Sec. 1304. Establishment of Indo-Pacific medical readiness program
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Not later than January 1, 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a medical readiness program (referred to in this section as the Program ) to partner with countries in the Indo-Pacific region to gain access to foreign medical facilities during peacetime and wartime operations and maintain military-wide strategies for medical readiness in the region. The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretaries of the military departments, the commanders of the combatant commands, and any other individual the Secretary of Defense considers appropriate, shall be responsible for and oversee the Program.
The objective of the Program shall be to promote the medical readiness of the Armed Forces and the military forces of partner countries for missions during peacetime and wartime operations by— reducing potential requirements for long distance medical evacuation to receive definitive patient care; increasing the medical capacity of the Department of Defense by expanding patient access to medical facilities across the Indo-Pacific region where and when appropriate; improving the standard of care through collaboration with foreign medical facilities to promote standardized medical procedures, patient care, and policies; and enhancing interoperability and interchangeability where feasible through shared patient record management techniques, medical equipment commonality, and coordination of medical care.
In carrying out the Program, the Secretary of Defense should seek to conduct the following activities— assess and integrate current Department of Defense medical capabilities and capacities in the Indo-Pacific region into the Program; select an appropriate standard of accreditation to utilize when evaluating foreign medical facilities; coordinate with partner countries to identify and evaluate medical facilities for the Program; establish agreements with foreign medical facilities for potential use of the Program; establish policies and procedures— to reduce patient movement times in various countries in the Indo-Pacific region during peacetime and wartime operations; to standardize medical procedures, patient care, and policies; to securely share patient data with foreign countries when appropriate to do so, such as during a contingency; with respect to medical equipment commonality and interchangeability; and with respect to the coordination of medical care; and integrate the Program into operational plans of the combatant commands.
Not later than September 30, 2025, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall submit a strategy for the implementation of the Program to— the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives. The strategy required by paragraph
(1)shall include the following: A governance structure for the Program, including— the officials tasked to oversee the Program; the format of the governing body of the Program; the functions and duties of such governing body with respect to establishing and maintaining the Program; and mechanisms for coordinating with partner countries selected to participate in the Program. With respect to the selection of partner countries initially selected to participate in the Program— an identification of each such country; the rationale for selecting each such country; and any other information the Secretary considers appropriate. A campaign of objectives for the first 3 fiscal years of the Program, including— a description of, and a rational for selecting, such objectives; an identification of milestones toward achieving such objectives; and metrics for evaluating success in achieving such objectives. A description of opportunities and potential timelines for future Program expansion, as appropriate. A list of additional authorities, appropriations, or other congressional support necessary to ensure the success of the Program. Any other information the Secretary considers appropriate. The strategy required by paragraph
(1)shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex. Not later than September 20, 2025, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall submit a report on the Program to— the congressional defense committees; the Committee of Foreign Relations of the Senate; and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives. Each report required by paragraph
(1)shall include the following: A narrative summary of activities conducted as part of the Program during the preceding fiscal year. Except in the case of the initial report, an assessment of progress toward the objectives established for the preceding fiscal year described in the preceding report under this subsection using the metrics established in such report. A campaign of objectives for the 3 fiscal years following the date of submission of the report, including— a description of, and a rational for selecting, such objectives; an identification of milestones toward achieving such objectives; and metrics for evaluating success in achieving such objectives. A description of opportunities and potential timelines for future Program expansion, as appropriate. Any other information the Under Secretary considers appropriate. Each report required by paragraph
(1)shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex.