Sec. 1080. Tabletop exercise on extreme weather events in the Indo-Pacific region
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/bill/118/hr/8070/rds/section-1080·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, in consultation with the the head of the institution selected by the Commander under paragraph (3), shall conduct at least one national tabletop exercise to assess the ability of the Armed Forces and military forces of allies or partners of the United States to confront aggressive adversarial threats in the Indo-Pacific region while simultaneously confronting extreme weather hazards. The exercise conducted under paragraph
(1)shall evaluate, at a minimum, the following: The resilience of United States weapons, systems, force posture, and command and control to withstand extreme environmental hazards during a single combat contingency in the Indo-Pacific region. The mobility of the Armed Forces in the event of attacks upon critical infrastructure and logistical chokepoints pertinent to a contingency involving an ally or partner. The ability of the Armed Forces to conduct logistics in a constrained environment, including the ability to resupply United States and allied forces, and civilian populations. The resiliency of the Indo-Pacific Command to withstand extreme environmental hazards. The response of the Department of Defense to partial or complete loss of overseas critical infrastructure. The ability of the Armed Forces, in coordination with allies and partners, to resist force or other coercion by an aggressor if command and control is compromised due to extreme environmental conditions. The options of the Federal Government to ensure the viability of overseas critical infrastructure in the event of a military contingency, including assets in Japan, the Republic of Korea, Guam, the Northern Marianas, Hawaii, and the Philippines. Air defense capabilities to deter missile threats from the People’s Republic of China or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea during a military conflict. The ability of naval projection forces to defend against adversarial threats while operating under compromised conditions. The survivability of critical military forces, particularly air and naval forces. The ability of air forces to conduct agile combat employment operations under compromised positions. The efficacy of ground-based targeting and firing in the Indo-Pacific to support key missions amidst extreme environmental conditions. The exercise conducted under paragraph
(1)shall be conducted at a postsecondary educational institution of the Armed Forces selected by the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command. In making such selection, the Commander shall consider the following elements: Geographic proximity to the United States Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility. Leadership in science and technology, academic research, and applied design for innovation to meaningfully participate or provide analysis on the exercises described in paragraph (2). Experience and capacity to conduct a tabletop exercise impacted by extreme environmental conditions. Leadership in meeting objectives of the Department of Defense to create resilient and sustainable military capabilities that can withstand extreme weather conditions. The tabletop exercise shall be prepared by personnel of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, selected by the Commander in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the head of the institution selected by the Commander under paragraph (3). Participants in the tabletop exercise may include the following, as determined appropriate by the Commander: Personnel of the Department of Defense. Representatives of thinktanks or other entities of the United States. Representatives of allies and partners, subject to the approval of the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State. In addition to the exercise conducted under paragraph (1), other such tabletop exercises may be conducted not more than twice per year during the period of four years following the date of the enactment of this Act, at dates and times determined by the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command and the head of the institution selected by the Commander under paragraph (3). Following the conclusion of a tabletop exercise conducted under subsection (a), the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command and a nongovernmental participant determined by the Commander, shall provide to the appropriate congressional committees a briefing on the tabletop exercise. Such a briefing shall include— an assessment of the decision-making, capability, and response gaps observed in the tabletop exercise; and recommendations to improve the resiliency of, and reduce vulnerabilities in, the domestic critical infrastructure of the United States in the event of a military contingency involving an ally or partner. In this section: The term ally or partner means Taiwan, Japan, or the Republic of Korea. The term appropriate congressional committees means— the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House of Representatives; and the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs of the Senate. The term environmental hazard includes— an earthquake; a tsunami; a hurricane, typhoon, monsoon, or other storm; rising sea levels; mudslides; or any other environmental condition the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command determines is relevant to the Indo-Pacific region and disruptive to military operations of the United States or forces of an ally or partner. The term tabletop exercise means an activity— in which senior personnel gather to deliberate various simulated emergency or rapid response situations; and that is designed to assess the adequacy of plans, policies, procedures, training, resources, and relationships or agreements that guide the prevention of, response to, and recovery from a defined event.