OPERATIONAL READINESS OF LITTORAL COMBAT SHIPS ON EXTENDED DEPLOYMENT.

SEC. 1023. OPERATIONAL READINESS OF LITTORAL COMBAT SHIPS ON EXTENDED DEPLOYMENT. Section 7310(a) of title 10, United States Code, is amended— (1) by inserting “Under Jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Navy” in the subsection heading after “Vessels”; (2) by striking “A naval vessel (or any other vessel under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Navy)” and inserting “(1) A naval vessel”; and (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: “(2)(A) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) and subject to subparagraph (B), in the case of a naval vessel classified as a Littoral Combat Ship and operating on deployment, corrective and preventive maintenance or repair (whether intermediate or depot level) and facilities maintenance may be performed on the vessel— “(i) in a foreign shipyard; “(ii) at a facility outside of a foreign shipyard; or “(iii) at any other facility convenient to the vessel. “(B)(i) Corrective and preventive maintenance or repair may be performed on a vessel as described in subparagraph (A) if the work is performed by United States Government personnel or United States contractor personnel. “(ii) Facilities maintenance may be performed by a foreign contractor on a vessel as described in subparagraph (A) only as approved by the Secretary of the Navy. “(C) In this paragraph: “(i) The term ‘corrective and preventive maintenance or repair’ means— “(I) maintenance or repair actions performed as a result of a failure in order to return or restore equipment to acceptable performance levels; and “(II) scheduled maintenance or repair actions to prevent or discover functional failures. “(ii) The term ‘facilities maintenance’ means preservation or corrosion control efforts and cleaning services. “(D) This paragraph shall expire on September 30, 2020.” .