§1549 Report on and Notice of Changes Made to the Legal and Policy Frameworks for the United States’ Use of Military Force and Related National Security Operations

Summary

The President must send Congress a yearly report by March 1 that explains the legal and policy rules the United States uses when it uses military force or related national security actions. The report must explain any changes made since the year before and why those changes were made. It must list every overseas force, irregular fighters, group, or person that the government has decided can legally be targeted under the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107–40), say the legal and factual reasons for each decision, and say whether force was used against them. The report must also describe the rules and any changes for labeling someone as lawfully targetable, as a high value target, or as a member of a covered group. If the rules change, the President must tell the named congressional committees within 30 days and explain the reasons. The report and notices must be unclassified but can include a classified annex. The unclassified part must list each change from the prior year and its justification and must be made public when sent to Congress. The named committees are the Senate Committees on Armed Services, Appropriations, Foreign Relations, and the Select Committee on Intelligence; and the House Committees on Armed Services, Appropriations, Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.