Sec. 1094. National Commission on the Future of the Navy
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/bill/117/hr/7900/pcs/section-1094·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
There is established the National Commission on the Future of the Navy (in this section referred to as the Commission ). The Commission shall be composed of eight members, of whom— two shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate, one of whom shall be a Member of the Senate and one whom shall not be; two shall be appointed by the Ranking Member of the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate, one of whom shall be a Member of the Senate and one whom shall not be; two shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be a Member of the House of Representatives and one whom shall not be; and two shall be appointed by the Ranking Member of the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be a Member of the House of Representatives and one whom shall not be.
The appointments of the members of the Commission shall be made not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. If one or more appointments under subparagraph (A)(i) is not made by the appointment date specified in subparagraph (B), the authority to make such appointment or appointments shall expire, and the number of members of the Commission shall be reduced by the number equal to the number of appointments so not made. If an appointment under subparagraph (A)(ii), (iii), (iv), or
(v)is not made by the appointment date specified in subparagraph (B), the authority to make an appointment under such subparagraph shall expire, and the number of members of the Commission shall be reduced by the number equal to the number otherwise appointable under such subparagraph. In making appointments under this subsection, consideration should be given to individuals with expertise in naval policy and strategy, naval forces capability, naval nuclear weapons, Naval force structure design, organization, and employment, shipbuilding, and shipbuilding infrastructure. Members shall be appointed for the life of the Commission. Any vacancy in the Commission shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. The Commission shall select a Chair and Vice Chair from among its members. Not later than 30 days after the date on which all members of the Commission have been appointed, the Commission shall hold its initial meeting. The Commission shall meet at the call of the Chair. A majority of the members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may hold hearings. The Commission shall undertake a comprehensive study of the structure of the Navy and policy assumptions related to the size and force mixture of the Navy, in order— to make recommendations on the size and force mixture of ships; and to make recommendations on the size and force mixture of naval aviation; In undertaking the study required by paragraph (1), the Commission shall carry out each of the following: An evaluation and identification of a structure for the Navy that— has the depth and scalability to meet current and anticipated requirements of the combatant commands; assumes three different funding levels of 2023 appropriated plus inflation; 2023 appropriated with 3-5 percent real growth; and unconstrained to meet the needs for war in the area of responsibility of United States Indo-Pacific Command and the area of responsibility of United States European Command; ensures that the Navy has the capacity needed to support current and anticipated homeland defense and disaster assistance missions in the United States; provides for sufficient numbers of members of the Navy to ensure a 115 percent manning level of all deployed ships, similar to United States Special Operations Command; recommends a peacetime rotation force operational tempo goals; recommends forward stationing requirements; and manages strategic and operational risk by making tradeoffs among readiness, efficiency, effectiveness, capability, and affordability. An evaluation and identification of combatant command demand and fleet size, including recommendations to support a balance of— readiness; training; routine ship maintenance; personnel; forward presence; and depot level ship maintenance. A detailed review of the cost of the recapitalization of the Nuclear Triad in the Department of Defense and its effect on the Navy’s budget. A review of Navy personnel policies and training to determine changes needed across all personnel activities to improve training effectiveness and force tactical readiness and reduce operational stress. The Commission shall conduct a detail study on shipbuilding, shipyards, and integrating advanced information technologies such as augmented reality an artificial intelligence on the current fleet. In conducting the study required by subparagraph (A), the Commission shall consider the following: Recommendations for specific changes to the Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, to include legislative changes to providing a multi-year appropriation; additionally provides recommendations for bringing into the shipyards innovative technology companies as part of the overall modernization effort. Recommendations for changes to the ship design and build program, to reduce risk, reduce cost, accelerate build timelines, and takes an incremental approach to change in future ship building. Recommendations for changes to the ship depot maintenance program in order to reduce overhaul timelines, integrate current technologies into ships, and reduces costs. Not later than July 1, 2024, the Commission shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives an unclassified report, with classified annexes if necessary, that includes the findings and conclusions of the Commission as a result of the studies required by paragraphs
(1)and (2), together with its recommendations for such legislative actions as the Commission considers appropriate in light of the results of the studies. The Commission may hold such hearings, sit and act at such times and places, take such testimony, and receive such evidence as the Commission considers advisable to carry out its duties under this section. The Commission may secure directly from any Federal department or agency such information as the Commission considers necessary to carry out its duties under this section. Upon request of the Chair of the Commission, the head of such department or agency shall furnish such information to the Commission. The Commission may use the United States mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as other departments and agencies of the Federal Government. Each member of the Commission who is not an officer or employee of the Federal Government may be compensated at a rate not to exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of $155,400 for each day (including travel time) during which such member is engaged in the performance of the duties of the Commission. All members of the Commission who are officers or employees of the United States or Members of Congress shall serve without compensation in addition to that received for their services as officers or employees of the United States. The members of the Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for the Commission. The Chair of the Commission may, without regard to the civil service laws and regulations, appoint and terminate an executive director and such other additional personnel as may be necessary to enable the Commission to perform its duties. The employment of an executive director shall be subject to confirmation by the Commission. The Chair of the Commission may fix the compensation of the executive director and other personnel without regard to chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, relating to classification of positions and General Schedule pay rates, except that the rate of pay for the executive director and other personnel may not exceed the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title. Any Federal Government employee may be detailed to the Commission without reimbursement, and such detail shall be without interruption or loss of civil service status or privilege. The Chair of the Commission may procure temporary and intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, at rates for individuals which do not exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title. The Commission shall terminate on the date that is five years after the date of the enactment of this Act. Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the activities of the Commission under this section.