H.R. 1815: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006

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H.R. 1815: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006

109th Congress · introduced 2005-04-26 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Became Public Law No: 109-163.

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Official title

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006

Plain summary

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 - Division A: Department of Defense Authorizations - Title I: Procurement - Subtitle A: Authorization of Appropriations - (Sec. 101) Authorizes appropriations for FY2006 for the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, and Air Force for aircraft, missiles, weapons and tracked combat vehicles, ammunition, shipbuilding and conversion, and other procurement. (Sec. 104) Authorizes appropriations for FY2006 for defense-wide procurement. Subtitle B: Army Programs - (Sec. 111) Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, beginning with the FY2007 program year, to enter into multiyear procurement contracts for UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters and MH-60S Seahawk helicopters. (Sec. 112) Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, for four program years beginning with the FY2006 program year, to enter into multiyear procurement contracts for: (1) modernized target acquisition designation sights/night vision sensors for AH-64 Apache attack helicopters; and (2) conversion of such helicopters to the Block II configuration. (Sec. 114) Provides that if the Secretary of the Army determines to award a contract for procurement of a new vehicle class for the next-generation tactical wheeled vehicle, such Secretary shall award and execute the acquisition program under that contract as a joint service program with the Marine Corps. Provides the same requirement with respect to the Secretary of the Navy. (Sec. 115)Requires a report from the Secretary of the Army to the congressional defense and appropriations committees on the complex of programs referred to as the Army Modular Force Initiative. Subtitle C: Navy Programs - (Sec. 121) Limits the total amount to be obligated or expended for procurement of five specified Virginia-class submarines. Allows adjustments to such amounts due to inflation, changes in federal, state, or local laws, and other costs. Requires the Secretary of the Navy to annually notify Congress of any changes in such amounts. (Sec. 122) Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of more than 70 percent of the funds available to the Navy for the LHA Replacement amphibious assault ship program until the Secretary of the Navy certifies to the defense and appropriations committees that there is an approved operational requirement and a stable design for the LHA Replacement class of vehicles. (Sec. 123) Limits the total amount to be obligated or expended for procurement of the fifth vessel in the next generation destroyer program. Allows adjustment to such amounts due to inflation, changes in federal, state, or local laws, and other costs. Requires the Secretary of the Navy to annually notify Congress of any changes in such amounts. (Sec. 124) Limits the total amount to be obligated or expended for procurement of the fifth and sixth vessels in the Littoral Combat Ship class of vessels. Allows adjustment to such amounts due to inflation, changes in federal, state, or local laws, and other costs. Requires the Secretary of the Navy to annually notify the defense and appropriations committees of any changes in such amounts. Requires an annual report from such Secretary to such committees on any element of such program that is designated as a "mission package." (Sec. 125) Prohibits the Secretary of the Navy from: (1) acquiring any vessels under the next generation destroyer program through a winner-take-all acquisition strategy; and (2) obligating or expending any funds to prepare for, conduct, or implement such a strategy. (Sec. 126) Requires naval combat forces to include at least 12 operational aircraft carriers. Makes specified Navy O&M funds available for repair and maintenance to extend the life of the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy. (Sec. 127) Makes specified FY2006 Navy funds available for the nuclear refueling and complex overhaul of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson, under a current contract. (Sec. 128) Authorizes the Secretary of the Navy to enter into a contract for the detail design and construction of the aircraft carrier designated CVN-78, from amounts appropriated for Navy shipbuilding and conversion for FY2007-FY2009. (Sec. 129) Earmarks specified Navy shipbuilding and conversion funds for design, advance procurement, and advance construction with respect to the LHA Replacement ship. (Sec. 130) Requires a report from the Secretary of the Navy to the defense and appropriations committees on the results of a specified study on alternative propulsion methods for Navy surface combatant vessels and amphibious warfare ships. Subtitle D: Air Force Programs - (Sec. 131) Authorizes the Secretary of the Air Force, beginning with the FY2006 program year, to enter into a multiyear procurement contract for up to 42 additional C-17 aircraft. Requires, prior to such contract, the Secretary of Defense (Secretary) to certify to the defense and appropriations committees concerning the additional airlift capability to be procured under such authority. Requires the Secretary, as part of the 2005 quadrennial defense review, to assess the inter-theater airlift capabilities required to support the national defense strategy. Outlines alternative requirements if the Secretary is unable to make the airlift capability certification. (Sec. 132) Prohibits the Secretary of the Air Force, during FY2006, from retiring any: (1) KC-135E aircraft; (2) F-117 Nighthawk attack aircraft; or (3) C-130E/H tactical airlift aircraft. (Sec. 135) Requires any C-130J/KC-130J aircraft procured after FY2005 to be procured through a contract under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) relating to the acquisition of items by negotiated contract rather than provisions relating to the acquisition of commercial items. (Sec. 136) Requires a report from the Secretary of the Air Force to the defense and appropriations committees on Air Force aircraft aeromedical evacuation programs. Subtitle E: Joint and Multiservice Matters - (Sec. 141) Directs the Secretary to ensure that all tactical unmanned aerial vehicles of the Armed Forces use specified standard data links and formats. Prohibits, after December 1, 2006, any Department of Defense (DOD) funds from being used to procure such a vehicle without such links. Authorizes the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (Under Secretary) to waive such requirement after certifying to the defense and appropriations committees that it would be technologically infeasible or economically unacceptable to integrate a tactical data link into such a vehicle. Requires a report from each military department Secretary to Congress on the status of compliance with such requirements. (Sec. 142) Prohibits DOD funds from being used to procure an unmanned aerial vehicle system, or to modify a system to include any form of armament, unless such procurement or modification is authorized in writing in advance by the Under Secretary. Provides an exception with respect to systems already under contract or for which funds have been appropriated for procurement prior to the date of enactment of this Act. (Sec. 143) Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of a specified amount of funds available for the U.S. Special Operations Command until the Secretary submits to the defense and appropriations committees: (1) a certification that the Secretary has revalidated the requirement for the Advanced SEAL delivery system; and (2) two reports concerning such program, including conclusions of the ongoing critical systems review. Title II: Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation - Subtitle A: Authorization of Appropriations - (Sec. 201) Authorizes appropriations for FY2006 for the Armed Forces for research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E). Earmarks specified amounts for the Defense Science and Technology Program. Subtitle B: Program Requirements, Restrictions, and Limitations - (Sec. 211) Directs the Comptroller General (CG) to: (1) conduct an annual review of the Future Combat Systems program; and (2) report annually to Congress on the results of the most recent review. (Sec. 212) Directs the Secretary of the Army to procure the Future Combat System through a negotiated contract rather than through a research transaction. (Sec. 213) Prohibits more than 70 percent of the amounts appropriated for the Armored Systems Modernization program from being obligated for systems development and demonstration of manned ground vehicle variants under such program until specified actions occur, including separate reports from the Secretary, the Under Secretary, and the Secretary of the Army concerning performance requirements and cost estimates under the program. Makes such prohibition inapplicable with respect to the obligation of funds for systems development and demonstration of the non-line-of-sight cannon system. (Sec. 214) Directs the Secretary, beginning with the FY2008 budget submission, to ensure that a separate, dedicated program element is assigned to each of six specified systems development and demonstration projects of the Armored Systems Modernization Program. Requires the Secretary of the Army: (1) as part of documentation in support of the FY2007 defense budget, to set forth budget justification material for such projects as if they were already separate program elements; and (2) beginning with the FY2007 DOD budget, to set forth budget justification material for technology insertion to the current force under such Program. (Sec. 215) Directs the Secretary of the Navy to: (1) initiate a program to design and develop the next-generation of nuclear attack submarines; and (2) include with FY2007 defense budget justification materials a report on the program initiated. (Sec. 216) Amends the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993 to extend through FY2011 certain requirements relating to management responsibility for naval mine countermeasures programs. Requires the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics to notify the defense and appropriations committees of any proposed change to such programs before such change is carried out. Prohibits the Secretary of the Navy from decommissioning any vessel of the MHC-51 mine countermeasures class before the end of such vessel's service unless: (1) such Secretary reports to the defense committees on existing capabilities to assume the MHC-51 mission; and (2) 30 days have elapsed since receipt of such report. (Sec. 217) Directs the Secretaries of the Army and Navy to develop a single set of requirements for the joint heavy lift program for the Army and Marine Corps. Prohibits the Secretary from authorizing entry into systems development and demonstration for the next-generation heavy lift rotorcraft until the single set of requirements have been approved by the Joint Requirements Oversight Council. (Sec. 218) Directs the Secretary to: (1) assess immediate requirements of the military departments for tactical radio communications systems; (2) ensure that the military departments rapidly acquire systems utilizing existing technology or mature systems