REPORT ON NAVY SURFACE SHIP ROTATIONAL CREW PROGRAMS.

SEC. 342. REPORT ON NAVY SURFACE SHIP ROTATIONAL CREW PROGRAMS.(a) Report Required.—Not later than April 1, 2007, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report on the ship rotational crew experiment referred to in subsection (c)(1). The report shall include the following:(1) A comparison between the three destroyers participating in that experiment and destroyers not participating in the experiment that takes into consideration each of the following:(A) Cost-effectiveness, including a comparison of travel and per diem expenses, maintenance costs, and other costs.(B) Maintenance procedures, impacts, and deficiencies, including the number and characterization of maintenance deficiencies, the extent of voyage repairs, post-deployment assessments of the material condition of the ships, and the extent to which work levels were maintained.(C) Mission training requirements.(D) Professional development requirements and opportunities.(E) Liberty port of call opportunities.(F) Movement and transportation of crew.(G) Inventory and property accountability.(H) Policies and procedures for assigning billets for rotating crews.(I) Crew retention statistics.(J) Readiness and mission capability data.(2) Results from surveys administered or focus groups held to obtain representative views from commanding officers, officers, and enlisted members on the effects of rotational crew experiments on quality of life, training, professional development, maintenance, mission effectiveness, and other issues.(3) The extent to which standard policies and procedures were developed and used for participating ships.(4) Lessons learned from the experiment.(5) An assessment from the combatant commanders on the crew mission performance when deployed.(6) An assessment from the commander of the Fleet Forces Command on the material condition, maintenance, and crew training of each participating ship.120 STAT. 2154(7) Any recommendations of the Secretary of the Navy with respect to the extension of the ship rotational crew experiment or the implementation of the experiment for other surface vessels.(b) Postponement of Implementation.—The Secretary of the Navy may not begin implementation of any new surface ship rotational crew experiment or program during the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on October 1, 2009.(c) Treatment of Existing Experiments.—(1) Destroyer experiment.—Not later than January 1, 2007, the Secretary of the Navy shall terminate the existing ship rotational crew experiment involving the U.S.S. Gonzalez (DDG–66), the U.S.S. Stout (DDG–55), and the U.S.S. Laboon (DDG–58) that is known as the “sea swap”.(2) Patrol coastal class ship experiment.—The Secretary of the Navy may continue the existing ship rotational crew program that is currently in use by overseas-based Patrol Coastal class ships.(3) Mine countermeasures ships.—The Secretary of the Navy may continue the existing ship rotational crew program that is currently in use by MCM and MHC ships.(4) Littoral combat ships.—The Secretary of the Navy may employ a two crew for one ship (commonly referred to as Blue-Gold) rotational crew program for the first two ships of each Littoral combat ship design (LCS 1–4).(d) Comptroller General Report.—Not later than July 15, 2007, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report on the ship rotational crew experiment referred to in subsection (c)(1). The report shall include the following:(1) A review of the report submitted by the Secretary of the Navy under subsection (a) and an assessment of the extent to which the Secretary fully addressed costs, quality of life, training, maintenance, and mission effectiveness, and other relevant issues in that report.(2) An assessment of the extent to which the Secretary established and applied a comprehensive framework for assessing the use of ship rotational crew experiments, including formal objectives, metrics, and methodology for assessing the cost-effectiveness of such experiments.(3) An assessment of the extent to which the Secretary established effective guidance for the use of ship rotational crew experiments.(4) Lessons learned from recent ship rotational crew experiments and an assessment of the extent to which the Navy systematically collects and shares lessons learned.(e) Congressional Budget Office Report.—Not later than July 15, 2007, the Director of the Congressional Budget Office shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report on the long-term implications of the use of crew rotation on Navy ships on the degree of forward presence provided by Navy ships. The report shall include the following:120 STAT. 2155(1) An analysis of different approaches to crew rotation and the degree of forward presence each approach would provide.(2) A comparison of the degree of forward presence provided by the fleet under the long-term shipbuilding plan of the Navy with and without the widespread use of crew rotation.(3) The long-term benefits and costs of using crew rotation on Navy ships.