; and (D) to establish an unfettered sphere of influence. (5) The Director of National Intelligence concluded in light of the Russian Federation’s hacking of the 2016 presidential election that Russian efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election represent the most recent expression of Moscow’s longstanding desire to undermine the U.S.-led liberal democratic order. . (6) The Russian Federation is deploying an array of military, cyber, intelligence, and economic tactics to weaken United States democratic institutions, divide Europe from the United States, divide Europe from within, undermine organizations such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union, and coerce partners to cooperate with Russia. (7) Militarily, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the forcible and illegal occupation of Crimea in March 2014 and the invasion of Georgia in 2008. (8) The Russian military, in which President Putin has invested heavily, continues to engage in acts of aggression and intimidation against United States allies across Europe. (9) The Russian Federation’s subversive activities undermine trust in democratic systems, giving rise to political instability. 3. Assessment of subversive activities by the Russian Federation (a) Report Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to Congress a report setting forth an assessment, obtained by the Secretary for purposes of the report, of subversive activities by the Russian Federation. (b) Independent assessment (1) In general The assessment obtained for purposes of subsection (a) shall be conducted by a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), or another appropriate independent entity with expertise in diplomatic and military developments in Europe and the Russian Federation, selected by the Secretary for purposes of the assessment. (2) Use of previous studies The entity conducting the assessment may use and incorporate information from previous studies on matters