10 U.S.C. § 491 — Nuclear weapons employment strategy of the United States: reports on modification of strategy

(a) Reports. At least 60 days before implementing a United States nuclear weapons employment strategy that differs from the strategy then in force, the President must send Congress a report containing: (1) A description of the changes the new strategy makes to United States nuclear weapons employment strategy, plans, and options. (2) An assessment of how those changes affect the United States nuclear posture. (3) The effects of the changes on the flexibility and resilience of United States strategic forces and on those forces’ ability to support United States goals concerning nuclear deterrence, extended deterrence, assurance, and defense. (4) The extent to which the changes increase reliance on United States conventional or non-nuclear global-strike capabilities or missile defenses. (b) Annual Briefings. By March 15 each year, the Secretary of Defense must brief the congressional defense committees about the United States nuclear weapons employment strategy, plans, and options. (c) Reports on Nuclear Posture Review Implementation Study Decisions. In each fiscal year from 2022 through 2031, at least 60 days before the President carries out decisions from a Nuclear Posture Review Implementation Study that would change United States nuclear weapons employment strategy, guidance, plans, or options, the President must— (1) ensure that the report required by section 492a of this title is sent to Congress, if that section requires it; (2) ensure that the report required by section 494(a)(2)(A) of this title is sent to Congress, if that section requires it; and (3) send the congressional defense committees a report giving the intelligence community’s high-, medium-, and low-confidence assessments about whether the United States will receive significant warning of a strategic surprise or breakout caused by foreign nuclear-weapons developments. For this paragraph, “intelligence community” has the meaning given in section 3(4) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)). This section does not define the quoted term “strategic surprise or breakout.”