readily available in the commercial marketplace; and (3) develop a plan and roadmap for the development, procurement, and sustainment of interim and future tactical radio communications systems. Outlines requirements with respect to the Joint Tactical Radio System. Requires a report from the Secretary on the implementation of this section. (Sec. 219) Prohibits the obligation of more than 40 percent of any funds authorized for systems development and demonstration of the Personnel Recovery Vehicle until 30 days after the Secretary makes certain certifications to the defense and appropriations committees with respect to the requirements for such Vehicle. (Sec. 220) Prohibits the obligation of more than 75 percent of the funds available for the VXX executive helicopter program for system development and demonstration until the Secretary of the Navy submits to Congress an event-driven acquisition strategy for Increment Two of such program that includes completion of at least one phase of operational testing. Requires a report from such Secretary to the defense and appropriations committees detailing such acquisition strategy. (Sec. 221) Amends the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 (Reagan Act) to require certification by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) that the conversion of DOD networks to Internet Protocol version 6 will provide equivalent or better performance and capabilities than that which would be provided by any other combination of available technologies or protocols. Requires the Secretary to designate the DOD's Director of Operational Test and Evaluation as the DOD official responsible for oversight, direction, and approval of the master test and evaluation plan for such conversion. Requires additional reports by the Secretary with respect to such plan and conversion. Subtitle C: Missile Defense Programs - (Sec. 231) Directs the Secretary to: (1) assess U.S. missile defense programs designed to provide capability against threat ballistic missiles in the boost/ascent phase of flight; and (2) report to Congress on assessment results. (Sec. 232) Amends the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2002 to extend through FY2008 required CG assessments of ballistic missile defense (BMD) programs. (Sec. 233) Allows FY2006 or FY2007 RDT&E funds for the Missile Defense Agency to be used by the Secretary for development and fielding of BMD capabilities. (Sec. 234) Requires the appropriate joint and service operational test and evaluation components of DOD to prepare a plan to test, evaluate, and characterize the operational capability of block 06 and each subsequent block of the BMD system. Requires reports, at the conclusion of such test and evaluation, from the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation to the Secretary and the defense and appropriations committees. Subtitle D: High-Performance Defense Manufacturing Technology Research and Development - (Sec. 241) Directs the Under Secretary to conduct a pilot program to identify and transition advanced manufacturing processes and technologies which would achieve significant productivity and efficiency gains in the defense manufacturing base. Requires the Under Secretary to undertake the development of prototypes and testbeds to validate the processes and technologies selected for transition under the pilot program. Authorizes the Under Secretary, in undertaking manufacturing technology strategies, to establish a task force to map development strategy. Requires a report from the Under Secretary to the defense and appropriations on actions taken during FY2006. Subtitle E: Other Matters - (Sec. 251) Directs the CG to report to the defense and appropriations committees on program element structure for DOD RDT&E projects. (Sec. 252) Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Secretary, at least every four years, to revise and update criteria and procedures utilized to identify DOD research and development (R&D) programs which are suitable for funding under the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR Program). Authorizes the Secretary, and each military department Secretary, to create and administer a commercialization pilot program to accelerate the transition of technologies, products, and services developed under the SBIR Program to Phase III, including the acquisition process. Requires an evaluative report from the Secretary to the defense committees at the end of each fiscal year. Terminates the pilot program at the end of FY2009. Directs the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide for, and fully implement the tenets of, Executive Order No. 13329 (Encouraging Innovation in Manufacturing). (Sec. 253) Amends the NDAA for Fiscal Year 1997 to make biennial (currently, annual) the submission of the joint warfighting science and technology plan. Repeals the requirement for inclusion in such plan of technology area review and assessment summaries. (Sec. 254) Directs the Secretary of the Navy to: (1) conduct an assessment of the U.S. naval shipbuilding industry to determine how worldwide shipping industry best practices could be adopted to improve efficiency in specified areas; and (2) report findings and conclusions to the defense and appropriations committees. (Sec. 255) Revises the duties of the Technology Transition Council. Requires a report from the Secretary to the defense committees on the challenges associated with technology transition from DOD science and technology programs to DOD acquisition programs, as well as a strategy to address those challenges. (Sec. 256) Directs the Secretary to designate an executive agent responsible for coordinating and managing DOD medical research efforts and programs relating to the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of blast injuries. Requires: (1) associated research efforts and studies toward such end, as well as a training program for appropriate medical and non-medical personnel; and (2) annual reports from the Secretary to the defense committees on DOD efforts and programs relating to such prevention, mitigation, and treatment. (Sec. 257) Adds information required to be included within annual reports from the Secretary to the defense committees concerning the awarding of prizes in the areas of defense research, technology development, or prototype development. (Sec. 258) Transfer responsibility for the designation of facilities and resources constituting the Major Range and Test Facility Base from the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation to the Secretary. (Sec. 259) Requires the Secretary and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to jointly report to Congress recommendations regarding cooperative activities between the two departments related to RDT&E in areas of mutual interest. (Sec. 260) Amends the NDAA for Fiscal Year 1994 to delay until September 30, 2007, the date after which DOD funds may not be obligated to modify or procure any DOD aircraft, ship, vehicle, or system that is not equipped with the Global Positioning System (GPS). (Sec. 261) Requires a report from the Under Secretary to the defense and appropriations committees on DOD development and utilization of robotics and unmanned ground vehicle systems. Title III: Operation and Maintenance - Subtitle A: Authorization of Appropriations - (Sec. 301) Authorizes appropriations for FY2006 for operation and maintenance (O&M) for the Armed Forces and specified activities and agencies of DOD. (Sec. 302) Authorizes appropriations for FY2006 for: (1) working capital funds; (2) the Defense Health Program; (3) chemical agents and munitions destruction, defense; (4) defense drug interdiction and counter-drug activities; and (5) the Defense Inspector General. Subtitle B: Environmental Provisions - (Sec. 311) Requires, in a currently-required annual report from the Secretary on environmental restoration activities, a summary of fines and penalties imposed against DOD under environmental laws. (Sec. 312) Includes an "owner of covenant property" among the entities that the Secretary may enter into agreements with for the cleanup of environmental hazards at former defense sites. Subtitle C: Workplace and Depot Issues - (Sec. 321) Requires proceeds from the sale by the Army of an article or service that results from a cooperative arrangement with a non-Army entity to be credited to the working capital fund that incurs the cost of manufacturing the article or performing the service. (Sec. 322) Prohibits the Secretary of the Navy from converting funding for naval shipyards on the East Coast from funding through the Navy working capital fund to funding on a direct basis (mission funding) before October 1, 2006. Requires: (1) a report from such Secretary to the defense and appropriations committees on direct funding for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Washington; (2) CG review of such report and a review results report to such committees; and (3) a report from such Secretary to those committees proposing congressional budget exhibits for use in connection with the funding of Navy shipyards on a direct basis. (Sec. 323) Includes additional facilities within the Armament Retooling and Manufacturing Support Initiative. (Sec. 324) Expresses the sense of Congress that the Air Force should: (1) be commended for implementation of its Depot Maintenance Strategy and Master Plan; and (2) remain committed to the depot maintenance process improvement initiatives and the investments and recapitalization projects pursuant to such Strategy and Plan. Subtitle D: Extension of Program Authorities - (Sec. 331) Amends the Bob Stump NDAA for Fiscal Year 2003 (Stump Act) to extend through FY 2010 the authority to provide logistics support and services for weapons systems contractors. (Sec. 332) Amends the Reagan Act to extend until April 1, 2006, the authorized period of reimbursement, from DOD to a member of the Armed Forces or a family member of such member, for the purchase of certain protective, safety, or health equipment purchased by or for members deployed in a contingency operation. Subtitle E: Outsourcing - (Sec. 341) Prohibits a DOD function performed by ten or more civilian employees from being converted to contractor performance unless the conversion is based on the results of a public-private competition process with specified requirements, including a formal civilian vs. contractor cost comparison and a most efficient organization plan. Prohibits a commercial or industrial type function currently being performed by DOD personnel from being modified, reorganized, divided, or otherwise changed in order to circumvent the above prohibition. Consolidates, and modifies where appropriate, current federal reporting requirements relating to public-private competition in order to incorporate the above changes. (Sec. 342) Amends the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2005 to modify a limitation on the conversion to contractor performance with respect to the procurement of certain supplies and services. (Sec. 343) Directs the Secretary to prescribe guidelines and procedures for ensuring that consideration is given to using federal employees for work that is currently performed or would otherwise be performed under DOD contracts. Directs the Secretary to include the use of flexible hiring authority in order to facilitate federal employee performance of new requirements and work performed under DOD contracts. (Sec. 344) Amends the Stump Act to extend through FY2007 the authority for contractor performance of security guard functions. Subtitle F: