DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NATIONAL STRATEGIC PORTS STUDY AND COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDIES AND REPORTS ON STRATEGIC PORTS.

SEC. 413. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NATIONAL STRATEGIC PORTS STUDY AND COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDIES AND REPORTS ON STRATEGIC PORTS. (a) Sense of Congress on Completion of DOD Report.—It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense should expedite completion of the study of strategic ports in the United States called for in the conference report to accompany the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Conference Report 112-329) so that it can be submitted to Congress before July 1, 2013. (b) Submission of Report to Comptroller General.—In addition to submitting the report referred to in subsection (a) to Congress, the Secretary of Defense shall submit the report to the Comptroller General of the United States for consideration under subsection (c). (c) Comptroller General Studies and Reports on Strategic Ports.— (1) Comptroller general review.—Not later than 90 days after receipt of the report referred to in subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall conduct an assessment of the report and submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate a report of such assessment. (2) Comptroller general study and report.—Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall conduct a study of the Department of Defense’s programs and efforts related to the state of strategic ports with respect to the Department’s operational and readiness requirements, and report to the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate on the findings of such study. The report may include an assessment of— (A) the extent to which the facilities at strategic ports meet the Department of Defense’s requirements; (B) the extent to which the Department has identified gaps in the ability of existing strategic ports to meet its needs and identified and undertaken efforts to address any gaps; and (C) the Department’s ability to oversee, coordinate, and provide security for military deployments through strategic ports. (d) Strategic Port Defined.—In this section, the term “strategic port” means a United States port designated by the Secretary of Defense as a significant transportation hub important to the readiness and cargo throughput capacity of the Department of Defense.