To establish a military-civilian medical surge program.

SA 3842. Mrs. FISCHER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by her to the bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2026 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 VII, insert the
following:

SEC. 724. MILITARY-CIVILIAN MEDICAL SURGE PROGRAM.

Section 1096 of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in the section heading, by adding at the end the
following ``; medical surge program''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(e) Medical Surge Program.--(1) The Secretary of Defense,
in collaboration with the Secretary of Health and Human
Services, shall carry out a program of record known as the
Military-Civilian Medical Surge Program to--
``(A) support locations that the Secretary of Defense
selects under paragraph (3)(B); and
``(B) enhance the interoperability and medical surge
capability and capacity of the National Disaster Medical
System in response to a declaration or other action described
in subparagraphs (A) through (E) of paragraph (4).
``(2)(A) The Secretary of Defense, acting through the
National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health at
the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (or
such successor center), shall oversee the operation,
staffing, and deployment of the Program.
``(B) In carrying out the Program, the Secretary shall
maintain requirements for staffing, specialized training,
research, and education regarding patient regulation,
movement, definitive care, and other matters the Secretary
determines critical to sustaining the health of members of
the armed forces.
``(3)(A) In carrying out the Program, the Secretary shall
establish partnerships at locations selected under
subparagraph (B) with public, private, and nonprofit health
care organizations, health care institutions, health care
entities, academic medical centers of institutions of higher
education, and hospitals that the Secretary determines--
``(i) are critical in mobilizing a civilian medical
response in support of a wartime contingency or other
catastrophic event in the United States; and
``(ii) have demonstrated technical proficiency in critical
national security domains, including high-consequence
infectious disease and special pathogen preparedness, and
matters relating to defense, containment, management, care,
and transportation.
``(B)(i) The Secretary shall select not fewer than eight
locations that are operationally relevant to the missions of
the Department of Defense under the National Disaster Medical
System and are aeromedical or other transport hubs or
logistics centers in the United States for partnerships under
subparagraph (A).
``(ii) The Secretary may select more than eight locations
under clause (i), including locations outside of the
continental United States, if the Secretary determines such
additional locations cover areas of strategic and operational
relevance to the Department of Defense.
``(4) The Secretary shall ensure that the partnerships
under paragraph (3)(A) allow for civilian medical personnel
to quickly and effectively mobilize direct support to
military medical treatment facilities and provide support to
other requirements of the military health system pursuant to
the following:
``(A) A declaration of a national emergency under the
National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.).
``(B) A public health emergency declared under section 319
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d).
``(C) A declaration of war by Congress.
``(D) The exercise for the President of executive powers
under the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1541 et seq.).
``(E) Any other emergency or major disaster as declared by
the President.
``(5)(A) Not later than July 1, 2026, and annually
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on
Armed Services and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Armed
Services and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
House of Representatives a report on the status, readiness,
and operational capabilities of the Program.
``(B) Each report required under subparagraph (A) shall
include an assessment of personnel readiness, resource
availability, interagency coordination efforts, and
recommendations for continued improvements to the Program.
``(6) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to
authorize the Department of Defense to control, direct,
limit, or otherwise affect the authorities of the Secretary
of Health and Human Services with respect to leadership and
administration of the National Disaster Medical System,
public health and medical preparedness and response, staffing
levels, or resource allocation.
``(7) In this subsection:
``(A) The term `institution of higher education' means a
four-year institution of higher education (as defined in
section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1001(a))).
``(B) The term `National Disaster Medical System' means the
system established under section 2812 of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh-11).
``(C) The term `Program' means the Military-Civilian
Medical Surge Program established under paragraph (1).''.
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