Sec. 1662. Study of weapons programs that allow the Armed Forces to address hard and deeply buried targets
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It is the sense of Congress that— the ability of the United States to hold at risk hard and deeply buried targets now and in the future is critical; and while the Department of Defense is undertaking a study of nuclear and nonnuclear options to hold at risk this growing target set, Congress is concerned about the progress of this study. Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Commander of the United States Strategic Command, and in consultation with the Administrator for Nuclear Security, shall submit to the congressional defense committees a study on options to hold at risk hard and deeply buried targets.
The study under subsection
(b)shall include the following: An analysis of the current and emerging hard and deeply buried target mission set and associated military requirements, including— the number and locations of the targets; and the associated military requirements for the United States Strategic Command, including the importance of threatening the targets to meeting the objectives of the United States. A study of weapons programs that allow the Armed Forces to address hard and deeply buried targets, including— any nuclear or nonnuclear weapon and delivery system the Secretary determines appropriate, including the cost, timeline for fielding, and likely effectiveness of any capability under consideration; and an assessment of a service life extension program of the B83 nuclear gravity bomb as one of the options. A proposed strategy for fielding capabilities and making other adjustments to the strategy and plans of the United States to account for the growing hard and deeply buried target set, including a five-year funding profile for the preferred alternative weapon and the secondary alternative weapon studied under paragraph (2). Upon completion of the study under subsection (b), the Secretary shall provide the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate a briefing on the findings and recommendations of the study.