Section 1081 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993, Public Law 102-484, 106 Stat. 2514 (Oct. 23,1992): Sec. 1081. Civil-Military Cooperative Action Program (a) FINDINGS.-Congress makes the following findings: (1) Many of the skills, capabilities, and resources that the Armed Forces have developed to meet military requirements can assist in meeting the civilian domestic needs of the United States. (2) Members of the Armed Forces have the training, education, and experience to serve as role models for United States youth. (3) As a result of the reductions in the Armed Forces resulting from the ending of the cold war, the Armed Forces will have fewer overseas deployments and lower operating tempos, and there will be a much greater opportunity than in the past for the Armed Forces to assist civilian efforts to address critical domestic problems. (4) The United States has significant domestic needs in areas such as health care, nutrition, education, housing, and infrastructure that cannot be met by current and anticipated governmental and private sector programs. (5) There are significant opportunities for the resources of the Armed Forces, which are maintained for national security purposes, to be applied in cooperative efforts with civilian officials to address these vital domestic needs. (6) Civil-military cooperative efforts can be undertaken in a manner that is consistent with the military mission and does not compete with the private sector. (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF CIVIL-MILITARY COOPERATIVE ACTION PROGRAM-Chapter2O of Title 10, United States Code, is amended [by adding a new subchapter 11 at the end thereof entitled "Civil-Military Cooperation" and by inserting a new Section 410 in the new Subchapter 1, as follows: "410. Civil-Military Cooperative Action Program (a) ESTABLISHMENT.-The Secretary of Defense shall establish a program to be known as the 'Civil-Military Cooperative Action Program. Under the program, the Secretary may, in accordance with other applicable laws, use the skills, capabilities, and resources of the Armed Forces to assist civilian efforts to meet the domestic needs of the United States. (b) PROGRAM OBJECTIVES.-The program shall have the following objectives: (1) To enhance individual and unit training and morale in the Armed Forces through meaningful community involvement of the Armed Forces. (2) To encourage cooperation between civilian and military sectors of society in addressing domestic needs. (3) To advance equal opportunity. (4) To enrich the civilian economy of the United States through education, training, and transfer of technological advances. (5) To improve the environment and economic and social conditions. (6) To provide opportunities for disadvantaged citizens of the United States. (c) ADVISORY COUNCILS. (1) The Secretary of Defense shall encourage the establishment of advisory councils on civil-military cooperation at the regional, State, and local levels, as appropriate, in order to obtain recommendations for projects and activities under the program and guidance for the program from persons who are knowledgeable about regional, state, and local conditions and needs. (2) The advisory councils should include officials from relevant military organizations, representatives of appropriate local, state, and federal agencies, representatives of civic and social service organizations, business representatives, and labor representatives. (3) The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to such councils. (d) REGULATIONS.-The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations governing the provision of assistance under the program. The regulations shall include the following: (1) Rules governing the types of assistance that may be provided. (2) Procedures governing the delivery of assistance that ensure, to the maximum extent possible, that such assistance is provided in conjunction with, rather than separate from, civilian efforts. (3) Procedures for appropriate coordination with civilian officials to ensure that the assistance (A) meets a valid need; and (B) does not duplicate other available public services. (4) Procedures for the provision of assistance in a manner that does not compete with the private sector. (5) Procedures to minimize the extent to which Department of Defense resources are applied exclusively to the program. (6) Standards to ensure that assistance is provided under this section in a manner that is consistent with the military mission of the units of the Armed Forces involved in providing the assistance. (e) CONSTRUCTION OF PROVISION.--Nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing (1) the use of the Armed Forces for civilian law enforcement purposes; or (2) the use of Department of Defense personnel or resources for any program, project, or activity that is prohibited by law." Back to Table of Contents Domestic Missions for the Armed Forces Back to SSI List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1993 by US Army War College. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com