S.Amdt. 6691

This amendment, submitted by Mr. Wicker, adds several new provisions to bill S. 4784. Its purpose is to introduce new reporting requirements, authorize specific funding, establish pilot programs, and update various military and national security policies.

Key changes and additions include:

• Reports and Analysis: Requires the Secretary of the Army to report on the divestiture of Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigades and the Secretary of the Air Force to report on infrastructure gaps for the Agile Combat Employment model.
• Funding and Programs: Authorizes $50 million for counter unmanned systems for strategic assets (funded by offsets) and establishes a pilot program for drone testbeds and munition payloads.
• Quantum Technology: Creates the Department of Defense Office of Quantum Capabilities and Competition to lead research and maintain a competitive advantage over other countries.
• Personnel and Family Support:
  • Allows competitive pay for military installation firefighters.
  • Mandates the correction of National Guard personnel records for specific 2025-2026 operations.
  • Addresses food insecurity for transitioning service members through studies, outreach, and a commissary coupon pilot program for junior enlisted members.
  • Requires a best practices guide for Family Child Care homes on military installations and a report on staffing shortages for family support personnel.
• Healthcare and Medical: Establishes an antivenom bank and a Joint Department of Defense-Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration Fund. It also mandates a report on the impact of sexual trauma and intimate partner violence on suicide risk.
• Acquisition and Industry:
  • Provides authority for "specific performance" to ensure delivery of covered information under defense contracts.
  • Establishes a pilot program for unsolicited defense capability proposals.
  • Prohibits the procurement and operation of unmanned ground vehicle systems from "covered foreign entities," with certain national interest exemptions.
  • Aligns Job Corps centers with the defense industrial base to train skilled workers.
• Other Provisions:
  • Requires optional combat boots for new members to be entirely made in the United States.
  • Prioritizes Ready Reserve Force vessel modernization and creates a pilot for additive manufacturing in naval shipbuilding.
  • Reports on critical chemical supply chains and casualty notification officer standards.
  • Updates the Tariff Act regarding public disclosure of vehicle and aircraft manifests.
  • Grants the Marshal of the Supreme Court authority to counter unmanned aircraft systems.
  • Requires the FCC to list entities with certain foreign ownership holding authorizations.
  • Limits exemptions under the Foreign Agents Registration Act for agents of certain corporate or government entities.