlled retrospective 
study of cancer incidence rates among— 
(A) Minuteman III missile launch officers 
and support personnel; compared to 
(B) a group of members of the Air Force 
with— 
(i) a substantially similar demo-
graphic makeup to the group of launch of-
ficers and support personnel included in 
the study; 
(ii) responsibilities that are not associ-
ated with the Minuteman III system; and
1284 
(iii) a low potential for occupational 
exposure to covered toxic substances, as 
determined by Air Force Specialty Code 
and occupational duties. 
(4) A comparative evaluation of the suitability 
and effectiveness of historic versus current year en-
vironmental surveillance policies, procedures and 
technologies of the Department of the Air Force for 
covered operational facilities used to detect exposure 
to covered toxic substances and occupational haz-
ards, including— 
(A) air quality; 
(B) groundwater and drinking water con-
tamination; 
(C) ventilation systems and particulate 
matter accumulation; and 
(D) residual contamination associated with 
confined operational environments. 
(5) An evaluation of the suitability and effec-
tiveness of policies, procedures, and technologies of 
the Department of the Air Force to prevent occupa-
tional hazards, and reduce exposure to covered toxic 
substances, associated with the Minuteman III sys-
tem including— 
(A) personal protective equipment;
1285 
(B) engineering controls; 
(C) environmental surveillance; and 
(D) other policies, procedures and tech-
nologies deemed relevant. 
(6) An evaluation of the suitability and effec-
tiveness of policies, procedures, and technologies of 
the Department of the Air Force and the Depart-
ment of Defense for reporting and periodic medical 
screening, testing, and evaluations for potential ex-
posure to occupational hazards and covered toxic 
substances for personnel associated with the Minute-
man III system. 
(7) Recommendations of the Executive Officer 
with respect to— 
(A) Department of Defense actions to en-
sure that occupational health and safety condi-
tions of covered operational facilities— 
(i) meet current occupational safety 
and national security requirements in ef-
fect as of the date of the enactment of this 
Act; and 
(ii) are applied to the LGM–35A Sen-
tinel intercontinental ballistic missile sys-
tem; and 
(B) potential modifications to—
1286 
(i) the current design and operation of 
the LGM–30G Minuteman III interconti-
nental ballistic missile system; and 
(ii) the future design and operation of 
the Sentinel system. 
(c) INFORMATION AND CLEARANCES.—The Secretary 
of Defense shall ensure that personnel of the National 
Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine super-
vising the implementation of the agreement required by 
subsection (a), or conducting the review required by such 
subsection, are granted, in a timely manner, access to the 
information and security clearances necessary to carry out 
such review. 
(d) REPORT REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Ex-
ecutive Officer of the National Academy of Sciences, 
Engineering, and Medicine shall submit to the con-
gressional defense committees a report that includes 
the findings of the review required by subsection (a). 
(2) FORM.—The report required by paragraph 
(1) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may 
include a classified annex. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
1287 
(1) The term ‘‘covered operational facilities’’ 
mean physical structures and work environments as-
sociated with the LGM–30G Minuteman III inter-
continental ballistic missile system, including— 
(A) launch control facilities; 
(B) launch facilities; 
(C) missile alert facilities; and 
(D) other associated facilities. 
(2) The term ‘‘covered toxic substances’’ means 
contaminants and other risk factors that pose a sig-
nificant health risk to an individual when inhaled, 
ingested, absorbed by, or in close proximity to, the 
individual, including— 
(A) Asbestos. 
(B) Radiation. 
(C) Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBS). 
(D) Combustion byproducts associated 
with burning classified materials, accelerants, 
and industrial solvents. 
(E) Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), 
including VOCs from cleaning and maintenance 
chemicals. 
(F) Radon and naturally occurring radio-
active materials in subterranean facilities.
1288 
(G) Hydrogen cyanide, hydrazine, ethylene 
glycol, and sodium chromate. 
(H) Pesticides and herbicides from facility 
perimeters and surrounding agricultural runoff. 
(I) Noise. 
(J) Other chemical compounds or elements 
associated with the LGM–30G Minuteman III 
intercontinental ballistic missile system or cov-
ered operational facilities. 
SEC. 1628. REPORT ON DISMANTLEMENT OF LEGACY NU-
CLEAR WEAPONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 270 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of De-
fense for Acquisition and Sustainment and the Under Sec-
retary of Energy for Nuclear Security shall jointly submit 
to the congressional defense committees a report on the 
dismantlement of legacy nuclear weapons. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The report required under sub-
section (a) shall include the following: 
(1) A description of current plans with respect 
to dismantlement rates and nuclear weapon types 
scheduled for dismantlement. 
(2) An identification of materials planned to be 
recovered through dismantlement of legacy nuclear 
weapons.
1289 
(3) A summary of the reuse potential of such 
materials. 
(4) An assessment of defense needs with respect 
to recovered materials, including nuclear materials. 
(5) A description of any recoverable materials 
excess to defense needs. 
(6) A plan for the disposition intended for any 
plutonium previously declared excess to defense 
needs, including an assessment of whether any such 
plutonium should be retained for future defense 
needs. 
(c) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include 
a classified annex. 
Subtitle D—Missile Defense 
Programs 
SEC. 1641. MODIFICATION TO NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE 
POLICY TO REFLECT GOLDEN DOME FOR 
AMERICA POLICY. 
Section 5501 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended by striking the text and inserting the following: 
‘‘It is the policy of the United States— 
‘‘(1) to provide for the common defense of the 
United States and its citizens by deploying and
1290 
maintaining a next-generation missile defense shield; 
and 
‘‘(2) to deter, and defend the citizens and crit-
ical infrastructure of the United States against, any 
foreign aerial attack on the homeland.’’. 
SEC. 1642. GOLDEN DOME FOR AMERICA. 
(a) PLAN.— 
(1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall submit to the congressional 
defense committees a plan for the development and 
deployment of a next-generation air and missile de-
fense architecture pursuant to Executive Order 
14186 (90 Fed. Reg. 8767), or such successor order. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The plan under paragraph (1) 
shall include the following: 
(A) An updated assessment of air and mis-
sile threats to the United States. 
(B) A description of the system architec-
ture of the next-generation air and missile de-
fense architecture, including— 
(i) the identification of each capa-
bility, program, and project considered to 
be part of such architecture;
1291 
(ii) a preliminary description of, cost 
estimate for, and schedule to achieve— 
(I) initial operational capability; 
and 
(II) full operational capability; 
(iii) a description of relevant concepts 
of operations; 
(iv) a plan with respect to integrating 
and maximizing interoperability of capa-
bilities included in such architecture; 
(v) a description of ground segment 
requirements to support the development 
and deployment of space-based capabilities 
included in such architecture; and 
(vi) an identification of requirements 
with respect to the electromagnetic spec-
trum for the development and deployment 
of capabilities included in such architec-
ture. 
(C) An organizational construct defining 
roles and responsibilities for each participating 
element of the Department of Defense. 
(D) An assessment of on-orbit testing and 
training requirements necessary for developing
1292 
capabilities and ensuring long-term warfighting 
readiness of such architecture. 
(E) A strategy for ensuring supply chain 
security and resilience. 
(F) Identification of any additional legal 
authorities necessary to carry out or expedite 
the development and deployment of such archi-
tecture. 
(G) Any other matters the Secretary con-
siders relevant. 
(3) UPDATES.—Concurrent with the submission 
of the budget of the President to Congress pursuant 
to section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, 
for each of fiscal years 2028 through 2030, the Sec-
retary shall submit to the congressional defense com-
mittees— 
(A) an update to the plan under paragraph 
(1); and 
(B) a consolidated budget exhibit identi-
fying funding requested for the systems archi-
tecture described in the plan, including specific 
appropriation and line numbers, where appro-
priate. 
(b) THEATER MISSILE DEFENSE POSTURE.—Not 
later than one year after the date of the enactment of this
1293 
Act, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional de-
fense committees a report— 
(1) assessing the theater missile defense posture 
of the United States, including changes in the mis-
sile threat environment with respect to allies and 
partners of the United States and forward-deployed 
forces of the United States; and 
(2) making recommendations, as appropriate, 
to— 
(A) increase bilateral and multilateral co-
operation on missile defense technology develop-
ment, capabilities, and operations; 
(B) improve theater missile defenses of the 
forward-deployed forces of the United States 
and the territories, forces, and populations of 
allies of the United States; and 
(C) increase and accelerate the provision of 
missile defense capabilities of the United States 
to allies and partners of the United States. 
SEC. 1643. PROHIBITION PRIVATIZED OR SUBSCRIPTION- 
BASED MISSILE DEFENSE INTERCEPT CAPA-
BILITIES. 
Subchapter II of chapter 551 of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new section:
1294 
‘‘§ 5516. Prohibition on privatized or subscription- 
based missile defense intercept capabili-
ties 
‘‘(a) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary of Defense may 
only develop, deploy, test, or operate a missile defense sys-
tem with kinetic missile defense capabilities if— 
‘‘(1) the missile defense system is owned and 
operated by the armed forces; and 
‘‘(2) such capabilities do not use a subscription- 
based service, a pay-for-service model, or a recur-
ring-fee model to engage or intercept a target. 
‘‘(b) INHERENTLY GOVERNMENTAL FUNCTION.— 
The decision to engage in kinetic missile defense activities, 
including targeting, launch authorization, and engagement 
of airborne or spaceborne threats, is an inherently govern-
mental function that only officers or employees of the Fed-
eral Government or members of the Army, Navy, Air 
Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force may perform. 
‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion shall be construed to prohibit the Secretary of De-
fense from— 
‘‘(1) entering into contracts with private enti-
ties for the research, development, manufacture, 
maintenance, or testing of missile defense systems; 
‘‘(2) entering into or carrying out co-production 
or co-development arrangements, or other coopera-
1295 
tive agreements, with allies and partners of the 
United States with respect to missile defense capa-
bilities; or 
‘‘(3) procuring commercial services for remote 
sensing, telemetry, threat tracking, data analysis, 
data transport, or early warning, if such services do 
not directly involve the execution or command of ki-
netic missile defense activities. 
‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘kinetic missile defense activities’ 
means any action intended to physically intercept, 
neutralize, or destroy a missile, projectile, aircraft, 
or other airborne threat, including those using ki-
netic interceptors or directed energy. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘kinetic missile defense capabili-
ties’ means any system or platform that is designed 
to be able to carry out kinetic missile defense activi-
ties. 
‘‘(3) The term ‘subscription-based service’ 
means any arrangement in which a private entity 
provides ongoing or recurring operational access to 
missile defense capabilities in exchange for periodic 
payment.’’.
1296 
SEC. 1644. FUNDING FOR SEA-BASED LAUNCH FOR MISSILE 
DEFENSE TARGETS. 
(a) INCREASE.—Notwithstanding the amounts set 
forth in the funding tables in division D, the amount au-
thorized to be appropriated in section 201 for research, 
development, test, and evaluation, Defense-wide, as speci-
fied in the corresponding funding table in section 4201, 
Advanced Component Development and Prototypes, line 
098, Ballistic Missile Defense Targets, is hereby increased 
by $10,000,000 (with the amount of such increase to be 
made available for sea-based launch for missile defense 
targets). 
(b) OFFSET.—Notwithstanding the amounts set forth 
in the funding tables in division D, the amount authorized 
to be appropriated in section 301 for Operations and 
Maintenance, Army, Other Service Support, line 470, as 
specified in the corresponding funding table in section 
4301, is hereby reduced by $10,000,000. 
SEC. 1645. SUBMISSION OF SUMMARY OF CERTAIN GUAM 
MISSILE DEFENSE REPORT. 
Not later than April 1, 2026, the Secretary of De-
fense shall submit to the congressional defense committees 
an unclassified summary of the report required by section 
1660 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263).
1297 
SEC. 1646. MIDDLE EAST INTEGRATED AIR AND MISSILE 
DEFENSE. 
Section 1658 of the James M. Inhofe National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 
117–263; 136 Stat. 2951) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub-
section (d); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(c) REPORT.— 
‘‘(1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of the National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, the 
Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Sec-
retary of State, shall submit to the congressional de-
fense committees a report containing an update on 
progress made toward
implementing an integrated 
air and missile defense architecture described in sub-
section (a). 
‘‘(2) MATTERS INCLUDED.—The report under 
paragraph (1) shall include the following: 
‘‘(A) An assessment of the threat of bal-
listic and cruise missiles, manned and un-
manned aerial systems, and rocket attacks from 
Iran and groups linked to Iran to allies and
1298 
partners within the area of responsibility of the 
United States Central Command. 
‘‘(B) A description of the missile defense 
priorities and capability needs of the United 
States Central Command to defend against the 
threats described in subparagraph (A), and the 
planned regional missile defense architectures 
derived from such priorities and capability 
needs. 
‘‘(C) An analysis of current integrated air 
and missile defense systems in the area of re-
sponsibility of the United States Central Com-
mand to defend against threats described in 
subparagraph (A) and meet the missile defense 
priorities described in subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(D) An assessment of progress made to-
wards addressing challenges identified and 
meeting benchmarks established in the strategy 
required by subsection (b), including— 
‘‘(i) an identification of elements of 
the multinational integrated air and missile 
defense architecture that have been ac-
quired by specified foreign partners since 
October 7, 2023; and
1299 
‘‘(ii) an identification of elements of 
the multinational integrated air and missile 
defense architecture that— 
‘‘(I) can be acquired and oper-
ated by specified foreign partners; and 
‘‘(II) can only be provided and 
operated by members of the Armed 
Forces. 
‘‘(E) Lessons learned in combat operations 
against aerial threats since the October 7, 
2023, Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel, 
including— 
‘‘(i) countering the April 13, 2024, 
and October 1, 2024, ballistic missile and 
drone attacks by Iran against Israel, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(I) the adequacy of pre-existing 
data sharing agreements in facili-
tating effective joint responses with 
recommendations for further improve-
ments; 
‘‘(II) the extent to which defen-
sive operations were accomplished 
with personnel and equipment on reg-
ularly planned deployments versus
1300 
personnel and equipment surged to 
the region on an ad hoc basis; 
‘‘(III) a comparative analysis of 
the performances of systems operated 
by the United States and operated by 
Israel in intercepting Iranian fires 
missiles and drones during the at-
tacks; 
‘‘(IV) an estimate of the extent 
to which a similarly effective defense 
could be provided to allies and part-
ners in the Middle East if attacked by 
Iran, and if currently insufficient, 
what changes to force structure or 
pre-staged equipment would be re-
quired to effectively do so; and 
‘‘(V) the extent to which the 
strategy under subsection (b) contrib-
uted to such defensive operations; and 
‘‘(ii) countering the more than 900 
projectiles launched by the Houthis in 
Yemen against maritime targets in the 
area of responsibility of the United States 
Central Command.
1301 
‘‘(F) Such other matters as the Secretary 
considers relevant. 
‘‘(3) PROTECTION
OF
SENSITIVE
INFORMA-
TION.—Any activity carried out under paragraph (1) 
shall be conducted in a manner that is consistent 
with protection of intelligence sources and methods 
and appropriately protects sensitive information and 
the national security interests of the United States. 
‘‘(4) FORMAT.—The report submitted under 
paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified 
form, but may include a classified annex.’’. 
Subtitle E—Other Matters 
SEC. 1651. COOPERATIVE THREAT REDUCTION FUNDS. 
(a) FUNDING ALLOCATION.—Of the $282,830,000 
authorized to be appropriated to the Department of De-
fense for fiscal year 2026 in section 301 and made avail-
able by the funding table in division D for the Department 
of Defense Cooperative Threat Reduction Program estab-
lished under section 1321 of the Department of Defense 
Cooperative Threat Reduction Act (50 U.S.C. 3711), the 
following amounts may be obligated for the purposes spec-
ified: 
(1) For delivery system threat reduction, 
$6,332,000.
1302 
(2) For chemical security and elimination, 
$18,645,000. 
(3) For global nuclear security, $30,621,000. 
(4) 
For 
biological 
threat 
reduction, 
$160,402,000. 
(5) For proliferation prevention, $36,923,000. 
(6) For activities designated as Other Assess-
ments/Administration Costs, $29,907,000. 
(b) SPECIFICATION OF COOPERATIVE THREAT RE-
DUCTION FUNDS.—Funds appropriated pursuant to the 
authorization of appropriations in section 301 and made 
available by the funding table in division D for the Depart-
ment of Defense Cooperative Threat Reduction Program 
shall be available for obligation for fiscal years 2026, 
2027, and 2028. 
SEC. 
1652. 
LIMITATION 
ON 
AUTHORITY 
TO 
REDUCE 
SUSTAINMENT FOR OR HALT OPERATION OF 
THE AN/FPS–108 COBRA DANE RADAR. 
(a) LIMITATION.—Until the date on which the certifi-
cation described in subsection (b) is submitted to the con-
gressional defense committees, the Secretary of Defense— 
(1) may not reduce sustainment efforts for, halt 
operation of, or prepare to reduce sustainment ef-
forts for or halt operation of, the AN/FPS–108
1303 
COBRA DANE radar located at Eareckson Air Sta-
tion on Shemya Island, Alaska; 
(2) shall sustain the AN/FPS–108 COBRA 
DANE radar in a manner that preserves, at a min-
imum, the operational availability of the system as 
of the date of the enactment of this section; and 
(3) shall ensure that the AN/FPS–108 COBRA 
DANE radar continues to meet the operational re-
quirements of the combatant commands that are 
met by such system as of the date of the enactment 
of this section. 
(b) CERTIFICATION DESCRIBED.—The certification 
described in this subsection is a written certification from 
the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Chief 
of Space Operations and the Director of the Missile De-
fense Agency, indicating that the replacement capability 
for the AN/FPS–108 COBRA DANE radar— 
(1) will reach initial operational capability at 
the same time or before the termination of oper-
ations for the AN/FPS–108 COBRA DANE radar; 
and 
(2) at the time such replacement capability 
achieves initial operational capability, will have the 
ability to meet the operational requirements of the 
combatant commands that have been, or that are ex-
1304 
pected to be, assigned to such replacement capa-
bility. 
(c) EXCEPTION.—The limitation described in sub-
section (a) shall not apply to temporary interruptions of 
operational availability for the AN/FPS–108 COBRA 
DANE radar provided such activities are necessary to sup-
port maintenance or modernization activities of the sys-
tem. 
SEC. 1653. SENSE OF CONGRESS WITH RESPECT TO ARROW 
INTERCEPTOR PRODUCTION CAPACITY AND 
INVENTORY. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) it is in the national security interest of the 
United States to help allies and partners of the 
United States, including Israel, strengthen— 
(A) the air and missile defense capability 
of such allies and partners; and 
(B) the capacity of such allies and part-
ners against common threats; 
(2) such efforts help deter and defeat aggres-
sion that threatens— 
(A) allies; 
(B) forward-positioned members of the 
Armed Forces; and
1305 
(C) Americans residing in allied countries; 
and 
(3) increased partner air and missile defense 
capacity also reduces demand on the Armed Forces. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than the first March 1 fol-
lowing the date of the enactment of this section, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense 
committees a report on cooperation between the United 
States and Israel with respect to increased production ca-
pacity and inventory of the Arrow interceptor. Such report 
shall include: 
(1) An assessment of Israel’s Arrow missile de-
fense system capacity as of the date of the enact-
ment of this section, including launchers and inter-
ceptors. 
(2) An assessment of the current supply base 
for such system and how such supply base can be 
strengthened. 
(3) A detailed summary of the steps the De-
partment of Defense is taking in cooperation with 
industry and the State of Israel to increase Arrow 
missile defense production capacity and inventory. 
(4) An identification of any challenges or obsta-
cles encountered and current plans to address such 
challenges or obstacles.
1306 
(5) Specific authorities or appropriations that 
Congress could provide to expedite and expand ef-
forts to increase Arrow missile defense system pro-
duction capacity and the number of deployed sys-
tems and interceptors. 
(6) An assessment of what additional steps 
would be required to establish a fully redundant 
Arrow production capacity in the United States. 
(c) FORM.—The report described in this section shall 
be submitted in unclassified form but may contain a classi-
fied annex. 
