§127b — Title 10 Armed Forces | U.S. Code

Summary

Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to pay money or give noncash rewards to people who give U.S. or allied government personnel useful information or nonlethal help that helps either U.S. or allied operations outside the United States against international terrorism, or helps protect forces. No single reward can be more than $5,000,000. The Secretary can only give the power to pay rewards to the Deputy Secretary and an Under Secretary (they cannot redelegate), and can give it to a combatant commander for rewards up to $1,000,000. A combatant commander may pass that power on for rewards up to $10,000, except they may give it to their deputy or a directly subordinate commander without that $10,000 limit (but that subordinate delegation needs approval from the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, or delegated Under Secretary). Officials with authority may work through allied government personnel to offer rewards, but the Secretary must create rules for doing that, including money accountability. Those rules do not take effect until 30 days after they are sent to the congressional defense committees, and rewards through allies can only happen after the rules take effect. The Secretary must make overall policies with the Secretary of State and Attorney General so rewards do not duplicate or interfere with State or Justice Department rewards. Any reward over $2,000,000 requires consulting the Secretary of State. U.S. citizens, U.S. officers or employees, and U.S. contractor employees cannot get rewards. By February 1 each year the Secretary must report to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees on program spending, publicity costs, details for each reward (amount, form, recipient and location, description and benefit), where the program is running by combatant command, coordination with other U.S. reward programs, and how well the program is working; the report may be classified. The Secretary’s decisions are final and cannot be reviewed by courts. When the Secretary designates a country where such operations are taking place, a report naming the country, the reason, and an estimate of rewards must go to those committees within 15 days.

Title 10, §127b

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary of Defense may pay a monetary amount, or provide a payment-in-kind, to a person as a reward for providing United States Government personnel, or government personnel of allied forces participating in a combined operation with the armed forces, with information or nonlethal assistance that is beneficial to—

(1)an operation or activity of the armed forces, or of allied forces participating in a combined operation with the armed forces, conducted outside the United States against international terrorism; or

(2)force protection of the armed forces, or of allied forces participating in a combined operation with the armed forces.

(b)The amount or value of a reward provided under this section may not exceed $5,000,000.

(c)(1)The authority of the Secretary of Defense under subsection (a) may be delegated only—

(A)to the Deputy Secretary of Defense and an Under Secretary of Defense, without further redelegation; and

(B)to the commander of a combatant command, but only for a reward in an amount or with a value not in excess of $1,000,000.

(2)A commander of a combatant command to whom authority to provide rewards under this section is delegated under paragraph (1) may further delegate that authority, but only for a reward in an amount or with a value not in excess of $10,000, except that such a delegation may be made to the commander’s deputy commander, or to the commander of a command directly subordinate to that commander, without regard to such limitation. Such a delegation may be made to the commander of a command directly subordinate to the commander of a combatant command only with the approval of the Secretary of Defense, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, or an Under Secretary of Defense to whom authority has been delegated under subparagraph (1)(A).

(3)(A)Subject to subparagraph (B), an official who has authority delegated under paragraph (1) or (2) may use that authority, acting through government personnel of allied forces, to offer and make rewards.

(B)The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe policies and procedures for making rewards in the manner described in subparagraph (A), which shall include guidance for the accountability of funds used for making rewards in that manner. The policies and procedures shall not take effect until 30 days after the date on which the Secretary submits the policies and procedures to the congressional defense committees. Rewards may not be made in the manner described in subparagraph (A) except under policies and procedures that have taken effect.

(d)(1)The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe policies and procedures for the offering and making of rewards under this section and otherwise for administering the authority under this section. Such policies and procedures shall be prescribed in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General and shall ensure that the making of a reward under this section does not duplicate or interfere with the payment of a reward authorized by the Secretary of State or the Attorney General.

(2)The Secretary of Defense shall consult with the Secretary of State regarding the making of any reward under this section in an amount or with a value in excess of $2,000,000.

(e)The following persons are not eligible to receive a reward under this section:

(1)A citizen of the United States.

(2)An officer or employee of the United States.

(3)An employee of a contractor of the United States.

(f)(1)Not later than February 1 of each year, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the administration of the rewards program under this section during the preceding fiscal year.

(2)Each report for a fiscal year under this subsection shall include the following:

(A)Information on the total amount expended during that fiscal year to carry out the rewards program under this section during that fiscal year.

(B)Specification of the amount, if any, expended during that fiscal year to publicize the availability of rewards under this section.

(C)With respect to each reward provided during that fiscal year—

(i)the amount or value of the reward and whether the reward was provided as a monetary payment or in some other form;

(ii)the recipient of the reward and the recipient’s geographic location; and

(iii)a description of the information or assistance for which the reward was paid, together with an assessment of the significance and benefit of the information or assistance.

(D)A description of the status of program implementation in each geographic combatant command, including in which countries the program is being operated.

(E)A description of efforts to coordinate and de-conflict the authority under subsection (a) with similar rewards programs administered by the United States Government.

