Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga Forces Defense Act of 2023”.
Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga Forces Defense Act of 2023
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan to equip and train Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Plan to equip and train Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga forces
In general— Not later than February 1, 2024, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall develop a plan of action to equip and train Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga forces to defend against attack by missiles, rockets, and unmanned systems. The plan of action shall be based on and informed by the results of the report submitted by the Secretary of Defense pursuant to section 1237 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263; 136 Stat. 2839).
Matters— The plan under subsection (a) shall include the following:
The provision of available equipment to Iraq and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region to counter the air and missile threats addressed in the report, to include air defense systems, to counter attack by missiles, rockets, and unmanned systems.
The provision of appropriate training of Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga forces to support fielding and operational employment of the available equipment described in paragraph (1).
Implementation—
In general— Except as provided in paragraph (2), not later than 90 days after the date on which the Secretary of Defense develops the plan under subsection (a), the Secretary shall commence the implementation of such plan.
Waiver— The Secretary of Defense may delay implementation of the plan under subsection (a) if—
the Secretary determines such implementation would adversely impact United States stocks and military readiness;
the Secretary notifies the congressional defense committees of the proposed exercise of such waiver; and
a 10-day period has elapsed since such notification.
Continued congressional notification— If the Secretary of Defense exercises the waiver authority under paragraph (2), every 30 days during the period beginning on the date of the initial notification under paragraph (2)(B) and ending on the date on which the implementation of the plan under subsection (a) commences, the Secretary shall notify the congressional defense committees of the exercise of such authority.
Congressional briefing— Not later than July 1, 2024, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees a briefing on progress of the air defense equipping and training effort against the air and missile threat to Iraq, including in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
Congressional defense committees defined— In this section, the term “congressional defense committees” has the meaning given that term in section 101 of title 10, United States Code.