50 U.S.C. § 1549 (WAR AND NATIONAL DEFENSE)
§ 1549. Report on and notice of changes made to the legal and policy frameworks for the United States’ use of military force and related national security operations
(a) Annual report
(1) In general
Not later than March 1 of each year, the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the legal and policy frameworks for the United States’ use of military force and related national security operations.
(2) Matters to be included
The report required by paragraph (1) shall include the legal, factual, and policy justifications for any changes made to such legal and policy frameworks from the preceding year, including—
(A) a list of all foreign forces, irregular forces, groups, or individuals for which a determination has been made that force could legally be used under the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107–40), including—
(i) the legal and factual basis for such determination; and
(ii) a description of whether force has been used against each such foreign force, irregular force, group, or individual; and
(B) the criteria and any changes to the criteria for designating a foreign force, irregular force, group, or individual as lawfully targetable, as a high value target, and as formally or functionally a member of a group covered under the Authorization for Use of Military Force.
(b) Notice required
Not later than 30 days after the date on which a change is made to the legal and policy frameworks described in subsection (a)(1), the President shall notify the appropriate congressional committees of such change, including the legal, factual, and policy justification for such change.
(c) Form
The report required by subsection (a) and each notice required by subsection (b) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may contain a classified annex. The unclassified portion of each report shall, at a minimum, include each change made to the legal and policy frameworks during the preceding year and the legal, factual, and policy justifications for such changes, and shall be made available to the public at the same time it is submitted to the appropriate congressional committees.
(d) Appropriate congressional committees defined
In this section, the term “appropriate congressional committees” means—
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives.
(Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title XII, § 1264, Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1689; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title XII, § 1261, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1689.)
heading: Editorial Notes
heading: References in Text
text: The Authorization for Use of Military Force, referred to in subsec. (a)(2)(A), is Pub. L. 107–40, Sept. 18, 2001, 115 Stat. 224, which is set out as a note under section 1541 of this title.
heading: Codification
text: Section was enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, and not as part of the War Powers Resolution which comprises this chapter.
heading: Amendments
text: 2019—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–92, § 1261(1), substituted “Annual” for “Initial” in heading.
Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 116–92, § 1261(2), substituted “March 1 of each year” for “90 days after December 12, 2017”.
Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 116–92, § 1261(3), substituted “from the preceding year, including—” and subpars. (A) and (B) for “during the period beginning on January 20, 2017, and ending on the date the report is submitted.”
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 116–92, § 1261(4), inserted at end “The unclassified portion of each report shall, at a minimum, include each change made to the legal and policy frameworks during the preceding year and the legal, factual, and policy justifications for such changes, and shall be made available to the public at the same time it is submitted to the appropriate congressional committees.”