TITLE XVII—OTHER DEFENSE 
MATTERS 
Subtitle A—Miscellaneous 
Authorities and Limitations 
SEC. 1701. COPYRIGHT TO A LITERARY WORK PRODUCED 
BY A CIVILIAN FACULTY MEMBER OF THE 
UNIFORMED 
SERVICES 
UNIVERSITY 
OF 
HEALTH SCIENCES IN THE COURSE OF SUCH 
EMPLOYMENT: FREE USE BY THE FEDERAL 
GOVERNMENT. 
(a) USE BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.—Section 105 
of title 17, United States Code, is amended, in subsection 
(d)(2)—
1307 
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (L) through 
(N) as subparagraphs (M) through (O), respectively; 
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (K) the fol-
lowing new subparagraph (L): 
‘‘(L) Uniformed Services University of the 
Health Sciences.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Such section is 
further amended, in subsection (c)— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘subpara-
graphs (A) through (K) of subsection (d)(2) and 
subparagraph (L)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraphs 
(A) through (L) of subsection (d)(2) and subpara-
graph (M)’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘subsection 
(d)(2)(L)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (d)(2)(M)’’; 
(3) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘subsection 
(d)(2)(M)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (d)(2)(N)’’; 
and 
(4) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘subsection 
(d)(2)(N)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (d)(2)(O)’’. 
SEC. 1702. COMBATING ILLICIT TOBACCO PRODUCTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than 120 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, no ex-
change or commissary operated by or for a military resale 
entity shall offer for sale any ENDS product or oral nico-
1308 
tine product unless the manufacturer of such product exe-
cutes and delivers to the appropriate officer for each mili-
tary resale entity a certification form for each ENDS 
product or oral nicotine product offered for retail sale at 
an exchange or commissary that attests under penalty of 
perjury the following: 
(1) The manufacturer has received a marketing 
granted order for such product under section 910 of 
the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 
U.S.C. 387j). 
(2) The manufacturer submitted a timely filed 
premarket tobacco product application for such 
product, and the application either remains under 
review by the Secretary or has received a denial 
order that has been and remains stayed by the Sec-
retary or court order, rescinded by the Secretary, or 
vacated by a court. 
(b) FAILURE TO SUBMIT CERTIFICATION.—A manu-
facturer shall submit the certification forms required in 
subsection (a) on an annual basis. Failure to submit such 
forms to a military resale entity as required under the pre-
ceding sentence shall result in the removal of the relevant 
ENDS product or oral nicotine product from sale at such 
military resale entity. 
(c) CERTIFICATION CONTENTS.—
1309 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A certification form required 
under subsection (a) shall separately list each brand 
name, product name, category (such as e-liquid, 
power unit, device, e-liquid cartridge, e-liquid pod, or 
disposable), and flavor for each product that is sold 
offered for sale by the manufacturer submitting such 
form. 
(2) OTHER
ITEMS.—A manufacturer shall, 
when submitting a certification under subsection (a), 
include in that submission— 
(A) a copy of the publicly available mar-
keting granted order under section 910 of the 
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 
U.S.C. 387j), as redacted by the Secretary and 
made available on the agency website; 
(B) a copy of the acceptance letter issued 
under such section for a timely filed premarket 
tobacco product application; or 
(C) a document issued by Secretary or by 
a court confirming that the premarket tobacco 
product application has received a denial order 
that has been and remains stayed by the Sec-
retary or court order, rescinded by the Sec-
retary, or vacated by a court. 
(d) DEVELOPMENT OF FORMS AND PUBLICATION.—
1311 
to section 910 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cos-
metic Act (21 U.S.C. 387j); or 
(2) any other order or action by the Secretary 
or any court that affects the ability of the ENDS 
product or oral nicotine product to be introduced or 
delivered into interstate commerce for commercial 
distribution in the United States. 
(f) DIRECTORY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—No later than 180 days after 
the enactment of this Act, each military resale entity 
shall maintain and make publicly available on its of-
ficial website a directory that lists all ENDS product 
and oral nicotine product manufacturers and all 
product brand names, categories (such as e-liquid, e- 
liquid cartridge, e-liquid pod, or disposable), product 
names, and flavors for which certification forms 
have been submitted and approved by the relevant 
military resale entity. 
(2) UPDATES.—Each military resale entity 
shall— 
(A) update the directory under paragraph 
(1) at least monthly to ensure accuracy; and 
(B) establish a process to provide each ex-
change or commissary notice of the initial publi-
1312 
cation of the directory and changes made to the 
directory in the prior month. 
(3) EXCLUSIONS AND REMOVALS.—An ENDS 
product or oral nicotine product shall not be in-
cluded or retained in a directory of a military resale 
entity if the relevant military resale entity deter-
mines that any of the following apply: 
(A) The manufacturer failed to provide a 
complete and accurate certification as required 
by this section. 
(B) The manufacturer submitted a certifi-
cation that does not comply with the require-
ments of this section. 
(C) The information provided by the man-
ufacturer in its certification contains false in-
formation, 
material 
misrepresentations, 
or 
omissions. 
(4) NOTICE REQUIRED.—In the case of a re-
moval of a product from a directory under para-
graph (3), the relevant military resale entity shall 
provide to the manufacturer involved notice and at 
least 30 days to cure deficiencies before removing 
the manufacturer or its products from the directory. 
(5) EFFECT OF REMOVAL.—The ENDS prod-
uct or oral nicotine product of a manufacturer iden-
1313 
tified in a notice of removal under paragraph (3) 
are, beginning on the date that is 30 days after such 
removal, subject to seizure, forfeiture, and destruc-
tion, and may not be purchased or sold for retail 
sale at any exchange or commissary operated by or 
for a military resale entity. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘ENDS product’’— 
(A) means any non-combustible product 
that employs a heating element, power source, 
electronic circuit, or other electronic, chemical, 
or mechanical means, regardless of shape or 
size, to produce vapor from nicotine in a solu-
tion; 
(B) includes a consumable nicotine liquid 
solution suitable for use in such product, wheth-
er sold with the product or separately; and 
(C) does not include any product regulated 
as a drug or device under chapter V of the Fed-
eral Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 
351 et seq.). 
(2) The term ‘‘military resale entities’’ means— 
(A) the Defense Commissary Agency; 
(B) the Army and Air Force Exchange 
Service;
1314 
(C) the Navy Exchange Service Command; 
and 
(D) the Marine Corps Exchange. 
(3) The term ‘‘oral nicotine product’’ means— 
(A) means any non-combustible product 
that contains nicotine that is intended to be 
placed in the oral cavity; 
(B) does not include— 
(i) any ENDS product; 
(ii) smokeless tobacco (as defined in 
section 900 of the Federal Food, Drug, 
and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 387)); or 
(iii) any product regulated as a drug 
or device under chapter V of the Federal 
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 
351 et seq.). 
(4) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services, acting through the 
Commissioner of Food and Drugs. 
(5) The term ‘‘timely filed premarket tobacco 
product application’’ means an application that was 
submitted under section 910 of the Federal Food, 
Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 387j) on or be-
fore September 9, 2020, and accepted for filing with 
respect to an ENDS product or oral nicotine prod-
1315 
uct containing nicotine marketed in the United 
States as of August 8, 2016. 
SEC. 1703. MADE-IN-AMERICA DEFENSE ARTICLES AND 
SERVICES 
EXPEDITED 
THROUGH 
DIRECT 
COMMERCIAL SALES. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—Congress— 
(1) believes the expeditious delivery of defense 
articles and services to allies and partners strength-
ens American national security; 
(2) notes that the Department of Defense con-
tracting process often adds significant amounts of 
time to the delivery of defense articles and services 
to allies and partners, and in some cases these arti-
cles and services could be appropriately transferred 
more quickly using direct commercial sales; and 
(3) supports the ongoing and periodic review of 
the FMS-Only List to ensure that defense articles 
and services that can be appropriately transferred 
using direct commercial sales are not included on 
the FMS-Only list. 
(b) REVIEW AND REPORT.— 
(1) REVIEW.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 
annually thereafter, the Secretary of State, in
1316 
coordination with the Secretary of Defense, 
shall carry out a review of defense articles and 
defense services that are eligible to be provided 
under the foreign military sales program under 
chapter 2 of the Arms Export Control Act, but 
not eligible to be provided under direct commer-
cial sales under section 38 of such Act, in order 
to identify those articles and services that 
should also be eligible to be provided under di-
rect commercial sales. 
(B) MATTERS
TO
BE
ADDRESSED.—The 
review required by this subsection shall address 
the following with respect to each defense arti-
cle and defense services identified under this 
subsection: 
(i) The average length of time to com-
plete a transfer of the article or service 
under the foreign military sales program 
compared to such a transfer under a direct 
commercial sale, measured from the initial 
submission of the letter of request to the 
delivery of the article or service. 
(ii) The impact on the workload for 
the Department of State and Department 
of Defense by reason of a transfer of the
1317 
article or service under a direct commercial 
sale. 
(iii) The benefits to United States na-
tional security and United States competi-
tiveness by reason of a transfer of the arti-
cle or service under a direct commercial 
sale. 
(2) REPORT.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days 
after the completion of each review required by 
subsection (a), the Secretary of State, in coordi-
nation of the Secretary of Defense, shall submit 
to the appropriate congressional committees a 
report that contains the results of the review, 
including— 
(i) the average time to transfer the re-
viewed defense articles or services during 
the previous reporting period through the 
foreign military sales program and through 
direct commercial sales and how those 
averages compare to the averages reported 
in the previous reporting period; 
(ii) the leading causes of delays; 
(iii) any steps taken to reduce those 
delays; and
1318 
(iv) any defense articles and services 
added to or removed from the FMS-Only 
list during the preceding reporting period, 
as well as the justification for such deci-
sions. 
(B) FORM.—The report required by this 
subsection shall be submitted in unclassified 
form, but may contain a classified annex. 
