Subpart E—Research and Engineering

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior subpart E "Special Categories of Contracting: Major Defense Acquisition Programs and Major Systems", consisting of chapters 301 to 305, was repealed by Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1841(a)(1)(A), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4242.

CHAPTER 301—RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING GENERALLY

SUBCHAPTER I—GENERAL

        

SUBCHAPTER II—AGREEMENTS

        

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior chapter 301 "MAJOR DEFENSE ACQUISITION PROGRAMS", consisting of reserved section 4001, was repealed by Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1841(a)(1)(A), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4242.

A prior chapter 301 was renumbered chapter 701 of this title.

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §214(b), title XVII, §1701(e)(4)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1591, 2139, added items 4010 and 4027.

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2150, amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1841(a)(1)(B), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4242, which added this analysis, by adding item for subchapter I, by substituting "[Reserved]" for "Research projects: transactions other than contracts and grants" in item 4002 and for "Authority of the Department of Defense to carry out certain prototype projects" in item 4003, by substituting "Contract authority for development and demonstration of initial or additional prototype units" for "Procurement for experimental purposes" in item 4004, by substituting "[Reserved]" for "Merit-based award of grants for research and development" in item 4008 and for "Technology protection features activities" in item 4009, by striking out item 4015 "Award of grants and contracts to colleges and universities: requirement of competition", and by adding item for subchapter II and items 4021 to 4026.

SUBCHAPTER I—GENERAL

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1841(c)(1), as added by Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(D), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151, added subchapter heading. Heading was editorially conformed to the style used in this title.

§4001. Research and development projects

(a) Authority.—The Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military department may engage in basic research, applied research, advanced research, and development projects that—

(1) are necessary to the responsibilities of such Secretary's department in the field of research and development; and

(2) either—

(A) relate to weapon systems and other military needs; or

(B) are of potential interest to the Department of Defense.

(b) Authorized Means.—The Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military department may perform research and development projects—

(1) by contract, cooperative agreement, or grant, in accordance with chapter 63 of title 31;

(2) through one or more military departments;

(3) by using employees and consultants of the Department of Defense;

(4) by mutual agreement with the head of any other department or agency of the Federal Government;

(5) by transactions (other than contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants) entered into pursuant to section 4021 or 4022 of this title; or

(6) by purchases through procurement for experimental purposes pursuant to section 4023 of this title.

(c) Requirement of Potential Department of Defense Interest.—Funds appropriated to the Department of Defense or to a military department may not be used to finance any research project or study unless the project or study is, in the opinion of the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of that military department, respectively, of potential interest to the Department of Defense or to such military department, respectively.

(d) Additional Provisions Applicable to Cooperative Agreements.—Additional authorities, conditions, and requirements relating to certain cooperative agreements authorized by this section are provided in sections 4021 and 4026 of this title.

(Added Pub. L. 87–651, title II, §208(a), Sept. 7, 1962, 76 Stat. 523, §2358; amended Pub. L. 97–86, title IX, §910, Dec. 1, 1981, 95 Stat. 1120; Pub. L. 100–370, §1(g)(3), July 19, 1988, 102 Stat. 846; Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title VIII, §827(a), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1712; Pub. L. 103–355, title I, §1301(a), Oct. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 3284; Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title II, §267(c)(2), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2468; Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title VIII, §862, Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1494; renumbered §4001 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1841(b)(1), (2)(A), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(B), (C), (F)(i)(I), (II), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151.)

Historical and Revision Notes
1962 Act

Revised section	Source (U.S. Code)	Source (Statutes at Large)
2358	5:171c(b)(2), (3).	July 26, 1947, ch. 343, §203(b)(2), (3); added Aug. 6, 1958, Pub. L. 85–599, §9(a) (3d and 4th pars.), 72 Stat. 520.

5 U.S.C. 171c(b)(3) is omitted as unnecessary since the authorization for appropriations is implied in 5 U.S.C. 171c(b)(2).

1988 Act

In the existing text of 10 U.S.C. 2358, the bill would in two instances strike the phrase "or his designee" appearing after "Secretary of Defense" (section 1(g)(3)). The change is made for consistency in the Code, and no substantive change is intended. The committee notes that the Secretary of Defense has general authority to delegate functions under 10 U.S.C. 113(d).

Subsection (b) is based on Pub. L. 91–441, title II, §204, Oct. 7, 1970, 84 Stat. 908.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(1), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(B), renumbered section 2358 of this title as this section.

Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(2)(A)(i), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(C), substituted "section 4021 or 4022" for "section 2371 or 2371b".

Subsec. (b)(6). Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(2)(A)(ii), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(F)(i)(I), substituted "section 4023" for "section 2373".

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(2)(A)(iii), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(F)(i)(II), substituted "sections 4021 and 4026" for "sections 2371 and 2371a".

2017—Subsec. (b)(5), (6). Pub. L. 115–91 added pars. (5) and (6).

1996—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 104–201 substituted "sections 2371 and 2371a" for "section 2371".

1994—Pub. L. 103–355 amended section generally, inserting reference to development projects in section catchline, and in text specifying that relevant Secretary may perform research and development projects in accordance with chapter 63 of title 31, and adding subsec. (d) relating to additional provisions applicable to cooperative agreements.

1993—Pub. L. 103–160 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section read as follows:

"(a) In General.—Subject to approval by the President, the Secretary of Defense may engage in basic and applied research projects that are necessary to the responsibilities of the Department of Defense in the field of basic and applied research and development and that relate to weapons systems and other military needs. Subject to approval by the President, the Secretary may perform assigned research and development projects—

"(1) by contract with, or by grant to, educational or research institutions, private businesses, or other agencies of the United States;

"(2) through one or more of the military departments; or

"(3) by using employees and consultants of the Department of Defense.

"(b) Requirement of Potential Military Relationship.—Funds appropriated to the Department of Defense may not be used to finance any research project or study unless the project or study has, in the opinion of the Secretary of Defense, a potential relationship to a military function or operation."

1988—Pub. L. 100–370 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), inserted heading, struck out "or his designee" after "Secretary of Defense" and "President, the Secretary", and added subsec. (b).

1981—Par. (1). Pub. L. 97–86 substituted "by contract with, or by grant to," for "by contract with".

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title II, §214(a), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1325, provided that: "The joint technology office on hypersonics in the Office of the Secretary of Defense is redesignated as the 'Joint Hypersonics Transition Office'. Any reference in a law (other than this section), map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the joint technology office on hypersonics shall be deemed to be a reference to the Joint Hypersonics Transition Office."

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Effective Date of 1994 Amendment

For effective date and applicability of amendment by Pub. L. 103–355, see section 10001 of Pub. L. 103–355, set out as a note under section 8752 of this title.

Pilot Program on Near-Term Quantum Computing Applications

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title II, §231, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 203, provided that:

"(a) Pilot Program.—The Secretary of Defense may carry out a pilot program under which the Secretary, in partnership with the entities specified in subsection (b), establishes and operates a program that enables organizations of the Department of Defense, including the Armed Forces, to test and evaluate how quantum and quantum-hybrid applications may be used—

"(1) to solve technical problems and research challenges identified under section 234(e) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note) and such other near-term technical problems and challenges facing the Department and the Armed Forces as the Secretary may identify; and

"(2) to provide capabilities needed by the Department and the Armed Forces in the near-term.

"(b) Entities Specified.—The Secretary of Defense shall seek to carry out the pilot program under subsection (a) in partnership with—

"(1) a federally funded research and development center, university affiliated research center, center of excellence, or similar entity; and

"(2) one or more private-sector entities with expertise in quantum computing and quantum information science.

"(c) Activities.—Under the pilot program, the Secretary of Defense, in partnership with the entities specified in subsection (b), may—

"(1) convene a group of experts and organizations to identify and articulate challenges faced by the Department of Defense, including the Armed Forces, that have the potential to be addressed by quantum and quantum-hybrid applications;

"(2) develop and mature demonstrations, proofs of concept, pilot programs, and other measures to address the challenges identified under paragraph (1) using quantum and quantum-hybrid applications;

"(3) develop pathways through which successful demonstrations, proofs of concept, pilot programs, and other measures developed and matured under paragraph (2) may be transitioned to more advanced stages of research and development or into operational use within the Department;

"(4) ensure that any quantum-based or quantum-hybrid application-based solutions identified under the program are capable of development and deployment within the period covered by the most recent future-years defense program submitted to Congress under section 221 of title 10, United States Code (as of the time of the pilot program);

"(4) [sic] assess the utility of commercial quantum and quantum-hybrid applications for meeting the near-term needs of warfighters; and

"(5) seek to build and strengthen relationships between the Department of Defense, academic institutions, small businesses, and nontraditional defense contractors (as defined in section 3014 of title 10, United States Code) in the technology industry that may have unused or underused solutions to specific operational challenges of the Department relating to quantum and quantum-hybrid applications.

