[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 5, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S4942]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 774. Ms. BALDWIN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
her to the bill H.R. 2810, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2018 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
SEC. ____. REPORT ON THE GLOBAL FOOD SYSTEM AND
VULNERABILITIES RELEVANT TO DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE MISSIONS.
(a) Report Required.--Not later than one year after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense
shall, in consultation with the heads of such components of
the Department of Defense as the Secretary considers
appropriate, submit to the congressional defense committees
an assessment of Department of Defense policies and
operational plans for addressing the national security
implications of global food system vulnerabilities.
(b) Contents.--The report required by subsection (a) shall
include, at a minimum, the following:
(1) An evaluation of vulnerabilities in the global food
system that may affect the national security of the United
States and the Department of Defense roles, missions, and
capabilities in addressing such vulnerabilities, including
information technology, data management, and surveillance
capabilities for detection and assessment of food system
shocks with the potential to result in the deployment of the
Armed Forces or directly affect bilateral security interests
with allies or partners.
(2) A characterization of how Department of Defense
strategy, policies, and plans, including the Unified Command
Plan, defense planning scenarios, operational plans, theater
cooperation plans, and other relevant planning documents and
procedures, account for food system vulnerabilities as
precursors to and components of protracted major state
conflicts, civil wars, insurgencies, or terrorism.
(3) An evaluation of United States interests, including the
interests of allies and strategic partners, and potential
United States military operations, including thresholds for
ordering such operations, in regions where food system
instability represents an urgent and growing threat,
including due to the presence of destabilizing non-state
actors who may weaponize access to food.
(4) An identification of opportunities to initiate or
further develop cooperative military to military
relationships to build partner capacity to avoid, minimize,
or control global and regional food system shocks.
______