(C) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection— 
(i) the term ‘‘appropriate congres-
sional committees’’ means— 
(I) the Committee on Foreign Af-
fairs and the Committee on Armed 
Services of the House of Representa-
tives; and 
(II) the Committee on Foreign 
Relations and the Committee on 
Armed Services of the Senate; and 
(ii) the term ‘‘FMS-only list’’ means 
the list maintained by the Secretary of 
State of defense articles and defense serv-
ices that are eligible to be provided under 
the foreign military sales program under 
chapter 2 of the Arms Export Control Act, 
but not eligible to be provided under direct
1319 
commercial sales under section 38 of such 
Act. 
SEC. 1704. MODIFICATIONS TO AUTHORITY FOR TRANSFER 
AND SALE OF CERTAIN SURPLUS FIREARMS, 
AMMUNITION, AND PARTS. 
(a) MODIFICATIONS
TO TRANSFER AUTHORITY.— 
Section 40728 of title 36, United States Code, is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subsection (h)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘surplus 
caliber .45 M45/M45A1 pistols and spare parts 
and related accessories and ammunition for 
those pistols, that on the enactment of the Na-
tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2026, are under the control of the Sec-
retary and are surplus to the requirements of 
the Department of the Army,’’ after ‘‘surplus to 
the requirements of the Department of the 
Army,’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, and 
may not transfer more than 10,000 surplus cal-
iber .45 M45/M45A1 pistols,’’ after ‘‘may not 
transfer more than 10,000 surplus caliber .45 
M1911/M1911A1 pistols’’; and
1320 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(3) The Secretary may further transfer to the cor-
poration, in accordance with the procedure prescribed in 
this subchapter, surplus shotguns, including any shotguns 
that are surplus to the requirements of the Center of Mili-
tary History and the Army Museum Enterprise, except for 
any shotgun that is a modular ancillary addition to a serv-
ice rifle.’’; 
(2) in subsection (i)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Na-
tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2018’’ and inserting ‘‘National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraphs: 
‘‘(3) Subject to paragraph (4), the Secretary of the 
Navy may further transfer to the corporation, in accord-
ance with the procedure prescribed in this subchapter, sur-
plus caliber .45 M45/M45A1 pistols and spare parts and 
related accessories and ammunition for those pistols, and 
surplus shotguns (except for any shotgun that is a mod-
ular ancillary addition to a service rifle), that on the date 
of the enactment of this paragraph are under the control
1321 
of the Secretary and are surplus to the requirements of 
the Department of the Navy. 
‘‘(4) The Secretary of the Navy may not transfer 
more than 10,000 surplus caliber .45 M45/M45A1 pistols 
to the corporation during any year and may only transfer 
such pistols as long as pistols described in paragraph (3) 
remain available for transfer.’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
sections: 
‘‘(j) AUTHORIZED
AIR
FORCE
TRANSFERS.—(1) 
Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary of the Air Force 
may transfer to the corporation, in accordance with the 
procedures prescribed in this subchapter, surplus caliber 
.45 M45/M45A1 pistols and spare parts and related acces-
sories and ammunition for those pistols, and surplus shot-
guns (except for any shotgun that is a modular ancillary 
addition to a service rifle), that on the date of the enact-
ment of this paragraph are under the control of the Sec-
retary and are surplus to the requirements of the Depart-
ment of the Air Force. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary of the Air Force may not transfer 
more than 10,000 surplus caliber .45 M45/M45A1 pistols 
to the corporation during any year and may only transfer 
such pistols as long as pistols described in paragraph (1) 
remain available for transfer.
1322 
‘‘(k) AUTHORIZED TRANSFERS BY OTHER FEDERAL 
DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES.—(1) The head of any 
Federal department or agency may transfer to the cor-
poration, in accordance with the procedure prescribed in 
this subchapter, the firearms and ammunition specified in 
paragraph (2) that, on the date of the enactment of this 
subsection, are under the control of that department or 
agency and are surplus to the requirements of that depart-
ment or agency. 
‘‘(2) The firearms and ammunition specified in this 
paragraph are the following: 
‘‘(A) Any surplus caliber .45 M1911/M1911A1 
pistols. 
‘‘(B) Any surplus caliber .45 M45/M45A1 pis-
tol. 
‘‘(C) Any surplus shotgun except for any shot-
gun that is modular ancillary addition to a service 
rifle. 
‘‘(D) Any surplus caliber .22 or .30 caliber 
rifle. 
‘‘(E) Any ammunition associated with a firearm 
described in subparagraph (A) through (D).’’. 
(b) MODIFICATIONS TO SALE AUTHORITY.—Section 
40732 of title 36, United States Code, is amended—
1323 
(1) by striking ‘‘, and caliber .45 M1911/ 
M1911A1 surplus pistols,’’ each place it appears and 
inserting ‘‘, caliber .45 M1911/M1911A1 surplus 
pistols, caliber .45 M45/M45A1 surplus pistols, and 
surplus shotguns (except for any shotgun that is a 
modular ancillary addition to a service rifle)’’; and 
(2) in subsection (d)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘A person’’ and inserting 
‘‘(1) A person’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(2) A person who receives a caliber .45 M1911/ 
M1911A1 surplus pistol, a caliber .45 M45/M45A1 sur-
plus pistol, shotgun, or any ammunition, repair parts, or 
supplies, under section 40728 of this title may sell, at fair 
market value, such pistol, shotgun, ammunition, repair 
parts, or supplies.’’. 
SEC. 1705. MAPPING AND REPORT ON STRATEGIC PORTS. 
(a) MAPPING AND STRATEGY REQUIRED.— 
(1) MAPPING
OF
GLOBAL
PORTS.—The Sec-
retary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of 
Defense, shall— 
(A) develop an updated, global mapping of 
foreign and domestic ports identified to be of 
importance to the United States, because of a
1324 
capability to provide military, diplomatic, eco-
nomic, or resource exploration superiority; and 
(B) identify any efforts by the Government 
of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) or 
other PRC entities to build, buy, or otherwise 
control, directly or indirectly, such ports. 
(2) SUBMISSION
OF
MAP.—The Secretary of 
State, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, 
shall submit the mapping developed pursuant to sub-
section (a) to the appropriate congressional commit-
tees. Such submission shall be in unclassified form, 
but may include a classified annex. 
(b) STUDY AND REPORT ON STRATEGIC PORTS.— 
(1) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of State, 
in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall 
conduct a study of— 
(A) strategic ports; 
(B) the reasons such ports are of interest 
to the United States; 
(C) the activities and plans of the Govern-
ment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) 
to expand its control over strategic ports out-
side of the People’s Republic of China; 
(D) the public and private actors, such as 
China Ocean Shipping Company, that are exe-
1325 
cuting and supporting the activities and plans 
of the Government of the PRC to expand its 
control over strategic ports outside of the PRC; 
(E) the activities and plans of the Govern-
ment of the PRC to expand its control over 
maritime logistics by promoting products, such 
as LOGINK, and setting industry standards 
outside the PRC; 
(F) how the control by the Government of 
the PRC over strategic ports outside of the 
PRC could harm the national security or eco-
nomic interests of the United States and allies 
and partners of the United States; and 
(G) measures the United States Govern-
ment could take to ensure open access and se-
curity for strategic ports and offer alternatives 
to PRC investments or stakes in strategic ports. 
(2) CONDUCT
OF
STUDY.—The Secretary of 
State and the Secretary of Defense may enter into 
an arrangement with a federally funded research 
and development center under which the center shall 
conduct the study required under subsection (a). 
(3) REPORT.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
1326 
Secretary of State, in coordination with the 
Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the appro-
priate congressional committees a report on the 
findings of the study conducted under sub-
section (a). 
(B) ELEMENTS.—The report required by 
paragraph (1) shall include— 
(i) a detailed list of all known stra-
tegic ports operated, controlled, or owned, 
directly or indirectly, by the PRC or by a 
foreign person of the PRC, and an assess-
ment of the national security and economic 
interests relevant to each such port; 
(ii) a detailed list of all known stra-
tegic ports operated, controlled, or owned, 
directly or indirectly, by the United States 
or United States persons and an assess-
ment of the national security and economic 
interests relevant to each such port; 
(iii) an assessment of vulnerabilities 
of— 
(I) ports operated, controlled, or 
owned, directly or indirectly, by the 
United States; and 
(II) strategic ports;
1327 
(iv) an analysis of the activities and 
actions of the Government of the PRC to 
gain control or ownership over strategic 
ports, including promoting products, such 
as LOGINK, and setting industry stand-
ards; 
(v) an assessment of how the Govern-
ment of the PRC plans to expand its con-
trol over strategic ports outside of the 
PRC; 
(vi) a suggested strategy, developed in 
consultation with the heads of the relevant 
United States Government offices, that 
suggests courses of action to secure trusted 
investment and ownership of strategic 
ports and maritime infrastructure, protect 
such ports and infrastructure from PRC 
control, and ensure open access and secu-
rity for such ports, that includes— 
(I) a list of relevant existing au-
thorities that can be used to carry out 
the strategy; 
(II) a list of any additional au-
thorities necessary to carry out the 
strategy;
1328 
(III) an assessment of products 
owned by the Government of the PRC 
or by an entity headquartered in the 
PRC that are used in connection with 
strategic ports or maritime infrastruc-
ture; 
(IV) an assessment of the costs 
to— 
(aa) secure such trusted in-
vestment and ownership; 
(bb) replace products owned 
by the Government of the PRC 
or an entity headquartered in the 
PRC that are used in connection 
with such ports; and 
(cc) enhance transparency 
around the negative impacts of 
PRC control over strategic ports; 
and 
(V) a list of funding sources to 
secure trusted investment and owner-
ship of strategic ports, which shall in-
clude— 
(aa) an identification of pri-
vate funding sources; and
1329 
(bb) an identification of 
public funding sources, including 
loans, loan guarantees, and tax 
incentives; and 
(vii) a suggested strategy for Federal 
agencies to maintain an up-to-date list of 
strategic ports. 
(viii) an assessment of any national 
security threat posed by such investments 
or activities to United States diplomatic 
and defense personnel and facilities in the 
vicinity of such ports, including through 
cyber threats, electronically enabled espio-
nage, or other means. 
