U.S. CODE

U.S. Code

§ 2723. Notice to congressional committees of certain security and counterintelligence failures within defense programs

(a) Required Notification.— The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives a notification of each security or counterintelligence failure or compromise of classified information relating to any defense operation, system, or technology of the United States that the Secretary considers likely to cause significant harm or damage to the national security interests of the United States. The Secretary shall consult with the Director of National Intelligence and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as appropriate, before submitting any such notification.

(b) Manner of Notification.— Notification of a failure or compromise of classified information under subsection (a) shall be provided, in accordance with the procedures established pursuant to subsection (c), not later than 30 days after the date on which the Department of Defense determines that the failure or compromise has taken place.

(c) Procedures.— The Secretary of Defense and the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives shall each establish such procedures as may be necessary to protect from unauthorized disclosure classified information, information relating to intelligence sources and methods, and sensitive law enforcement information that is submitted to those committees pursuant to this section and that are otherwise necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.

(d) Statutory Construction.—

(1) Nothing in this section shall be construed as authority to withhold any information from the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives on the grounds that providing the information to those committees would constitute the unauthorized disclosure of classified information, information relating to intelligence sources and methods, or sensitive law enforcement information.

(2) Nothing in this section shall be construed to modify or supersede any other requirement to report information on intelligence activities to the Congress, including the requirement under section 501 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 413).

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