Sec. 1241. Inclusion of special operations forces in planning and strategy relating to the Arctic region
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Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Commander of the United States Northern Command, shall develop and submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate a Special Operations Forces Arctic Security Strategy, applicable across each component of the special operations forces and within each Armed Force (in this section referred to as the strategy ).
The strategy shall— build upon the findings of the report under section 1090(a)(3) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 ( Public Law 117–81 ; 10 U.S.C. 113 note) and the 2022 National Defense Strategy; facilitate a consistent understanding of Arctic security priorities across the Department of Defense and a common understanding of the use and purpose of special operations forces for Arctic activities across the Armed Forces, combatant commands, and other relevant elements of the Department of Defense; and promote greater use and prioritization of special operations forces capabilities, particularly with respect to the special operations force of the Army, in Arctic security planning and coordination with Indigenous populations and High North allies and partners.
The strategy shall include the following: A plan for the leveraging of North American Indigenous Arctic populations, and the establishment of working definitions and parameters for cooperation with such populations in the following areas: Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance gathering. Improved Arctic training and operation tactics, techniques, and procedures. Empowering local populations to create solutions to regional issues. Building resilience against invasion and occupation and enhancing deterrence capabilities.
Improving the capacity of allies and partners to build capabilities in the region that produce advantages against adversaries. Building United States credibility for combat operations in the region. Demonstrating United States commitment to improving living standards in the region. Any other area the of the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command determines appropriate. A requirement that special operations forces achieve readiness with respect to not more than two Arctic environments.
With respect to terminology and working definitions of the Department— a requirement that— the use of the terms Arctic-capable and Arctic-ready may no longer be used in any document or other material produced by the Department of Defense that outlines Arctic strategies; the replacement terms Arctic-trained and Arctic-proficient shall be used in lieu of Arctic-capable and Arctic-ready , respectively; and the Department shall provide clear definitions and readiness requirements for each replacement term under clause (ii). a review of terminology, and the use of such terminology, relating to military doctrinal readiness (such as the terms trained and proficient ) in the Arctic context, to ensure that the Armed Forces meet operational expectations and may fully partake in joint-training exercises with allies and partners of the United States.
A description of the conditions necessary to establish a standardized pathway for self-validation for each Armed Force that requires units to be Arctic capable, with such standardized pathway being tailored to each Armed Force but consistent with respect to shared terminology, an agreed upon list of Arctic environments, and agreed upon standards to become Arctic capable in each such environment. A requirement that the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Commander of the United States Northern Command, include in any future years plan for the Arctic Security Initiative required under section 1090(b)(2)(B) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 ( Public Law 117–81 ; 10 U.S.C. 113 note) the following:
Updates on ongoing priorities for Arctic objectives of the special operations forces. Assessments of the integration of Arctic operations of the special operations forces, including the use of Indigenous approaches to domain awareness. A description of the activities and resources needed for the special operations forces to obtain readiness in the Arctic region, including manning, training, equipping, and funding requirements. Any other matter the Commander of the United States Northern Command and the Secretary of Defense jointly determine appropriate.
A requirement that, on an annual basis, the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate a progress report (in unclassified form, but with the option of including a classified annex) on the implementation and use of the strategy, including— an assessment of the ability of the strategy to address new and ongoing concerns; areas relating to the strategy in need of improvement, including any new funding necessary; use of the strategy across each Armed Force; and an updated threat assessment with respect to the Arctic region.
In this section, the term special operations forces means forces described under section 167(j) of title 10, United States Code.
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Sec. 1241
Inclusion of special operations forces in planning and strategy relating to the Arctic region
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