§427 Conflict Records Research Center

Summary

The Secretary of Defense may create a Conflict Records Research Center. The Center will build a digital database of captured records (with translations) and support research and analysis. It must protect national security, personal data, and intelligence sources and methods while making a large portion of the records available to researchers as fast and safely as possible. The Center will do and share research to help understand international relations, counterterrorism, and different kinds of warfare, and it will work with academic and national security communities in the U.S. and abroad. When the Center’s work involves those outside groups, the Secretary must get agreement from the Director of National Intelligence. Other federal agencies can provide staff or transfer funds to help run the Center. The Secretary may accept gifts or donations from state or local governments, foreign governments, foundations (including foreign), and private groups unless a gift would harm DoD fairness or program integrity; written rules must explain how to decide that. Funds given or transferred for the Center become Department of Defense funds for the Center and remain available until spent. Captured record — a document, audio, video, or other material taken during combat from entities hostile to the U.S. Gift or donation — money, materials, property, or services (including lectures and faculty services).