(C) FORM
OF
REPORT.—The report re-
quired by paragraph (1) shall be submitted in 
unclassified form, but may include a classified 
annex. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation, the Committee on Armed 
Services, the Committee on Foreign Relations,
1330 
and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
Senate; and 
(B) the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure, the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce, the Committee on Armed Services, 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Per-
manent Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
House of Representatives. 
(2) The term ‘‘relevant United States Govern-
ment offices’’ means— 
(A) the Unified Combatant Commands; 
(B) the Office of the Secretary of Defense; 
(C) the Office of the Secretary of State; 
(D) the United States International Devel-
opment Finance Corporation; 
(E) the Office of the Director of National 
Intelligence; and 
(F) the Maritime Administration of the 
Department of Transportation. 
(3) The term ‘‘strategic port’’ means an inter-
national port or waterway that the heads of the rel-
evant United States Government offices determine is 
critical to the national security or economic pros-
perity of the United States.
1331 
SEC. 1706. CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT OF IMPACT OF 
INTERNATIONAL STATE ARMS EMBARGOES 
ON ISRAEL AND ACTIONS TO ADDRESS DE-
FENSE CAPABILITY GAPS. 
(a) REQUIREMENT
FOR
CONTINUOUS
ASSESS-
MENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, in 
consultation with the Secretary of State and the Di-
rector of National Intelligence, shall conduct a con-
tinual assessment of— 
(A) the scope, nature, and impact of cur-
rent and emerging arms embargoes, sanctions, 
restrictions, or limitations imposed by foreign 
states or international organizations on Israel’s 
defense capabilities; and 
(B) the resulting gaps or vulnerabilities in 
Israel’s security posture, including its ability to 
maintain its qualitative military edge. 
(2) FREQUENCY.—The assessment required 
under paragraph (1) shall— 
(A) be updated not less than once every 
180 days; and 
(B) be submitted to the congressional de-
fense committees in both unclassified form and, 
as necessary, a classified annex. 
(b) MITIGATION AND SUPPORT MEASURES.—
1332 
(1) IDENTIFICATION OF NEEDS.—Each assess-
ment shall include a determination of specific de-
fense capabilities, systems, or technologies that 
Israel is unable to procure, sustain, or modernize 
due to arms embargoes or restrictions. 
(2) UNITED STATES ACTIONS.—The Secretary 
of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of 
State, shall identify and recommend actions the 
United States may take to mitigate such gaps, in-
cluding— 
(A) expediting delivery of defense articles 
or services under the Foreign Military Sales 
program; 
(B) leveraging U.S. industrial base capac-
ity to provide substitute capabilities; 
(C) expanding joint research, development, 
and production of defense technologies; and 
(D) 
enhancing 
cooperative 
training, 
prepositioning, and logistics support. 
(c) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 120 
days after the date of enactment of this section, and semi-
annually thereafter, the Secretary of Defense shall submit 
to the congressional defense committees a report on the 
findings of the most recent assessment conducted under 
subsection (a).
1333 
(d) SUNSET.—The requirement under this section 
shall terminate 5 years after the date of enactment of this 
section, unless reauthorized by Congress. 
Subtitle B—Other Matters 
SEC. 1721. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 
(a) TITLE 10, UNITED STATES CODE.—Title 10, 
United States Code, is amended as follows: 
(1) In the subtitle analysis for subtitle A, by 
striking the item relating to chapter 243 and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘243. Other Matters Relating to Awarding of Contracts ... 3301’’. 
(2) In the tables of chapters at the beginning 
of part I of such subtitle, by striking the item relat-
ing to chapter 25 and inserting the following: 
‘‘25. Electromagnetic Warfare ......................................................
500’’. 
(3) In section 132a— 
(A) in the section heading, by striking 
‘‘improvement 
officer’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘Improvement Officer’’; and 
(B) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘Na-
tional Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 
2008’’ and inserting ‘‘National Defense Author-
ization Act for Fiscal Year 2008’’. 
(4) In section 139a, by striking ‘‘section 2334’’ 
each place it appears and inserting ‘‘section 3221’’.
1334 
(5) In section 183a(h)(3), by striking the semi-
colon and inserting a comma. 
(6) In chapter 9, by redesignating the second 
section 222e (relating to unfunded priorities of the 
Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engi-
neering: annual report) as section 222f. 
(7) In section 525(a)(4)(C), by striking the pe-
riod after ‘‘21’’. 
(8) In chapter 40, by redesignating section 711 
(relating to parental leave for members of certain re-
serve components of the armed forces) as section 
710a (and conforming the table of contents with re-
spect to the section number and heading). 
(9) In subsection (a)(2) of such section 710a, 
as so redesignated— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘sub-
paragraph (A)’’ each place it appears and in-
serting ‘‘paragraph (1)’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (B)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘subparagraph (A)’’ 
both places it appears and inserting ‘‘para-
graph (1)’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘clause (i)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘subparagraph (A)’’; and
1335 
(iii) by striking the semicolon that ap-
pears after the period. 
(10) In section 1143(e)(1), by striking ‘‘(A)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘(A)’’. 
(11) In section 1558(c)(1), by striking the 
comma after ‘‘Space Force’’. 
(12) In section 1749— 
(A) in subsection (b)(4), by striking ‘‘em-
phasizes—’’ and inserting ‘‘emphasize—’’; and 
(B) in subsection (c)— 
(i) in the matter preceding paragraph 
(1), by inserting ‘‘shall’’ after ‘‘program’’; 
and 
(ii) in paragraph (2)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘has’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘have’’; and 
(II) by striking ‘‘can’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘the ability to’’. 
(13) In section 2107(k), by striking the sub-
section heading. 
(14) In section 2818(a), by striking ‘‘contact’’ 
and inserting ‘‘contract’’. 
(15) In section 2819(e), by inserting ‘‘the’’ be-
fore ‘‘congressional defense committees’’.
1336 
(16) In the tables of chapters at the beginning 
of part V of such subtitle, by striking the item relat-
ing to chapter 326 and inserting the following: 
‘‘327. Weapon Systems Development and Related Matters 4401’’. 
(17) In the tables of chapters at the beginning 
of part V of such subtitle, by striking the item relat-
ing to chapter 383 and inserting the following: 
‘‘383. Development, Application, and Support of Dual- 
Use Technologies ................................................... 4831’’. 
(18) In section 3072(c), by amending the sub-
section heading to read as follows: 
‘‘(c) ACQUISITION PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES TO 
BE CONSIDERED.—’’. 
(19) In section 3603(a), by striking ‘‘Such a 
pathway shall include the following:’’. 
(20) 
In 
section 
4127(d)(9), 
by 
striking 
‘‘pursing’’ and inserting ‘‘pursuing’’. 
(21) In section 4022(e)(1), by striking ‘‘Under-
secretary of Defense’’ each place it appears and in-
serting ‘‘Under Secretary of Defense’’. 
(22) In chapter 303, by redesignating the sec-
ond section 4128 (relating to the Joint Federated 
Assurance Center) as section 4129. 
(23) In section 4663(a), by inserting ‘‘if such 
entity’’ before ‘‘is a party’’.
1337 
(24) In section 4816(b)(6), by inserting ‘‘)’’ 
after ‘‘title’’. 
(25) In section 4872(e)(1), by striking ‘‘the 
Secretary of Defense of the Secretary or the Sec-
retary of the military department concerned’’ and in-
serting ‘‘the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary 
of the military department concerned’’. 
(26) In section 5502, in the section heading, by 
striking ‘‘defense agency’’ and inserting ‘‘De-
fense Agency’’. 
(27) In section 5513, in the section heading, by 
striking ‘‘missile defense agency’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘Missile Defense Agency’’. 
(28) In section 5531(b) is amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘paragraph (1)’’ both 
places it appears and inserting ‘‘subsection 
(a)’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘sub-
paragraph (B)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (2)’’; 
and 
(C) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘sub-
paragraph (A)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (1)’’. 
(29) In section 7361(a)(2), by striking ‘‘Viet-
nam Era’’ and inserting ‘‘Vietnam era’’.
1338 
(30) In section 82218, in each of subsections 
(c)(1)(D) and (k)(3)(B), by striking ‘‘section 11 of 
the Merchant Ship Sales Act of 1946 (50 U.S.C. 
4405)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 57100 of title 46’’. 
(31) In section 9062a, in the section heading, 
by striking the period that appears after ‘‘struc-
ture’’. 
(32) In section 9361(a)(2), by striking ‘‘Viet-
nam Era’’ and inserting ‘‘Vietnam era’’. 
(33) In section 9531, in the section heading, by 
striking the period that appears after ‘‘Reserve’’. 
(34) In section 10216(f), by striking the period 
that appears after ‘‘62’’. 
(35) In the tables of chapters at the beginning 
of part III of subtitle E, by striking the item relat-
ing to chapter 1413 and inserting the following: 
‘‘1413. Alternative Promotion Authority for Officers in 
Designated Competitive Categories ...............15101’’. 
(36) In section 14504(b), by striking ‘‘the the 
Secretary’’ and inserting ‘‘the Secretary’’. 
(b) COORDINATION
WITH
OTHER
AMENDMENTS 
MADE BY THIS ACT.—For purposes of applying amend-
ments made by provisions of this Act other than this sec-
tion, the amendments made by this section shall be treated 
as having been enacted immediately before any such 
amendments by other provisions of this Act.
1339 
SEC. 1722. TRANSFER OR POSSESSION OF DEFENSE ITEMS 
FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE PURPOSES. 
(a) TRANSFER AND POSSESSION EXCEPTIONS.—Sec-
tion 922(o)(2) of title 18, United States Code, is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘or by’’ 
and inserting ‘‘, by, or under the authority of’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 
the end; 
(3) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period 
at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(4) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the fol-
lowing new subparagraph: 
‘‘(C) a transfer to, or possession by, a li-
censed manufacturer or licensed importer (if, 
with respect to a transfer, such transfer has 
been approved by the Attorney General in ac-
cordance with law) for purposes of— 
‘‘(i) joint production of a weapon, or 
integration or incorporation into another 
article or device; 
‘‘(ii) calibration, testing, or research 
and development; 
‘‘(iii) permanent or temporary export, 
or temporary import, otherwise in accord-
ance with law; or
1340 
‘‘(iv) training of Department of De-
fense personnel and Federal, State, local, 
or friendly foreign government military 
and law enforcement personnel.’’. 
