
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 2, 2001]
[Document affected by Public Law 107-107 Section 921(a)]
[Document affected by Public Law 107-107 Section 1033]
[Document affected by Public Law 107-107 Section 921(c)]
[CITE: 10USC118]

 
                         TITLE 10--ARMED FORCES
 
                    Subtitle A--General Military Law
 
            PART I--ORGANIZATION AND GENERAL MILITARY POWERS
 
                    CHAPTER 2--DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
 
Sec. 118. Quadrennial defense review

    (a) Review Required.--The Secretary of Defense shall every four 
years, during a year following a year evenly divisible by four, conduct 
a comprehensive examination (to be known as a ``quadrennial defense 
review'') of the national defense strategy, force structure, force 
modernization plans, infrastructure, budget plan, and other elements of 
the defense program and policies of the United States with a view toward 
determining and expressing the defense strategy of the United States and 
establishing a defense program for the next 20 years. Each such 
quadrennial defense review shall be conducted in consultation with the 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
    (b) Conduct of Review.--Each quadrennial defense review shall be 
conducted so as--
        (1) to delineate a national defense strategy consistent with the 
    most recent National Security Strategy prescribed by the President 
    pursuant to section 108 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 
    U.S.C. 404a);
        (2) to define sufficient force structure, force modernization 
    plans, infrastructure, budget plan, and other elements of the 
    defense program of the United States associated with that national 
    defense strategy that would be required to execute successfully the 
    full range of missions called for in that national defense strategy; 
    and
        (3) to identify (A) the budget plan that would be required to 
    provide sufficient resources to execute successfully the full range 
    of missions called for in that national defense strategy at a low-
    to-moderate level of risk, and (B) any additional resources (beyond 
    those programmed in the current future-years defense program) 
    required to achieve such a level of risk.

    (c) Assessment of Risk.--The assessment of risk for the purposes of 
subsection (b) shall be undertaken by the Secretary of Defense in 
consultation with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. That 
assessment shall define the nature and magnitude of the political, 
strategic, and military risks associated with executing the missions 
called for under the national defense strategy.
    (d) Submission of QDR to Congressional Committees.--The Secretary 
shall submit a report on each quadrennial defense review to the 
Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of 
Representatives. The report shall be submitted not later than September 
30 of the year in which the review is conducted. The report shall 
include the following:
        (1) The results of the review, including a comprehensive 
    discussion of the national defense strategy of the United States and 
    the force structure best suited to implement that strategy at a low-
    to-moderate level of risk.
        (2) The assumed or defined national security interests of the 
    United States that inform the national defense strategy defined in 
    the review.
        (3) The threats to the assumed or defined national security 
    interests of the United States that were examined for the purposes 
    of the review and the scenarios developed in the examination of 
    those threats.
        (4) The assumptions used in the review, including assumptions 
    relating to--
            (A) the status of readiness of United States forces;
            (B) the cooperation of allies, mission-sharing and 
        additional benefits to and burdens on United States forces 
        resulting from coalition operations;
            (C) warning times;
            (D) levels of engagement in operations other than war and 
        smaller-scale contingencies and withdrawal from such operations 
        and contingencies; and
            (E) the intensity, duration, and military and political end-
        states of conflicts and smaller-scale contingencies.

        (5) The effect on the force structure and on readiness for high-
    intensity combat of preparations for and participation in operations 
    other than war and smaller-scale contingencies.
        (6) The manpower and sustainment policies required under the 
    national defense strategy to support engagement in conflicts lasting 
    longer than 120 days.
        (7) The anticipated roles and missions of the reserve components 
    in the national defense strategy and the strength, capabilities, and 
    equipment necessary to assure that the reserve components can 
    capably discharge those roles and missions.
        (8) The appropriate ratio of combat forces to support forces 
    (commonly referred to as the ``tooth-to-tail'' ratio) under the 
    national defense strategy, including, in particular, the appropriate 
    number and size of headquarters units and Defense Agencies for that 
    purpose.
        (9) The strategic and tactical air-lift, sea-lift, and ground 
    transportation capabilities required to support the national defense 
    strategy.
        (10) The forward presence, pre-positioning, and other 
    anticipatory deployments necessary under the national defense 
    strategy for conflict deterrence and adequate military response to 
    anticipated conflicts.
        (11) The extent to which resources must be shifted among two or 
    more theaters under the national defense strategy in the event of 
    conflict in such theaters.
        (12) The advisability of revisions to the Unified Command Plan 
    as a result of the national defense strategy.
        (13) The effect on force structure of the use by the armed 
    forces of technologies anticipated to be available for the ensuing 
    20 years.
        (14) Any other matter the Secretary considers appropriate.