"(d) Briefing and Reports.—

"(1) Interim briefing.—Not later than 30 days before commencing the pilot program under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a briefing that—

"(A) identifies the entities the Secretary intends to partner with for the purposes of carrying out the pilot program, including—

"(i) any entities specified in subsection (b);

"(ii) any of the Armed Forces; and

"(iii) any other departments and agencies of the Federal Government with pre-existing quantum technology research efforts; and

"(B) describes the plan of the Secretary for developing and operating the program.

"(2) Annual report.—By December 1 of each year in which the pilot program under subsection (a) is carried out, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report that includes—

"(A) a description of the problem sets and capabilities that were evaluated by organizations of the Department of Defense under the program;

"(B) an explanation of whether and to what extent the program resulted in the identification of potential solutions based on quantum and quantum-hybrid applications;

"(C) any potential barriers to the use of quantum and quantum-hybrid applications to solve near-term problems for the Department of Defense, including the Armed Forces; and

"(D) recommendations regarding how the Department of Defense can better leverage and deploy quantum and quantum-hybrid applications to address near-term military applications and operational needs.

"(e) Termination.—The authority to carry out the pilot program under subsection (a) shall terminate on September 30, 2026.

"(f) Definition.—In this section, the term 'quantum and quantum-hybrid applications' means algorithms and applications which use quantum mechanics through quantum processing units, including—

"(1) quantum-classical hybrid applications which are applications that use both quantum computing and classical computing hardware systems;

"(2) annealing and gate systems; and

"(3) all qubit modalities (including superconducting, trapped-ion, neutral atom, and photonics)."

Pilot Program on Optimization of Aerial Refueling and Fuel Management in Contested Logistics Environments Through Use of Artificial Intelligence

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title III, §346, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 226, provided that:

"(a) Design of Pilot Program.—

"(1) Design.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 22, 2023], the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Department of Defense, in collaboration with the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, shall design a pilot program to optimize the logistics of aerial refueling and fuel management in the context of contested logistics environments through the use of advanced digital technologies and artificial intelligence (in this section referred to as the 'pilot program').

"(2) Coordination and consultation.—In designing the pilot program, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer shall—

"(A) coordinate with the Commander of the United States Transportation Command and the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command regarding the activities to be carried out under the pilot program, to ensure the pilot program will align with existing operational requirements; and

"(B) seek to consult with relevant experts in the fields of artificial intelligence, logistics, aviation, and fuel management.

"(b) Objectives.—The objectives of the pilot program shall include the following:

"(1) Assessing the feasibility and effectiveness of artificial intelligence-driven approaches in enhancing aerial refueling operations and fuel management processes compared to existing mission planning processes executed by members of the Air Force with relevant training.

"(2) Identifying opportunities to reduce fuel consumption, decrease operational costs, and minimize the environmental impact of fuel management while maintaining military readiness.

"(3) Evaluating the interoperability and compatibility of artificial intelligence-enabled systems with the existing logistics infrastructure of the Department of Defense.

"(4) Enhancing situational awareness and decision-making capabilities through real-time data analysis and predictive modeling.

"(5) Addressing potential challenges and risks associated with the integration of artificial intelligence and other advanced digital technologies, including challenges and risks involving cybersecurity concerns.

"(c) Commencement.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, in collaboration with the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, shall commence the pilot program.

"(d) Report.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on—

"(1) the design of the pilot program under subsection (a);

"(2) the status of any efforts underway to commence the pilot program under subsection (c); and

"(3) any planned future activities to be carried out under the pilot program to test expected outcomes regarding improved efficiencies or other benefits that may be derived from artificial intelligence-driven approaches to aerial refueling operations and fuel management.

"(e) Termination.—The authority to conduct the pilot program under this section shall terminate on January 1, 2027."

Control and Management of Department of Defense Data

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XV, §1521(a), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 551, provided that: "The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Department of Defense may access and control, on behalf of the Secretary of Defense, any data collected, acquired, accessed, or used by a component (as such term is defined in section 1513 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note)), consistent with such section."

Artificial Intelligence Bug Bounty Programs

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XV, §1542, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 573, provided that:

"(a) Program for Foundational Artificial Intelligence Products Being Integrated Within Department of Defense.—

"(1) Development required.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 22, 2023] and subject to the availability of appropriations, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Department of Defense shall develop a bug bounty program for foundational artificial intelligence models being integrated into the missions and operations of the Department of Defense.

"(2) Collaboration.—In developing the program under paragraph (1), the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer may collaborate with the heads of other Federal departments and agencies with expertise in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

"(3) Implementation authorized.—The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer may carry out the program developed under subsection (a).

"(4) Contracts.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure, as may be appropriate, that whenever the Secretary enters into any contract, such contract allows for participation in the bug bounty program developed under paragraph (1).

"(5) Rule of construction.—Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require—

"(A) the use of any foundational artificial intelligence model; or

"(B) the implementation of the program developed under paragraph (1) for the purpose of the integration of a foundational artificial intelligence model into the missions or operations of the Department of Defense.

"(b) Briefing.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on—

"(1) the development and implementation of bug bounty programs the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer considers relevant to the matters covered by this section; and

"(2) long-term plans of the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer with respect to such bug bounty programs.

"(c) Foundational Artificial Intelligence Model Defined.—In this section, the term 'foundational artificial intelligence model' means an adaptive generative model that is trained on a broad set of unlabeled data sets that may be used for different tasks with minimal fine-tuning."

Plans, Strategies, and Other Matters Relating to Artificial Intelligence

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XV, §1544, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 574, provided that:

"(a) In General.—The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Deputy Secretary of Defense, shall—

"(1) establish and document procedures, including timelines, for the periodic review of the 2018 Department of Defense Artificial Intelligence Strategy, or any successor strategy, and associated annexes of the military departments to assess the implementation of such strategy and whether any revision is necessary;

"(2) issue Department of Defense-wide guidance that defines outcomes of near-term and long-term strategies and plans relating to—

"(A) the adoption of artificial intelligence;

"(B) the adoption and enforcement of policies on the ethical use of artificial intelligence systems; and

"(C) the identification and mitigation of bias in artificial intelligence algorithms;

"(3) issue Department-wide guidance regarding methods to monitor accountability for artificial intelligence-related activity, including artificial intelligence performance indicators and metrics;

"(4) develop a strategic plan for the development, use, and cybersecurity of generative artificial intelligence, including a policy governing the use of, and the defense against adversarial use of, generative artificial intelligence;

"(5) assess technical workforce needs across the future years defense plan to support the continued development of artificial intelligence capabilities, including recruitment and retention policies and programs;

"(6) assess the availability and adequacy of the basic artificial intelligence training and education curricula, including efforts developed or authorized pursuant to section 256 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (133 Stat. 1290; Public Law 116–92), available to the broader civilian workforce of the Department and military personnel to promote artificial intelligence literacy to the nontechnical workforce and senior leadership with responsibilities adjacent to artificial intelligence technical development;

"(7) develop and issue a timeline and guidance for the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Department and the Secretaries of the military departments to establish a common lexicon for artificial intelligence-related activities;

"(8) develop and implement a plan to protect and secure the integrity, availability, and privacy of artificial intelligence systems and models, including large language models, data libraries, data repositories, and algorithms, in training, development, and production environments;

"(9) ensure the fulfilment of the statutory requirement to establish data repositories under section 232 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117–81; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note), as amended by section 212 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263; 136 Stat. 2466);

"(10) develop and implement a plan—

"(A) to identify commercially available and relevant large language models; and

"(B) to make such models available, as appropriate, on classified networks;

"(11) develop a plan to defend the personnel, organizations, and systems of the Department against adversarial artificial intelligence, including an identification of organizations within the Department capable of providing to cyber red teams of the Department capabilities for operational and developmental needs;

"(12) develop and implement a policy for use by contracting officials to protect the intellectual property of commercial entities that provide artificial intelligence algorithms to a data repository specified in paragraph (9), including a policy for how to address data rights in situations in which governmental and commercial intellectual property may be mixed when such artificial intelligence algorithms are deployed in an operational environment;

"(13) issue guidance and directives governing how the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Department shall exercise authority to access, control, and maintain, on behalf of the Secretary, data collected, acquired, accessed, or used by components of the Department consistent with section 1513 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note); and

"(14) clarify guidance on the instances for, and the role of human intervention and oversight in, the exercise of artificial intelligence algorithms for use in the generation of offensive or lethal courses of action for tactical operations.