(F)An assessment of the effectiveness of the program in meeting its objectives.

(3)The Secretary may submit the report in classified form if the Secretary determines that it is necessary to do so.

(g)A determination by the Secretary under this section is final and conclusive and is not subject to judicial review.

(h)Not later than 15 days after the date on which the Secretary designates a country as a country in which an operation or activity of the armed forces is occurring in connection with which rewards may be paid under this section, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the designation. Each report shall include the following:

(1)The country so designated.

(2)The reason and justification for the designation of the country.

(3)An estimate of the amount or value of the rewards to be paid as monetary payment or payment-in-kind under this section.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2016—Subsec. (h)(2). Pub. L. 114–328, § 1063(1), inserted “and justification” after “reason”. Subsec. (h)(3). Pub. L. 114–328, § 1063(2), amended par. (3) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (3) read as follows: “A justification for the designation of the country for purposes of this section.” 2015—Pub. L. 114–92, § 1042(d)(1), substituted “Department of Defense rewards program” for “Assistance in combating terrorism: rewards” in section catchline. Subsec. (c)(3)(A). Pub. L. 114–92, § 1042(a)(1), substituted “subparagraph (B)” for “subparagraphs (B) and (C)”. Subsec. (c)(3)(C), (D). Pub. L. 114–92, § 1042(a)(2), struck out subpars. (C) and (D) which read as follows: “(C) Rewards may not be made in the manner described in subparagraph (A) after

September 30, 2015. “(D) Not later than

April 1, 2008, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the implementation of this paragraph. The report shall identify each reward made in the manner described in subparagraph (A) and, for each such reward— “(i) identify the type, amount, and recipient of the reward; “(ii) explain the reason for making the reward; and “(iii) assess the success of the reward in advancing the effort to combat terrorism.” Subsec. (f)(2)(D) to (G). Pub. L. 114–92, § 1042(b), redesignated subpars. (E) to (G) as (D) to (F), respectively, inserted “, including in which countries the program is being operated” before period at end of subpar. (D), and struck out former subpar. (D) which read as follows: “Information on the implementation of paragraph (3) of subsection (c).” Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 114–92, § 1042(c), added subsec. (h). 2014—Subsec. (c)(3)(C). Pub. L. 113–291 substituted “

September 30, 2015” for “

September 30, 2014”. 2013—Subsec. (c)(3)(C). Pub. L. 112–239 substituted “

September 30, 2014” for “

September 30, 2013”. 2011—Subsec. (c)(3)(C). Pub. L. 112–81, § 1033(1), substituted “

September 30, 2013” for “

September 30, 2011”. Pub. L. 111–383 substituted “2011” for “2010”. Subsec. (f)(1). Pub. L. 112–81, § 1064(3), which directed the substitution of “February 1” for “December 1”, could not be executed because of the intervening amendment by Pub. L. 112–81, § 1033(2)(A). See note below. Pub. L. 112–81, § 1033(2)(A), substituted “February” for “December”. Subsec. (f)(2)(C)(ii). Pub. L. 112–81, § 1033(2)(B)(i), inserted “and the recipient’s geographic location” after “reward”. Subsec. (f)(2)(E) to (G). Pub. L. 112–81, § 1033(2)(B)(ii), added subpars. (E) to (G). 2009—Subsec. (c)(3)(C). Pub. L. 111–84 substituted “2010” for “2009”. 2008—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 110–181, § 1033(b)(1)(A), in introductory provisions, inserted “, or government personnel of allied forces participating in a combined operation with the armed forces,” after “United States Government personnel”. Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 110–181, § 1033(b)(1)(B), inserted “, or of allied forces participating in a combined operation with the armed forces,” after “armed forces”. Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 110–181, § 1033(b)(1)(C), inserted “, or of allied forces participating in a combined operation with the armed forces” after “armed forces”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 110–181, § 1033(a)(1), substituted “$5,000,000” for “$200,000”. Subsec. (c)(1)(B). Pub. L. 110–181, § 1033(a)(2), substituted “$1,000,000” for “$50,000”. Subsec. (c)(3). Pub. L. 110–181, § 1033(b)(2), added par. (3). Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 110–181, § 1033(a)(3), substituted “$2,000,000” for “$100,000”. Subsec. (f)(2)(D). Pub. L. 110–181, § 1033(c), added subpar. (D). 2006—Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 109–364 substituted “$10,000” for “$2,500”, inserted “, or to the commander of a command directly subordinate to that commander,” after “deputy commander”, and inserted at end “Such a delegation may be made to the commander of a command directly subordinate to the commander of a combatant command only with the approval of the Secretary of Defense, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, or an Under Secretary of Defense to whom authority has been delegated under subparagraph (1)(A).” Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 109–163 substituted “Such policies” for “Such polices”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Termination of Reporting RequirementsFor termination, effective Dec. 31, 2021, of provisions in subsec. (f) of this section requiring submittal of annual report to Congress, see section 1061 of Pub. L. 114–328, set out as a note under section 111 of this title.

§127b Department of Defense rewards program