MODIFICATION OF PROHIBITION ON RETIREMENT OF F-15E AIRCRAFT.

SEC. 142. MODIFICATION OF PROHIBITION ON RETIREMENT OF F-15E AIRCRAFT. (a) In General.—Subsection (l) of section 9062 of title 10, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: “(l)(1) During the covered period, the Secretary of the Air Force may not retire more than a total of 51 F-15E aircraft as follows: “(A) From the beginning of the covered period through the end of fiscal year 2026, the Secretary may not retire any F-15E aircraft. “(B) In fiscal year 2027, the Secretary may not retire more than 21 F-15E aircraft. “(C) In fiscal year 2028, the Secretary may not retire more than 30 F-15E aircraft. “(2) During the covered period the Secretary of the Air Force may not— “(A) reduce funding for unit personnel or weapon system sustainment activities for retained F-15E aircraft in a manner that presumes future congressional authority to divest such aircraft; or “(B) keep an F-15E aircraft (other than an aircraft identified for retirement under paragraph (1)) in a status considered excess to the requirements of the possessing command and awaiting disposition instructions (commonly referred to as ‘XJ’ status). “(3) In this subsection, the term ‘covered period’ means the period beginning on the date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 and ending on September 30, 2030.” . (b) Repeal.—Section 150 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118-159; 138 Stat. 1812) is amended— (1) in the section heading, by striking “prohibition on retirement of f-15e aircraft and”; (2) by striking subsection (a); and (3) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as subsections (a) and (b), respectively.