Sec. 1241. Report on posture and readiness of United States Armed Forces to respond to future terrorist attacks in Africa and the Middle East
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It is the sense of Congress that— the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012, may have never occurred or could have been prevented had there been an international stabilizing force following NATO-led operations in order to help stabilize the country, build capacity within the security forces, and pursue terrorist groups that threaten the local government as well as United States interests; the attack also highlighted the limitations of the United States military to alert, deploy, and decisively counter a no-notice terrorist attack such as the one in Benghazi, or another security contingency, due to the limitations stemming from United States military posture in Africa and the Middle East and when there is a lack of a layered defense at United States diplomatic facilities; the United States military is more effectively able to respond to terrorist attacks on United States facilities outside of the United States if the responding United States military assets are forward deployed; when an intelligence threat assessment determines that a United States facility overseas is vulnerable to attack, such facility should have robust force protection measures sufficient to safeguard personnel and assets until a United States military response can arrive; the continually evolving terrorist threat to United States interests on the Continent of Africa and the Middle East necessitates that the United States military maintains a forward deployed posture in Europe, Middle East, and Africa in order to be able to respond to terrorist events, or other security contingencies, and to effectively evacuate and recover United States personnel; the United States military, in conjunction with the Department of State and the intelligence community, should continue to evaluate the assumptions underpinning the terrorist threat in order to ensure that it is effectively able to respond globally to future terrorist attacks; the United States military should regularly re-evaluate the posture and alert status requirements of its crisis response elements in order to be more responsive to the evolving and global nature of the terrorist threat, and all United States military crisis response elements should be fully equipped with the required supporting capabilities to conduct their missions; on April 16, 2013, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, testified before the House Appropriations Committee that the military is, * * * adapting our force posture to a new normal of combustible violence in North Africa and in the Middle East ;
The President stated in a press conference on May 16, 2013, I have directed the Defense Department to ensure that our military can respond lightening quick in times of crisis. ; the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs should continue to evaluate the posture of United States forces to respond to the global terrorist threat, including an evaluation of whether United States Africa Command should have forces and necessary equipment permanently assigned to the command to respond more promptly to this new normal ; and although the Department of State-initiated Accountability Review Board found that the Marine Security Guard program should be expanded and that there should be greater coordination between the Department of Defense and the Department of State to identify additional resources for security at high risk posts, the United States military may be challenged to provide additional security to Department of State facilities due to budget shortfalls, on-going force structure constraints, and increasing operational requirements for the Department of Defense.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the posture and readiness of United States Armed Forces to respond to future terrorist attacks in Africa and the Middle East. The plan required under paragraph
(1)shall include, at a minimum, the following: An assessment of terrorist groups and other non-state groups that threaten United States interests and facilities in Africa, including a description of the key assumptions underpinning such assessment. A description of the readiness, posture, and alert status of relevant United States Armed Forces in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States and any changes implemented or planned to be implemented since the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012, to respond to the new normal and President Obama’s directive for the military to respond lightening quick in times of crisis. In consultation with the Secretary of State, a description of new or modified requirements of the Department of State, if any, for— United States Marine Security Guard Detachments; any other Department of Defense assets to provide enhanced security at Department of State facilities; an explanation of how any new requirements for Marine Security Detachments or other Department of Defense assets affect the capacity of the Armed Forces, including specifically the capacity of the Marine Corps, to fulfill Department of Defense operational requirements; and an explanation of how any unfulfilled requirements for Marine Security Detachments would adversely impact security at Department of State facilities. In this subsection, the term appropriate congressional committees means— the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.