[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9933 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9933
To direct the Secretary of Defense to design and implement a foreign
military officer subject matter expert exchange program.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 4, 2024
Mr. Panetta (for himself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, and Mr. Lieu) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Defense to design and implement a foreign
military officer subject matter expert exchange program.
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 ``Learning Integrated National
Knowledge for the Abraham Accords Act of 2024'' or the ``LINK Act''.
SEC. 2. KEY PARTNERS FOR MIDDLE EAST REGIONAL INTEGRATION MILITARY
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT EXCHANGE PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense, using existing
authorities, including section 311 of title 10, United States Code, as
applicable, and in consultation with the head of any other Federal
agency, as appropriate, shall design and implement a foreign military
officer subject matter expert exchange program to be known as the
``Middle East Regional Integration Military Subject Matter Expert
Exchange Program'' (referred to in this section as the ``exchange
program'').
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the exchange program shall be to
facilitate interaction, cultural exchange, and mutual learning of
members of participating militaries in support of Middle East regional
integration in order to deepen and expand such integration.
(c) Membership.--
(1) Composition.--The exchange program shall be composed of
members of the Armed Forces of participating militaries in
support of Middle East regional integration and members of the
Armed Forces of the United States.
(2) Subject matter.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall
select exchange program participants with a wide range
of experiences collectively covering the tactical,
operational, and strategic levels.
(B) Participant pay grade levels.--The Secretary of
Defense shall include in the exchange program
participants at each of the following military pay
grades, or equivalent foreign military pay grades:
(i) E-7 through E-9.
(ii) CW-3 through CW-5.
(iii) O-3 through O-9.
(iv) Such other pay grade levels at the
discretion of the Secretary of Defense.
(C) Expertise.--A participant in the exchange
program shall have expertise in one or more of the
following subject matter areas:
(i) Strategic doctrine.
(ii) Defense planning.
(iii) Civilian and military relations.
(iv) Military law.
(v) Public affairs.
(vi) Civil affairs.
(vii) Military budgeting and acquisition.
(viii) Integrated air and missile defense.
(ix) Integrated maritime domain awareness
and interdiction.
(x) Cyber resilience and defense.
(xi) Counterterrorism.
(xii) Defense information sharing.
(xiii) Any other subject matter area that
the Secretary of Defense determines to be
appropriate.
(d) Exchange Program Content.--The exchange program--
(1) shall include learning modalities and methods, as
determined by the Exchange Program Coordinator;
(2) may include separate agendas and experiences for
participants in order to--
(A) facilitate interaction on particular topics;
(B) cater to participant backgrounds or rank
levels; or
(C) achieve other pedagogical ends as determined by
the Exchange Program Coordinator; and
(3) may include discussion, comparison, and information
regarding the development of--
(A) defense doctrine;
(B) exercise development;
(C) budget planning;
(D) military law and law of armed conflict;
(E) military cooperation with civilian agencies;
(F) standard operating procedures;
(G) operational plans and the operational art;
(H) gaps and opportunities for improvement in
existing procedures and plans;
(I) existing technical challenges;
(J) emerging technical challenges;
(K) the current and future threat environment;
(L) trust and capacity for multilateral sharing of
information;
(M) additional mechanisms and ideas for integrated
cooperation;
(N) ways to promote the meaningful participation of
women in matters of peace and security; and
(O) other content, as appropriate, developed to
advance integration and tactical, operational, and
strategic proficiency.
(e) Meetings.--Participants in the exchange program shall meet in-
person not less frequently than quarterly.
(f) Exchange Program Coordinator.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall designate
an Exchange Program Coordinator, who shall be assigned to a
Department of Defense School, to oversee the exchange program.
(2) Duties.--(2) The Exchange Program Coordinator shall--
(A) design the exchange program;
(B) ensure that the exchange program complies with
the requirements of this section;
(C) provide to the Secretary of Defense reports on
developments, insights, and progress of the exchange
program; and
(D) notify the Secretary of Defense of any failures
of the exchange program to comply with the in-person
requirements of subsection (e).
(3) Notification to congress.--Not later than 15 days after
receiving a notification under paragraph (2)(D), the Secretary
of Defense shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of
the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives a report describing--
(A) the reasons an in-person meeting did not occur
during such quarter; and
(B) any measures taken to ensure that an in-person
meeting occurs during the following quarter.
(g) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 5 years,
the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committee on Armed
Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of
the House of Representatives a report that includes--
(A) a summary of the activities of the exchange
program during the prior year, including--
(i) the countries participating;
(ii) the subject matter covered;
(iii) developments, insights, and progress
achieved through the program; and
(iv) any new topics added to the exchange
as well as a justification for adding the new
topic;
(B) an assessment of the effectiveness of the
exchange program; and
(C) recommendations on further improvements to the
exchange program.
(2) Form.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified
annex.
(h) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Department of defense school.--The term ``Department of
Defense school'' means any institution listed in section
1595(c) or section 2162(d) of title 10, United States Code.
(2) Participating militaries in support of middle east
regional integration.--The term ``participating militaries in
support of Middle East regional integration'' means military
allies and partner forces of the United States working to
advance regional integration in the Middle East.
<all>