Honoring the Sacrifice of Troops in War Act of 2026

(f) Prohibition on alteration of benefit eligibility based on administrative redesignation of contingency operations

(1) The Secretary of Defense may not direct any component of the Department of Defense to modify, adjust, shorten, extend, pause, reset, or otherwise alter any deployment-related benefit eligibility if the basis for such modification is solely a redesignation, renaming, or reclassification of an ongoing designated contingency operation where the facts and circumstances on the ground at the time and place of potential redesignation meet the criteria of section 101(a)(13)(B) of this title and members of the Armed Forces are involved in military actions, operations, or hostilities against the same enemy of the United States or opposing military force against which the original operation was conducted, including during or following periods of an announced ceasefire, temporary cessation of hostilities, diplomatic negotiation, or change in operational phase.

(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), deployment-related benefit eligibility determinations shall continue to be calculated as if the original designation of the operation remained in effect, except as provided under paragraph (4).

(3) Administrative changes to the naming, structuring, categorization, or classification of an ongoing designated operation shall not be considered a basis to alter the eligibility of any member of the Armed Forces or civilian personnel for any benefit, including awards or decorations, veterans' preference accrual, pay or leave entitlement, deployment-related threshold, or contingency military leave tied to service in that operation.

(4) Nothing in this subsection prohibits adjustments to eligibility windows when such adjustments are—

(A) explicitly required by statute;

(B) necessary due to a substantive change in operational conditions, including commencement of hostilities against a new enemy or opposing force; or

(C) authorized under subsection (a)(3) pursuant to a Secretary-approved deployment exception.

(5) In this subsection, the term designated military operation means a military operation to which the Secretary of Defense or the commander of a combatant command has officially designated a contingency operation under the conditions of section 101(a)(13) of this title.