Support and work to pass legislation directing the Department of Defense, in coordination with the State Department, to establish a task force to secure international agreements enabling U.S. military use of foreign medical facilities for medical care, evacuation, and storage during peacetime and wartime operations.

Advance medical logistics for a war in the Indo-Pacific by directing DoD to establish a Task Force, in coordination with the State Department, responsible for securing and negotiating the international agreements required to ensure the U.S. military can partner with foreign medical facilities during peacetime and wartime operations for medical care, evacuation and storage relevant to taking care of our injured troops.

Duckworth highlighted an advanced provision creating a DoD-State task force to negotiate medical logistics agreements with foreign facilities in the Indo-Pacific.

Duckworth Secures Key Provisions to Strengthen Our National Security and Coordination with Partners in the Indo-Pacific Region
primary · press_release · model gpt-5.5

Section 735 requires the Secretary of Defense to establish an Indo-Pacific Medical Readiness Program by January 1, 2026, to partner with countries in the region to gain access to foreign medical facilities during peacetime and wartime operations. It directs DoD to establish agreements with foreign medical facilities and enhance medical evacuation capabilities.

Congress enacted a close version of the commitment: a DoD medical-readiness program and agreements for foreign medical facilities, but the section is not framed as a State Department-coordinated task force and does not clearly include storage.

partial same_term A for effort

Public Law 118-159, Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, Sec. 735
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 88%

The Senate agreed to the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 5009 by 85-14 on December 18, 2024. The roll call lists Duckworth (D-IL) as voting Yea.

Duckworth supported final Senate passage of the NDAA vehicle that became Public Law 118-159 and included Section 735.

partial same_term A for effort

U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote 325, 118th Congress, 2nd Session
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 90%

President Biden stated that he signed H.R. 5009 into law on December 23, 2024. He specifically noted Section 735(a) among provisions that may affect presidential discretion in foreign negotiations, but said he would make every effort to act consistently with those directives.

The bill containing the medical readiness provision became law, though the signing statement flags constitutional discretion around foreign-government engagement.

partial same_term A for effort

Statement from President Joe Biden on H.R. 5009, Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 86%

Section 735 requires a strategy for implementation by September 30, 2025, including a governance structure, officials overseeing the program, mechanisms for coordinating with partner countries, selected partner countries, objectives, milestones, metrics, and additional authorities needed. Annual reports begin October 1, 2026.

The enacted provision sets implementation and reporting milestones, showing the program was authorized but implementation evidence was not yet due by the July 6, 2026 refresh date.

partial same_term A for effort

Public Law 118-159, Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, Sec. 735
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 84%