Preventing Future Tragedies Act
Bill: H.R.5268 | Sponsor: Rep. Buchanan, Vern (R-FL)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Preventing Future Tragedies Act
This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to implement various recommendations relating to the mitigation and prevention of training accidents.
Specifically, the bill requires DOD to
Additionally, the Department of the Army and the Department of the Navy must jointly establish a formal collaboration forum amongst range officials through which such officials must share methods for identifying and communicating hazards to units.

To direct the Secretary of Defense to implement certain recommendations 
  of the Comptroller General of the United States with respect to the 
    mitigation and prevention of training accidents, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Preventing Future Tragedies Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) According to a report from the Congressional Research 
        Service, between 2006 and 2019, 32 percent of deaths of members 
        of the Armed Forces killed while serving on active duty were 
        the result of military training accidents while only 16 percent 
        of such deaths during that same time period were individuals 
        killed-in-action.
            (2) In 2017 alone, almost four times as many members of the 
        Armed Forces died in training accidents as were killed-in-
        action.
            (3) The Government Accountability Office carefully studied 
        military training accident data from 2010 through 2019 and made 
        nine recommendations to more clearly establish procedures and 
        mechanisms to help supervisors enhance vehicle safety and 
        develop performance criteria and measurable standards for 
        driver training programs.

SEC. 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPTROLLER GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS RELATING 
              TO MITIGATION AND PREVENTION OF TRAINING ACCIDENTS.

    (a) Requirements.--The Secretary of the Defense shall take such 
steps as may be necessary to carry out the following with respect to 
the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps:
            (1) To develop more clearly defined roles for vehicle 
        commanders and establish mechanisms and procedures for tactical 
        vehicle risk management to be used by first-line supervisors, 
        including vehicle commanders.
            (2) To evaluate the number of personnel within operational 
        units who are responsible for tactical vehicle safety and 
        determine if these units are appropriately staffed, or if any 
        adjustments are needed to workloads or resource levels to 
        implement operational unit ground-safety programs.
            (3) To ensure that tactical vehicle driver training 
        programs, including licensing, unit, and follow-on training 
        programs, have a well-defined process with specific performance 
        criteria and measurable standards to identify driver skills and 
        experience under diverse conditions.
            (4) To evaluate--
                    (A) the extent to which ranges and training areas 
                are fulfilling responsibilities to identify and 
                communicate hazards to units; and
                    (B) to the extent to which such responsibilities 
                are not being carried out, whether existing solutions 
                are adequate or if additional resources should be 
                applied to fulfill such responsibilities.
    (b) Consultation Requirement.--The Secretary of the Army, the 
Secretary of the Navy, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps shall 
jointly establish a formal collaboration forum among Army, Navy, and 
Marine Corps range officials through which such officials shall share 
methods for identifying and communicating hazards to units.
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