[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 99 (Thursday, June 13, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S3506]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 471. Mr. BRAUN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 1790, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2020 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 end of subtitle C of title V, add the following:

     SEC. 520. PREFERENCE IN PROMOTION AND RETENTION OF MEMBERS OF 
                   THE ARMED FORCES FOR EXPERIENCE CREDITABLE 
                   TOWARD A CAMPAIGN, COMBAT, OR VALOR AWARD.

       (a) Preference in Promotion of Officers.--
       (1) Authority for promotion boards to assign preference.--
     Section 616 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by 
     adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(h)(1) In selecting the officers to be recommended for 
     promotion, a selection board may, when authorized by the 
     Secretary of the military department concerned, assign such 
     preference in placement on the promotion list promulgated by 
     the Secretary under section 624(a)(1) of this title to 
     officers who have operational experience as the board 
     considers appropriate in accordance with the guidance issued 
     pursuant to paragraph (3).
       ``(2) In this subsection, the term `operational 
     experience', in the case of an officer, means service of the 
     officer that is creditable toward the award of a campaign, 
     combat, or valor medal, ribbon, or device.
       ``(3) Each Secretary of a military department shall issue 
     guidance for the administration of this subsection by 
     selection boards under the jurisdiction of such Secretary. 
     The guidance shall specify the extent of the preference to be 
     assigned an officer for particular periods of operational 
     experience, and shall provide that an officer shall be 
     assigned one month of operational experience for each month 
     in which the officer performs any service constituting 
     operational experience.''.
       (2) Appearance on promotion lists.--Section 624(a)(1) of 
     such title is amended by inserting ``, except such officers 
     who were approved by the President and recommended by the 
     board to be assigned preference of placement on the promotion 
     list under section 616(h) of this title as these officers 
     shall be placed on the promotion list in accordance with the 
     preference so assigned by the board'' after ``officers on the 
     active-duty list''.
       (b) Preference in Retention of Officers.--Each Secretary of 
     a miliary department shall issue guidance under which 
     officers (other than warrant officers) of each Armed Force 
     under the jurisdiction of such Secretary are afforded such 
     preference in retention in such Armed Force for operational 
     experience as such Secretary shall specify in such guidance.
       (c) Preference in Retention and Promotion of Warrant 
     Officers and Enlisted Members.--
       (1) In general.--Each Secretary of a miliary department 
     shall issue guidance under which members of each Armed Force 
     under the jurisdiction of such Secretary described in 
     paragraph (2) are afforded such preference in retention and 
     promotion in such Armed Force for operational experience as 
     such Secretary shall specify in such guidance.
       (2) Covered members.--The members of the Armed Forces 
     described in this paragraph are the following:
       (A) Warrant officers.
       (B) Enlisted members.
       (d) Guidance.--Each Secretary of a military department 
     shall issue the guidance required by this section, including 
     the guidance required for purposes of subsection (h)(3) of 
     section 616 of title 10, United States Code (as added by 
     subsection (a)(1)), not later than 60 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act. The guidance shall specify the 
     extent of the preference to be assigned or afforded a member 
     in retention or promotion for particular periods of 
     operational experience, and shall provide that a member shall 
     be assigned or afforded one month of operational experience 
     for each month in which the member performs any service 
     constituting operational experience. The guidance may specify 
     different preference for members for particular experience 
     based on grade, and different preference for different 
     categories of experience.
       (e) Operational Experience.--In this section, the term 
     ``operational experience'', in the case of a member of the 
     Armed Forces, means service of the member that is creditable 
     toward the award of a campaign, combat, or valor medal, 
     ribbon, or device.
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