Analysis, Strategies, and Reports - (Sec. 351) Requires the Secretary of the Army to conduct an assessment of Army programs for the prepositioning of equipment and other materiel stocks. Directs: (1) such Secretary to report on the assessment; and (2) the CG to submit an independent review of the assessment. (Sec. 352) Directs the Secretary to include with the defense budget materials for FY2007-2011 a report describing the models used to prepare budget requests for base operations support, sustainment, and facilities recapitalization. (Sec. 353) Directs the Secretary of the Army to: (1) develop and implement a training strategy to ensure the readiness of brigade-based combat teams and functional supporting brigades; and (2) report to the defense and appropriations committees on such strategy. Requires the CG to monitor such implementation and report to such committees assessing the Army's progress in implementing the strategy. (Sec. 354) Directs the Secretary to report to Congress regarding the impact on military readiness of undocumented immigrants trespassing upon operational ranges. Requires a plan for the implementation of measures to prevent such trespass. Requires follow-up implementation reports. (Sec. 355) Requires a report to Congress from: (1) the Secretary of the Army on results of a study evaluating the merits of privatization of Army lodging; and (2) the Army and Air Force Exchange Service on the feasibility of its participation in such privatization. Limits privatization pending the report. (Sec. 356) Directs the CG to report to the defense and appropriations committees on the effectiveness of DOD corrosion prevention and mitigation programs. (Sec. 357) Requires the Secretary to: (1) study the use of biodiesel and ethanol fuel by the Armed Forces and defense agencies, and any measures that can be taken to increase such use; and (2) report study results to the defense committees. (Sec. 358) Requires a report from the Secretary to the defense committees on the effects of windmill farms on military readiness, including their effects on the operation of military radar installations. (Sec. 359) Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on the feasibility of providing transportation on DOD aircraft, on a space-available basis, for: (1) any veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 50 percent or higher; (2) reserve personnel under 60 years of age who, but for such age, would be eligible for military retired pay; and (3) dependents of (1) or (2), above. (Sec. 360) Directs the Secretary to report to the defense and appropriations committees on joint field training and experimentation conducted to address matters relating to stability, security, transition, and reconstruction operations during FY2005-2006. (Sec. 361) Requires a report from the Secretary to Congress in each of 2006 through 2008 on DOD budgeting for the sustainment of key military equipment. (Sec. 362) Amends the Reagan Act to repeal a required report from the Secretary of the Air Force on military installation encroachment issues. Subtitle G: Other Matters - (Sec. 371) Requires the Defense Business Transformation Agency to be supervised by the vice chairman of the Defense Business System Management Committee. (Sec. 372) Prohibits the Secretary of a military department (Secretary concerned) from carrying out a modification (costing $100,000 or more) of an aircraft, weapon, vessel, or other equipment that the Secretary plans to retire or otherwise dispose of within five years after the date on which the modification, if carried out, would be completed. Makes an exception for a safety modification. Authorizes the Secretary concerned to waive such prohibition for national security purposes (requiring notification thereof to the defense and appropriations committees). (Sec. 373) Prohibits DOD O&M funds from being used to purchase any item that has an investment item unit cost greater than $250,000. (Sec. 374) Restates and expands the authority of the Secretary concerned to accept gifts, devises, or bequests of real or personal property for the benefit of members (and their survivors and dependents) who are wounded or killed while serving in a military operation or activity. Prohibits the acceptance of a gift of services from a foreign government or international organization, but allows from such entity a gift of property or money if the gift is not designated for a specific individual. Terminates on December 31, 2007, the authority to accept all such gifts, devises, and bequests. Provides for the deposit and use of gift funds. Requires CG review of all gifts, and a report to Congress on review results. (Sec. 375) Amends the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2004 to include packet-based telephony service within the telecommunications benefit authorized for certain servicemembers. (Sec. 376) Prohibits amounts appropriated to DOD for FY2006 from being obligated or expended for financial management improvement activities relating to the preparation, processing, or auditing of financial statements until the Secretary submits to the defense and appropriations committees: (1) a comprehensive and integrated financial management improvement plan; and (2) a determination that each of the financial management improvement activities are consistent with the plan and will likely result in DOD improvements in the production of timely, reliable, and complete financial management information. (Sec. 377) Authorizes the Secretary of the Navy to provide for the general welfare of any person at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who is designated by such Secretary as a "special category resident." (Sec. 378) Authorizes the President to designate a day of celebration to honor members of the Armed Forces who served in Operations Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom and have returned. Allows such members to participate in such celebration. Authorizes the Secretary to accept cash contributions to cover costs associated with celebration activities. Allows appropriate recognition items to be awarded to any individual who served honorably in such Operations. Subtitle H: Utah Test and Training Range - (Sec. 382) Prohibits anything in this subtitle or the Wilderness Act from precluding: (1) low-level overflights and operations of military aircraft, helicopters, missiles, or unmanned aerial vehicles over the covered wilderness (certain areas in and surrounding the Utah Test and Training Range); or (2) the designation of new units of special use airspace, the expansion of existing units of such airspace, or the use or establishment of military training routes over the covered wilderness. Prohibits anything in this subtitle from being construed to: (1) prevent any required maintenance of existing communications and tracking systems; or (2) permit a military operation to be conducted on the ground in covered wilderness in the Range unless the operation is otherwise permissible under federal law and consistent with the Wilderness Act. (Sec. 383) Requires the Secretary of the Interior to develop maintain, and revise land use plans within the Range in consultation with the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to prepare and transmit to the Secretary of the Interior an analysis of the military readiness and operational impacts of any revision proposed by the Secretary of the Interior. (Sec. 384) Designates the Cedar Mountain Wilderness in Tooele County, Utah, as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Withdraws such lands from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under public land, leasing, and mining laws. Continues current fish and wildlife management and grazing rights within such lands. Releases certain lands from wilderness study area status. Title IV: Military Personnel Authorizations - Subtitle A: Active Forces - (Sec. 401) Sets forth authorized end strengths for active-duty forces as of the end of FY2006. (Sec. 402) Revises, effective October 1, 2005, the permanent active-duty end strength minimum levels for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. (Sec. 403) Amends the Reagan Act to provide additional authority for increases in Army and Marine Corps active-duty end strengths for FY2007-2009. States as the purposes of such increases to: (1) support operational missions; and (2) achieve transformational reorganization objectives. Requires the Secretary, for FY2007 and thereafter, to include in the defense budget for that year the amounts necessary for funding the excess end strengths. Subtitle B: Reserve Forces - (Sec. 411) Sets forth authorized end strengths as of the end of FY2006 for members of the Selected Reserve and reserve personnel on active duty in support of the reserves. (Sec. 413) Sets forth minimum end strengths for FY2006 for Army and Air Force dual status military technicians. (Sec. 414) Places specified FY2006 limits on the number of non-dual status technicians authorized to be employed by the Army and Air National Guard and Reserves. (Sec. 415) Sets the maximum number of reserve personnel authorized during FY2006 to be on active duty for operational support. Subtitle C: Authorizations of Appropriations - (Sec. 421) Authorizes appropriations for FY2006 for: (1) military personnel; and (2) the Armed Forces Retirement Home. Title V: Military Personnel Policy - Subtitle A: Officer Personnel Policy - (Sec. 501) Provides a temporary increase, for the period beginning on October 1, 2005, and ending on December 31, 2007, in the percentage of certain officers in the Air Force and Navy for whom a reduction in the service-in-grade requirement will be permitted. (Sec. 502) Permits the Secretary to authorize the Secretaries of the military departments concerned, during the period between the enactment of this Act and December 31, 2008, to reduce from 10 to eight years the minimum length of commissioned service required before eligibility for voluntary retirement. (Sec. 503) Excludes from active-duty general and flag officer distribution (end strength) limits those general and flag officers on leave pending separation or retirement, but only during the 60-day period beginning on the commencement of such leave. Prohibits frocking (wearing the insignia of the next higher grade prior to the official date of promotion to that grade) to grades above major general and rear admiral. (Sec. 504) Consolidates grade limitations on officer assignment and frocking within the military departments. (Sec. 505) Revises the deadline for receipt by promotion selection boards of correspondence from eligible officers. (Sec. 506) Requires: (1) promotion selection boards for officers eligible for promotion to a grade above colonel or captain to be furnished any credible information of an adverse nature; and (2) such information to include any substantiated adverse finding or conclusion from an officially documented investigation or inquiry. (Sec. 507) Excludes from military end strength and officer distribution limits either the Director or Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Associate Director for Military Support, and up to five military officers in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. (Sec. 508) Provides the grades of judge advocates general of the military departments. (Sec. 509) Authorizes (with exceptions) the retention of permanent professors at the Naval Academy beyond 30 years of active commissioned service. Requires an officer serving as a permanent military professor at the Naval Academy in a grade of commander or lieutenant colonel who is not on a list of officers recommended for