"(b) Ethical and Responsible Artificial Intelligence.—

"(1) Process.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, shall develop and implement a process—

"(A) to assess whether a given artificial intelligence technology used by the Department of Defense is in compliance with a test, evaluation, verification, and validation framework that—

"(i) operationalizes responsible artificial intelligence principles; and

"(ii) is validated and selected by the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer for purposes of this subsection;

"(B) to report and remediate any artificial intelligence technology that is determined not to be in compliance with the framework selected pursuant to subparagraph (A); and

"(C) in a case in which efforts to remediate such technology have been unsuccessful, to discontinue the use of the technology until effective remediation is achievable.

"(2) Additional requirements.—In developing and implementing the process under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense shall—

"(A) develop clear criteria against which the compliance of an artificial intelligence technology with the framework selected pursuant to subparagraph (A) of such paragraph may be assessed under such subparagraph, taking into consideration—

"(i) similar criteria previously developed by the Secretary; and

"(ii) the identification of potential vulnerabilities in systems and infrastructure of the Armed Forces that could be exploited by adversarial artificial intelligence applications used by the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, or other foreign adversaries;

"(B) take steps to integrate such process across the elements of the Department of Defense, including the combatant commands; and

"(C) provide information on such process to members of the Armed Forces and civilian personnel of the Department that are—

"(i) responsible for developing and deploying artificial intelligence technologies;

"(ii) end users of such technologies, including members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force who use such technologies in military operations; or

"(iii) otherwise determined relevant by the Secretary.

"(c) Deadline; Briefing.—

"(1) Deadline.—The Secretary shall complete the requirements under this section by not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 22, 2023].

"(2) Briefing.—Not later than 150 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on the implementation of this section."

Pilot Program To Facilitate the Development of Battery Technologies for Warfighters

Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, §225, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2484, provided that:

"(a) Establishment.—

"(1) In general.—The Secretary of Defense may establish and carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing support to battery producers—

"(A) to facilitate the research and development of safe and secure battery technologies for existing and new or novel battery chemistry configurations, including through the research and development of new or updated manufacturing processes and technologies;

"(B) to assess commercial battery offerings within the marketplace for viability and utility for warfighter applications; and

"(C) to transition battery technologies, including technologies developed under other pilot programs, prototype projects, or other research and development programs, from the prototyping phase to manufacturing production.

"(2) Designation.—The pilot program established under paragraph (1) shall be known as the 'Warfighter Electric Battery Transition Project' (referred to in this section as the 'Project').

"(3) Administration.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall administer the Project.

"(b) Grants, Contracts, and Other Agreements.—The Secretary of Defense may carry out the Project through the award of support, as described in subsection (a)(1), in the form of grants to, or contracts or other agreements with, battery producers.

"(c) Coordination.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that activities under the Project are coordinated with the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program under section 2901 of title 10, United States Code.

"(d) Use of Grant and Contract Amounts.—A battery producer who receives a grant, contract, or other agreement under the Project may use the amount of the grant, contract, or other agreement to carry out one or more of the following activities:

"(1) Conducting research and development to validate new or novel battery chemistry configurations, including through—

"(A) experimentation;

"(B) prototyping;

"(C) testing;

"(D) adapting battery technology to integrate with other technologies and systems; or

"(E) addressing manufacturing or other production challenges.

"(2) Providing commercially available battery technologies to each Secretary of a military department and the commanders of the combatant commands to support utility assessments or other testing by warfighters.

"(3) Expanding, validating, or assessing battery recycling capabilities that may provide operational utility to the Department of Defense.

"(4) Building and strengthening relationships of the Department of Defense with nontraditional defense contractors in the technology industry that may have unused or underused solutions to specific operational challenges of the Department relating to battery technology.

"(e) Priority of Awards.—In awarding grants, contracts, or other agreements under the Project, the Secretary shall give preference to battery producers that meet one or more of the following criteria:

"(1) The producer manufactures, designs, or develops battery cells, packs, modules, or other related capabilities in the United States.

"(2) The producer manufactures, designs, or develops battery cells, packs, modules, or other related capabilities in the national technology and industrial base (as defined in section 4801 of title 10, United States Code).

"(3) The technology made available by the producer provides modularity to support diverse applications.

"(4) The technology made available by the producer facilitates safety in tactical and combat applications by using battery chemistries and configurations that reduce thermal runaway and minimize oxygen liberation.

"(5) The producer demonstrates new or novel battery chemistry configurations, safety characteristics, or form-factor configurations.

"(6) The producer facilitates the domestic supply chain for raw materials needed for battery production.

"(7) The producer offers battery-related commercial products or commercial services.

"(f) Planning, Reporting and Data Collection.—

"(1) Plan required before implementation.—

"(A) In general.—The Secretary of Defense may not commence the Project until the Secretary has completed a plan for the implementation of the Project.

"(B) Elements.—The plan under subparagraph (A) shall provide for—

"(i) collecting, analyzing, and retaining Project data;

"(ii) developing and sharing best practices for achieving the objectives of the Project;

"(iii) identification of any policy or regulatory impediments inhibiting the execution of the Project; and

"(iv) sharing results from the Project across the Department of Defense and with other departments and agencies of the Federal Government and Congress.

"(C) Submittal to congress.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 23, 2022], the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] the implementation plan developed under subparagraph (A).

"(2) Final report.—Not later than one year after the date on which the Project terminates under subsection (g), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a final report on the results of the Project. Such report shall include—

"(A) a summary of the objectives achieved by the Project; and

"(B) recommendations regarding the steps that may be taken to promote battery technologies that are not dependent on foreign competitors to meet the needs of the Armed Forces.

"(g) Termination.—The authority to carry out the Project shall terminate on December 31, 2028."

Plan for Investments To Support the Development of Novel Processing Approaches for Defense Applications

Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, §233, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2486, provided that:

"(a) Investment Plans Required.—Not later than November 1, 2023, and not less frequently than once every three years thereafter until December 31, 2035, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a plan for making investments to support the development of novel processing approaches for defense applications.

"(b) Elements.—Each investment plan required by subsection (a) shall—

"(1) identify any investments the Secretary has made, and any future investments the Secretary intends to make, in research and technology development to support the use and fielding of novel processing approaches for defense applications;

"(2) identify any investments the Secretary has made, and any future investments the Secretary intends to make, to accelerate the development of novel processing approaches for defense applications, including investments in—

"(A) personnel and workforce capabilities;

"(B) facilities and infrastructure to host systems utilizing novel processing approaches;

"(C) algorithm developments necessary to expand the functionality of each novel processing approach;

"(D) other Federal agencies and federally funded laboratories; and

"(E) appropriate international and commercial sector organizations and activities;

"(3) describe mechanisms to coordinate and leverage investments in novel processing approaches within the Department and with non-Federal partners;

"(4) describe the technical goals to be achieved and capabilities to be developed under the plan; and

"(5) include recommendations for such legislative or administration actions as may support the effective execution of the investment plan.

"(c) Form.—Each plan submitted under subsection (a) shall be submitted in such form as the Secretary considers appropriate, which may include classified, unclassified, and publicly releasable formats.

"(d) Novel Processing Approaches Defined.—In this section, the term 'novel processing approaches' means—

"(1) emerging techniques in computation, such as biocomputing, exascale computing, utility scale quantum computing; and

"(2) associated algorithm and hardware development needed to implement such techniques."