(b) IMPORTATION REQUIREMENTS.—Section 925(d) 
of such title is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘except as provided in 
paragraph (5),’’ before ‘‘is of’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end; 
(2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (4) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(5) is being imported or brought in by a li-
censed manufacturer or licensed importer in con-
formity with, and solely for a purpose described in 
subparagraphs (A) or (C) of section 922(o)(2).’’. 
(c) REPORT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than one year 
after the effective date of this section, the Secretary 
of Defense shall— 
(A) conduct a survey of defense contrac-
tors who have used or intend to use a covered 
exception; and
1341 
(B) submit to the Committees on Armed 
Services of the Senate and the House of Rep-
resentatives a report describing the results of 
such survey. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The report submitted under 
paragraph (1) shall include the following: 
(A) The number of contractors that used a 
covered exception during the period covered by 
the report. 
(B) Any issues identified by the Depart-
ment of Defense or such contractors with the 
implementation of such covered exception. 
(C) Any recommendations for changes to 
statutes or regulations to implement covered ex-
ceptions. 
(3) COVERED
EXCEPTION
DEFINED.—In this 
subsection, the term ‘‘covered exception’’ means an 
exception provided under— 
(A) subparagraph (C) of section 922(o)(2) 
of title 18, United States Code, as added by 
this section; or 
(B) paragraph (5) of section 922(d) of 
such title, as added by this section.
1342 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section and the amend-
ments made by this section shall take effect 30 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 1723. EVALUATION OF RISKS POSED BY COMMUNICA-
TIONS 
EQUIPMENT 
AND 
SERVICES 
PRO-
DUCED BY FOREIGN ADVERSARY ENTITIES. 
Section 1709 of the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159; 47 U.S.C. 
1601 note) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), in the subsection heading, 
by striking ‘‘TO COVERED LIST’’ and inserting 
‘‘PRODUCED BY DJI TECHNOLOGIES OR AUTEL RO-
BOTICS’’; 
(2) by redesignating subsections (b), (c), and 
(d) as subsections (c), (d), and (e), respectively; 
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(b) EVALUATION OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYS-
TEMS COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES PRO-
DUCED BY FOREIGN ADVERSARY ENTITIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of the National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, an ap-
propriate national security agency shall determine if 
any of the following communications equipment or
1343 
services, including software, pose an unacceptable 
risk to the national security of the United States or 
the security and safety of United States persons: 
‘‘(A) Unmanned aircraft systems or cam-
eras that are designed, developed, manufac-
tured, or supplied by any person owned by, con-
trolled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or di-
rection of a foreign adversary. 
‘‘(B) Unmanned aircraft systems or cam-
eras with integrated software provided by any 
person owned by, controlled by, or subject to 
the jurisdiction or direction of a foreign adver-
sary. 
‘‘(C) Equipment that uses spectrum in the 
5030–5091 MHz band, governed by part 88 of 
title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or suc-
cessor regulations), or in the 5150–5850 MHz 
band, governed by part 15 of title 47, Code of 
Federal Regulations (or successor regulations), 
that is designed, developed, manufactured, li-
censed, or supplied by any person owned by, 
controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or 
direction of a foreign adversary. 
‘‘(2) ADDITION TO THE COVERED LIST.—If the 
appropriate national security agency does not make
1344 
a determination as required by paragraph (1) by the 
date that is one year after the date of the enactment 
of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2026, the Commission shall add all equipment 
and services listed in paragraph (1) to the covered 
list.’’; 
(4) in subsection (c), as redesignated by para-
graph (2), by inserting ‘‘or (b)(1)’’ after ‘‘subsection 
(a)(1)’’ each place it appears; 
(5) in subsection (d), as so redesignated, by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) The term ‘unmanned aircraft system’ has 
the meaning given that term in section 44801 of 
title 49, United States Code. 
‘‘(7) The term ‘foreign adversary’— 
‘‘(A) means a foreign adversary (as such 
term is defined in section 8(c) of the Secure 
and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 
2019 (47 U.S.C. 1607(c))); and 
‘‘(B) includes any person owned by, con-
trolled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or di-
rection of a foreign adversary. 
‘‘(8) The term ‘person owned by, controlled by, 
or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a foreign 
adversary’ has the meaning given such term in sec-
1345 
tion 791.301 of title 15, Code of Federal Regula-
tions, or any such successor regulation.’’; and 
(6) in subsection (e), as so redesignated, by 
striking ‘‘subsection (b)(1)(A)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub-
section (c)(1)(A)’’. 
SEC. 1724. SENSE OF CONGRESS WITH RESPECT TO EXECU-
TION OF WARRANTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL 
CRIMINAL COURT. 
It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of De-
fense and Secretary of State must use every opportunity 
at forums involving NATO or major non-NATO allies to 
ensure that such allied countries do not enforce warrants 
issued by the International Criminal Court against mem-
bers of the armed forces of the United States or of its 
other allies. 
SEC. 1725. BRIEFING ON EXPEDITING ARMS TRANSFERS TO 
ISRAEL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and every 180 days there-
after for a period not to exceed 3 years, the Secretary of 
State, in coordination with Secretary of Defense, shall 
brief the appropriate congressional committees on the sta-
tus of deliveries to the Government of Israel of any mili-
tary aircraft or air-launched munitions approved for trans-
fer that are undelivered or partially delivered.
1346 
(b) CONTENTS
OF BRIEFING.—The briefing de-
scribed in subsection (a) shall include— 
(1) the estimated delivery timetable and any on-
going or potential measures associated with the 
items, including advance training and integration 
challenges; 
(2) specific reasons for any delay related to the 
United States Government, defense suppliers, or a 
foreign government; 
(3) the feasibility and advisability of providing 
the State of Israel an interim capability; 
(4) what measures are being taken or could be 
taken to expedite delivery to Israel; and 
(5) authorities or appropriations that Congress 
could provide to expedite the delivery. 
(c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres-
sional committees’’ means the congressional defense com-
mittees, the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the House 
of Representatives, and the Committee on Foreign Rela-
tions in the Senate. 
(d) MILITARY AIRCRAFT DEFINED.—In this section, 
the term ‘‘military aircraft’’ means aircraft and related 
articles in 22 CFR 121.10, Category VIII—Aircraft and 
Related Articles, subsection (a).
1347 
SEC. 1726. FEASIBILITY STUDY ON EXTENDING CRITICAL 
MINERALS PROCUREMENT AUTHORITIES TO 
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES. 
(a) FINDINGS
ON
CRITICAL
MINERAL
ACQUISI-
TION.—The Congress finds the following: 
(1) Critical minerals are essential to national 
security, economic stability, and technological inno-
vation across multiple U.S. government sectors. 
(2) The Department of Defense’s experience 
with critical minerals procurement highlights the po-
tential for broader federal application to enhance re-
source security. 
(3) Federal agencies, such as the Departments 
of Energy and Homeland Security, rely on critical 
minerals but lack independent procurement and re-
sale authorities. 
(4) Extending such authorities could strengthen 
domestic supply chains and reduce dependence on 
foreign sources vulnerable to disruption. 
(5) Legal and regulatory barriers may limit 
agencies’ ability to procure and manage critical min-
erals effectively, requiring thorough evaluation. 
(6) Allowing resale of excess critical minerals 
could generate revenue and support strategic goals, 
provided safeguards prevent market instability.
1348 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS ON CRITICAL MINERAL AC-
QUISITION.—It is the sense of the Congress that a whole- 
of-government approach to critical minerals procurement 
could bolster national resilience and economic competitive-
ness. 
(c) STUDY REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, in 
coordination with the Secretary of the Interior, the 
Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator of Gen-
eral Services Administration, and the heads of other 
relevant Federal agencies, shall conduct a study on 
the feasibility of providing to other Federal agencies 
authorities similar to Department of Defense critical 
mineral procurement authorities. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The study required by para-
graph (1) shall include— 
(A) an assessment of the need of other 
Federal agencies for critical minerals; 
(B) an evaluation of the legal, regulatory, 
and logistical barriers to granting other Federal 
agencies authorities similar to Department of 
Defense critical mineral procurement authori-
ties; 
(C) an analysis of the economic and stra-
tegic effects of allowing other Federal agencies
1349 
to resell critical minerals in excess of those re-
quired to meet the needs of the Federal agency 
on the open market, including potential effects 
on domestic supply chains and international 
trade; and 
(D) recommendations for legislative or reg-
ulatory changes necessary to grant other Fed-
eral agencies authorities similar to Department 
of Defense critical mineral procurement au-
thorities, including safeguards to prevent mar-
ket disruption or misuse of resale proceeds re-
sulting from the use of such similar authorities 
by other Federal agencies. 
(d) REPORT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall submit to the Committee on 
Armed Services of the Senate, the Committee on 
Armed Services of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
Senate, and the Committee on Natural Resources of 
the House of Representatives a report described in 
paragraph (2).
1350 
(2) REPORT DESCRIBED.—The report described 
in this subsection is a report by the Secretary of De-
fense containing— 
(A) the detailed findings of the study re-
quired by subsection (c)(1); 
(B) recommendations for granting other 
Federal agencies authorities similar to Depart-
ment of Defense critical mineral procurement 
authorities; and 
(C) such other additional information as 
the Secretary determines appropriate for ensur-
ing a coordinated, whole-of-government ap-
proach to the management of critical minerals. 
(3) FORM.—The report required under para-
graph (1) shall by submitted in an unclassified form, 
but may include a classified annex. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘critical mineral’’ has the mean-
ing given such term in section 7002(a) of the En-
ergy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(a)), except that 
such term includes any mineral, element, substance, 
or material designated by the Secretary of Defense 
as a critical mineral. 
(2) The term ‘‘Department of Defense critical 
mineral procurement authorities’’ means the authori-
1351 
ties available to the Department of Defense for the 
Department to independently acquire and dispose of 
critical minerals. 
(3) The term ‘‘other Federal agency’’ means a 
Federal agency other than the Department of De-
fense. 
