Title 50 — War and National DefenseRelease 119-73
§1903 National Security Education Board
Title 50 › Chapter CHAPTER 37— - NATIONAL SECURITY SCHOLARSHIPS, FELLOWSHIPS, AND GRANTS › § 1903
Summary
The Secretary of Defense must create a National Security Education Board. The Board is led by the Secretary of Defense and also includes the Secretaries of Education, State, Commerce, Homeland Security, and Energy, the Director of National Intelligence, the Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and six outside experts the President appoints who are not federal employees. The President’s appointees serve terms set by the President but no longer than four years and get no pay, though they can be paid back for travel and other needed expenses. The Board must set rules for scholarships, fellowships, and grants and give priority to people who want to work in national security. It must share program information widely, set student and school qualifications, and require students to show commitment to their field. Using annual study analyses, the Board must tell the Secretary which countries, study areas, and languages are most important, and suggest ways to encourage graduates to work in national security jobs. The Board should push for graduate applicants from all fields, especially science and technology. Every two years it must give a list of scholarship and fellowship recipients available for national security work and assess their skills. Within 30 days after a recipient finishes, the Board must report the foreign area and language skills the person gained. The Board also reviews how the program is run and, as allowed by the Secretary of Defense, helps oversee the National Language Service Corps by checking needs, recommending plans, raising public awareness, and coordinating responses to language shortfalls and crises.
Full Legal Text
Title 50, §1903
War and National Defense — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The Secretary of Defense shall establish a National Security Education Board.
(b)The Board shall be composed of the following individuals or the representatives of such individuals:
(1)The Secretary of Defense, who shall serve as the chairman of the Board.
(2)The Secretary of Education.
(3)The Secretary of State.
(4)The Secretary of Commerce.
(5)The Secretary of Homeland Security.
(6)The Secretary of Energy.
(7)The Director of National Intelligence.
(8)The Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
(9)Six individuals appointed by the President, who shall be experts in the fields of international, language, area, and counterproliferation studies education and who may not be officers or employees of the Federal Government.
(c)Each individual appointed to the Board pursuant to subsection (b)(7) shall be appointed for a period specified by the President at the time of the appointment, but not to exceed four years. Such individuals shall receive no compensation for service on the Board but may receive reimbursement for travel and other necessary expenses.
(d)The Board shall perform the following functions:
(1)Develop criteria for awarding scholarships, fellowships, and grants under this chapter, including an order of priority in such awards that favors individuals expressing an interest in national security issues or pursuing a career in a national security position.
(2)Provide for wide dissemination of information regarding the activities assisted under this chapter.
(3)Establish qualifications for students desiring scholarships or fellowships, and institutions of higher education desiring grants, under this chapter, including, in the case of students desiring a scholarship or fellowship, a requirement that the student have a demonstrated commitment to the study of the discipline for which the scholarship or fellowship is to be awarded.
(4)After taking into account the annual analyses of trends in language, international, area, and counterproliferation studies under section 1906(b)(1) of this title, make recommendations to the Secretary regarding—
(A)which countries are not emphasized in other United States study abroad programs, such as countries in which few United States students are studying and countries which are of importance to the national security interests of the United States, and are, therefore, critical countries for the purposes of section 1902(a)(1)(A) of this title;
(B)which areas within the disciplines described in section 1902(a)(1)(B) of this title relating to the national security interests of the United States are areas of study in which United States students are deficient in learning and are, therefore, critical areas within those disciplines for the purposes of that section;
(C)which areas within the disciplines described in section 1902(a)(1)(C) of this title are areas in which United States students, educators, and Government employees are deficient in learning and in which insubstantial numbers of United States institutions of higher education provide training and are, therefore, critical areas within those disciplines for the purposes of that section;
(D)how students desiring scholarships or fellowships can be encouraged to work for an agency or office of the Federal Government involved in national security affairs or national security policy upon completion of their education; and
(E)which foreign languages are critical to the national security interests of the United States for purposes of section 1902(a)(1)(D) of this title (relating to grants for the National Flagship Language Initiative) and section 1902(a)(1)(E) of this title (relating to the scholarship program for advanced English language studies by heritage community citizens).
(5)Encourage applications for fellowships under this chapter from graduate students having an educational background in any academic discipline, particularly in the areas of science or technology.
(6)Provide the Secretary biennially with a list of scholarship recipients and fellowship recipients, including an assessment of their foreign area and language skills, who are available to work in a national security position.
(7)Not later than 30 days after a scholarship or fellowship recipient completes the study or education for which assistance was provided under the program, provide the Secretary with a report fully describing the foreign area and language skills obtained by the recipient as a result of the assistance.
(8)Review the administration of the program required under this chapter.