Strategy and Plan for Fostering and Strengthening the Defense Innovation Ecosystem

Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, §236, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2490, provided that:

"(a) Strategy and Implementation Plan Required.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 23, 2022], the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall develop—

"(1) a strategy fostering and strengthening the defense innovation ecosystem; and

"(2) a plan for implementing such strategy.

"(b) Purposes.—

"(1) Strategy.—The purpose of the strategy required by subsection (a)(1) is to provide a framework for identifying, assessing, and tracking innovation ecosystems that are beneficial to advancing the defense, national security, and warfighting missions of the Department of Defense.

"(2) Implementation plan.—The purpose of the implementation plan required by subsection (a)(2) is to provide—

"(A) concrete steps and measures of effectiveness to gauge the effect of the innovation ecosystems described in paragraph (1) on the Department; and

"(B) a means for assessing the effectiveness of the strategy developed under subsection (a)(1), including the approaches taken by the Department to grow, foster, and sustain such innovation ecosystems.

"(c) Elements.—The strategy and the implementation plan required by subsection (a) shall include the following elements:

"(1) A process for defining, assessing, and selecting innovation ecosystems with potential to provide benefit to the Department of Defense.

"(2) Metrics for measuring the performance and health of innovation ecosystems being supported by the Department, including identification of criteria to determine when to support or cease supporting identified ecosystems.

"(3) Identification of the authorities and Department of Defense research, development, test, and evaluation assets that can be used to identify, establish, sustain, and expand innovation ecosystems.

"(4) For each innovation ecosystem supported by the Department—

"(A) a description of the core competencies or focus areas of the ecosystem;

"(B) identification of any organizations or elements of the Department that engage with the ecosystem;

"(C) identification of the private sector assets that are being used to support, sustain, and expand the identified innovation ecosystem; and

"(D) a description of any challenges and successes associated with such ecosystem.

"(5) Such other elements as the Secretary considers appropriate.

"(d) Interim Briefing.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on the strategy and implementation plan developed under subsection (a).

"(e) Submittal of Strategy and Plan.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees the strategy and implementation plan developed under subsection (a).

"(f) Quadrennial Updates.—Not later than March 1, 2027, and not less frequently than once ever four years thereafter until December 31, 2039, the Secretary shall—

"(1) update the strategy and plan developed under subsection (a); and

"(2) submit the updated strategy and plan to the congressional defense committees.

"(g) Definitions.—In this section:

"(1) The term 'Department of Defense research, development, test, and evaluation assets' includes the following:

"(A) The Department of Defense science and technology reinvention laboratories designated under section 4121 of title 10, United States Code.

"(B) The Major Range and Test Facility Base (as defined in section 4173(i) of such title).

"(C) Department of Defense sponsored manufacturing innovation institutes.

"(D) The organic industrial base.

"(E) Defense Agencies and Department of Defense Field Activities (as defined in section 101(a) of title 10, United States Code) that carry out activities using funds appropriated for research, development, test, and evaluation.

"(F) Any other organization or element of the Department of Defense that carries out activities using funds appropriated for research, development, test, and evaluation.

"(2) The term 'innovation ecosystem' refers to a regionally based network of private sector, academic, and government institutions in a network of formal and informal institutional relationships that contribute to technological and economic development in a defined technology sector or sectors."

Establishing Projects for Data Management, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Solutions

Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title XV, §1513, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2894, provided that:

"(a) Establishment of Priority Projects.—The Deputy Secretary of Defense shall—

"(1) establish priority enterprise projects for data management, artificial intelligence, and digital solutions for both business efficiency and warfighting capabilities intended to accelerate decision advantage; and

"(2) assign responsibilities for execution and funding of the projects established under paragraph (1).

"(b) Actions Required.—To ensure implementation of the priority projects of the Deputy Secretary of Defense under subsection (a), and to instill data science and technology as a core discipline in the Department of Defense, the Deputy Secretary shall—

"(1) hold the heads of components accountable for—

"(A) making their component's data available for use pursuant to the memorandum of the Deputy Secretary of Defense dated May 5, 2021, and titled 'Creating Data Advantage', in accordance with plans developed and approved by the head of the component and the Deputy Secretary;

"(B) developing, implementing, and reporting measurable actions to acquire, preserve, and grow the population of government and contractor personnel with expertise in data management, artificial intelligence, and digital solutions;

"(C) making their components use data management practices, analytics processes, enterprise cloud computing environments, and operational test environments that are made available and specifically approved by the head of the component and the Deputy Secretary;

"(D) identifying and reporting on an annual basis for Deputy Secretary approval those ongoing programs and activities and new initiatives within their components to which the component head determines should be applied advanced analytics, digital technology, and artificial intelligence; and

"(E) developing and implementing cybersecurity and artificial intelligence security solutions, including preventative and mitigative technical solutions, red team assessments, to protect artificial intelligence systems, data, development processes, and applications from adversary actions;

"(2) require the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, in coordination with the heads of components, to develop and report on an actionable plan for the Deputy Secretary to reform the technologies, policies, and processes used to support accreditation and authority to operate decisions to enable rapid deployment into operational environments of newly developed government, contractor, and commercial data management, artificial intelligence, and digital solutions software;

"(3) require the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, in coordination with the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer and heads of components to define and establish career paths, work roles, and occupational specialties for civilian and military personnel in the fields of data management, artificial intelligence, and digital solutions for the Deputy Secretary's approval; and

"(4) establish a Departmental management reform goal for adoption and integration artificial intelligence or machine learning into business and warfighting processes, including the tracking of metrics, milestones, and initiatives to measure the progress of the Department in meeting that goal.

"(c) Briefings Required.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 23, 2022], and annually thereafter until December 31, 2025, the Deputy Secretary shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on directives issued by the Deputy Secretary to implement the requirements of this section and the status of implementation actions.

"(d) Component Defined.—In this section, the term 'component' means a military department, a combatant command, or a Defense Agency of the Department of Defense."

Review of Artificial Intelligence Applications and Establishment of Performance Metrics

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §226, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1607, as amended by Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, §212(b), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2467, provided that:

"(a) In General.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2021], the Secretary of Defense shall—

"(1) review the potential applications of artificial intelligence and digital technology to the platforms, processes, and operations of the Department of Defense; and

"(2) establish performance objectives and accompanying metrics for the incorporation of artificial intelligence and digital readiness into such platforms, processes, and operations.

"(b) Performance Objectives and Accompanying Metrics.—

"(1) Skill gaps.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall require each Secretary of a military department and the heads of such other organizations and elements of the Department of Defense as the Secretary of Defense determines appropriate to—

"(A) conduct a comprehensive review and assessment of—

"(i) skill gaps in the fields of software development, software engineering, data science, and artificial intelligence;

"(ii) the qualifications of civilian personnel needed for both management and specialist tracks in such fields; and

"(iii) the qualifications of military personnel (officer and enlisted) needed for both management and specialist tracks in such fields; and

"(B) establish recruiting, training, and talent management performance objectives and accompanying metrics for achieving and maintaining staffing levels needed to fill identified gaps and meet the needs of the Department for skilled personnel.

"(2) AI modernization activities.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall—

"(A) assess investment by the Department of Defense in artificial intelligence innovation, science and technology, and research and development;

"(B) assess investment by the Department in test and evaluation of artificial intelligence capabilities; and

"(C) establish performance objectives and accompanying metrics for artificial intelligence modernization activities of the Department.

"(3) Exercises, wargames, and experimentation.—In conjunction with the activities of the Secretary of Defense under subsection (a), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in coordination with the official designated under subsection (b) of section 238 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061), shall—

"(A) assess the integration of artificial intelligence into war-games, exercises, and experimentation; and

"(B) develop performance objectives and accompanying metrics for such integration.

"(4) Logistics and sustainment.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall require the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, with support from the official designated under subsection (b) of section 238 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061), to—

"(A) assess the application of artificial intelligence in logistics and sustainment systems; and

"(B) establish performance objectives and accompanying metrics for integration of artificial intelligence in the Department of Defense logistics and sustainment enterprise.

"(5) Business applications.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall require the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), in coordination with the official designated under subsection (b) of section 238 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061), to—

"(A) assess the integration of artificial intelligence for administrative functions that can be performed with robotic process automation and artificial intelligence-enabled analysis; and

"(B) establish performance objectives and accompanying metrics for the integration of artificial intelligence in priority business process areas of the Department of Defensee, including the following:

"(i) Human resources.

"(ii) Budget and finance, including audit.

"(iii) Retail.

"(iv) Real estate.

"(v) Health care.

"(vi) Logistics.

"(vii) Such other business processes as the Secretary considers appropriate.

"(c) Report to Congress.—Not later than 120 days after the completion of the review required by subsection (a)(1), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report on—

"(1) the findings of the Secretary with respect to the review and any action taken or proposed to be taken by the Secretary to address such findings; and

"(2) the performance objectives and accompanying metrics established under subsections (a)(2) and (b)."

Modification of the Joint Common Foundation Program

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §227, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1609, as amended by Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, §212(c), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2467, provided that:

"(a) Modification of Joint Common Foundation.—The Secretary of Defense shall modify the Joint Common Foundation program conducted by the the [sic] office of the official designated under subsection (b) of section 238 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061) to ensure that Department of Defense components can more easily contract with leading commercial artificial intelligence companies to support the rapid and efficient development and deployment of applications and capabilities.

"(b) Qualifying Commercial Companies.—The Secretary of Defense shall take such actions as may be necessary to increase the number of commercial artificial intelligence companies eligible to provide support to Department of Defense components, including with respect to requirements for cybersecurity protections and processes, to achieve automatic authority to operate and provide continuous delivery, security clearances, data portability, and interoperability.

"(c) Use of FAR Part 12.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that, to the maximum extent practicable, commercial artificial intelligence companies are able to offer platforms, services, applications, and tools to Department of Defense components through processes and procedures under part 12 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

"(d) Objectives of the Joint Common Foundation Program.—The objectives of the Joint Common Foundation program shall include the following:

"(1) Relieving Department of Defense components of the need to design or develop or independently contract for the computing and data hosting platforms and associated services on and through which the component at issue would apply its domain expertise to develop specific artificial intelligence applications.

"(2) Providing expert guidance to components in selecting commercial platforms, tools, and services to support the development of component artificial intelligence applications.

"(3) Ensuring that leading commercial artificial intelligence technologies and capabilities are easily and rapidly accessible to components through streamlined contracting processes.

"(4) Assisting components in designing, developing, accessing, or acquiring commercial or non-commercial capabilities that may be needed to support the operational use of artificial intelligence applications.

"(5) Enabling companies to develop software for artificial intelligence applications within secure software development environments that are controlled, sponsored, required, or specified by the Department of Defense, including PlatformOne of the Department of the Air Force[.]

"(e) Briefing.—Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2021], the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on actions taken to carry out this section."

Activities To Accelerate Development and Deployment of Dual-Use Quantum Technologies

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §229, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1610, provided that:

"(a) Activities Required.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish a set of activities—

"(1) to accelerate the development and deployment of dual-use quantum capabilities;

"(2) to ensure the approach of the United States to investments of the Department of Defense in quantum information science research and development reflects an appropriate balance between scientific progress and the potential economic and security implications of such progress;

"(3) to ensure that the Department of Defense is fully aware and has a technical understanding of the maturity and operational utility of new and emerging quantum technologies; and

"(4) to ensure the Department of Defense consistently has access to the most advanced quantum capabilities available in the commercial sector to support research and modernization activities.

"(b) Assistance Program.—

"(1) Program required.—In carrying out subsection (a) and subject to the availability of appropriations for such purpose, the Secretary of Defense shall, acting through the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and in consultation with appropriate public and private sector organizations, establish a program under which the Secretary may award assistance to one or more organizations—

"(A) to identify defense applications for which dual-use quantum technologies provide a clear advantage over competing technologies;

"(B) to accelerate development of such quantum technologies; and

"(C) to accelerate the deployment of dual-use quantum capabilities.

"(2) Form of assistance.—Assistance awarded under the program required by paragraph (1) may consist of a grant, a contract, a cooperative agreement, other transaction, or such other form of assistance as the Secretary of Defense considers appropriate.

"(3) Authorities and acquisition approaches.—The Secretary of Defense may use the following authorities and approaches for the program required by paragraph (1):

"(A) Section 2374a of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4025], relating to prizes for advanced technology achievements.

"(B) Section 2373 of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4023], relating to procurement for experimental purposes.

"(C) Sections 2371 [now 10 U.S.C. 4021] and 2371b [now 10 U.S.C. 4022] of such title, relating to transactions other than contracts and grants and authority of the Department of Defense to carry out certain prototype projects, respectively.

"(D) Section 2358 of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4001], relating to research and development projects.

"(E) Section 879 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328; [former] 10 U.S.C. 2302 note), relating to defense pilot program for authority to acquire innovative commercial products, technologies, and services using general solicitation competitive procedures.

"(F) Requirement for milestone payments based on technical achievements.

"(G) Requirement for cost share from private sector participants in the program.

"(H) Commercial procurement authority under part 12 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

"(I) Such other authorities or approaches as the Secretary considers appropriate.

"(4) Policies and procedures.—The Secretary of Defense shall, in consultation with such experts from government and industry as the Secretary considers appropriate, establish policies and procedures to carry out the program required by paragraph (1).

"(c) Briefing and Report.—

"(1) Briefing.—Not later than March 1, 2022, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on the plan to carry out the activities required by subsection (a) and the program required by subsection (b).

"(2) Report.—Not later than December 31, 2022, and not less frequently than once each year thereafter until December 31, 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the activities carried out under subsection (a) and the program carried out under subsection (b)."

Data Repositories To Facilitate the Development of Artificial Intelligence Capabilities for the Department of Defense

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §232, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1613, as amended by Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, §212(d), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2467, provided that:

"(a) Establishment of Data Repositories.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the official designated under subsection (b) of section 238 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061) (and such other officials as the Secretary determines appropriate), shall—

"(1) establish data repositories containing Department of Defense data sets relevant to the development of artificial intelligence software and technology; and

"(2) allow appropriate public and private sector organizations to access such data repositories for the purpose of developing improved artificial intelligence and machine learning software capabilities that may, as determined appropriate by the Secretary, be procured by the Department to satisfy Department requirements and technology development goals.

"(b) Elements.—The data repositories established under subsection (a)—

"(1) may include unclassified training quality data sets and associated labels representative of diverse types of information, representing Department of Defense missions, business processes, and activities; and

"(2) shall—

"(A) be categorized and annotated to support development of a common evaluation framework for artificial intelligence models and other technical software solutions;

"(B) be made available to appropriate public and private sector organizations to support rapid development of software and artificial intelligence capabilities;

"(C) include capabilities and tool sets to detect, evaluate, and correct errors in data annotation, identify gaps in training data used in model development that would require additional data labeling, and evaluate model performance across the life cycle of the data repositories; and

"(D) be developed to support other missions and activities as determined by the Secretary.

"(c) Briefing.—Not later than July 1, 2023, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on—

"(1) the types of information the Secretary determines are feasible and advisable to include in the data repositories established under subsection (a); and

"(2) the progress of the Secretary in establishing such data repositories."

Authority for Activities To Improve Next Generation Radar Systems Capabilities

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title III, §380, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1670, provided that:

"(a) Authority.—The Secretary of Defense may undertake activities to enhance future radar systems capabilities, including the following:

"(1) Designating specific industry, academic, government, or public-private partnership entities to provide expertise in the repair, sustainment, and support of radar systems to meet current and future defense requirements, as appropriate.

"(2) Facilitating collaboration among academia, the Federal Government, the defense industry, and the commercial sector, including with respect to radar system repair and sustainment activities.

"(3) Establishing advanced research and workforce training and educational programs to enhance future radar systems capabilities.

"(4) Establishing goals for research in areas of study relevant to advancing technology and facilitating better understanding of radar systems in defense systems and operational activities, including continuing education and training goals.

"(5) Increasing communications and personnel exchanges with radar systems experts in industry to support adoption of state-of-the-art technologies and operational practices, especially to support meeting future defense needs related to radar systems in autonomous systems.

"(6) Establishing agreements with one or more institutions of higher education or other organizations in academia or industry to provide for activities authorized under this section.

"(7) Partnering with nonprofit institutions and private industry with expertise in radar systems to support activities authorized under this section.

"(8) Establishing research centers and facilities, including centers of excellence, as appropriate to support activities authorized under this section, especially to promote partnerships between government, industry, and academia.

