Transparency and strategic planning for housing

(a) In general The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that any enhanced-use lease executed, extended, or renewed under section 2662 or 2667 of title 10, United States Code, for the purpose of housing shall consider the following: (1) A range of total housing units required to accommodate sudden or phased influxes of personnel within a defined operational range, including— (A) targeted projections for incoming members of the Armed Forces, civilian employees of the Department of Defense, and dependents of such members and employees; and (B) a timeline of anticipated infrastructure and capacity needs. (2) A formalized schedule of community engagement events, such as industry days or roundtables, which may be held in person or virtually, to solicit community and vendor input. (3) The identification and maintenance of a designated local representative point of contact located within the affected geographic area who can be directly reached by local stakeholders. (b) Briefing required (1) In general Not later than February 1, 2027, the Secretary of Defense shall provide a briefing to the congressional defense committees on the plan of the Department of Defense to ensure adequate housing is available in geographic locations where the area cost factor is at least 1.5. (2) Elements The briefing required by paragraph (1) shall include the following: (A) A summary of current area cost factors and a comparative analysis of infrastructure premiums paid to the specific locality versus other regional baselines. (B) An assessment of the utilization by the Department of Defense of enhanced-use lease authorities under sections 2662 and 2667 of title 10, United States Code, including specific tracking of how such leases are leveraged for dual-use infrastructure that serves both military and community housing needs. (C) An overview of local construction workforce utilization and market availability in affected regions. (D) An assessment of potential alternative acquisition strategies, including the consolidation of infrastructure requirements, designed to incentivize broader contractor competition, leverage economies of scale, and meet critical production timelines of the Department of Defense.