promotion to the next grade to be retired, if not earlier retired, on the first day of the month after the officer completes 28 years of active commissioned service. Requires retirement after 30 years of active commissioned service for an officer serving in such position in the grade of captain or colonel who is not on a list of officers recommended for promotion to the next higher grade. Requires the following officers, unless retired or separated earlier, to be retired on the month following the month on which such officer becomes 64 years of age: (1) a permanent professor or director of admissions of the U.S. Military Academy; (2) a permanent professor at the U.S. Naval Academy; or (3) a permanent professor or registrar of the U.S. Air Force Academy. (Sec. 510) Allows a general/flag officer position on the Joint Staff to be held by a reserve general or flag officer serving on active duty. Subtitle B: Reserve Component Management - (Sec. 511) Authorizes separation from military service at age 64 for specified reserve senior officers. (Sec. 512) Revises strength in grade limits applicable to reserve flag officers in an active status. (Sec. 513) Defers mandatory separation from military service for dual status military technicians until a technician reaches age 60 and attains eligibility for an unreduced military annuity. (Sec. 514) Provides military retirement credit for certain service performed by National Guard personnel in 15 counties in New York and Arlington County, Virginia, while in a state duty status immediately after the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. (Sec. 515) Redesignates the Naval Reserve as the Navy Reserve. (Sec. 516) Amends the Reagan Act to: (1) place the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves within the legislative branch; and (2) revise the pay levels of Commission members. (Sec. 517) Directs the CG to report to Congress on problems faced by members of the reserve with respect to employment as a result of being ordered to perform full-time National Guard duty or being ordered to active duty service. (Sec. 518) Requires the Defense Science Board to study and report to the defense committees on the length and frequency of deployment of members of the National Guard and reserves as a result of the global war on terrorism. (Sec. 519) Expresses the sense of Congress: (1) recognizing the role played by National Guard and reserve military technicians (dual status) in the efforts of the Armed Forces; and (2) urging the Secretary to promptly resolve issues relating to the payment of certain reenlistment bonuses for such personnel. (Sec. 520) Directs the Secretary of the Army to carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of utilizing a coalition of military and civilian community personnel at military installations to enhance the quality of life for members of the Army Reserve who serve at such installations, and their families. Requires: (1) the pilot program to be undertaken in two states; and (2) a program report from such Secretary to the defense committees. Subtitle C: Education and Training - Part I: Department of Defense Schools Generally - (Sec. 521) Authorizes the President of the National Defense University to award the degree of master of science in joint campaign planning and strategy. (Sec. 522) Authorizes the following professional military schools to accept qualifying research grants (a grant for scientific, literary, or educational purposes): the National Defense University, the Army War College, Naval Postgraduate School, Naval War College, Marine Corps University, Air Force Institute of Technology, and Air War College. Part II: United States Naval Postgraduate School - (Sec. 523) Adds to the mission of the Naval Postgraduate School (School): (1) the science, physics, and systems engineering of current and future naval warfare doctrine, operations, and systems; and (2) the integration of naval operations and systems into joint, combined, and multinational operations. (Sec. 524) Makes eligible for the position of President of the School a civilian (currently, only an officer) with appropriate qualifications. Provides a position term of five years, with up to five additional years. Outlines qualifications. (Sec. 525) Increases from ten to 25 the authorized enrollment in the defense product development program at the School. Includes systems engineering within the authorized curriculums for such program. (Sec. 526) Authorizes the Secretary of the Navy to permit enlisted Navy and Marine Corps personnel to receive instruction from the School in certificate programs and courses required for the performance of the member's duties. Requires: (1) a report from such Secretary to the defense committees on plans for a program to provide enlisted Navy personnel with opportunities to pursue graduate degree programs in return for additional service obligations; and (2) the report to include a plan for a pilot program for such opportunities. Part III: Reserve Officers' Training Corps - (Sec. 531) Repeals the limitation on the amount of financial assistance authorized under the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program. (Sec. 532) Increases from 208 to 416 the authorized annual limit on ROTC scholarships under the Army Reserve and National Guard programs. (Sec. 533) Authorizes the suspension of financial assistance and subsistence allowance payments for Senior ROTC cadets and midshipmen on the basis of health-related incapacities, under specified conditions prescribed by the Secretary. (Sec. 534) Makes U.S. nationals (currently, only U.S. citizens) eligible for appointment to the Senior ROTC or as commissioned officers. (Sec. 535) Directs the Secretary to: (1) implement certain incentives and a recruiting strategy to support the acquisition of foreign language skills among ROTC cadets and midshipmen; and (2) report to the defense committees on actions taken. (Sec. 536) Designates financial assistance provided to a cadet appointed at a military junior college as an "Ike Skelton Early Commissioning Program Scholarship." Part IV: Other Matters - (Sec. 537) Includes under the DOD educational loan repayment program for military personnel any educational loan made by a lender that is: (1) an agency or instrumentality of a state; (2) a financial or credit institution subject to examination by an agency of the United States or any state; (3) a pension fund approved by the Secretary; or (4) a nonprofit private entity designated and regulated by a state and approved by the Secretary. (Sec. 538) Authorizes the Secretary, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating under the Navy, to pay expenses, including examination costs, for members to obtain professional credentials. (Sec. 539) Authorizes the use of veterans' educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill, as well as benefits for mobilized members of the Selected Reserve and National Guard, for payments of up to $2,000 for a license or certification in an educational, professional, or vocational trade. (Sec. 540) Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (currently, the Secretary concerned) to prescribe the form and manner under which a person entitled to educational assistance for reserves supporting contingency and other operations and also entitled to other educational assistance shall elect which benefits he or she shall receive. Authorizes the continuation of educational assistance to a member of the Selected Reserve who incurs a break in service of not more than 90 days if the member continues to serve in the Ready Reserve during and after the service break. Subtitle D: General Service Requirements - (Sec. 541) Requires the Secretary, when proposing changes to female-member assignment policies, to notify Congress. Directs the Secretary, at least 30 days before implementing any such change, to notify the defense committees. Requires a report from the Secretary to such committees reviewing the current and future implementation of the policy regarding the assignment of women as articulated in the DOD memorandum entitled "Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule." (Sec. 542) Prohibits an individual from being enlisted into the Armed Forces unless such person is: (1) a citizen or national of the United States; (2) an alien lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence; or (3) a habitual resident of the Federal States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palua, or the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Authorizes the Secretary concerned to waive such requirement when an enlistment is deemed vital to the national interest. (Sec. 543) Increases from: (1) 35 to 42 the maximum age for an original enlistment in the regular Armed Forces; and (2) six to eight years the maximum term of such an enlistment. (Sec. 545) Removes the Peace Corps as qualifying service under the National Call to Service Program, while including under such Program certain military occupational specialties for enlistments for officer training and subsequent service as an officer. (Sec. 546) Requires reports from the Secretary to the defense committees on actions being taken to ensure that new recruits are provided detailed information before enlistment and at other points during their military career on the period(s) of service to which they may be obligated. Subtitle E: Military Justice and Legal Assistance Matters - (Sec. 551) Amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to establish the UCMJ offense of stalking. (Sec. 552) Revises UCMJ provisions concerning the offense of rape and carnal knowledge to add the following offenses involving sexual misconduct: (1) rape of a child; (2) aggravated sexual assault; (3) aggravated sexual assault of a child; (4) aggravated sexual contact; (5) aggravated sexual abuse of a child; (6) aggravated sexual contact with a child; (7) abusive sexual contact; (8) abusive sexual contact with a child; (9) indecent liberty with a child; (10) indecent act; (11) forcible pandering; (12) wrongful sexual contact; and (13) indecent exposure. Outlines provisions with respect to burden of proof, affirmative defenses, and adequate consent. Provides interim maximum punishments with respect to such offenses. Provides: (1) an unlimited statute of limitations with respect to rape of a child; and (2) an effective date for this section of October 1, 2007. (Sec. 553) Includes under military offenses with no statute of limitations offenses involving murder or rape. Provides special rules with respect to child abuse offenses. (Sec. 554) Directs the Secretary to prescribe a requirement that each covered member, whether active-duty or reserve, shall submit to an authority in the military department concerned a timely report on any conviction of such member by any law enforcement authority of the United States for the violation of a criminal law. Provides an exception with respect to minor traffic offenses. (Sec. 555) States that a judge advocate or civilian attorney who is authorized to provide military legal assistance is authorized to provide that assistance in any jurisdiction. (Sec. 556) Amends the UCMJ to allow the use of videoteleconferencing technology in administrative (non-trial) sessions of a court-martial proceeding, as long as at least one defense counsel is physically in the presence of the accused. (Sec. 557) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) there should be no ambiguity about the applicability of the UCMJ to reserve personnel serving overseas under inactive-duty training orders; and (2) the Secretary should take