Indo-Pacific Regional Sustainment Framework

(a) Establishment Using lessons learned from the demonstration program carried out under section 842 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (10 U.S.C. 2341 note), the Secretary of Defense shall establish and maintain a regional sustainment framework in the area of responsibility of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, to be known as the Indo-Pacific Regional Sustainment Framework (referred to in this section as the Framework), to foster co-sustainment efforts focused on providing the logistics support, sustainment activities, and personnel services necessary to maintain defense platforms, systems, subsystems, and components. (b) Purposes The purposes of the Framework shall be— (1) to mitigate the risks associated with operations in a contested logistics environment; (2) to ensure military readiness and lethality; (3) to reduce strategic lift requirements; (4) to leverage the industrial base capabilities of allies and partners, including through co-sustainment and co-production relationships; (5) to collectively leverage the industrial base capabilities of the United States and its allies and partners to forge agreements, align logistics priorities, exchange best practices, strengthen supply chain resilience, and expand the defense industrial base through co-sustainment relationships, including through key bilateral and multilateral forums such as the Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience and the Five-Eyes Joint Sustainment & Supply Chain Forum; (6) to provide the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command with a range of flexible and pre-arranged options to meet in-theater sustainment requirements; (7) to integrate with and leverage regional sustainment frameworks and capabilities in other geographic combatant commands to support greater integration of global co-sustainment activities; and (8) to provide an integrated, responsive, and comprehensive forward sustainment capability that addresses critical gaps in force readiness. (c) Advance planning and preparation (1) In general As part of the Framework, the Secretary may establish product support arrangements with a covered product support provider to enable a rapid response in a contingency operation (as defined in section 101(a) of title 10, United States Code) to the product support requirements of such contingency operation. (2) Inclusion Such arrangement may include agreements with covered countries for maintenance, pre-positioning, storage of materials, or distribution. (d) Authorities In establishing and maintaining the Framework, the Secretary may use, in accordance with section 3 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2753), the authorities under sections 2342, 2474, 3601, 4021, and 4022 of title 10, United States Code. (e) Development and promulgation of Department of Defense guidance (1) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue guidance implementing the Framework. (2) Elements The guidance required by paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, provisions that require— (A) the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, in coordination with the Service Acquisition Executives and Life Cycle Managers, to develop and maintain a list of available regional sustainment capabilities as a reference catalog for product support opportunities, including a range of flexible and pre-arranged options for product support arrangements to meet in-theater sustainment requirements; (B) the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, in coordination with the applicable service component commands, to identify a prioritized list of requirements for in-theater sustainment of platforms, information and communication systems, subsystems, or components; (C) the Secretary of each military department to identify and prioritize projects to address such requirements, including with respect to the certification of repair processes, intermediate testing capabilities, and vendors; and (D) the integration of explosives safety and risk management principles for all activities relating to munitions sustainment. (f) Report Not later than March 1, 2028, and annually thereafter through 2031, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report that includes— (1) any recommendations for additional resources or new authorities necessary for achieving the purposes under subsection (b) for the Framework or regional sustainment frameworks in the areas of responsibility of other combatant commands; (2) an assessment of the feasibility and advisability of establishing, or a description of progress in developing, regional sustainment hubs in covered countries to enhance forward readiness and coalition interoperability, including reviews of agreements and product support integration within the Framework to ensure effective long-term sustainment; (3) an assessment of the extent to which the options within the reference catalog developed under subsection (e)(2)(A) are being used; and (4) an assessment of measurable improvements in readiness for priority weapons and platforms resulting from the Framework. (g) Definitions In this section: (1) Contested logistics environment The term contested logistics environment has the meaning given such term in section 2926(h) of title 10, United States Code. (2) Covered country The term covered country means— (A) the Republic of Korea; (B) Japan; (C) Australia; (D) New Zealand; (E) the Philippines; (F) Singapore; (G) the United Kingdom; (H) Canada; and (I) any other country designated by the Secretary for purposes of the Framework. (3) Covered product support provider The term covered product support provider means— (A) a product support provider that includes an entity within the government of a covered country; (B) a private sector product support provider; and (C) a product support integrator domiciled in the United States or a covered country. (4) Product support; product support integrator; product support provider The terms product support, product support integrator, and product support provider have the meanings given such terms in section 4324(d) of title 10, United States Code. (5) Product support arrangement (A) In general The term product support arrangement means a contract, task order, or any other type of agreement or arrangement, between the United States and a covered product support provider, for the performance of the functions described in subparagraph (B) with respect to— (i) a platform or information system operated by the United States and the covered country of such covered product support provider; (ii) a subsystem or components of such a platform or information system; or (iii) maintenance, pre-positioning, storage of materials, or distribution. (B) Functions described The functions described in this subparagraph, with respect to a platform, information system, subsystem, or component described in subparagraph (A), are the following: (i) Performance-based logistics. (ii) Sustainment support. (iii) Contractor logistics support. (iv) Life-cycle product support. (v) Weapon system product support.