Universal guidance on remote and isolated installation designations

(a) Universal guidance required (1) In general Not later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall issue guidance applicable to all military departments establishing a standardized definition and tiered classification system for determining the remote and isolated designation status of military installations for the purposes of Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) and resale, workforce shortages, providing critical services to members and families, and infrastructure The guidance shall— (A) supersede any conflicting definitions, criteria, or designations issued by individual military departments with respect to remote and isolated status, except as otherwise provided in subsection (c); (B) apply uniformly across all branches of the Armed Forces and all military departments; (C) align with and support the program eligibility determinations, MWR program category assignments, and NAF activity entitlements established under Department of Defense Instruction 1015.10 (Military Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Programs and Nonappropriated Fund Instrumentalities) and Department of Defense Instruction 1015.18 (Nonappropriated Fund Instrumentality Procurement Policy); and (D) establish a tiered system of remote and isolated designations as provided in subsection (b). (2) Consolidation of DoDI 1015.10 and DoDI 1015.18 with new guidance In developing the guidance required under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense shall ensure that— (A) each tier classification established under subsection (b) directly corresponds to specific MWR program categories and funding levels authorized under DoDI 1015.10, such that installations within a given tier are assigned MWR program categories commensurate with their degree of isolation; (B) the guidance clarifies and reconciles any inconsistencies between current remote and isolated designations used by the military departments and the location category definitions employed by DoDI 1015.10 in determining appropriated fund support levels; (C) procurement authorizations for nonappropriated fund instrumentalities (NAF) at remote and isolated installations under DoDI 1015.18 are calibrated to reflect the tier designation of such installations, with higher-tier installations receiving proportionally greater procurement flexibility; and (D) any future revisions to DoDI 1015.10 or DoDI 1015.18 are reviewed for consistency with the universal guidance required by this section within 180 days of such revision, and updated as necessary to maintain alignment. (3) Consultation In developing the guidance required under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense shall consult with— (A) the Secretaries of the military departments; (B) the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; (C) the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness; and (D) the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. (b) Tiered classification system (1) In general The guidance issued pursuant to subsection (a) shall establish a tiered system for classifying military installations by degree of remoteness and isolation. The Secretary shall designate not fewer than three and not more than five tiers. In developing the tier criteria, the Secretary shall consider, at a minimum, the following factors: (A) Whether the installation is located CONUS or OCONUS, as defined in subsection (f), recognizing that OCONUS installations generally face a broader range of access limitations that may not be captured by proximity or distance metrics alone. (B) Commissary availability and off-base subsistence access, including— (i) the distance and travel time to the nearest on-installation commissary, off-installation grocery store, or supermarket equivalent; (ii) the hours of operation of such facilities; (iii) price competitiveness relative to standard retail markets; and (iv) the variety and adequacy of available goods to support servicemember and family dietary needs. (C) Childcare and school availability, including— (i) the capacity and waitlist status of on-installation childcare facilities and Child Development Centers; (ii) the availability and quality of off-installation licensed childcare providers; and (iii) the availability, quality, and accreditation status of kindergarten through grade 12 educational institutions both on-installation and in the surrounding community, including Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) Schools, local public schools, and private or charter school options. (D) Housing availability, including— (i) the quantity, quality, and vacancy rate of on-installation government quarters; (ii) the availability and affordability of off-installation rental and for-purchase housing in the surrounding community; (iii) the adequacy of the applicable Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rate relative to local housing market conditions; and (iv) the availability of accessible housing for servicemembers with special needs or larger family sizes. (E) Commute distance and time associated with housing availability, including— (i) the average driving distance and travel time between available off-installation housing and the installation gate; (ii) the availability and reliability of public transportation options; (iii) road infrastructure quality and seasonal road conditions; and (iv) the degree to which limited off-installation housing inventory forces servicemembers and families to reside at distances that impose an unreasonable commute burden. (F) Healthcare availability, including— (i) the capacity