LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR RETIREMENT OF HOSPITAL SHIPS.

SEC. 1017. LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR RETIREMENT OF HOSPITAL SHIPS. (a) Limitation.—Except as provided in subsection (b), none of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2019 for the Navy may be obligated or expended to retire, prepare to retire, transfer, or place in storage any hospital ship. (b) Waiver.—The Secretary of the Navy may waive the limitation in subsection (a) with respect to a hospital ship if the Secretary certifies to the congressional defense committees that the Secretary has— (1) identified a replacement capability, and the necessary quantity of systems, to meet all hospital ship requirements of the combatant commands that are currently being met by such hospital ship; (2) achieved initial operational capability of all systems described in paragraph (1); and (3) deployed a sufficient quantity of systems described in paragraph (1) that have achieved initial operational capability in order to continue to meet or exceed all requirements of the combatant commands that are currently being met by such hospital ship.