Sec. 1703. Sense of Congress and quarterly briefings on replenishment and revitalization of stocks of tactical missiles provided to Ukraine
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It is the sense of Congress that— the delivery of anti-tank and air defense missiles and munitions to Ukraine by the United States and numerous allies and partners around the world has had a crucial impact on the ability of Ukraine to resist Russia’s illegal invasion; the war in Ukraine has demonstrated the utility of these weapons in contemporary military conditions; it is vital to continue providing Ukraine with such assistance, as needed, in an appropriately rapid and sustained manner; the ability of the Department of Defense to support replenishment of these stocks is a matter of major importance for— the provision of additional support, as needed, to Ukraine; the defense needs of the United States; and the defense needs of allies and partners that have provided, or are considering providing, their own stocks to assist Ukraine. in response to the March 18, 2022, letter sent by the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives, the Department of Defense responded effectively with efforts to buy down strategic risk and accelerate production of air defense munitions; the effort to replace existing stocks while prioritizing the rapid development of a low-cost, exportable evolution of a short-range air defense system should proceed as quickly and efficiently as possible; the Department of Defense should continue to develop and pursue this strategy while providing full transparency into its efforts to buy down strategic risk and engaging in substantial dialogue regarding the path forward; the Department of Defense should use its authorities to work with allies and partners in a focused and sustained manner to advance the replenishment of munitions stocks for allies and partners that have provided, or are contemplating providing, such equipment to Ukraine, in order to ensure they are capable of meeting ongoing alliance and partnership deterrence and security needs.
The Secretary of Defense shall provide to Congress quarterly briefings, in accordance with subsection (c), on the progress of the Department of Defense toward replenishing and sustaining the production capacity and stocks of covered systems that have been delivered to Ukraine as part of the effort to— support Ukraine’s resistance against Russian aggression; and buy down strategic risks. The Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees quarterly briefings that include each of the following:
A timeline and budgetary estimate for developing and procuring replacement stocks of covered systems for the United States. An analysis of the amount of funding provided to defense contractors to procure replacement stocks of covered systems for the United States. An identification of any opportunities to allow vendors to compete for agreements to produce next-generation short-range tactical missiles, launchers, fire controls, and any other supporting equipment. An analysis of risks within the industrial base that provides support for covered systems, and detailed options to mitigate those risks.
A discussion of options to maximize competition among providers of covered systems and components thereof, and an identification of any gaps in legal authority to pursue and achieve the objectives of maximizing competition and replenishing and sustaining the production capacity of covered systems. An update on the use of the authorities of the Department of Defense to replenish and sustain the production capacity and stocks of covered systems referred to in subsection (b). The Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate quarterly briefings that include each of the following:
A timeline and budgetary estimate for developing and procuring replacement stocks of covered systems for allies and partners of the United States. An update on the efforts of the Department to work with allies and partners of the United States to advance the replenishment of munitions stocks for such allies and partners that have provided, or are contemplating providing, such stocks to Ukraine. In this section, the term covered system means any short-range tactical missile (including any SHORAD or anti-tank missile), loitering munition, drone, or ammunition.
The requirement to provide quarterly briefings under this section shall terminate on December 31, 2026.