    (e) CJCS Review.--Upon the completion of each review under 
subsection (a), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff shall prepare 
and submit to the Secretary of Defense the Chairman's assessment of the 
review, including the Chairman's assessment of risk. The Chairman's 
assessment shall be submitted to the Secretary in time for the inclusion 
of the assessment in the report. The Secretary shall include the 
Chairman's assessment, together with the Secretary's comments, in the 
report in its entirety.

(Added Pub. L. 106-65, div. A, title IX, Sec. 901(a)(1), Oct. 5, 1999, 
113 Stat. 715.)


                            Prior Provisions

    A prior section 118, added Pub. L. 97-295, Sec. 1(2)(A), Oct. 12, 
1982, 96 Stat. 1288, Sec. 133b; renumbered Sec. 118, Pub. L. 99-433, 
title I, Sec. 101(a)(2), Oct. 1, 1986, 100 Stat. 994, required reports 
to Congress on sales or transfers of defense articles, prior to repeal 
by Pub. L. 101-510, div. A, title XIII, Sec. 1301(2), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 
Stat. 1668.


                     Revised Nuclear Posture Review

    Pub. L. 106-398, Sec. 1 [[div. A], title X, Sec. 1041], Oct. 30, 
2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A-262, provided that:
    ``(a) Requirement for Comprehensive Review.--In order to clarify 
United States nuclear deterrence policy and strategy for the near term, 
the Secretary of Defense shall conduct a comprehensive review of the 
nuclear posture of the United States for the next 5 to 10 years. The 
Secretary shall conduct the review in consultation with the Secretary of 
Energy.
    ``(b) Elements of Review.--The nuclear posture review shall include 
the following elements:
        ``(1) The role of nuclear forces in United States military 
    strategy, planning, and programming.
        ``(2) The policy requirements and objectives for the United 
    States to maintain a safe, reliable, and credible nuclear deterrence 
    posture.
        ``(3) The relationship among United States nuclear deterrence 
    policy, targeting strategy, and arms control objectives.
        ``(4) The levels and composition of the nuclear delivery systems 
    that will be required for implementing the United States national 
    and military strategy, including any plans for replacing or 
    modifying existing systems.
        ``(5) The nuclear weapons complex that will be required for 
    implementing the United States national and military strategy, 
    including any plans to modernize or modify the complex.
        ``(6) The active and inactive nuclear weapons stockpile that 
    will be required for implementing the United States national and 
    military strategy, including any plans for replacing or modifying 
    warheads.
    ``(c) Report to Congress.--The Secretary of Defense shall submit to 
Congress, in unclassified and classified forms as necessary, a report on 
the results of the nuclear posture review conducted under this section. 
The report shall be submitted concurrently with the Quadrennial Defense 
Review report due in December 2001.
    ``(d) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
nuclear posture review conducted under this section should be used as 
the basis for establishing future United States arms control objectives 
and negotiating positions.''


                      Specified Matter for Next QDR

    Pub. L. 106-65, div. A, title IX, Sec. 901(c), Oct. 5, 1999, 113 
Stat. 717, provided that: ``In the first quadrennial defense review 
conducted under section 118 of title 10, United States Code, as added by 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall include in the technologies 
considered for the purposes of paragraph (13) of subsection (d) of that 
section the following: precision guided munitions, stealth, night 
vision, digitization, and communications.''
