Special Operations and International Security Education Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 7712 To prohibit the Secretary of Defense from eliminating or otherwise modifying certain programs of the National Defense University pending an assess- ment of such programs. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JULY 21, 2020 Mr. PANETTA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services A BILL To prohibit the Secretary of Defense from eliminating or otherwise modifying certain programs of the National Defense University pending an assessment of such pro- grams. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Special Operations and 4 International Security Education Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:25 Aug 06, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7712.IH H7712 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 7712 IH SEC. 2. COLLEGE OF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS 1 OF THE NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY. 2 (a) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary of Defense may 3 not eliminate, divest, downsize, or reorganize the College 4 of International Security Affairs, nor its satellite program, 5 the Joint Special Operations Masters of Arts, of the Na- 6 tional Defense University, or seek to reduce the number 7 of students educated at the College, or its satellite pro- 8 gram, until 30 days after the date on which the congres- 9 sional defense committees receive the report required by 10 subsection (c). 11 (b) ASSESSMENT, DETERMINATION, AND REVIEW.— 12 The Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, in consultation 13 with the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and 14 Readiness, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special 15 Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict, the Deputy Assistant 16 Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Global 17 Threats, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for 18 Stability and Humanitarian Affairs, the Deputy Assistant 19 Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Com- 20 bating Terrorism, the Chief Financial Officer of the De- 21 partment, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and 22 the Commander of United States Special Operations Com- 23 mand, shall— 24 (1) assess requirements for joint professional 25 military education and civilian leader education in 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:25 Aug 06, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7712.IH H7712 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 7712 IH the counterterrorism, irregular warfare, and asym- 1 metrical domains to support the Department and 2 other national security institutions of the Federal 3 Government; 4 (2) determine whether the importance, chal- 5 lenges, and complexity of the modern counterter- 6 rorism environment and irregular and asymmetrical 7 domains warrant— 8 (A) a college at the National Defense Uni- 9 versity, or a college independent of the National 10 Defense University whose leadership is respon- 11 sible to the Office of the Secretary of Defense; 12 and 13 (B) the provision of resources, services, 14 and capacity at levels that are the same as, or 15 decreased or enhanced in comparison to, those 16 resources, services, and capacity in place at the 17 College of International Security Affairs on 18 January 1, 2019; 19 (3) review the plan proposed by the National 20 Defense University for eliminating the College of 21 International Security Affairs and reducing and re- 22 structuring the counterterrorism, irregular, and 23 asymmetrical faculty, course offerings, joint profes- 24 sional military education and degree and certificate 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:25 Aug 06, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7712.IH H7712 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 7712 IH programs, and other services provided by the Col- 1 lege; and 2 (4) assess the changes made to the College of 3 International Security Affairs since January 1, 4 2019, and the actions necessary to reverse those 5 changes, including relocating the College and its as- 6 sociated budget, faculty, staff, students, and facili- 7 ties outside of the National Defense University. 8 (c) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than February 1, 9 2021, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional de- 10 fense committees a report on— 11 (1) the findings of the Secretary with respect to 12 the assessments, determination, and review con- 13 ducted under subsection (b); and 14 (2) such recommendations as the Secretary may 15 have for higher education in the counterterrorism, 16 irregular, and asymmetrical domains. 17 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:25 Aug 06, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H7712.IH H7712 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS