Military Humanitarian Operations Act of 2017

Military Humanitarian Operations Act of 2017

This bill defines a "military humanitarian operation" as one involving the deployment of members or weapons systems of the U.S. Armed Forces where hostile activities are reasonably anticipated with the aim of preventing or responding to a humanitarian catastrophe or addressing a threat posed to international peace and security, including:

• operations undertaken pursuant to the principle of the "responsibility to protect" in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1674 (2006);
• operations specifically authorized by the Security Council or other international organizations; and
• unilateral deployments and deployments made in coordination with international organizations, treaty-based organizations, or coalitions formed to address specific humanitarian catastrophes.

Such term excludes a military operation undertaken for other purposes, including to respond to, repel, or prevent attacks on the United States.

The President may not deploy members of the Armed Forces into the territory, airspace, or waters of a foreign country for a military humanitarian operation not previously authorized by statute unless: (1) the President submits to Congress a formal request for authorization to use such members for the operation, and (2) Congress enacts a specific authorization for such use of forces.