HR 8197 — To terminate the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office of the Department of Defense, and for other purposes.

(a) Establishment of Office (1) In general Not later than 120 days after December 23, 2022, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence, shall establish an office within a component of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, or within a joint organization of the Department of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, to carry out the duties of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, as in effect on December 26, 2021, and such other duties as are required by this section, including those pertaining to unidentified anomalous phenomena. (2) Designation The office established under paragraph (1) shall be known as the “All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office” (in this section referred to as the “Office”). (b) Director and Deputy Director of the Office (1) Appointment of Director The head of the Office shall be the Director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (in this section referred to as the “Director of the Office”), who shall be appointed by the Secretary of Defense in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence. (2) Appointment of Deputy Director The Deputy Director of the Office shall be appointed by the Director of National Intelligence in coordination with the Secretary of Defense. (3) Reporting (A) In general The Director of the Office shall report directly to the Deputy Secretary of Defense and the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence. (B) Administrative and operational and security matters The Director of the Office shall report— (i) to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security on all administrative matters of the Office; and (ii) to the Deputy Secretary of Defense and the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence on all operational and security matters of the Office. (c) Duties The duties of the Office shall include the following: (1) Developing procedures to synchronize and standardize the collection, reporting, and analysis of incidents, including adverse physiological effects, regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena across the Department of Defense and the intelligence community, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence, which shall be provided to the congressional defense committees, the congressional intelligence committees, and congressional leadership. (2) Developing processes and procedures to ensure that such incidents from each component of the Department and each element of the intelligence community are reported and stored in an appropriate manner that allows for the integration of analysis of such information. (3) Establishing procedures to require the timely and consistent reporting of such incidents. (4) Evaluating links between unidentified anomalous phenomena and adversarial foreign governments, other foreign governments, or nonstate actors. (5) Evaluating the threat that such incidents present to the United States. (6) Coordinating with other departments and agencies of the Federal Government, as appropriate, including the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy. (7) As appropriate, and in coordination with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and the Director of National Intelligence, consulting with allies and partners of the United States to better assess the nature and extent of unidentified anomalous phenomena. (8) Preparing reports for Congress, in both classified and unclassified form, including under subsection (j). (d) Response to and field investigations of unidentified anomalous phenomena (1) Designation The Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence shall jointly designate from within their respective organizations an official, to be under the direction of the Director of the Office, responsible for ensuring the app...

(a) Mechanism for authorized reporting (1) Establishment The Secretary of Defense, acting through the head of the Office and in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, shall establish a secure mechanism for authorized reporting of— (A) any event relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena; and (B) any activity or program by a department or agency of the Federal Government or a contractor of such a department or agency relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena, including with respect to material retrieval, material analysis, reverse engineering, research and development, detection and tracking, developmental or operational testing, and security protections and enforcement. (2) Protection of systems, programs, and activity The Secretary shall ensure that the mechanism for authorized reporting established under paragraph (1) prevents the unauthorized public reporting or compromise of classified military and intelligence systems, programs, and related activity, including all categories and levels of special access and compartmented access programs. (3) Administration The Secretary shall ensure that the mechanism for authorized reporting established under paragraph (1) is administered by designated and appropriately cleared employees of the Department of Defense or elements of the intelligence community or contractors of the Department or such elements assigned to the Office. (4) Sharing of information (A) Prompt sharing within Office The Secretary shall ensure that the mechanism for authorized reporting established under paragraph (1) provides for the sharing of an authorized disclosure to personnel and supporting analysts and scientists of the Office (regardless of the classification of information contained in the disclosure or any nondisclosure agreements), unless the employees or contractors administering the mechanism under paragraph (3) conclude that the preponderance of information available regarding the disclosure indicates that the observed object and associated events and activities likely relate to a special access program or compartmented access program that, as of the date of the disclosure, has been explicitly and clearly reported to the congressional defense committees or the congressional intelligence committees, and is documented as meeting those criteria. (B) Congressional notification Not later than 72 hours after determining that an authorized disclosure relates to a restricted access activity, a special access program, or a compartmented access program that has not been explicitly and clearly reported to the congressional defense committees or the congressional intelligence committees, the Secretary shall report such disclosure to such committees and the congressional leadership. (5) Initial report and publication Not later than 180 days after December 23, 2022, the Secretary, acting through the head of the Office and in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, shall— (A) submit to the congressional defense committees, the congressional intelligence committees, and the congressional leadership a report detailing the mechanism for authorized reporting established under paragraph (1); and (B) issue clear public guidance for how to securely access the mechanism for authorized reporting. (b) Protection for individuals making authorized disclosures (1) Authorized disclosures An authorized disclosure— (A) shall not be subject to a nondisclosure agreement entered into by the individual who makes the disclosure; (B) shall be deemed to comply with any regulation or order issued under the authority of Executive Order 13526 (50 U.S.C. 3161 note; relating to classified national security information) or chapter 18 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2271 et seq.); and (C) is not a violation of section 798 of title 18 or other provision of law relating to the disclosure of information. (2) Prohibition on reprisals (A) Protection An employee of a department or agency of the Fe...