Sec. 923. Organization of the Department of Defense for management of special operations forces and special operations
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Section 138(b)(4) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: “Subject to the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of Defense, the Assistant Secretary shall do the following: Exercise authority, direction, and control of all administrative matters relating to the organization, training, and equipping of special operations forces. Assist the Secretary and the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the development and supervision of policy, program planning and execution, and allocation and use of resources for the activities of the Department of Defense for the following:
Irregular warfare, combating terrorism, countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and the special operations activities specified by section 167(k) of this title. Integrating the functional activities of the headquarters of the Department to most efficiently and effectively provide the capabilities required for special operations missions. . Chapter 4 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 139b, as redesignated by section 901(b)(2) of this Act, the following new section:
In order to fulfill the responsibilities specified in section 138(b)(4) of this title, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict shall establish and lead a team to be known as the Special Operations Functional Integration and Oversight Team (in this section referred to as the Team ). The purpose of the Team is to integrate the functional activities of the headquarters of the Department of Defense in order to most efficiently and effectively provide the capabilities required for special operations missions.
In fulfilling this purpose, the Team shall develop and continuously improve policy, joint processes, and procedures that facilitate the development, acquisition, integration, employment, and sustainment of special operations capabilities. The Team shall include the following: The Assistant Secretary, who shall act as leader of the Team. Appropriate senior representatives of each of the following: The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. The Under Secretary of Defense for Management and Support.
The Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. The Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. The other Assistant Secretaries of Defense under the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. The military departments. The Joint Staff. The United States Special Operations Command. Such other officials or Agencies, elements, or components of the Department of Defense as the Secretary of Defense considers appropriate The Team shall operate continuously. .
The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 4 of such title, as amended by section 901(f)(2) of this Act, is further amended by inserting after the item relating to section 139b the following new item: 139c. Special Operations Functional Integration and Oversight Team. . Subsection (e)(2) of section 167 of title 10, United States Code, is amended— in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking The commander and inserting Subject to the authority, direction, and control of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, the commander ; and by striking subparagraph
(J)and inserting the following new subparagraph (J): Monitoring the promotions of special operations forces and coordinating with the military departments regarding the assignment, retention, training, professional military education, and special and incentive pays of special operations forces. . Such section is further amended— by redesignating subsections
(f)through
(k)as subsections (g), through (l), respectively; and by inserting after subsection
(e)the following new subsection (f): Unless otherwise directed by the President, the administrative chain of command to the special operations command runs— from the President to the Secretary of Defense; from the Secretary of Defense to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict; and from the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict to the commander of the special operations command. For purposes of this subsection, administrative chain of command refers to the exercise of authority, direction and control with respect to the administration and support of the special operations command, including the readiness and organization of special operations forces, special operations-peculiar resources and equipment, and civilian personnel. It does not refer to the exercise of authority, direction, and control of operational matters that are subject to the operational chain of command of the commanders of combatant commands or the exercise of authority, direction, and control of personnel, resources, equipment, and other matters that are not special operations-peculiar that are the purview of the armed forces. In addition, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict is subordinate to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in all matters of policy related to special operations activities and low intensity conflict activities of the Department of Defense. .