SEC. 1727. REPORT ON PLAN TO INCREASE EXPORTATION 
OF DEFENSE-RELATED COMPONENTS AND 
MATERIALS. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce, acting through 
the Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade 
and in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall 
submit to Congress a strategy to increase the exportation 
of domestically manufactured, defense-related components 
and materials. 
SEC. 1728. GAO STUDY ON DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE RELI-
ANCE ON CHINESE-SOURCED MATERIALS. 
Not later than one year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall conduct a component-level assessment on the reliance 
of the Department of Defense on Chinese-sourced mate-
rials in munitions, microelectronics, and energy storage 
systems, including recommendations for alternative 
sourcing strategies.
1352 
SEC. 1729. REPORT ON INTERAGENCY COORDINATION TAR-
GETING FENTANYL AND PRECURSOR CHEMI-
CALS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall ex-
pand interagency coordination with respect to the tar-
geting of fentanyl and precursor chemicals, including by 
establishing joint operations with the Secretary of Human 
Services and the Attorney General. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Defense shall 
submit to the congressional defense committees a report 
on the coordination required under subsection (a) that 
identifies, with respect to fentanyl and precursor chemi-
cals, any gaps between agencies in detection, monitoring, 
and interdiction activities. 
SEC. 1730. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE AUDIT 
OF 
NATIONAL 
SECURITY 
FOREIGN 
EX-
CHANGE PROGRAMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 
of the United States shall provide a briefing, and submit 
a report to the congressional defense committees con-
taining the results of an audit with respect to the inter-
national defense personnel exchange programs of the De-
partment of Defense, to assess the extent to which such
1353 
programs are coordinated across the Armed Forces, com-
batant commands, and defense agencies. 
(b) PROGRAMS INCLUDED.—The report and briefing 
required by subsection (a) shall include the following pro-
grams: 
(1) Military Reserve Exchange Program. 
(2) Engineer and Scientist Exchange Program. 
(3) Foreign Academy Exchange Program. 
(4) Personnel Exchange Program. 
(5) All other Department of Defense funded ex-
change programs that enhance international co-
operation and military interoperability. 
(c) ADDITIONAL MATTERS.—The report required by 
subsection (a) shall also include the following: 
(1) An assessment of whether a centralized en-
tity within the Department of Defense oversees or 
coordinates international defense personnel exchange 
programs. 
(2) An assessment of whether any policies, reg-
ulations, or directives mandate administration of 
such programs across military services and defense 
agencies. 
(3) An assessment of whether the lack of co-
ordination has resulted in gaps in strategy, ineffi-
ciencies, or duplicative efforts.
1354 
(4) An assessment of any key factors that limit 
the ability of the Department to host foreign per-
sonnel in an exchange program. 
SEC. 1731. AUTHORIZING UNITED STATES COAST GUARD 
ROTARY AIRCRAFT WORK AT DEPARTMENT 
OF DEFENSE DEPOTS. 
The Secretary of Defense is authorized to conduct ro-
tary aircraft work for the Department of Homeland Secu-
rity and the United States Coast Guard at any depot of 
the Department of Defense. 
SEC. 1732. BRIEFING ON SUPPLY CHAIN EXPOSURE. 
Not later than August 1, 2024, the Secretary of De-
fense shall brief the congressional defense committees on 
NATO Procurement and Supply Agency procurement ex-
posure and supply chain risks with respect to China, in-
cluding dependency risk, security risk, and resilience risk. 
SEC. 1733. RECOGNITION AND HONORING OF SERVICE OF 
INDIVIDUALS WHO SERVED IN THE UNITED 
STATES 
CADET 
NURSE 
CORPS 
DURING 
WORLD WAR II. 
Section 106 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(g)(1)(A) Service as a member of the United States 
Cadet Nurse Corps during the period beginning on July
1355 
1, 1943, and ending on December 31, 1948, of any indi-
vidual who was honorably discharged therefrom pursuant 
to subparagraph (B) shall be considered active duty for 
purposes of eligibility and entitlement to headstones, 
markers, and other benefits under chapters 23 and 24 of 
this title, other than such benefits relating to the inter-
ment or inurnment of the individual in Arlington National 
Cemetery solely by reason of such service. 
‘‘(B)(i) Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this subsection, the Secretary of Defense 
shall issue to each individual who served as a member of 
the United States Cadet Nurse Corps during the period 
beginning on July 1, 1943, and ending on December 31, 
1948, a discharge from such service under honorable con-
ditions if the Secretary determines that the nature and 
duration of the service of the individual so warrants. 
‘‘(ii) A discharge under clause (i) shall designate the 
date of discharge. The date of discharge shall be the date, 
as determined by the Secretary, of the termination of serv-
ice of the individual concerned as described in that clause. 
‘‘(2) An individual who receives a discharge under 
paragraph (1)(B) for service as a member of the United 
States Cadet Nurse Corps shall be honored as a veteran 
but shall not be entitled by reason of such service to any
1356 
benefit under a law administered by the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs, except as provided in paragraph (1)(A). 
‘‘(3) The Secretary of Defense may design and 
produce a service medal, memorial plaque or gravemarker, 
or other commendation to honor individuals who receive 
a discharge under paragraph (1)(B).’’. 
SEC. 1733A. INTEREST ON FUNDS PROVIDED TO FEDERAL 
COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treasury 
may not charge interest on funds borrowed by the Federal 
Communications Commission under section 5404(c) of the 
Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public 
Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 2451). 
(b) RETURN OF INTEREST.—Any interest described 
in subsection (a) collected by the Secretary of the Treas-
ury before the date of the enactment of this Act shall be 
returned to the Federal Communications Commission for 
use by the Commission for the purpose described in, and 
consistent with, section 5404(c) of the Servicemember 
Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Au-
thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118– 
159; 138 Stat. 2451) as though such interest had not been 
paid to the Secretary.
1357 
(c) UNPAID INTEREST.—The obligation of the Fed-
eral Communications Commission to pay any unpaid inter-
est that has accrued on the funds described in subsection 
(a) is terminated. 
SEC. 1733B. REPORT ON HENRY E. ROHLSEN AIRPORT IN 
ST. CROIX. 
(a) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Defense shall 
study and submit a report to Congress on the readiness 
of Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix for use by the 
United States Air Force. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The report required under sub-
section (a) shall contain recommendations to improve the 
infrastructure and facilities at, and in the immediate vicin-
ity of, Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in order to support use 
of the airport for regional security missions, emergency 
actions, and U.S. Southern Command Area regional prior-
ities. 
SEC. 1733C. LUMBEE TRIBE OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
The Act of June 7, 1956 (70 Stat. 254, chapter 375), 
is amended— 
(1) by striking section 2; 
(2) in the first sentence of the first section, by 
striking ‘‘That the Indians’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing:
1358 
‘‘SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF LUMBEE INDIANS. 
‘‘The Indians—’’; 
(3) in the preamble— 
(A) by inserting before the first undesig-
nated clause the following: 
‘‘SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
‘‘Congress finds that—’’; 
(B) 
by 
designating 
the 
undesignated 
clauses as paragraphs (1) through (4), respec-
tively, and indenting appropriately; 
(C) by striking ‘‘Whereas’’ each place it 
appears; 
(D) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon 
at the end of each of paragraphs (1) and (2) 
(as so designated); and 
(E) in paragraph (4) (as so designated), by 
striking ‘‘: Now, therefore,’’ and inserting a pe-
riod; 
(4) by moving the enacting clause so as to ap-
pear before section 1 (as so designated); 
(5) by striking the last sentence of section 3 (as 
designated by paragraph (2)); 
(6) by inserting before section 3 (as designated 
by paragraph (2)) the following:
1359 
‘‘SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this Act, the term ‘Secretary’ means the Sec-
retary of the Interior.’’; and 
(7) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 4. FEDERAL RECOGNITION. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Federal recognition is extended 
to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina (as designated as 
petitioner number 65 by the Office of Federal Acknowl-
edgment). 
‘‘(b) APPLICABILITY OF LAWS.—All laws and regula-
tions of the United States of general application to Indi-
ans and Indian tribes shall apply to the Lumbee Tribe 
of North Carolina and its members. 
‘‘SEC. 5. ELIGIBILITY FOR FEDERAL SERVICES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Lumbee Tribe of North 
Carolina and its members shall be eligible for all services 
and benefits provided by the Federal Government to feder-
ally recognized Indian tribes. 
‘‘(b) SERVICE AREA.—For the purpose of the delivery 
of Federal services and benefits described in subsection 
(a), those members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Caro-
lina residing in Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke, and Scotland 
counties in North Carolina shall be deemed to be residing 
on or near an Indian reservation. 
‘‘(c) DETERMINATION OF NEEDS.—On verification 
by the Secretary of a tribal roll under subsection (d), the
1360 
Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Serv-
ices shall— 
‘‘(1) develop, in consultation with the Lumbee 
Tribe of North Carolina, a determination of needs to 
provide the services for which members of the 
Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina are eligible; and 
‘‘(2) after the tribal roll is verified, each submit 
to Congress a written statement of those needs. 
‘‘(d) TRIBAL ROLL.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For purpose of the delivery 
of Federal services and benefits described in sub-
section (a), the tribal roll in effect on the date of en-
actment of this section shall, subject to verification 
by the Secretary, define the service population of the 
Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. 
‘‘(2) VERIFICATION
LIMITATION
AND
DEAD-
LINE.—The verification by the Secretary under 
paragraph (1) shall— 
‘‘(A) be limited to confirming documentary 
proof of compliance with the membership cri-
teria set out in the constitution of the Lumbee 
Tribe of North Carolina adopted on November 
16, 2001; and 
‘‘(B) be completed not later than 2 years 
after the submission of a digitized roll by the
1361 
Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina to the Sec-
retary. 
‘‘SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION TO TAKE LAND INTO TRUST. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other pro-
vision of law, the Secretary is hereby authorized to take 
land into trust for the benefit of the Lumbee Tribe of 
North Carolina. 
‘‘(b) TREATMENT OF CERTAIN LAND.—An applica-
tion to take into trust land located within Robeson Coun-
ty, North Carolina, under this section shall be treated by 
the Secretary as an ‘on reservation’ trust acquisition 
under part 151 of title 25, Code of Federal Regulations 
(or a successor regulation). 
