S.Amdt. 6210

SA 6210, submitted by Ms. Murkowski, aims to add a new section to the bill to create an Arctic Joint Program Executive Office (the "Office") within the Department of Defense.

The purpose of this amendment is to establish a specific office to handle the following:

• Strategic Goals: Support U.S. strategic competition objectives in the Arctic, which includes deterring near-peer adversaries.
• Investment Planning: Create a unified investment roadmap for Arctic capabilities across all armed forces for a 10-year period. This roadmap must identify interdependent programs, set milestones, and address capability gaps.
• Financial Management: The Office will handle sustainment costs for investments for up to three years before each armed force takes over the operations and maintenance costs.
• Procurement: Use Department-wide contracting authorities and multiyear procurement to get infrastructure, logistics, services, and sustainment for Arctic programs.
• Accountability: The Secretary of the Air Force will serve as the Executive Agent. The Office must provide annual reports to Congress detailing its expenditures, progress on objectives, the U.S. deterrence posture, and a comparison of U.S. investments against those of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation.

The amendment also requires the Office to move to a permanent location within five years, chosen based on its proximity to a central hub of armed forces units focused on Arctic affairs and the lead for Arctic affairs of the United States Northern Command.