STRATEGY TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS.

SEC. 720. STRATEGY TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS. Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report that— (1) describes the shortage of mental health providers of the Department of Defense; (2) explains the reasons for such shortage; (3) explains the effect of such shortage on members of the Armed Forces; and (4) contains a strategy to better recruit and retain mental health providers, including with respect to psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health nurse practitioners, licensed social workers, and other licensed providers of the military health system, in a manner that addresses the need for cultural competence and diversity among such mental health providers.