(9)To the extent provided by the Secretary of Defense, oversee and coordinate the activities of the National Language Service Corps under section 1913 of this title, including—
(A)assessing on a periodic basis whether the Corps is addressing the needs identified by the heads of departments and agencies of the Federal Government for personnel with skills in various foreign languages;
(B)recommending plans for the Corps to address foreign language shortfalls and requirements of the departments and agencies of the Federal Government;
(C)recommending effective ways to increase public awareness of the need for foreign languages skills and career paths in the Federal Government that use those skills; and
(D)overseeing the Corps efforts to work with Executive agencies and State and local governments to respond to interagency plans and agreements to address overall foreign language shortfalls and to utilize personnel to address the various types of crises that warrant foreign language skills.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2023—Subsec. (d)(9)(D). Pub. L. 118–31 substituted “local governments” for “Local governments”. 2013—Subsec. (b)(5) to (9). Pub. L. 112–239, § 954(b)(1), added pars. (5) to (7), redesignated former pars. (6) and (7) as (8) and (9), respectively, and struck out former par. (5) which read as follows: “The Director of Central Intelligence.” Subsec. (d)(9). Pub. L. 112–239, § 954(b)(2), added par. (9). 2012—Subsec. (b)(7). Pub. L. 112–166, which directed striking the phrase “by and with the advice and consent of the Senate,”, could not be executed because the phrase did not appear after execution of amendment by Pub. L. 112–81, § 1087(a). See 2011 Amendment note below. 2011—Subsec. (b)(7). Pub. L. 112–81, § 1087(a), struck out “by and with the advice and consent of the Senate,” after “President,”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 112–81, § 1087(b), substituted “subsection (b)(7)” for “subsection (b)(6)”. 2004–Subsec. (d)(4)(E). Pub. L. 108–487 inserted “and section 1902(a)(1)(E) of this title (relating to the scholarship program for advanced English language studies by heritage community citizens)” before period. 2002—Subsec. (d)(4)(E). Pub. L. 107–306 added subpar. (E). 1998—Subsec. (b)(6). Pub. L. 105–277, § 1335(g)(1), redesignated par. (7) as (6) and struck out former par. (6) which read as follows: “The Secretary of Energy.” Pub. L. 105–272, § 305(b), amended par. (6) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (6) read as follows: “The Director of the United States Information Agency.” Subsec. (b)(7). Pub. L. 105–277, § 1335(g)(1)(B), redesignated par. (8) as (7). Former par. (7) redesignated (6). Subsec. (b)(8). Pub. L. 105–277, § 1335(g)(1)(B), redesignated par. (8) as (7). Pub. L. 105–272, § 305(a)(3), substituted “area, and counterproliferation” for “and area”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 105–277, § 1335(g)(2), substituted “subsection (b)(6)” for “subsection (b)(7)”. Subsec. (d)(4). Pub. L. 105–272, § 305(a)(3), substituted “area, and counterproliferation” for “and area” in introductory provisions. 1996—Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 104–201, § 1078(e)(1), inserted before period at end “, including an order of priority in such awards that favors individuals expressing an interest in national security issues or pursuing a career in a national security position”. Subsec. (d)(4). Pub. L. 104–201, § 1078(e)(2)(A), in introductory provisions, substituted “After taking into account the annual analyses of trends in language, international, and area studies under section 1906(b)(1) of this title, make recommendations” for “Make recommendations”. Subsec. (d)(4)(A). Pub. L. 104–201, § 1078(e)(2)(B), substituted “and countries which are of importance to the national security interests of the United States” after “are studying”. Subsec. (d)(4)(B). Pub. L. 104–201, § 1078(e)(2)(C), substituted “relating to the national security interests of the United States” after “section 1902(a)(1)(B) of this title”. Subsec. (d)(5) to (8). Pub. L. 104–201, § 1078(e)(3), (4), added pars. (5) to (7) and redesignated former par. (5) as (8). 1992—Subsec. (b)(7). Pub. L. 102–496, § 404(d)(2), added par. (7). Former par. (7) redesignated (8). Subsec. (b)(8). Pub. L. 102–496, § 404(d)(1), (3), redesignated par. (7) as (8), substituted “Six individuals” for “Four individuals”, and inserted before period at end “and who may not be officers or employees of the Federal Government”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Change of Name
Reference to the Director of Central Intelligence or the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency in the Director’s capacity as the head of the intelligence community deemed to be a reference to the Director of National Intelligence. Reference to the Director of Central Intelligence or the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency in the Director’s capacity as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency deemed to be a reference to the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. See section 1081(a), (b) of Pub. L. 108–458, set out as a note under section 3001 of this title.
Effective Date
of 2012 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 112–166 effective 60 days after Aug. 10, 2012, and applicable to appointments made on and after that
Effective Date
, including any nomination pending in the Senate on that date, see section 6(a) of Pub. L. 112–166, set out as a note under section 113 of Title 6, Domestic Security.
Effective Date
of 2002 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 107–306 effective on the date the Secretary of Defense submits the report required under section 334 of Pub. L. 107–306 and notifies the appropriate committees of Congress that the programs carried out under this chapter are being managed in a fiscally and programmatically sound manner, see section 333(c) of Pub. L. 107–306, set out as a note under section 1902 of this title.
Effective Date
of 1998 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 105–277 effective on earlier of Oct. 1, 1999, or date of abolition of the United States Information Agency pursuant to reorganization plan described in section 6601 of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse, see section 1301 of Pub. L. 105–277, set out as an
Effective Date
note under section 6531 of Title 22.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
50 U.S.C. § 1903
Title 50 — War and National Defense
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73