(a) In General.—There is in the Department of Defense the Department of Defense Military Family Readiness Council (in this section referred to as the “Council”).

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(b) Members.—(1) The Council shall consist of the following members:

(A) The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, who shall serve as chair of the Council and who may designate a representative to chair the council in the Under Secretary’s absence.

(B) The following persons, who shall be appointed or designated by the Secretary of Defense:

(i) One representative of each of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force, each of whom shall be a member or civilian employee of the armed force to be represented.

(ii) One representative, who shall be a member or civilian employee of the National Guard Bureau, to represent both the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard.

(iii) One spouse or parent of a member of each of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force, two of whom shall be the spouse or parent of an active component member and two of whom shall be the spouse or parent of a reserve component member.

(C) Three individuals appointed by the Secretary of Defense from among representatives of military family organizations, including military family organizations of families of members of the regular components and of families of members of the reserve components.

(D) The senior enlisted advisor from each of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force, except that two of these members may instead be selected from among the spouses of the senior enlisted advisors.

(E) The Director of the Office of Military Family Readiness Policy.

(2)(A) The term on the Council of the members appointed or designated under subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) shall be two years and may be renewed by the Secretary of Defense.

(B) The term on the Council of the members appointed under subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) shall be two years.

(c) Meetings.—The Council shall meet not less often than twice each year.

(d) Duties.—The duties of the Council shall include the following:

(1) To review and make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense regarding the policy and plans required under section 1781b of this title.

(2) To monitor requirements for the support of military family readiness programs and activities of the Department of Defense.

(3) To evaluate and assess the effectiveness of the military family readiness programs and activities of the Department of Defense.

(4) To make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense to improve collaboration, awareness, and promotion of accurate and timely military family readiness information and support services by policy makers, service providers, and targeted beneficiaries.

(e) Annual Reports.—(1) Not later than July 1 each year, the Council shall submit to the Secretary of Defense and the congressional defense committees a report on military family readiness.

(2) Each report under this subsection shall include the following:

(A) An assessment of the adequacy and effectiveness of the military family readiness programs and activities of the Department of Defense during the preceding fiscal year in meeting the needs and requirements of military families.

(B) Recommendations on actions to be taken to improve the capability of the military family readiness programs and activities of the Department of Defense to meet the needs and requirements of military families, including actions relating to the allocation of funding and other resources to and among such programs and activities.