"(b) Institution of Higher Education Defined.—The term 'institution of higher education' has the meaning given that term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)."

Pilot Program on Systems Engineering Determinations

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title VIII, §823, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1826, provided that:

"(a) Requirement.—As soon as practicable but not later than September 30, 2023, the Secretary of Defense shall ensure that each covered entity enters into at least two covered transactions under an authority described in subsection (b), where each such covered transaction includes the system engineering determinations described under subsection (c).

"(b) Covered Authorities.—The authorities described under this subsection are as follows:

"(1) Section 2371 of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4021], with respect to applied and advanced research project transactions relating to weapons systems.

"(2) Section 2371b of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4022], with respect to transactions relating to weapons systems.

"(3) Section 2373 of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4023].

"(4) Section 2358 of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4001], with respect to transactions relating to weapons systems.

"(c) Systems Engineering Determinations.—

"(1) First determination.—

"(A) Success criteria.—The head of a covered entity that enters into a covered transaction under this section shall identify, in writing, not later than 30 days after entering into such covered transaction, measurable success criteria related to potential military applications of such covered transaction, to be demonstrated not later than the last day of the period of performance for such covered transaction.

"(B) Types of determinations.—Not later than 30 days after the end of such period of performance, the head of the covered entity shall make one of the following determinations:

"(i) A 'Discontinue' determination, under which such head discontinues support of the covered transaction and provides a rationale for such determination.

"(ii) A 'Retain and Extend' determination, under which such head ensures continued performance of such covered transaction and extends the period of performance for a specified period of time in order to achieve the success criteria described under subparagraph (A).

"(iii) An 'Endorse and Refer' determination, under which such head endorses the covered transaction and refers it to the most appropriate Service Systems Engineering Command, based on the technical attributes of the covered transaction and the associated potential military applications, based on meeting or exceeding the success criteria.

"(C) Written notice.—A determination made pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall be documented in writing and provided to the person performing the covered transaction to which the determination relates.

"(D) Further determination.—If the head of a covered entity issued a 'Retain and Extend' determination described in subparagraph (B)(ii), such head shall, at the end of the extension period—

"(i) issue an 'Endorse and Refer' determination described in subparagraph (B)(iii) if the success criteria are met; or

"(ii) issue a 'Discontinue' determination described in subparagraph (B)(i) if the success criteria are not met.

"(2) Second determination.—

"(A) Systems engineering plan.—The head of the Service Systems Engineering Command that receives a referral from an 'Endorse and Refer' determination described in paragraph (1)(B)(iii) shall, not later than 30 days after receipt of such referral, formulate a systems engineering plan with the person performing the referred covered transaction, technical experts of the Department of Defense, and any prospective program executive officers.

"(B) Elements.—The systems engineering plan required under subparagraph (A) shall include the following:

"(i) Measurable baseline technical capability, based on meeting the success criteria described in paragraph (1)(A).

"(ii) Measurable transition technical capability, based on the technical needs of the prospective program executive officers to support a current or future program of record.

"(iii) Discrete technical development activities necessary to progress from the baseline technical capability to the transition technical capability, including an approximate cost and schedule, including activities that provide resolution to issues relating to—

     "(I) interfaces;

     "(II) data rights;

     "(III) Federal Government technical requirements;

     "(IV) specific platform technical integration;

     "(V) software development;

     "(VI) component, subsystem, or system prototyping;

     "(VII) scale models;

     "(VIII) technical manuals;

     "(IX) lifecycle sustainment needs; and

     "(X) other needs identified by the relevant program executive officer.

"(iv) Identification and commitment of funding sources to complete the activities under clause (iii).

"(C) Types of determinations.—Not later than 30 days after the end of the schedule required by subparagraph (B)(iii), the head of the Service Systems Engineering Command shall make one of the following determinations:

"(i) A 'Discontinue' determination, under which such head discontinues support of the covered transaction and provides a rationale for such determination.

"(ii) A 'Retain and Extend' determination, under which such head ensures continued performance of such covered transaction within the Service Systems Engineering Command and extends the period of performance for a specified period of time in order to—

     "(I) successfully complete the systems engineering plan required under subparagraph (A); and

     "(II) issue specific remedial or additional activities to the person performing the covered transaction.

"(iii) An 'Endorse and Refer' determination, under which such head endorses the covered transaction and refers it to a program executive officer, based on successful completion of the systems engineering plan required under subparagraph (A).

"(D) Written notice.—A determination made pursuant to subparagraph (C) shall be documented in writing and provided to the person performing the covered transaction to which the determination relates and any prospective program executive officers for such covered transaction.

"(E) Further determination.—If the head of the Service Systems Engineering Command issued a 'Retain and Extend' determination described in subparagraph (C)(ii), such head shall, at the end of the extension period—

"(i) issue an 'Endorse and Refer' determination described in subparagraph (C)(iii) if the transition technical capability criteria are met; or

"(ii) issue a 'Discontinue' determination described in subparagraph (B)(i) if the success criteria are not met.

"(d) Priority for Covered Transaction Selection.—In selecting a covered transaction under this section, the Secretary shall prioritize those covered transactions that—

"(1) are being initially demonstrated at a covered entity;

"(2) demonstrate a high potential to be further developed by a Service Systems Engineering Command; and

"(3) demonstrate a high potential to be used in a program of the Department of Defense.

"(e) Notifications.—

"(1) In general.—Not later than 30 days after a covered transaction is entered into pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall notify the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] of such covered transaction.

"(2) Updates.—Not later than 120 days after such a covered transaction is entered into, and every 120 days thereafter until the action specified in subsection (c)(1)(B)(i), (c)(2)(C)(i), or (c)(2)(C)(iii) occurs, the Secretary of Defense shall provide written updates to the congressional defense committees on the actions being taken by the Department to comply with the requirements of this section.

"(f) Briefing Required.—Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2021], the Secretary of Defense shall provide a briefing to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives with a detailed plan to implement the requirements of this section.

"(g) Definitions.—In this section:

"(1) The term 'covered entity' means—

"(A) the Defense Innovation Unit;

"(B) the Strategic Capabilities Office; or

"(C) the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

"(2) The term 'covered transaction' means a transaction, procurement, or project conducted pursuant to an authority listed in subsection (b).

"(3) The term 'Service Systems Engineering Command' means the specific Department of Defense command that reports through a chain of command to the head of a military department that specializes in the systems engineering of a system, subsystem, component, or capability area."

Pilot Program on Acquisition Practices for Emerging Technologies

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title VIII, §833, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1833, provided that:

"(a) In General.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2021], the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment or the Under Secretary's designee, shall establish a pilot program (in this section referred to as the 'Pilot Program') to develop and implement unique acquisition mechanisms for emerging technologies in order to increase the speed of transition of emerging technologies into acquisition programs or into operational use.

"(b) Elements.—In carrying out the Pilot Program, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment shall—

"(1) identify, and award agreements to, not less than four new projects supporting high-priority defense modernization activities, consistent with the National Defense Strategy, with consideration given to—

"(A) offensive missile capabilities;

"(B) space-based assets;

"(C) personnel and quality of life improvement;

"(D) energy generation and storage; and

"(E) any other area activities the Under Secretary determines appropriate;

"(2) develop a unique acquisition plan for each project identified pursuant to paragraph (1) that is significantly novel from standard Department of Defense acquisition practices, including the use of—

"(A) alternative price evaluation models;

"(B) alternative independent cost estimation methodologies;

"(C) alternative market research methods;

"(D) continuous assessment of performance metrics to measure project value for use in program management and oversight;

"(E) alternative intellectual property strategies, including activities to support modular open system approaches (as defined in section 2446a(b) of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4401(b)]) and reduce life-cycle and sustainment costs; and

"(F) other alternative practices identified by the Under Secretary;

"(3) execute the acquisition plans described in paragraph (2) and award agreements in an expedited manner; and

"(4) determine if existing authorities are sufficient to carry out the activities described in this subsection and, if not, submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] recommendations for statutory reforms that will provide sufficient authority.

