§1550 Reports and Briefings on Use of Military Force and Support of Partner Forces

Summary

The President must send a report to the congressional defense committees, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs not later than 180 days after December 20, 2019, and every 180 days after that. The report covers actions taken under the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) and any U.S. role in moving, guiding, or joining foreign regular or irregular forces when those forces were in hostilities or clearly likely to enter hostilities during the prior 180 days. The President must also give at least one briefing to the same committees each 180-day period. Each report must say which countries or groups were targeted under the AUMF and the legal and factual reasons for that choice, include an intelligence assessment of the risk each poses to the United States, list countries where operations happened and why (including if they are areas of active hostilities), describe the status and expected scope and length of operations, list partner forces and countries where U.S. forces commanded, coordinated, moved with, or accompanied foreign forces in or near hostilities (noting whether those actions were under the AUMF and whether the opponents are covered by it), and describe what each foreign country in any U.S. coalition provided (money, equipment, training, troops, or logistics). The lists of countries/groups and the intelligence assessments must be unclassified. If U.S. forces enter hostilities under other legal authority, the President must follow these reporting rules, the War Powers Resolution, and any other applicable law.