Title: CATRA Act of 2020
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Center for Asymmetric Threat Research and Analytics Act of 2020 or the CATRA Act of 2020
This bill requires the Department of Defense to establish the Center for Asymmetric Threat Research and Analytics to counter terrorism, extremism, and other threats through activities including research, training, and education.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8184 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8184

    To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish the Center for 
Asymmetric Threat Research and Analytics to conduct research countering 
   violent extremist organizations, weapons of mass destruction, and 
             influence operations, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 8, 2020

Mr. Brown of Maryland introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                   to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish the Center for 
Asymmetric Threat Research and Analytics to conduct research countering 
   violent extremist organizations, weapons of mass destruction, and 
             influence operations, 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 ``Center for Asymmetric Threat 
Research and Analytics Act of 2020'' or the ``CATRA Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. CENTER FOR ASYMMETRIC THREAT RESEARCH AND ANALYTICS OF THE 
              DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish a 
research center on asymmetric threats known as the ``Center for 
Asymmetric Threat Research and Analytics'' (in this section referred to 
as the ``Center'').
    (b) Missions.--The Center shall--
            (1) establish and maintain public global databases on--
                    (A) asymmetric threats, including with respect to--
                            (i) terrorist incidents and the behavior of 
                        foreign violent extremist organizations;
                            (ii) weapons of mass destruction;
                            (iii) emerging or disruptive technologies;
                            (iv) influence operations; and
                            (v) other threats identified by the 
                        Secretary;
                    (B) efficacy of responses to the asymmetric threats 
                specified in subparagraph (A); and
                    (C) relevant social, legal, political, and economic 
                factors related to terrorism and responses to such 
                asymmetric threats;
            (2) conduct advanced research on current and emerging 
        asymmetric threats;
            (3) conduct advanced research on the effectiveness of 
        responses to asymmetric threats, and disseminate 
        recommendations for prioritization of responses;
            (4) provide training and education to relevant departments 
        and agencies of the Federal Government and associated 
        organizations on contemporary trends in global asymmetric 
        threats, and lessons learned on the effectiveness of responses; 
        and
            (5) coordinate with the Center of Excellence for Terrorism 
        Prevention and Counterterrorism Research of the Department of 
        Homeland Security, as appropriate.
    (c) Lead Institution.--The Secretary shall select an institution of 
higher education to serve as the lead institution established pursuant 
to subsection (a).
    (d) Consortium.--The institution of higher education selected under 
subsection (c) shall enter into agreements with other institutions of 
higher education that the Secretary determines meet the criteria for 
selection specified in subsection (e) to develop a consortium to assist 
in accomplishing the goals of the Center.
    (e) Criteria.--In selecting an institution of higher education for 
participation in the consortium referred to in subsection (d), the 
Secretary shall--
            (1) consider--
                    (A) demonstrated expertise in the study of global 
                terrorism, the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction 
                and disruptive technologies, influence operations, data 
                collection, and dissemination;
                    (B) demonstrated expertise in the study of 
                countering violent extremist organizations, responding 
                to influence operations, and countering the pursuit of 
                weapons of mass destruction and disruptive 
                technologies; and
                    (C) demonstrated expertise in research transition 
                to the Federal Government in the form of knowledge 
                tools, publications, and professional training; and
            (2) ensure participation from a representative number of 
        minority institutions.
    (f) Research on Prioritization of Responses to Asymmetric 
Threats.--
            (1) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the 
        establishment of the Center, and annually thereafter, the 
        Center shall make publicly available on the internet a report 
        on the threat posed by asymmetric threats globally, and the 
        efficacy of responses by the Secretary of Defense to asymmetric 
        threats taking social, political, legal, and economic factors 
        into consideration, with recommendations for prioritizing 
        responses to asymmetric threats.
            (2) Contents.--Each report published under paragraph (1) 
        shall include the following:
                    (A) Information on the behaviors of asymmetric 
                threat groups and movements globally.
                    (B) Strategies that foreign governments and civil 
                society actors have undertaken to counter such 
                movements.
                    (C) Strategies that Federal, State, local, and 
                Tribal governments and civil society actors have taken 
                to counter such movements.
                    (D) Lessons learned from such strategies, and 
                recommendations for the prioritization of responses to 
                asymmetric threats.
            (3) Recipients.--In addition to making the report publicly 
        available on the internet, the Center shall submit each report 
        under paragraph (1) to the following:
                    (A) 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.
                    (B) The Committee on Armed Services, the Committee 
                on Appropriations, the Committee on Foreign Relations, 
                and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.
                    (C) The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special 
                Operations and Low Intensity Conflict.
                    (D) The Commander of the United States Special 
                Operations Command.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2026 to 
carry out this section, of which $1,000,000 is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Department of Defense to administer this Act and 
$7,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated to the Center.
    (h) Definitions.--In this section the term ``minority institution'' 
has the meaning given the term ``covered institution'' in section 
262(g)(2) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2020 (Public Law 116-92).
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