"(c) Regulation Waiver.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment shall establish mechanisms for the Under Secretary to waive, upon request, regulations, directives, or policies of the Department of Defense, a military service, or a Defense Agency with respect to a project awarded an agreement under the Pilot Program if the Under Secretary determines that such a waiver furthers the purposes of the Pilot Program, unless such waiver would be prohibited by a provision of a Federal statute or common law.

"(d) Agreement Termination.—

"(1) In general.—The Secretary of Defense may establish procedures to terminate agreements awarded under the Pilot Program.

"(2) Notification required.—Any procedure established under paragraph (1) shall require that, not later than 30 days prior to the termination of any agreement under such procedure, notice of such termination shall be provided to the congressional defense committees.

"(e) Pilot Program Advisory Group.—

"(1) In general.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment shall establish a Pilot Program advisory group to advise the Under Secretary on—

"(A) the selection, management and elements of projects under the Pilot Program;

"(B) the collection of data regarding the use of the Pilot Program; and

"(C) the termination of agreements under the Pilot Program.

"(2) Membership.—

"(A) In general.—The members of the advisory group established under paragraph (1) shall be appointed as follows:

"(i) One member from each military department (as defined under section 101(a) of title 10, United States Code), appointed by the Secretary of the military department concerned.

"(ii) One member appointed by the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

"(iii) One member appointed by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.

"(iv) One member appointed by the Director of the Strategic Capabilities Office of the Department of Defense.

"(v) One member appointed by the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

"(vi) One member appointed by the Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation.

"(vii) One member appointed by the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation.

"(B) Deadline for appointment.—Members of the advisory group shall be appointed not later than 30 days after the date of the establishment of the pilot program under subsection (a).

"(3) FACA non-applicability.—The Federal Advisory Committee Act ([former] 5 U.S.C. App.) [see 5 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.] shall not apply to the advisory group established under paragraph (1).

"(f) Information to Congress.—

"(1) Briefing requirement.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and not less than annually thereafter, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees a briefing on activities performed under this section.

"(2) Budget justification materials.—The Secretary shall establish procedures to clearly identify all projects under the Pilot Program in budget justification materials submitted to Congress.

"(g) Data Requirements.—

"(1) Collection and analysis of data.—The Secretary shall establish mechanisms to collect and analyze data on the execution of the Pilot Program for the purpose of—

"(A) developing and sharing best practices for achieving goals established for the Pilot Program;

"(B) providing information to the Secretary and the congressional defense committees on the execution of the Pilot Program; and

"(C) providing information to the Secretary and the congressional defense committees on related policy issues.

"(2) Data strategy required.—The Secretary may not establish the Pilot Program prior to completion of a plan for—

"(A) meeting the requirements of this subsection;

"(B) collecting the data required to carry out an evaluation of the lessons learned from the Pilot Program; and

"(C) conducting such evaluation.

"(h) Termination.—The Pilot Program shall terminate on the earlier of—

"(1) the date on which each project identified under subsection (b)(1) has either been completed or has had all agreements awarded to such project under the Pilot Program terminated; or

"(2) the date that is five years after the date of the enactment of this Act."

Designation of Senior Officials for Critical Technology Areas Supportive of the National Defense Strategy

Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §217(a)–(d), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3460, 3461, provided that:

"(a) Designation of Senior Officials.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall—

"(1) identify technology areas that the Under Secretary considers critical for the support of the National Defense Strategy; and

"(2) for each such technology area, designate a senior official of the Department of Defense to coordinate research and engineering activities in that area.

"(b) Duties.—The duties of each senior official designated under subsection (a) shall include, with respect to the technology area overseen by such official—

"(1) developing and continuously updating research and technology development roadmaps, funding strategies, and technology transition strategies to ensure—

"(A) the effective and efficient development of new capabilities in the area; and

"(B) the operational use of appropriate technologies;

"(2) conducting annual assessments of workforce, infrastructure, and industrial base capabilities and capacity to support—

"(A) the roadmaps developed under paragraph (1); and

"(B) the goals of the National Defense Strategy;

"(3) reviewing the relevant research and engineering budgets of appropriate organizations within the Department of Defense, including the Armed Forces, and advising the Under Secretary on—

"(A) the consistency of the budgets with the roadmaps developed under paragraph (1);

"(B) any technical and programmatic risks to the achievement of the research and technology development goals of the National Defense Strategy;

"(C) programs, projects, and activities that demonstrate—

"(i) unwanted or inefficient duplication, including duplication with activities of other government agencies and the commercial sector;

"(ii) lack of appropriate coordination with other organizations; or

"(iii) inappropriate alignment with organizational missions and capabilities;

"(4) coordinating the research and engineering activities of the Department with appropriate international, interagency, and private sector organizations; and

"(5) tasking appropriate intelligence agencies of the Department to develop a direct comparison between the capabilities of the United States in the technology area concerned and the capabilities of adversaries of the United States in that area.

"(c) Annual Reports.—

"(1) In general.—Not later than December 1, 2021, and not later than December 1 of each year thereafter through December 1, 2025, the Under Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report on research and engineering activities and on the status of the technology areas identified under subsection (a)(1), including a description of any programs, projects, or activities in such areas, that have, in the year preceding the date of the report—

"(A) achieved significant technical progress;

"(B) transitioned from the research and development phase to formal acquisition programs;

"(C) transitioned from the research and development phase into operational use; or

"(D) been transferred from the Department of Defense to private sector organizations for further commercial development or commercial sales.

"(2) Form.—Each report under paragraph (1) shall [sic] submitted in unclassified form that can be made available to the public, but may include a classified annex.

"(d) Coordination of Research and Engineering Activities.—The Service Acquisition Executive for each military department and the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency shall each identify senior officials to ensure coordination of appropriate research and engineering activities with each of the senior officials designated under subsection (a)."

Social Science, Management Science, and Information Science Research Activities

Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §220, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3464, provided that:

"(a) Establishment.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall carry out a program of research and development in social science, management science, and information science.

"(b) Purposes.—The purposes of the program under subsection (a) are as follows:

"(1) To ensure that the Department of Defense has access to innovation and expertise in social science, management science, and information science to enable the Department to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and agility of the Department's operational and management activities.

"(2) To develop and manage a portfolio of research initiatives in fundamental and applied social science, management science, and information science that is stable, consistent, and balanced across relevant disciplines.

"(3) To enhance cooperation and collaboration on research and development in the fields of social science, management science, and information science between the Department of Defense and appropriate private sector and international entities that are involved in research and development in such fields.

"(4) To accelerate the development of a research community and industry to support Department of Defense missions in the fields of social science, management science, and information science, including the development of facilities, a workforce, infrastructure, and partnerships in support of such missions.

"(5) To coordinate all research and development within the Department of Defense in the fields of social science, management science, and information science.

"(6) To collect, synthesize, and disseminate critical information on research and development in the fields of social science, management science, and information science.

"(7) To assess and appropriately share, with other departments and agencies of the Federal Government and appropriate entities in the private sector—

"(A) challenges within the Department of Defense that may be addressed through the application of advances in social science, management science, and information science; and

"(B) datasets related to such challenges.

"(8) To support the identification of organizational and institutional barriers to the implementation of management and organizational enhancements and best practices.

"(9) To accelerate efforts—

"(A) to transition, and deploy within the Department of Defense, technologies and concepts derived from research and development in the fields of social science, management science, and information science; and

"(B) to establish policies, procedures, and standards for measuring the success of such efforts.

"(10) To integrate knowledge from cross-disciplinary research on—

"(A) how factors relating to social science, management science, and information science affect the global security environment; and

"(B) best practices for management in the public and private sectors.

"(11) To apply principles, tools, and methods from social science, management science, and information science—

"(A) to ensure the Department of Defense is more agile, efficient, and effective in organizational management and in deterring and countering current and emerging threats; and

"(B) to support the National Defense Strategy.

"(c) Administration.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall supervise the planning, management, and coordination of the program under subsection (a).

