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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Representative Zach Nunn (IA-03), an Air Force Colonel, and Representative Jim Himes (CT-04) today introduced the Federal Overhaul of Reserve Command Executive Modernization (FORCE) Act, bipartisan legislation to modernize the Defense Production Act (DPA) and bring America’s best private-sector expertise to the table before a national crisis strikes.
“In today’s threat environment, America can’t afford a playbook from the 1950s. Let’s leverage America’s best and brightest in the private and public sectors,” said Rep. Nunn. “This starts with updating the Defense Production Act to provide the President with faster, smarter tools to respond and ensuring our industry and innovators are at the table before, not after, a crisis hits. As a Colonel in the Air Force and a former intelligence officer, I know how critical speed and coordination are in modern threat response. This is about readiness, resilience, and using every tool we’ve got to defend America.”
The Defense Production Act, originally enacted in 1950, is no longer equipped to handle the pace and complexity of the national security threats facing the U.S. today or the evolving needs of the Department of Defense. The FORCE Act revitalizes key DPA authorities to improve emergency response by strengthening public-private collaboration and establishing a modern civilian reserve corps. Specifically, this legislation would:
- Reestablish the National Defense Executive Reserve (NDER), a corps of trained civilian experts and industry leaders who can be mobilized during national emergencies.
- Modernize voluntary agreement authorities, enabling federal agencies to partner with private industry more efficiently while maintaining legal protections.
- Launch pilot private-public agreements focused on pressing national security challenges such as cyber, biotech, and supply chain resilience.
This bill is introduced alongside Rep. Himes’ Committee Leadership and Enhanced Accountability for Resilience (CLEAR) Act, which is co-led by Rep. Nunn. Together, these bills would modernize how the federal government coordinates, responds, and plans for future national emergencies.
“I have long believed that the United States must better bridge the gap between the private and public sector, or risk losing our footing as a global leader,” said Rep. Himes. “Modernizing the Defense Production Act to require enterprise-wide coordination and transparency will ensure that our government and our industrial base are best prepared to face a rapidly evolving threat landscape.”
The CLEAR Act complements the FORCE Act by creating permanent, government-wide infrastructure for DPA implementation. Specifically, this legislation would:
- Establish a centralized DPA Registry to track and evaluate all DPA actions across the federal government.
- Strengthen the Defense Production Act Committee (DPAC) by elevating its leadership, increasing transparency, and improving interagency coordination.
Together, the FORCE Act and CLEAR Act modernize a Cold War-era law to meet 21st century threats, ensuring that the federal government and industrial base can act faster, smarter, and in sync both before and after a crisis emerges.
Text of the FORCE Act can be found here.
Text of the CLEAR Act can be found here.
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