ESTABLISHMENT OF DEFENSE MATERIEL READINESS BOARD.

SEC. 871. ESTABLISHMENT OF DEFENSE MATERIEL READINESS BOARD.(a) Establishment.—Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a Defense Materiel Readiness Board (in this subtitle referred to as the “Board”) within the Office of the Secretary of Defense.(b) Membership.—The Secretary shall appoint the chairman and the members of the Board from among officers of the Armed Forces with expertise in matters relevant to the function of the Board to assess materiel readiness and evaluate plans and policies relating to materiel readiness. At a minimum, the Board shall include representatives of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, each of the Armed Forces, and each of the reserve components of the Armed Forces.(c) Staff.—The Secretary of Defense shall assign staff, and request the Secretaries of the military departments to assign staff, as necessary to assist the Board in carrying out its duties.(d) Functions.—The Board shall provide independent assessments of materiel readiness, materiel readiness shortfalls, and materiel readiness plans to the Secretary of Defense and the Congress. To carry out such functions, the Board shall—(1) monitor and assess the materiel readiness of the Armed Forces;(2) assist the Secretary of Defense in the identification of deficiencies in the materiel readiness of the Armed Forces caused by shortfalls in weapons systems, equipment, and supplies;(3) identify shortfalls in materiel readiness, including critical materiel readiness shortfalls, for purposes of the Secretary’s designations under section 872 and the funding needed to address such shortfalls;(4) assess the adequacy of current Department of Defense plans, policies, and programs to address shortfalls in materiel readiness, including critical materiel readiness shortfalls (as designated by the Secretary under section 872), and to sustain and improve materiel readiness;(5) assist the Secretary of Defense in determining whether the industrial capacity of the Department of Defense and of the defense industrial base is being best utilized to support the materiel readiness needs of the Armed Forces;(6) review and assess Department of Defense systems for measuring the status of current materiel readiness of the Armed Forces; and(7) make recommendations with respect to materiel readiness funding, measurement techniques, plans, policies, and programs.(e) Reports.—The Board shall submit to the Secretary of Defense a report summarizing its findings and recommendations not less than once every six months. Within 30 days after receiving a report from the Board, the Secretary shall forward the report in its entirety, together with his comments, to the congressional defense committees. The report shall be submitted in unclassified 122 STAT. 261 form. To the extent necessary, the report may be accompanied by a classified annex.