action to clarify jurisdictional issues relating to such applicability and, if necessary, submit to Congress a proposal for legislative action to ensure such applicability. Subtitle F: Matters Relating to Casualties - (Sec. 561) Authorizes active-duty members with disabilities to participate in the Paralympic Games. (Sec. 562) Directs the Secretary to develop and prescribe for DOD a comprehensive policy on the provision of casualty assistance to survivors and next of kin of members who die during military service. Outlines policy elements. Requires: (1) policy adoption by the military departments; (2) a report from the Secretary to the defense committees on the improvement of casualty assistance programs; and (3) an assessment from the CG to the defense committees of casualty assistance programs of DOD and other federal departments and agencies. (Sec. 563) Directs the Secretary to develop and prescribe for DOD a comprehensive policy on the provision of assistance to members who incur severe wounds or injuries in the line of duty. Outlines policy elements. Requires policy adoption by the military departments. (Sec. 564) Requires the Secretary to complete, and the military department Secretaries to implement, DOD Instruction 1300.18, regarding the requirement to have servicemembers designate a person to direct disposition of their remains should they become a casualty. Requires a report from the Secretary to the defense committees on actions taken in such regard. Subtitle G: Assistance to Local Educational Agencies for Defense Dependents Education - (Sec. 571) Amends the Defense Dependents' Education Act of 1978 to authorize the enrollment in overseas schools of the the defense dependents' education system of children of U.S. citizens or nationals hired in overseas areas as full-time DOD employees. (Sec. 572) Directs the Secretary to provide financial assistance to an eligible local educational agency (LEA) if, without such assistance, the LEA would be unable to provide students in the schools of the LEA with a level of education that is equivalent to the minimum level available in schools of other LEAs in the same state. Considers an LEA eligible if at least 20 percent of the students of the schools of that LEA were counted as military dependent students under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Directs the Secretary to provide financial assistance to schools experiencing specified levels of enrollment changes due to military rebasing, activation, realignment, or related changes. Requires the Secretary to notify Leas eligible for assistance under this section. Earmarks specified DOD O&M funds for such purpose. (Sec. 573) Earmarks specified DOD O&M funds for impact aid for children with severe disabilities, as authorized under the Floyd D. Spence NDAA for Fiscal Year 2001 (Spence Act). (Sec. 574) Provides a special rule with respect to the computation of impact aid assistance to an LEA for school year 2005-2006 in the case of attendance of military dependents of certain members of the Armed Forces who undergo a change in status during that school year. Subtitle H: Decorations and Awards - (Sec. 576) Makes September 11, 2001, the beginning date of Operation Enduring Freedom for purposes of eligibility for the campaign medal for that Operation. Subtitle I: Consumer Protection Matters - (Sec. 577) Directs the Secretary to prescribe or modify regulations on the policies and procedures relating to personal commercial solicitations on DOD installations, including the sale of life insurance and securities. (Sec. 578) Directs the Secretary concerned to carry out a program to provide comprehensive education and training to members concerning an array of financial services, including insurance, that are available through private sources, as well as marketing aspects of such services. Requires: (1) member and spouse financial services counseling, upon request; and (2) at least one full-time counselor at each military installation at which 2,000 or more members are assigned. Outlines counselor qualification requirements. Requires the availability of Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (SGLI) to be included within any counseling concerning life insurance. (Sec. 579) Requires a report from the Secretary to the defense and finance committees on predatory lending practices directed at members and their families. Subtitle J: Reports and Sense of Congress Statements - (Sec. 581) Directs the Secretary to: (1) review the career tracks of members who are linguists in an effort to improve the management of linguists and to assist them in reaching their potential over a 20-year career; and (2) report review results. (Sec. 582) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) any college or university that discriminates against ROTC programs or military recruiters shall be denied certain federal taxpayer support; and (2) universities and colleges that receive federal funds should provide military recruiters access equal in quality and scope to that provided to all other employers. Requires a report from the Secretary to Congress on colleges and universities that deny such access. (Sec. 583) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Secretary should study options for providing strategic-level homeland defense education and related research opportunities to civilian and military leaders from all agencies of government in order to develop a core understanding of common homeland defense principles; and (2) the results of such study should be reported to the defense committees, along with appropriate recommendations. (Sec. 584) Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should recognize and: (1) celebrate the diversity of members of the Armed Forces; and (2) honor the sacrifices being made by such members and their families in the global war on terrorism. Subtitle K: Other Matters - (Sec. 589) Permits appropriated funds to be used to: (1) procure recognition items of nominal or modest value for recruitment or retention purposes; and (2) present such items to members, and to family members who provide support that substantially facilitates service in the Armed Forces. Terminates such authority on December 31, 2007. (Sec. 590) Amends the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2004 to extend the date of submission of a required report of the Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission. (Sec. 591) Directs the Secretary to prescribe a policy on the recruitment and enlistment of home-schooled students. (Sec. 593) Allows a member of the Armed Forces up to 21 days of leave in a calendar year in connection with the adoption of a child, as long as the member is eligible for DOD reimbursement of qualified adoption expenses. (Sec. 594) Requires a member's preseparation counseling to include information concerning: (1) the availability of mental health services and the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, suicide, and other mental health conditions associated with service in the Armed Forces; (2) veterans' training and hiring priorities; (3) veterans' small business ownership and entrepreneurship programs; (4) employment and reemployment rights; (5) veterans' preference in federal employment; (6) available housing counseling assistance; and (7) a description of veterans' health care and other benefits. (Sec. 595) Requires a report from the Secretary to Congress on actions taken to ensure that the Transition Assistance Programs for members separating from the Armed Forces provides such members with timely and comprehensive transition assistance. Requires particular focus on members: (1) deployed to Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, or in support of other contingency operations; and (2) of the National Guard activated in support of relief efforts for Hurricanes Katrina or Rita. (Sec. 596) Directs the Secretary to develop and implement a system to track DOD cases in which care to a victim of rape or sexual assault, or a related investigation or prosecution, is hindered by a lack of availability of a rape kit or other needed supplies or by the lack of timely access to appropriate laboratory testing resources. Requires the system developed to be submitted to the defense committees. Directs the Secretary to develop and implement a plan for ensuring accessibility and availability of supplies, trained personnel, and transportation resources for responding to sexual assaults occurring in deployed units. Requires the plan developed to be submitted to the defense committees. Provides additional matters to be included in an annual report on sexual assaults in the military as required under the Reagan Act. (Sec. 597) Authorizes the President to appoint a flag officer of the Coast Guard as the Chief of Staff to the President. (Sec. 598) Authorizes the superintendent of a service academy to have in effect a policy concerning the offering of a voluntary, nondenominational prayer at an otherwise authorized activity of the academy, subject to the Constitution and such limitations as the Secretary may prescribe. (Sec. 599) Authorizes the Secretary concerned (currently, the Secretary) to make military working dogs available for adoption. Allows such an adoption before the end of the dog's useful working life under unusual or extraordinary circumstances. Title VI: Compensation and Other Personnel Benefits - Subtitle A: Pay and Allowances - (Sec. 601) Waives any FY2006 pay increases tied to increases in the General Schedule of Compensation for government employees. Increases, effective January 1, 2006, by 3.1 percent the rates of basic pay for military personnel. (Sec. 602) Includes professors at the U.S. Naval Academy under provisions authorizing additional pay for permanent military professors with over 36 years of service. (Sec. 603) States that reserve personnel attending military academy preparatory schools shall be paid at the rate prescribed for that member's pay grade or the rate provided to academy cadets and midshipmen, whichever is greater. (Sec. 604) Includes members of the National Guard not in federal service under a prohibition against compensation for work associated with participation in a correspondence course of a uniformed service. (Sec. 605) Authorizes DOD matching contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) in the case of first-time enlistees who are enlisting for a period of at least two years. (Sec. 606) Directs the Secretary of the Army, during FY2006, to carry out a pilot program to assess the extent to which contributions by such Secretary to the TSP assists: (1) the Army in recruiting efforts; and (2) its members in establishing habits of financial responsibility during their initial enlistment. Authorizes such Secretary to make TSP contributions for program participants. Requires a program report from the Secretary of Defense to the defense and appropriations committees. (Sec. 607) Makes permanent (currently, terminates at the end of FY2005) the prohibition against a member who is undergoing medical recuperation or therapy, or otherwise in continuous care at a military medical facility, from being charged for meals provided at such facility, as long as the injury, illness, or disease being treated was incurred while serving on active duty: (1) in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom; or (2) in any other operation designated by the Secretary as a combat operation or a combat zone. Makes this section applicable during the period beginning on October 1, 2005, and ending on December 31, 2006. (Sec. 608) Makes permanent (currently, terminates at the end