Sec. 1759. Women, Peace, and Security Act implementation

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It is the sense of Congress that $15,000,000 annually is an appropriate allocation of funding to be made available for activities consistent with the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 ( Public Law 115–68 ; 131 Stat. 1202) and with any guidance specified in this section, in order to fully implement such Act and in furtherance of the national security priorities of the United States. During the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on September 30, 2025, the Secretary of Defense shall carry out activities consistent with the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 and with the guidance specified in this section, including by carrying out— any Defense-wide directives and programs that advance the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017, including directives relating to military doctrine, programs that are applicable across the Department, and programs that are specific to a combatant command; the hiring and training of full-time equivalent personnel as gender advisors of the Department; the integration of gender analysis into training for military personnel across ranks, to include special emphasis on senior level training and support for women, peace, and security; and security cooperation activities that further implement the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017.

Consistent with the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall incorporate gender analysis and participation by women into security cooperation activities conducted with the national security forces of foreign countries pursuant to subsection (b)(4), including by— incorporating gender analysis (including data disaggregated by sex) and priorities for women, peace, and security into educational, training, and capacity-building materials and programs, including as authorized by section 333 of title 10, United States Code; advancing and advising on the recruitment, employment, development, retention, and promotion of women in the national security forces of such foreign countries, including by— identifying available military career opportunities for women; promoting such career opportunities among women and girls; promoting the skills necessary for such careers; encouraging the interest of women and girls in such careers, including by highlighting as role models women in such careers in the United States or in applicable foreign countries; and advising on best practices to prevent the harassment and abuse of women serving in the national security forces of such foreign countries; incorporating training and advising to address sexual harassment and abuse against women within such national security forces; integrating gender analysis into policy and planning; ensuring any infrastructure constructed pursuant to the security cooperation activity addresses the requirements of women serving in such national security forces, including by addressing appropriate equipment; and including Department of Defense personnel who are women in security cooperation activities of the United States conducted abroad.

The Secretary of Defense shall include in any partner country assessment conducted in the course of carrying out security cooperation activities specified in subsection (b)(4) consideration of any barriers or opportunities with respect to women in the national security forces of such partner countries, including any barriers or opportunities relating to— protections against exploitation, abuse, and harassment; or recruitment, employment, development, retention, or promotion of the women.

The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State— shall direct and carry out a pilot program to conduct partner country assessments referred to in subsection

(d)on barriers to the participation of women in the national security forces of participating partner countries (in this subsection referred to as a pilot barrier assessment ); in carrying out such pilot program, shall seek to enter into contracts with nonprofit organizations or federally funded research and development centers independent of the Department of Defense for the purpose of conducting the pilot barrier assessments; and after a pilot barrier assessment is conducted, shall— review the methods of research and analysis used by any entity contracted with pursuant to subparagraph

(B)in conducting such assessment and identify lessons learned from the review; and assess the ability of the Department of Defense to conduct future pilot barrier assessments without entering into a contract pursuant to subparagraph (B), including by assessing potential costs and benefits for the Department that may arise from conducting such future assessments. The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the commanders of the combatant commands and relevant United States ambassadors, shall select one partner country from within the geographic area of responsibility of each geographic combatant command for participation in the pilot program. In making the selection under subparagraph (A), the demonstrated political commitment of the partner country to increasing the participation of women in the security sector and the national security priorities and theater campaign strategies of the United States shall be considered. A pilot barrier assessment under this subsection shall be— adapted to the local context of the partner country being assessed; conducted in collaboration with the security sector of the partner country being assessed; and based on tested methodologies. The Secretary of Defense should use findings from each pilot barrier assessment to inform effective security cooperation activities and security sector assistance interventions by the United States in the partner country assessed. Such activities and interventions shall substantially increase opportunities for the recruitment, employment, development, retention, deployment, and promotion of women in the national security forces of such partner country (including for deployments to peace operations and for participation in counterterrorism operations and activities). The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall develop a model barrier assessment methodology from the findings of the pilot program for use across the geographic combatant commands. Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress an initial report on the implementation of the pilot program under this subsection, including an identification of the partner counties selected for participation in the program and the justifications for such selections. Not later than 2 years after the date on which the initial report under subparagraph

(A)is submitted, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress an update to the initial report. On the date on which the Secretary of Defense determines the pilot program to be complete, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the model barrier assessment methodology developed under paragraph (4)(B). Consistent with subsection (c)(6), the Secretary of Defense shall make every effort to encourage the admission of diverse individuals (including individuals who are women) to each military service academy, including by— establishing programs that hold commanding officers accountable for removing biases with respect to such individuals; ensuring that each military service academy fosters a zero tolerance environment for harassment towards such individuals; and ensuring that each military service academy fosters equal opportunities for growth that enable the full participation of such individuals in all training programs, career tracks, and elements of the Department, especially in elements of the Armed Forces previously closed to women, such as infantry and special operations forces. The Secretary of Defense shall make every effort to enter into partnerships with elementary schools, secondary schools, postsecondary educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations, to support activities relating to the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017. Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall initiate a process to standardize policies relating to women, peace, and security across the Department of Defense. In carrying out the process initiated under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall establish roles, responsibilities, and requirements for gender advisors, gender focal points, and women, peace, and security subject matter experts, including with respect to commander and senior official-level engagement and support for women, peace, and security commitments. The Secretary of Defense shall— integrate gender analysis into relevant training for all members of the Armed Forces and civilian employees of the Department of Defense; develop standardized training, across the Department, for gender advisors, gender focal points, and women, peace, and security subject matter experts; ensure that gender analysis and the meaningful participation of women and their relationship to security outcomes is addressed in professional military education curriculum; and build the capacity of the Department to conduct the partner country assessments referred to in subsection (d). Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency shall provide a briefing to the appropriate committees of Congress on the efforts to build partner defense institution and security force capacity pursuant to this section. During the period beginning on the date of the enactment and ending on January 1, 2025, on a basis that is not less frequently than annually, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress reports on the steps the Department has taken to implement the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017, including with respect to activities carried out under this section. In this section: The term appropriate committees of Congress means— the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate. The term gender analysis has the meaning given that term in the Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018 ( Public Law 115–428 ; 132 Stat. 5509). The terms elementary school and secondary school have the meanings given those terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 7801 ). The term postsecondary educational institution has the meaning given that term in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 ( 20 U.S.C. 2302 ).

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