and scope of services offered by the on-installation military treatment facility, if any; (ii) the distance to the nearest off-installation civilian hospital, including consideration if care is only available in a neighboring country, and whether these facilities have emergency and trauma services, urgent care facility, and primary care provider accepting TRICARE and civilian healthcare insurance like the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan; (iii) the availability of specialty care including pediatric, mental health, obstetric, and dental services both on and off installation; and (iv) appointment wait times relative to community standards. (G) Fitness center and recreational facility availability, including— (i) the presence, capacity, quality, and hours of operation of on-installation fitness centers, gymnasiums, aquatic facilities, and outdoor recreation areas; (ii) the extent to which servicemembers and families must rely exclusively on on-installation fitness resources due to the absence or inadequacy of off-installation commercial fitness and recreational options; and (iii) the condition and modernization status of on-installation MWR facilities. (H) Regional employment rate and military spouse employment opportunities, including— (i) the unemployment rate in the surrounding labor market area; (ii) the availability of career-level civilian employment opportunities accessible to military spouses within a reasonable commute distance; (iii) the presence of industries or employers known to be military-spouse-friendly; (iv) access to higher education and vocational training programs; and (v) the availability of remote or telework employment options given existing telecommunications infrastructure at the installation location. (I) Physical accessibility of the installation, including road conditions, distance from the nearest population center, presence of geographic barriers such as mountains, bodies of water, or desert terrain, and seasonal inaccessibility due to weather or environmental conditions. (J) Access to commercial air transportation, including the distance to the nearest commercial airport, frequency of commercial air service, and availability of reasonable airfares. (K) The cost-of-living differential between the installation location and relevant baseline comparators, including the availability and cost of off-installation housing. (L) For OCONUS installations, host nation restrictions on the movement of servicemembers and their families, status of forces agreement limitations, force protection and travel restrictions, foreign language or cultural barriers affecting access to community services, and the operational posture of the installation. (M) Emergency services, including— (i) access to critical emergency services, including the availability, response time, and operational capacity of emergency medical services, fire and rescue services, law enforcement support, emergency evacuation capabilities, disaster response infrastructure, and mutual aid agreements with surrounding civilian jurisdictions; (ii) the reliability of emergency communications systems; (iii) the extent to which geographic isolation, weather conditions, or transportation limitations impede timely access to emergency assistance for servicemembers and their families. (2) Scoring methodology and appeals In assigning a tier designation to an installation, the Secretary shall develop and apply a standardized scoring methodology that— (A) weights the factors described in paragraph (1) and any additional factors the Secretary deems appropriate on a consistent basis across all military departments; (B) distinguishes between CONUS and OCONUS installations with separate scoring criteria reflective of the unique circumstances of each category; (C) permits periodic re-evaluation of an installation's tier designation upon a significant change in circumstances, including changes to base population, infrastructure, or surrounding community development; (D) includes a formal appeals process by which a Secretary of a military department or an installation commander may request re-evaluation of a tier designation, with a decision required not later than 180 days after submission of such request; (E) incorporates both quantitative and qualitative measures, including servicemember and military family quality-of-life indicators, workforce vacancy rates, spouse employment outcomes, childcare wait times, healthcare appointment availability, and access to emergency services; and (F) accounts for cumulative effects of multiple access limitations, such that installations experiencing deficiencies across several categories may receive a higher tier designation notwithstanding moderate scores in any individual category. (c) Preservation of existing designations (1) Continuation of existing designations Notwithstanding subsection (a)(1)(A), all military installations that have been designated as remote and isolated by any military department as of the date of the enactment of this Act shall retain their remote and isolated designation until the date that is 12 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, at which time the Secretary of Defense shall publish a new and comprehensive list of installations designated as remote and isolated under the tiered classification system established pursuant to subsection (b). (2) Effect on programs and entitlements During the period in which existing designations are preserved under paragraph (1), servicemembers assigned to installations with an existing remote and isolated designation shall continue to receive all programs, entitlements, and MWR support authorized