of FY2006) the authority of the Secretary concerned to pay a supplemental subsistence allowance for low-income members with dependents. (Sec. 609) Authorizes the Secretary to provide a temporary increase in the rates of basic allowance for housing (BAH) for a military housing area that: (1) is located within an area in which a major disaster has been declared; or (2) contains one or more military installations that are experiencing a sudden increase in the number of members assigned to the installation. Limits any such increase to no more than 20 percent of the previously authorized rate. Requires the member concerned to certify the increased housing costs. Makes such increase effective until the rate is readjusted due to a redetermination of housing costs in the area. Prohibits any such increase from being prescribed or continuing after December 31, 2008. Authorizes temporary lodging expenses, connected with a change of permanent duty station, for up to 20 days for members affected by (1) or (2), above. (Sec. 610) Provides an equal rate of BAH for reserve members who are mobilized to serve on active duty for more than 30 days, or for 30 days or less in connection with a contingency operation, as is currently provided for similarly situated active-duty personnel. (Sec. 611) Makes permanent the extension from 180 to 365 days following the death of a member who dies while serving on active duty the period for the temporary continuation of BAH for dependents of such members. (Currently, such extension terminates on September 30, 2005, under provisions of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005.) (Sec. 612) Authorizes the Secretary concerned to continue to pay a family residing overseas a cost-of-living allowance, notwithstanding the reassignment of the service member that is the sponsor of the family, when it is in the best interests of the government and the family. Redefines as unusual and extraordinary those expenses eligible for lump-sum payment of such allowance. (Sec. 613) Provides that, in the case of a member who has obtained insurance coverage under the SGLI program and who serves in Operations Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom during a month, the Secretary concerned shall pay such member an allowance equal to the amount of the premium for the first $150,000 of such insurance. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to increase such allowance to cover insurance amounts in excess of $150,000. Requires the Secretary concerned to notify qualifying personnel of the availability of such allowance. (Sec. 614) Directs the Secretary concerned to make civilian income replacement payments to certain reserve personnel experiencing extended and frequent mobilization for active-duty service. Requires a member, to be eligible, to: (1) complete 18 continuous months of service on active duty under a mobilization order; (2) complete 24 months on active duty during the previous 60 months under such an order; or (3) be involuntarily mobilized for service on active duty for 180 days or more six months or less after the member's separation from a previous period of involuntary active duty. Provides minimum and maximum payment amounts.Terminates such payment authority after December 31, 2008. Subtitle B: Bonuses and Special and Incentive Pays - (Sec. 621) Extends through 2006 specified authorities currently scheduled to expire at the end of 2005 with respect to certain special pay and bonus programs within the regular and reserve Armed Forces. (Sec. 625) Makes oral and maxillofacial surgeons eligible for incentive special pay authorized for medical officers of the Armed Forces. (Sec. 626) Eliminates a restriction barring military dentists from being paid additional special pay while undergoing dental internship or residency training. (Sec. 627) Increases from $300 to $750 the maximum authorized monthly rate of hardship duty pay. (Sec. 628) Allows assignment incentive pay to be paid either monthly (current law), in a lump sum, or in installments other than monthly. Requires a written agreement with respect to the performance of duty for such pay. Sets at $3,000 the maximum monthly rate of such pay. Requires repayment for unserved periods. (Sec. 629) Increases from $60,000 to $90,000 the maximum selective reenlistment bonus authorized for active-duty personnel. Extends the maximum years of active-duty service beyond which a reenlistment bonus may not be paid from 16 to 20 years. (Sec. 630) Extends the maximum years of reserve service beyond which a reenlistment bonus may not be paid from 16 to 20 years. (Sec. 631) Consolidates into one federal provision, with revisions, provisions concerning the payment of bonuses for affiliation or enlistment in the Selected Reserve. Allows an affiliation bonus only for those individuals who have completed fewer than 20 years of military service, and requires execution of a written agreement. Directs the Secretary concerned to designate skills, units, and pay grades with respect to such bonus. Authorizes an accession bonus for first-time enlistment in the Selected Reserve, limiting such bonus to $20,000. Requires repayment for failure to begin or complete the obligated service. Terminates all bonus authority under this section at the end of 2006. Repeals superseded affiliation bonus authority. (Sec. 632) Increases from $10 to $50 the special pay authorized for Selected Reserve personnel who are assigned to certain high priority units and who perform inactive duty for training relating to such assignment. (Sec. 633) Eliminates the requirement that members with prior military service must first complete their military service obligation in order to be eligible to receive a bonus for enlisting in the Selected Reserve. Repeals the prohibition against a prior service enlistment bonus in the case of receipt of an enlistment or reenlistment bonus for service in the Selected Reserve. (Sec. 634) Revises provisions concerning the affiliation bonus for officers of the Selected Reserve to: (1) remove the prohibition against prior service in the Selected Reserve; and (2) increase from $6,000 to $10,000 the maximum amount of such bonus. (Sec. 635) Increases from $20,000 to $40,000 the maximum enlistment bonus for active-duty members. (Sec. 636) Authorizes the Secretary to retroactively designate the period during which duty in a specific area will qualify a member to receive hostile fire or imminent danger special pay. (Sec. 637) Increases from: (1) $25,000 to $30,000 the maximum bonus paid to nuclear-qualified officers who extend their active-duty service; and (2) $10,000 to $14,000 the maximum amount of the nuclear career annual incentive bonus. (Sec. 639) Changes foreign language proficiency pay from a monthly pay to an annual bonus of up to $12,000 while a member remains certified in that language. Provides for installment or lump sum options for such pay for both active and reserve personnel. (Sec. 640) Authorizes payment to reserve members in an active status of the critical skill retention bonus (currently, only authorized for active-duty personnel). Authorizes payment of such bonus for members assigned to a designated high priority unit. Eliminates the prohibition on payment for service beyond 25 years for: (1) members serving in special operations skills designated as critical; and (2) members qualified for duty in connection with supervision, operation, and maintenance of naval nuclear propulsion plants. Requires pro rata bonus repayment for bonus periods not served. (Sec. 641) Authorizes the payment of an incentive bonus for a regular or reserve member who executes a written agreement to: (1) transfer from the member's current regular or reserve component to a regular or reserve component of another armed force; and (2) serve in the latter component for not less than three years. Requires the Secretary concerned to determine that there is a shortage of trained and qualified personnel in the latter component before such incentive bonus will be paid. Limits such bonus to $2,500. Requires bonus repayment for failure to complete the obligated service. Terminates the bonus authority at the end of 2006. (Sec. 642) Authorizes the Secretary concerned to pay monthly special pay of $430 to a member who incurs a combat-related injury in a combat operation or zone and is evacuated to receive medical treatment. Reduces such special pay by any amount of hostile fire or imminent danger special pay received. (Sec. 643) Authorizes the Secretary concerned to provide voluntary separation pay and benefits to eligible members who are voluntarily separated from active duty in the Armed Forces. Makes eligible for such pay and benefits members who: (1) have served on active duty for more than six years but not more than 20; (2) have served at least five years of continuous active duty immediately preceding their date of separation; (3) have not been approved for the payment of any other voluntary separation incentive; and (4) meet such other requirements as the Secretary concerned may prescribe. Provides eligibility exceptions, including those discharged with disability severance pay. Authorizes the Secretary concerned to determine a number of members who may serve in the Ready Reserve, for not less than three years, in order to qualify for the voluntary separation pay and benefits. Provides for: (1) the computation and payment of such pay; and (2) the coordination of such pay with retired or retainer pay and disability compensation. Requires repayment from members who return to active duty, but allows the Secretary to waive such repayment in whole or in part when its recovery would be against equity and good conscience or contrary to the best interests of the United States. Terminates such pay authority on December 31, 2008. (Sec. 644) Authorizes nursing students enrolled in ROTC programs for advanced training to receive a critical skills accession bonus of up to $5,000 as long as they have completed the second year of an accredited baccalaureate degree program and execute an agreement to serve on active duty as a commissioned officer in the Army Nurse Corps. Authorizes such bonus payments for the period beginning on October 5, 2004, and ending on December 31, 2005. (Sec. 645) Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to pay a bonus of up to $1,000 to a member of the Army who refers to an Army recruiter a person who has not previously served in the Armed Forces and who, after such referral, enlists in the regular Army or the Army National Guard or Reserve. Prohibits such bonus for the referral of an immediate family member. Terminates bonus authority after December 31, 2007. Subtitle C: Travel and Transportation Allowances - (Sec. 651) Expands the circumstances under which members may continue to receive the lodging portion of temporary duty per diem during absences from the temporary duty location to include absences authorized under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned. (Sec. 652) Increases from one to three years after the death of a member while serving on active duty the time allowed for surviving family members to select a residence for which they may receive travel and transportation allowances. (Sec. 653) Authorizes the Secretary concerned to provide travel and transportation allowances for up to three family members of a member on active duty who was held captive or was otherwise missing to the location where the member has been repatriated. Authorizes the Secretary concerned to waive the three-person limit in appropriate circumstances. (Sec. 654) Increases the authorized weight