ANNUAL DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CONVENTIONAL STAND-OFF WEAPONS MASTER PLAN AND REPORT ON STANDOFF MUNITIONS

SEC. 1641. ANNUAL DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CONVENTIONAL STAND-OFF WEAPONS MASTER PLAN AND REPORT ON STANDOFF MUNITIONS (a) Annual Submission of Master Plan for Joint Standoff Weapons.—Not later than March 31 of each year, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a plan (known as a “Department of Defense Conventional Standoff Weapons Master Plan”) for the development of standoff weapons which can adequately address the needs of more than one of the Armed Forces. Each such report shall include a description of all technology 103 STAT. 1614base projects that could contribute to the fielding of standoff weapons. (b) Unified Commanders Reports on Standoff Munitions.—(1) In the first report under subsection (a) submitted after the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall include the reports of the unified commanders submitted to the Secretary pursuant to paragraph (2). (2) The Secretary shall require the commander of each unified combatant command to submit to the Secretary a report on the results of the study conducted by the commander pursuant to subsection (c). Such reports shall be submitted to the Secretary at such time as specified by the Secretary so that they may be included in the report of the Secretary referred to in paragraph (1). (c) Study of Standoff Munitions by Commanders of Unified Combatant Commands.—The Secretary of Defense shall require the commander of each unified combatant command to conduct a study of the status of forces assigned to his command in terms of the standoff munitions available to those forces and the survivability of the launching platforms in the absence of standoff munitions. Each such study shall include the following: (1) The commander’s evaluation of the threat posed to combat aircraft under his command by potential enemy forces in his region of responsibility and the extent to which those aircraft are vulnerable to attack. (2) The commander’s evaluation of the current capabilities of those aircraft that are programmed to be assigned to the commander in the event of conflict in his region of responsibility to carry out standoff attacks. (3) The commander’s evaluation of the adequacy of the inventories of munitions in general, and of standoff munitions in particular, in the component forces that would be assigned to the commander in time of war. (4) The commander’s evaluation of the extent to which the survivability of combat aircraft is threatened by the absence of standoff munitions and a statement of the priority which the commander would give to providing standoff munitions for such aircraft to improve their survivability. (5) Identification of those standoff munitions programs the commander considers most promising for the improvement of the survivability of combat aircraft.