‘‘SEC. 7. JURISDICTION OF STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—With respect to land located 
within the State of North Carolina that is owned by, or 
held in trust by the United States for the benefit of, the 
Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, or any dependent Indian 
community of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, the 
State of North Carolina shall exercise jurisdiction over— 
‘‘(1) all criminal offenses that are committed; 
and 
‘‘(2) all civil actions that arise. 
‘‘(b) TRANSFER OF JURISDICTION.—
1362 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Pursuant to section 403 of 
the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (25 U.S.C. 1323), and 
subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary may accept 
on behalf of the United States, after consulting with 
the Attorney General of the United States, any 
transfer by the State of North Carolina to the 
United States of any portion of the jurisdiction of 
the State of North Carolina described in subsection 
(a) over Indian country occupied by the Lumbee 
Tribe of North Carolina pursuant to an agreement 
between the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and 
the State of North Carolina. 
‘‘(2) RESTRICTION.—A transfer of jurisdiction 
described in paragraph (1) may not take effect until 
2 years after the effective date of the agreement de-
scribed in that paragraph. 
‘‘(c) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section affects the ap-
plication of section 109 of the Indian Child Welfare Act 
of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1919).’’. 
SEC. 
1733D. 
STRATEGY 
TO 
COUNTER 
IRANIAN 
AND 
HEZBOLLAH 
INFLUENCE 
OPERATIONS 
IN 
LATIN AMERICA. 
(a) STRATEGY REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days 
after the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, 
in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Direc-
1363 
tor of National Intelligence, shall submit to the appro-
priate congressional committees a comprehensive strategy 
to counter Iran’s and Hezbollah’s propaganda, religious 
networks, and influence operations in Latin America. 
(b) CONTENTS OF THE STRATEGY.—The strategy re-
quired under subsection (a) shall include the following: 
(1) Measures to address the proliferation of 
Iranian cultural centers in Latin America that pro-
mote Iranian ideology, including diplomatic efforts 
to limit their operations, sanctions on affiliated enti-
ties, and public diplomacy to expose their activities. 
(2) Actions to restrict the travel and activities 
of Iranian emissaries, including diplomats, cultural 
attaches, and other agents who facilitate propa-
ganda, radicalization, and terror-supporting net-
works in Latin America, through visa denials, sanc-
tions, or other travel restrictions. 
(3) Initiatives to strengthen the capacity of 
U.S. intelligence agencies to identify, monitor, and 
disrupt Iran’s and Hezbollah’s networks, including 
their cooperation academic institutions and non-gov-
ernmental organizations in Latin America. 
(4) A framework for taking actions, similar to 
those implemented against Al-Manar and Press TV, 
to disrupt Iran’s HispanTV and Hezbollah’s Al
1364 
Mayadeen Espanol platforms, including sanctions, 
designations, and cooperation with regional partners 
to limit their broadcasting reach and digital pres-
ence. 
(5) A plan to address Iran’s Al Mustafa Inter-
national University network and its affiliated enti-
ties, including their designations as foreign terrorist 
organizations or specially designated global terror-
ists, 
as 
appropriate, 
due 
to 
their 
role 
in 
radicalization and recruitment for Iran’s ideological 
and terrorist objectives. 
(c) FORM.—The strategy required in subsection (a) 
shall be transmitted in unclassified form and may include 
a classified annex. 
(d) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMITTEES 
DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con-
gressional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committees on Armed Services of the 
Senate and the House of Representatives; 
(2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
House of Representatives; 
(3) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
Senate; 
(4) the Permanent Select Committee on Intel-
ligence of the House of Representatives; and
1365 
(5) the Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
Senate. 
SEC. 1733E. STRATEGY TO ENCOURAGE DEFECTIONS FROM 
THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN. 
(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 
develop and submit to Congress a strategy aimed at en-
couraging defections by senior Iranian security officials 
and members of the armed forces. 
(b) STRATEGY DESCRIBED.—The strategy required 
under subsection (a) shall include— 
(1) identification of mechanisms to securely 
communicate with potential defectors; 
(2) measures providing assurances of safety and 
security to defectors and their families; 
(3) establishment of a dedicated interagency 
working group tasked with managing defections, en-
suring defector safety, verifying information pro-
vided by defectors, and mitigating potential intel-
ligence risks; 
(4) incentives for defectors who can provide ac-
tionable intelligence about regime operations, includ-
ing potential financial assistance, employment sup-
1366 
port, and housing assistance in coordination with 
relevant domestic agencies; 
(5) measures for publicizing successful defec-
tions, when appropriate and consistent with security 
protocols, to encourage additional defections within 
the regime; and 
(6) coordination with international partners to 
share best practices, jointly facilitate defections, and 
ensure defectors receive international protection, as 
needed. 
(c) FORM.—The strategy required under subsection 
(a) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may con-
tain a classified annex if necessary. 
SEC. 1733F. REPEAL OF AUTHORIZATIONS FOR USE OF 
MILITARY FORCE RELATING TO IRAQ. 
The following are hereby repealed: 
(1) Authorization for Use of Military Force 
Against Iraq Resolution (Public Law 102–1; 105 
Stat. 3; 50 U.S.C. 1541 note) is hereby repealed. 
(2) The Authorization for Use of Military Force 
Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107– 
243; 116 Stat. 1498; 50 U.S.C. 1541 note) is hereby 
repealed.
1367 
SEC. 1733G. PENALTIES FOR UNLAWFUL ENTRY AND VIOLA-
TION OF SECURITY REGULATIONS. 
(a) REVISION TO PENALTY FOR ENTERING MILI-
TARY, NAVAL, OR COAST GUARD PROPERTY UNLAW-
FULLY.—Section 1382 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘or installation,’’ both places it 
appears and inserting ‘‘installation, or property,’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘six months’’ and inserting ‘‘two 
years’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sen-
tence: ‘‘This is a general intent crime.’’. 
(b) PENALTY FOR VIOLATION OF SECURITY REGULA-
TIONS
AND ORDERS RELATING
TO DESIGNATED NA-
TIONAL DEFENSE AREAS.— Section 21 of the Internal 
Security Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 797) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by redesignating subsection (b) as 
paragraph (5) (and indenting that paragraph 
accordingly); and 
(B) in such paragraph, as so redesignated, 
by striking ‘‘subsection (a)’’ and inserting ‘‘this 
subsection’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section:
1368 
‘‘(b) FELONY VIOLATION OF NATIONAL DEFENSE 
AREA SECURITY REGULATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) FELONY.—Whoever violates any national 
defense area security regulation shall be fined under 
title 18, United States Code, or imprisoned not more 
than two years, or both. This is a general intent 
crime. 
‘‘(2) NATIONAL DEFENSE AREA SECURITY REG-
ULATION DESCRIBED.—For purposes of paragraph 
(1), a national defense area security regulation is a 
property security regulation that, pursuant to lawful 
authority, has been promulgated or approved by the 
Secretary of Defense (or by a military commander 
designated by the Secretary of Defense or by a mili-
tary officer, or a civilian officer or employee of the 
Department of Defense, holding a senior Depart-
ment of Defense director position designated by the 
Secretary of Defense) for the protection, security, or 
administration of Department of Defense real prop-
erty that has been designated by the Secretary of 
Defense as a national defense area. 
‘‘(3) PROPERTY
SECURITY
REGULATION
DE-
SCRIBED.—For purposes of paragraph (2), a prop-
erty security regulation, with respect to any des-
ignated national defense area, is a regulation—
1369 
‘‘(A) relating to unauthorized entry to or 
trespass on such property; 
‘‘(B) relating to fire hazards, fire protec-
tion, lighting, machinery, guard service, dis-
repair, disuse, or other unsatisfactory condi-
tions on such property; 
‘‘(C) relating to the ingress to, or egress or 
removal of persons from, such property; or 
‘‘(D) otherwise providing for safeguarding 
such property against destruction, loss, or in-
jury by accident or by enemy or unauthorized 
action, sabotage, or other subversive actions. 
‘‘(4) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) DEPARTMENT
OF
DEFENSE
REAL 
PROPERTY.—The term ‘Department of Defense 
real property’ means real property subject to 
the jurisdiction, administration, or in the cus-
tody of the Department of Defense, any De-
partment or agency of which that Department 
consists, or any officer or employee of that De-
partment or agency. 
‘‘(B) 
REGULATION
AS
INCLUDING 
ORDER.—The term ‘regulation’ includes an 
order.’’.
1370 
Subtitle C—Tracking Hostile In-
dustry Networks and Kit While 
Thwarting 
Weapons 
Imports 
From Chinese Entities Act of 
2025 
SEC. 1734. REPORT ON ARMS SALES OF THE PEOPLE’S RE-
PUBLIC OF CHINA. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, 
the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Sec-
retary of State, shall submit to the appropriate congres-
sional committees a report on arms sales facilitated by en-
tities in the People’s Republic of China. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The report required by subsection 
(a) shall include an analysis of— 
(1) the weapons systems and defense equipment 
originating from the People’s Republic of China 
available for purchase; 
(2) the technical aspects and capabilities of 
such weapons systems and defense equipment; 
(3) how such weapons systems and defense 
equipment may impact the balance of power in the 
area of responsibility of each United States Combat-
ant Command, when applicable;
1371 
(4) the weapons systems and defense equipment 
originating from the People’s Republic of China that 
are considered direct alternatives to weapons sys-
tems and defense equipment originating from the 
United States; 
(5) the weapons systems and defense equipment 
originating from the People’s Republic of China that 
present the greatest security risks regarding the po-
tential to collect intelligence on or compromise as-
sets, weapons, or platforms of the United States; 
(6) the countries mostly likely to procure weap-
ons systems and defense equipment originating from 
the People’s Republic of China, including the specific 
type, quantity, and estimated value in United States 
dollars of weapons, during the 1-year period fol-
lowing the date of the submission of the report; 
(7) the weapons systems and defense equipment 
in development as of the date of the submission of 
the report by entities in the People’s Republic of 
China that could be available on the global market 
not later than 5 years after such date; 
(8) the factors that incentivize countries to pro-
cure such weapons systems and defense equipment, 
including costs, flexible payment conditions and fi-