Reserve mobilization exercise

(a) Indo-pacific mobilization and readiness study required Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command, shall conduct a comprehensive joint mobilization and sustainment readiness study (modeled on the 1978 Nifty Nugget exercise) to assess the capability of the Armed Forces to respond to a high-intensity contingency in the Indo-Pacific region. (b) Elements of the study The study required under subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) An assessment of the ability to rapidly mobilize, deploy, and sustain active and reserve component forces in response to a conflict scenario involving the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea, or similar Indo-Pacific flashpoint. (2) An evaluation of strategic lift and sustainment capabilities across military departments, including maritime sealift, airlift, rail, road networks, and prepositioned stocks. (3) Identification of critical logistics vulnerabilities, mobilization bottlenecks, and command and control challenges. (4) Analysis of interagency coordination procedures and integration with civilian emergency support capabilities. (5) An evaluation of joint and allied interoperability, with particular attention to coordination mechanisms with Japan, Australia, the Philippines, and Taiwan. (c) Civilian skills inventory of the reserve component The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, shall conduct a civilian skills inventory of the Reserve Components of the Armed Forces to identify and assess the non-military qualifications and talents of reservists, including— (1) foreign language proficiency and cultural expertise; (2) advanced academic credentials, including master’s degrees, doctoral degrees, and scientific research experience; (3) industrial and technical skills, including cybersecurity, software development, engineering, logistics, manufacturing, and data science; (4) critical infrastructure and emergency response expertise; and (5) private-sector leadership and innovation experience relevant to defense mobilization and sustainment. (d) Reporting requirements Not later than one year after the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report that includes— (1) the results, findings, and recommendations of the Indo-Pacific mobilization and readiness study required under subsection (a); (2) a summary of the civilian skills inventory of the Reserve Component, including recommendations for how such skills can be leveraged to support contingency planning, civil-military integration, and surge operations; (3) a comparative analysis of best practices by each Armed Force with respect to— (A) mobilizing Reserve Component forces for wartime or emergency augmentation; (B) identifying, tracking, and utilizing civilian-acquired skills of reservists; and (C) executing logistical lift and sustainment operations, including Navy-led maritime port operations, Army-managed rail and overland transport, Air Force strategic airlift capacity, and Marine Corps expeditionary logistics; and (4) an estimate of— (A) the number of Reserve Component personnel likely to be available and required to reinforce forward-deployed active duty units during the first 30, 60, and 90 days of a major Indo-Pacific contingency; and (B) the number of Reserve Component personnel required to support full-scale mobilization and logistics surge operations within the United States, including domestic transportation nodes, sustainment hubs, ports of embarkation, mobilization training centers, and other homeland support functions necessary to enable and sustain global operations.