under such designation. No servicemember or dependent shall lose access to any program solely as a result of the transition to the tiered classification system prior to the publication of the new list required by paragraph (1). (3) New list publication The new list published pursuant to paragraph (1) shall— (A) include each military installation designated as remote and isolated, organized by tier designation under the tiered classification system; (B) identify any installation that held a remote and isolated designation under prior military department criteria that is not included in the new list, together with a written justification for the removal of such designation; and (C) be published in a manner accessible to all servicemembers, Department of Defense employees, and the general public. (d) Congressional reporting and notification requirements (1) Initial consolidated list Not later than 60 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 consolidated list of all military installations currently designated as remote and isolated by each military department. The list shall— (A) identify each installation by name, location, and military department; (B) identify the criteria applied by each military department to designate such installations as remote and isolated as of the date of submission; (C) note the approximate date each installation received its current remote and isolated designation; and (D) identify any installations for which remote and isolated status is in dispute or under review by a military department as of the date of submission. (2) Pre-publication congressional briefing Not later than 30 days before publishing the new and comprehensive list of remote and isolated installations required under subsection (c)(1), the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a briefing on the updated list. The briefing shall include— (A) a complete draft of the proposed new list, organized by tier designation; (B) an explanation of the scoring methodology and weighting criteria applied under the tiered classification system to assign tier designations to each installation; (C) a comparison of the proposed new list to the consolidated list submitted under paragraph (1), identifying installations added to, removed from, or reclassified on the updated list, and the rationale for each such change; (D) an assessment of the anticipated effects of the new designations on MWR program categories, appropriated fund support levels, and NAF entitlements under DoDI 1015.10 and DoDI 1015.18; and (E) a summary of any formal requests for re-designation received during the development of the new list and the disposition of each such request. (3) Subsequent updates Following publication of the initial list under subsection (c)(1), the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives an updated list not less frequently than every three years, or within 180 days of any significant revision to the universal guidance issued under subsection (a). Such updated list shall include the same information required under paragraph (2) of this subsection with respect to any changes from the prior list. (e) Periodic review and updating of guidance The Secretary of Defense shall review the universal guidance issued pursuant to subsection (a), including the tiered classification system, not less frequently than once every three years. Such review shall consider— (1) changes in population, infrastructure, or community development in the vicinity of designated installations; (2) feedback from installation commanders, servicemember surveys, and military family organizations; (3) revisions to applicable Department of Defense Instructions or policy directives; and (4) any significant changes to the global basing posture or force structure of the Armed Forces that may affect the remote and isolated status of installations. (f) Rule of construction Nothing in this section shall be construed to— (1) limit the authority of the Secretary of Defense to designate additional installations as remote and isolated beyond those identified under the tiered classification system where warranted by unique operational, environmental, or mission requirements; (2) limit the authority of the Secretary of Defense to revise DoDI 1015.10 or DoDI 1015.18 in accordance with applicable law; or (3) require the disclosure of any classified information with respect to installations or operations in submitting reports, lists, or briefings required under this section. (g) Definitions In this section: (1) CONUS The term CONUS means the continental United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. (2) Community support access The term community support access means the availability, within reasonable proximity of an installation, of commercial retail establishments, medical and dental care providers, recreational and entertainment venues, educational institutions, and other community services routinely used by servicemembers and their families. (3) Military department The term military department has the meaning given that term in section 101(a)(8) of title 10, United States Code. (4) Military installation The term military installation has the meaning given that term in section 2801(c)(4) of title 10, United States Code. (5) OCONUS The term OCONUS means outside the continental United States, including Alaska, Hawaii, United States territories, and all foreign countries. (6) Off-base subsistence access The term off-base subsistence access means the availability of grocery stores, commissary equivalents, restaurants, and other food retail establishments accessible to servicemembers and their dependents without undue burden.