S.Amdt. 742

SA 742. Mr. MERKLEY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 2226, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2024 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 D of title XII, add the following:

SEC. 1269. STUDY ON AVOIDING INADVERTENT NUCLEAR WAR WITH THE
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA.

(a) Study.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall
seek to enter into a contract with a federally funded
research and development center to conduct a study on
avoiding inadvertent nuclear war with the People's Republic
of China.
(2) Elements.--The study required by paragraph (1) shall,
at a minimum--
(A) provide a detailed description of the current
composition of the nuclear forces of the People's Republic of
China, including the quantity of nuclear warheads and
nuclear-capable delivery systems, as well as anticipated
changes in its nuclear force structure through fiscal year
2030;
(B) assess the nuclear doctrine of the People's Republic of
China; and
(C) identify potential pathways to inadvertent escalation
to nuclear war.
(b) Report to Department of Defense.--Not later than 240
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
federally funded research and development center that
conducted the study under subsection (a) shall submit to the
Secretary a report containing the results of the study.
(c) Report to Congress.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 270 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress the report submitted to
the Secretary under subsection (b), without making any
changes.
(2) Appropriate committees of congress defined.--In this
subsection, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress''
means--
(A) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Appropriations, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives, the Committee on Appropriations, and the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
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