The No American Left Behind Act requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a comprehensive report to Congress within 180 days addressing how the Department of Defense supports efforts to recover, repatriate, and account for U.S. nationals who are held hostage, unlawfully detained, missing, or deceased abroad, with particular focus on cases in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and parts of Africa. The report must assess how military operations incorporate personnel recovery planning, evaluate criteria for using military assets in rescue missions, identify statutory and resource gaps that hinder recovery efforts, and examine best practices from allied nations that prioritize citizen recovery operations. The legislation also expresses Congress's sense that the United States should maintain sustained commitment to recovering Americans left behind and should consider establishing a formal "No American Left Behind" doctrine to guide future defense planning and interagency coordination. While the report will be submitted in unclassified form, it may include a classified annex for sensitive case-specific details. The bill contains no new funding authorization but directs the Pentagon to evaluate operational and policy implications of making personnel recovery a core defense mission priority.
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