Floor SpeechNeutral2026-07-13

Text of Senate Amendment 6569

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Context

On 2026-07-13, Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6569" in the Senate.

Full Text

Text of Senate Amendment 6569

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3753] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6569. Mr. COTTON submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the appropriate place in subtitle B of title XV, insert the following: SEC. ____. PROGRAM FOR DEPLOYMENT OF TRANSPORTABLE NUCLEAR MICROREACTOR IN AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY OF THE UNITED STATES INDO-PACIFIC COMMAND. (a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall carry out a program for the deployment, operation, and evaluation of a transportable nuclear microreactor in the area of responsibility of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, which shall be known as the Operational Energy Deployable Nuclear Power Program (referred to in this section as the ``Program''). (b) Leadership and Coordination.-- (1) Executive agent.--The Secretary of Defense shall designate the Secretary of a military department as the executive agent of the Department of Defense for carrying out the Program and ensuring budget accountability for such program (referred to in this section as the ``executive agent''). (2) Coordination.--In carrying out the Program, the executive agent shall coordinate with-- (A) the Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command, who shall be responsible for validating operational requirements under the Program, the demonstration of technologies to be deployed under the Program, and the operational use of such technologies; and (B) as appropriate, the Secretary of Energy and the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, for the purpose of ensuring the deployment and operation of any nuclear microreactor under the Program is carried out in a manner that is safe, secure, and in compliance with applicable requirements of the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, respectively. (c) Objectives.--The objective of the Program shall be to deploy and operate, by not later than January 1, 2030, a transportable nuclear microreactor in support of distributed and expeditionary operations in contested logistics environments within the area of responsibility of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, with a priority for deployment in such an environment within the Western Pacific area. (d) Required Activities.--The activities of the Program shall include the following: (1) The validation of operational requirements of the United States Indo-Pacific Command with respect to the transportable nuclear microreactor to be deployed under the Program, and the integration of such nuclear microreactor with expeditionary and dispersed power architectures in the area of responsibility of such Command. (2) The development and implementation of a plan for the test and evaluation of such nuclear microreactor, including with respect to sustainment, safety, cybersecurity, and physical security requirements. (3) The conduct of joint operational demonstrations with the United States Indo-Pacific Command in connection with not fewer than one major exercise within the area of responsibility of such Command, to evaluate the deployment, integration, sustainment, survivability, and operational use of such nuclear microreactor under realistic conditions. (e) Budget Mechanism.--Beginning in fiscal year 2028, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a dedicated program element, or equivalent budget mechanism, for the Program, including to support the transition of technologies under the Program from demonstration to operational capability. (f) Nuclear Microreactor Defined.--In this section, the term ``nuclear microreactor'' means a nuclear reactor with a rated electric generating capacity of not greater than 50 megawatts. ______

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Text of Senate Amendment 6569 Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3753] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6569. Mr. COTTON submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the appropriate place in subtitle B of title XV, insert the following: SEC. ____. PROGRAM FOR DEPLOYMENT OF TRANSPORTABLE NUCLEAR MICROREACTOR IN AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY OF THE UNITED STATES INDO-PACIFIC COMMAND. (a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall carry out a program for the deployment, operation, and evaluation of a transportable nuclear microreactor in the area of responsibility of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, which shall be known as the Operational Energy Deployable Nuclear Power Program (referred to in this section as the ``Program''). (b) Leadership and Coordination.-- (1) Executive agent.--The Secretary of Defense shall designate the Secretary of a military department as the executive agent of the Department of Defense for carrying out the Program and ensuring budget accountability for such program (referred to in this section as the ``executive agent''). (2) Coordination.--In carrying out the Program, the executive agent shall coordinate with-- (A) the Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command, who shall be responsible for validating operational requirements under the Program, the demonstration of technologies to be deployed under the Program, and the operational use of such technologies; and (B) as appropriate, the Secretary of Energy and the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, for the purpose of ensuring the deployment and operation of any nuclear microreactor under the Program is carried out in a manner that is safe, secure, and in compliance with applicable requirements of the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, respectively. (c) Objectives.--The objective of the Program shall be to deploy and operate, by not later than January 1, 2030, a transportable nuclear microreactor in support of distributed and expeditionary operations in contested logistics environments within the area of responsibility of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, with a priority for deployment in such an environment within the Western Pacific area. (d) Required Activities.--The activities of the Program shall include the following: (1) The validation of operational requirements of the United States Indo-Pacific Command with respect to the transportable nuclear microreactor to be deployed under the Program, and the integration of such nuclear microreactor with expeditionary and dispersed power architectures in the area of responsibility of such Command. (2) The development and implementation of a plan for the test and evaluation of such nuclear microreactor, including with respect to sustainment, safety, cybersecurity, and physical security requirements. (3) The conduct of joint operational demonstrations with the United States Indo-Pacific Command in connection with not fewer than one major exercise within the area of responsibility of such Command, to evaluate the deployment, integration, sustainment, survivability, and operational use of such nuclear microreactor under realistic conditions. (e) Budget Mechanism.--Beginning in fiscal year 2028, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a dedicated program element, or equivalent budget mechanism, for the Program, including to support the transition of technologies under the Program from demonstration to operational capability. (f) Nuclear Microreactor Defined.--In this section, the term ``nuclear microreactor'' means a nuclear reactor with a rated electric generating capacity of not greater than 50 megawatts. ______