allowances for the shipment of household goods of senior noncommissioned officers in grades E-7 through E-9. (Sec. 655) Makes permanent (currently, terminates at the end of FY2005) the authority to provide travel and transportation allowances for dependents to visit hospitalized members injured in a combat operation or combat zone. Subtitle D: Retired Pay and Survivor Benefits - (Sec. 661) Authorizes the Secretary concerned to pay to state officials on a monthly basis (currently, quarterly) funds voluntarily withheld from retired or retainer pay for state tax purposes. (Sec. 662) Prohibits interment in a national cemetery, and denies certain burial-related benefits including funeral honors, for individuals who receive a life sentence or the death penalty, or who have been convicted of a capital offense for which the person was sentenced to death or life imprisonment without parole. (Sec. 663) Reduces by four years and three months the current ten-year phased implementation of full concurrent receipt of veterans' disability compensation and military retired pay for retirees receiving veterans' disability compensation at the rate payable for 100 percent disability by reason of a determination of individual unemployability, allowing such retirees to receive full payment of both on October 1, 2009, and thereafter. (Sec. 664) Increases the $12,000 death gratuity to $100,000. Provides an additional death gratuity of $150,000 in the case of a person who died during the period beginning October 1, 2001, and ending May 11, 2005, while a member on active duty and whose death did not establish eligibility for an additional death gratuity under prior law. Provides funding for such increased payments. (Sec. 665) Authorizes the payment of child support, from a member's retired pay already received, to a dependent child when the member's retired pay eligibility has been terminated because of abuse of a spouse that resulted in the death of that spouse. Requires such payment after the effective service of a court order. (Sec. 666) Requires a report from the CG to the defense committees on the actuarial soundness of the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) program. Subtitle E: Commissary and Nonappropriated Fund Instrumentality Benefits - (Sec. 671) Authorizes the Secretary to increase the maximum amount that may be paid to commissary and exchange services to procure goods and services overseas for use by U.S. military forces from $50,000 to $100,000 per contract. (Sec. 672) Provides that until December 31, 2008, the Defense Commissary Agency is not required to conduct any cost-comparison study under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 relating to the possible contracting out of commissary store functions. (Sec. 673) Requires that appropriated funds be used to pay for the transportation of commissary and exchange supplies and products to commissaries and exchanges located outside the continental United States. (Sec. 674) Authorizes the appropriate Secretary to grant nonappropriated fund employees compensatory time off instead of overtime pay for overtime work when requested by the employee (thereby making such practice consistent with similar rules within the federal civilian personnel system). (Sec. 675) Earmarks defense-wide O&M funds for expenses incurred under military rest and recuperation leave programs. Subtitle F: Other Matters - (Sec. 681) Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to develop and provide incentives to encourage individuals to accept commissions as officers or to enlist in the Army. Directs such Secretary, before providing an incentive, to develop and submit to Congress, the appropriate DOD elements, and the CG a plan that includes a description of the incentive and its anticipated outcome. Prohibits more than four recruitment incentives from being provided, and limits the number of individuals to whom incentives may be provided. Requires: (1) an annual report from such Secretary to Congress on the incentives provided; and (2) a report from the CG to Congress evaluating the expected outcomes of the incentives. Terminates incentive authority on December 31, 2009. (Sec. 682) Authorizes specified leave accrual for members: (1) assigned to a deployable ship or mobile unit or other designated duty; or (2) who, on or after August 29, 2005, perform qualifying duty as determined by the Secretary. (Sec. 683) Expands the authority of the Secretary concerned to remit or cancel indebtedness to the United States, or any U.S. instrumentality, incurred by members while on active duty by authorizing such Secretaries, if in the best interests of the United States, to forgive indebtedness of officers and enlisted personnel when such member is on active duty or in an active status, or during the one-year period after the member is discharged or released from active status. Authorizes the remission or cancellation of debts during the period beginning on October 7, 2001, and ending on December 31, 2007. (Sec. 684) Authorizes the Secretary concerned to repay a loan made to a military chaplain that was: (1) used to finance education resulting in a Masters of Divinity degree; and (2) obtained from an accredited theological seminary. Requires the chaplain to sign a written agreement to serve in the Selected Reserve for not less than three years in order to receive the loan repayment. (Sec. 685) Adds the Senior Enlisted Advisor for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to the list of senior enlisted personnel designated to receive the highest level of pay for an enlisted member, effective on the date of appointment to such position. Authorizes the individual so appointed to receive: (1) a personal money allowance; (2) the pay associated with the position while hospitalized or while on terminal leave; and (3) retired pay based on such position. (Sec. 686) Outlines the special and incentive pays, earned originally as enlisted pay, that may be considered saved by a former enlisted member who becomes a commissioned officer, but requires the officer to continue to perform the duty which created the entitlement to such pay. (Sec. 687) Consolidates into one section various federal provisions outlining procedures for the repayment of unearned portions of military bonuses, special pays, and educational benefits. Authorizes the Secretary concerned to establish for all such pay and benefit programs procedures for determining the amount of the repayment required and the circumstances under which an exception to the repayment requirement may be granted. (Sec. 688) Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 to require notification of homeowners assisted under such Act explaining the mortgage and foreclosure rights of servicemembers under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, including the toll-free help number for further assistance. (Sec. 689) Amends the Social Security Act to extend Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to 24 consecutive months following service in the case of members of the National Guard and reserves whose ineligibility for SSI benefits is a result of being called to active duty. (Sec. 690) Directs the Secretary concerned to provide to servicemembers under their jurisdiction pertinent information on the rights and protections available to such members and their dependents under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. Requires such information to be provided during initial orientation training or such other appropriate times as determined by such Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary concerned to provide such information to adult dependents of servicemembers. Title VII: Health Care Provisions - Subtitle A: Improvements to Health Benefits for Reserves - (Sec. 701) Allows Selected Reserve personnel to extend their TRICARE coverage (entitled TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS)) when they are recalled to active duty. Allows certain Individual Ready Reserve members a period of one year following release from active duty to find a position in the Selected Reserve without losing TRS eligibility. Extends TRS coverage for family members until six months after the death of the qualifying member. Includes within TRS coverage access to care in military medical treatment facilities. Allows 90 days after release from active duty for an eligible member of the Selected Reserve to elect to participate in TRS. (Sec. 702) Removes certain conditions, including a required period of active-duty service, prior to the eligibility of members of the Selected Reserve for health care benefits under TRICARE Standard. Requires such a member, in order to be eligible, to commit to a period of obligated service that extends through the TRICARE Standard enrollment period. Outlines premium amounts for such coverage, such amounts varying depending on the type of service (extended active duty service resulting in the lowest premium) under which eligibility is based. Subtitle B: TRICARE Program Improvements - (Sec. 711) Amends the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2004 to require more detailed information from providers within an annual survey of the TRICARE Standard health care program. (Sec. 712) Directs the Secretary of the Air Force to ensure that chiropractic health care services are available at all medical treatment facilities listed in a report to Congress entitled "Chiropractic Health Care Implementation Plan." Requires such Secretary to report to the defense committees on the availability of services as required under such Plan. (Sec. 713) Includes as an "eligible dependent" for purposes of TRICARE dental coverage surviving spouses who were on active duty at the time their military spouses died. (Sec. 714) Authorizes the Secretary to waive restrictions with regard to TRICARE Prime Remote coverage for active duty members that reside at a remote location when the Secretary determines that exceptional circumstances warrant such coverage. (Sec. 715) Provides a conditional period of continued TRICARE Prime coverage for children of members who die while serving on active duty for a scheduled period of more than 30 days. Makes such conditional period the longer of: (1) three years after the member's death; (2) the date on which a dependent reaches age 21; or (3) the date on which a dependent who was enrolled in a full-time course of study ceases to pursue such course of study or reaches 23 years of age. (Sec. 716) Requires: (1) the responsibilities of each TRICARE regional office to include the monitoring, oversight, and improvement of the TRICARE Standard option in that region; and (2) an implementation report from the Secretary to the defense committees. (Sec. 717) Prohibits a person from serving as a Regional Director under the TRICARE program unless such individual is: (1) an officer in the Armed Forces in a general or flag officer grade; (2) a civilian DOD employee in the Executive Service; or (3) a civilian employee of the federal government or the private sector with experience comparable to individuals under (1) or (2), above. Requires also, for any such individual, at least ten years of experience, expertise, or training in military health care, managed care, and health care policy and administration. Subtitle C: Mental Health-Related Provisions - (Sec. 721) Requires the Secretary to develop a program to improve awareness of the availability of mental health services for, and warning signs about mental health problems in, dependents of members who served or will serve in a combat theater during the previous or next 60 days. Requires a report from the Secretary to Congress on program effectiveness. Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a pilot project to evaluate the efficacy of various approaches to improving the capability of the military and civilian health care systems to provide early diagnosis and treatment of PTSD and other mental health conditions; and (2) report to the defense and appropriations committees on the project. (Sec. 722) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out pilot projects on improving the early diagnosis and treatment of PTSD and other mental health conditions. Authorizes at least one such project at a National Guard or Reserve facility located at least 40 miles from a military medical facility and whose personnel are served primarily by civilian community health resources. Requires a report from the Secretary to the defense and appropriations committees on the identification of appropriate pilot projects. (Sec. 723) Requires: (1) the Secretary to establish within DOD a task force to examine matters relating to mental health and the Armed Forces; (2) the task force to report to the Secretary an assessment of, and recommendations for improving, mental health care provided by the military departments; (3) the task force to report to the Secretary on all activities undertaken under this section; and (4) the latter report to be transmitted to the defense and veterans' committees. Terminates the task force 90 days after the latter report. Subtitle D: Studies and Reports - (Sec. 731) Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of the effectiveness of self-administered surveys included in predeployment and postdeployment medical exams of members of the Armed Forces that are carried out as part of the DOD medical tracking system for members deployed overseas; and (2) report to the defense committees on the study. (Sec. 732) Requires annual (currently, periodic) physical examinations and documentation to the Secretary concerned of the medical and dental readiness of members of the Selected Reserve not on active duty. (Sec. 733) Requires a report from the Secretary to the defense and appropriations committees on the delivery of health care benefits through the military health care system. (Sec. 734) Directs the CG to conduct studies of the effectiveness of: (1) current differential payments to children's hospitals for health care services for severely ill dependent children of members under the TRICARE program in achieving adequate health care services for such children; and (2) the TRICARE program in achieving adequate access to high quality obstetrical care services for family members of military personnel. Requires: (1) the CG to report to the Secretary and the defense and appropriations committees on each study; and (2) the Secretary to transmit to such committees proposals for legislative or administrative action to implement modifications suggested by such studies. (Sec. 735) Requires a report from the Secretary to specified congressional committees on the Department of Defense AHLTA global electronic health record system. (Sec. 736) Directs the CG to: (1) conduct a study of the Vaccine Healthcare Centers operated by DOD in support of medical needs arising from mandatory military vaccinations; and (2) report findings and recommendations to Congress. (Sec. 737) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the defense and appropriations committees on adverse health events that may be associated with the use of anti-malarial drugs, including mefloquine. (Sec. 738) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of the Reserve dental insurance program; and (2) report to the defense and appropriations committees on the study. (Sec. 739) Directs the Secretary to evaluate the feasibility and cost effectiveness of conducting a demonstration project to determine whether applying certain managed care methods under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act would improve the quality of care, realize cost savings to DOD, and improve beneficiary satisfaction for DOD beneficiaries who are also entitled to Medicare health care. Requires: (1) the Secretary, if the project is determined feasible, to develop a plan to carry out the project; and (2) a project and plan report from the Secretary to the defense committees. (Sec. 740) Authorizes the Secretary to conduct pilot projects to assess the feasibility, advisability, and utility of encouraging pediatric early literacy among the children of military personnel. Requires a report from the Secretary to the defense committees on projects conducted. Subtitle E: Other Matters - (Sec. 741) Amends the Spence Act to authorize the Patient Safety Center to be relocated to a place other than within the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. Renames the MedTeams Program as Medical Team Training. (Sec. 742) Revises health care quality information and technology reporting requirements under the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2000. (Sec. 743) Authorizes military health care benefits in advance of the active-duty reporting date for Senior ROTC graduates who have been commissioned and have received orders for active duty. (Sec. 744) Prohibits a department Secretary from converting any military medical or dental position to a civilian medical or dental position until the Secretary submits to the defense committees a certification that the conversion will not increase cost or decrease quality of or access to health care. Directs the CG to study the effect of such conversions on the defense health program, and to report study results to the defense committees. (Sec. 745) Amends the Reagan Act to state that references in such Act to medical readiness, health status, and health care includes dental readiness, dental status, and dental care. (Sec. 746) Directs the Secretary of the Navy to conduct an outreach program to contact as many members and former members as possible who, in connection with service aboard Navy ships, may have been exposed to aerosolized particles resulting from the removal of nonskid coating used on such ships. Requires such Secretary to begin the outreach program within six months after the enactment of this Act and to report on program results. (Sec. 747) Repeals the requirement for CG reviews of certain DOD-Department of Veterans Affairs projects on the sharing of health care resources. (Sec. 748) Directs the Secretary to report to the defense committees on DOD efforts to prepare for pandemic influenza, including pandemic avian influenza. (Sec. 749) Directs the Secretary to ensure that appropriate action is taken to assist a member who, as a result of a medical examination, receives a referral for follow-up treatment. (Sec. 750) Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish DOD policy on the role of military medical and behavioral science personnel in the interrogation of persons detained by the Armed Forces; and (2) report to the defense and appropriations committees on the policy established. Title VIII: Acquisition Policy, Acquisition Management, and Related Matters - Subtitle A: Provisions Relating to Major Defense Acquisition Programs - (Sec. 801) Prohibits a major defense acquisition program (MDAP) from receiving Milestone B approval, or Key Decision Point B approval in the case of a space program, until the Secretary makes specified certifications with respect to the technology testing, mission requirements, and affordability of the MDAP. Requires the MDAP certification to be submitted to the defense and appropriations committees. Authorizes the Secretary to waive MDAP certification requirements when, but for such waiver, DOD would be unable to meet national security objectives. (Sec. 802) Defines the terms "significant cost growth threshold" and "critical cost growth threshold" as they relate to baseline cost estimates for MDAPs. Incorporates such thresholds into MDAP unit cost report and related requirements. Adds the term "original baseline estimate" with respect to MDAPs. Requires that, in the event of an adjustment or revision of the original baseline description of an MDAP, the Secretary shall include in the next Selected Acquisition Report a notification to the defense and appropriations committees of such adjustment or revision, together with the reasons therefor. (Sec. 803) Allows a DOD major weapon system to be treated as a commercial item, or purchased under commercial item procedures, only if: (1) the Secretary determines that the major weapon system is a commercial item as defined under federal law; (2) such treatment is necessary to meet national security objectives; and (3) the defense and appropriations committees are notified at least 30 days before such treatment or purchase occurs. (Sec. 804) Directs the Secretary to report to the defense and appropriations committees on: (1) the acquisition status of each MDAP whose program acquisition or procurement unit cost has exceeded by more than 50 percent the original baseline projection for such unit cost; and (2) the use of lead system integrators for the DOD acquisition of major systems. (Sec. 806) Requires the Secretary to notify the defense and appropriations committees at least 60 days before canceling a major automated information system program that has been fielded or approved to be fielded, or making a change that will significantly reduce the scope of ... [summary shortened here: the full Congressional Research Service summary is 162,581 characters; read it at congress.gov]

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Sponsor: Rep. Hunter, Duncan [R-CA-52] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 1815, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (2005-05-23); CBO cost estimate: H.R. 1815, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (2005-05-23); CBO cost estimate: H.R. 1815, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (2006-01-18); CBO cost estimate: H.R. 1815, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (2006-01-18)

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Recorded votes

• House roll call 214 (2005): On Agreeing to the Amendment, HR1815 (2005-05-25): Agreed to
• House roll call 215 (2005): On Agreeing to the Amendment, HR1815 (2005-05-25): Agreed to
• House roll call 216 (2005): On Agreeing to the Amendment, HR1815 (2005-05-25): Failed
• House roll call 217 (2005): On Agreeing to the Amendment, HR1815 (2005-05-25): Agreed to
• House roll call 218 (2005): On Agreeing to the Amendment, HR1815 (2005-05-25): Agreed to
• House roll call 219 (2005): On Agreeing to the Amendment, HR1815 (2005-05-25): Failed
• House roll call 220 (2005): On Agreeing to the Amendment, HR1815 (2005-05-25): Failed
• House roll call 221 (2005): On Motion to Recommit with Instructions, HR1815 (2005-05-25): Failed
• House roll call 222 (2005): On Passage, HR1815 (2005-05-25): Passed
• House roll call 642 (2005): On Closing Portions of the Conference, HR1815 (2005-12-16): Passed
• House roll call 643 (2005): On Motion to Instruct Conferees, HR1815 (2005-12-16): Passed
• House roll call 665 (2005): On Agreeing to the Conference Report, HR1815 (2005-12-19): Passed
• Senate vote 360 (2005): On the Motion to Proceed, HR1815 (2005-12-19): Motion to Proceed Agreed to

Sources

• Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law)
• Congress.gov
• Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-109hr1815.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/109/hr>

Record fed-us-cong109-hr1815 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong109 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong109