S.Amdt. 471

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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