"(d) Activities.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, in consultation with the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the Secretaries of the military departments, and the heads of relevant Defense Agencies, shall—

"(1) prescribe a set of long-term challenges and a set of specific technical goals for the program, including—

"(A) optimization of analysis of national security data sets;

"(B) development of innovative defense-related management activities;

"(C) improving the operational use of social science, management science, and information science innovations by military commanders and civilian leaders;

"(D) improving understanding of the fundamental social, cultural, and behavioral forces that shape the strategic interests of the United States; and

"(E) developing a Department of Defense workforce capable of developing and leveraging innovations and best practices in the fields of social science, management science, and information science to support defense missions;

"(2) develop a coordinated and integrated research and investment plan for meeting near-term, mid-term, and long-term national security, defense-related, and Departmental management challenges that—

"(A) includes definitive milestones;

"(B) provides for achieving specific technical goals;

"(C) establishes pathways to address the operational and management missions of the Department through—

"(i) the evaluation of innovations and advances in social science, management science, and information science for potential implementation within the Department; and

"(ii) implementation of such innovations and advances within the Department, as appropriate; and

"(C) [(D)] builds upon the investments of the Department, other departments and agencies of the Federal Government, and the commercial sector in the fields of social science, management science, and information science;

"(3) develop plans for—

"(A) the development of the Department's workforce in social science, management science, and information science; and

"(B) improving awareness of—

"(i) the fields of social science, management science, and information science;

"(ii) advances and innovations in such fields; and

"(iii) and the ability of such advances and innovations to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department; and

"(4) develop memoranda of agreement, joint funding agreements, and such other cooperative arrangements as the Under Secretary determines necessary—

"(A) to carry out the program under subsection (a); and

"(B) to transition appropriate products, services, and innovations relating social science, management science, and information science into use within the Department.

"(e) Guidance Required.—

"(1) In general.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 1, 2021], the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall develop and issue guidance for defense-related social science, management science, and information science activities, including—

"(A) classification and data management plans for such activities;

"(B) policies for control of personnel participating in such activities to protect national security interests; and

"(C) ensuring that research findings and innovations in the fields of social science, management science, and information science are incorporated into the activities and strategic documents of the Department.

"(2) Updates.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall regularly update the guidance issued under paragraph (1).

"(f) Designation of Entity.—The Secretary of each military department may establish or designate an entity or activity under the jurisdiction of such Secretary, which may include a Department of Defense Laboratory, an academic institution, or another appropriate organization, to support interdisciplinary research and development activities in the fields of social science, management science, and information science, and engage with appropriate public and private sector organizations, including academic institutions, to enhance and accelerate the research, development, and deployment of social science, management science, and information science within the Department.

"(g) Use of Other Authority.—The Secretary of Defense shall use the authority provided under section 217 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115–91; 10 U.S.C. 2358 note [now 10 U.S.C. 4001 note, set out below]) to enhance the ability of the Department of Defense to access technical talent and expertise at academic institutions in support of the purposes of this section.

"(h) Report.—

"(1) In general.—Not later than December 31, 2022, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report on the program under subsection (a).

"(2) Form of report.—The report required under paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex."

Activities To Improve Fielding of Air Force Hypersonic Capabilities

Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §222, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3469, provided that:

"(a) Improvement of Ground-based Test Facilities.—The Secretary of Defense shall take such actions as may be necessary to improve ground-based test facilities used for the research, development, test, and evaluation of hypersonic capabilities.

"(b) Increasing Flight Test Rate.—The Secretary of Defense shall increase the rate at which hypersonic capabilities are flight tested to expedite the maturation and fielding of such capabilities.

"(c) Strategy and Plan.—Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 1, 2021], the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, in consultation with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a strategy and plan for fielding air-launched and air-breathing hypersonic weapons capabilities within the period of three years following such date of enactment.

"(d) Report.—In addition to the strategy and plan required under subsection (c), not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, in consultation with the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the testing capabilities and infrastructure used for hypersonic weapons development. The report shall include—

"(1) an assessment of the sufficiency of the testing capabilities and infrastructure used for fielding hypersonic weapons; and

"(2) a description of any investments in testing capabilities and infrastructure that may be required to support in-flight and ground-based testing for such weapons."

Research, Development, and Deployment of Technologies To Support Water Sustainment

Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §226, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3476, provided that:

"(a) In General.—The Secretary of Defense shall research, develop, and deploy advanced water harvesting technologies to support and improve water sustainment within the Department of Defense and in geographic regions where the Department operates.

"(b) Required Activities.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall—

"(1) develop advanced water harvesting systems that reduce weight and logistics support needs compared to conventional water supply systems, including—

"(A) modular water harvesting systems that are easily transportable; and

"(B) trailer mounted water harvesting systems that reduce resupply needs;

"(2) develop and implement storage requirements for water harvesting systems at forward operating bases; and

"(3) establish cross functional teams to identify geographic regions where the deployment of water harvesting systems could reduce conflict and potentially eliminate the need for the presence of the Armed Forces.

"(c) Additional Activities.—In addition to the activities required under subsection (b), the Secretary shall—

"(1) seek to leverage existing water harvesting techniques and technologies and apply such techniques and technologies to military operations carried out by the United States;

"(2) consider using commercially available off-the-shelf items (as defined in section 104 of title 41, United States Code) and near-ready deployment technologies to achieve cost savings and improve the self sufficiency of warfighters; and

"(3) seek to enter into information sharing arrangements with foreign militaries and other organizations that have the proven ability to operate in water constrained areas for the purpose of sharing lessons learned and best practices relating to water harvesting.

"(d) Implementation.—The Secretary shall deploy technologies developed under subsection (b)(1) for use by expeditionary forces not later than January 1, 2025.

"(e) Water Harvesting Defined.—In this section, the term 'water harvesting', when used with respect to a system or technology, means a system or technology that is capable of creating useable water by—

"(1) harvesting water from underutilized environmental sources, such as by capturing water from ambient humidity; or

"(2) recycling or otherwise reclaiming water that has previously been used."

Board of Advisors for the Office of the Senior Official With Principal Responsibility for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §233, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3483, as amended by Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, §212(f), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2468, provided that:

"(a) Establishment.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish a board of advisors for the office of the official designated under subsection (b) of section 238 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061) (referred to in this section as the 'Official').

"(b) Duties.—The duties of the board of advisors shall include the following:

"(1) Provide independent strategic advice and technical expertise to the Secretary and the Official on matters relating to the development and use of artificial intelligence by the Department of Defense.

"(2) Evaluate and advise the Secretary and the Official on ethical matters relating to the development and use of artificial intelligence by the Department.

"(3) Conduct long-term and long-range studies on matters relating to artificial intelligence, as required.

"(4) Evaluate and provide recommendations to the Secretary and the Official regarding the Department's development of a robust workforce proficient in artificial intelligence.

"(5) Assist the Secretary and the Official in developing strategic level guidance on artificial intelligence-related hardware procurement, supply-chain matters, and other technical matters relating to artificial intelligence.

"(c) Membership.—The board of advisors shall be composed of appropriate experts from academic or private sector organizations outside the Department of Defense, who shall be appointed by the Secretary.

"(d) Chairperson.—The chairperson of the board of advisors shall be selected by the Secretary.

"(e) Meetings.—The board of advisors shall meet not less than once each fiscal quarter and may meet at other times at the call of the chairperson or a majority of its members.

"(f) Reports.—Not later than September 30 of each year through September 30, 2026, the board of advisors shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report that summarizes the activities of the board over the preceding year.

"(g) Definitions.—In this section:

"(1) The term 'artificial intelligence' has the meaning given that term in section 238(g) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. 2358 note [now 10 U.S.C. 4061 note prec.]).

"(2) The term 'Secretary' means the Secretary of Defense."

Steering Committee on Emerging Technology

Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §236, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3485, as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §216, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1595, provided that:

"(a) Establishment.—The Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence may jointly establish a steering committee on emerging technology and national security threats (referred to in this section as the 'Steering Committee').

"(b) Membership.—The Steering Committee shall be composed of the following:

"(1) The Deputy Secretary of Defense.

"(2) The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"(3) The Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence.

"(4) Such other officials of the Department of Defense and intelligence community as the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence jointly determine appropriate.

"(c) Leadership.—The Steering Committee shall be chaired by the Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence jointly.

"(d) Responsibilities.—The Steering Committee shall be responsible for—

"(1) developing strategies for the organizational change, concept and capability development, and technology investments in emerging technologies that are needed to maintain the technological superiority of the United States military and intelligence community as outlined in the National Defense Strategy and National Intelligence Strategy, and consistent with the National Security Strategy;

"(2) providing assessments of emerging threats and identifying investments and advances in emerging technology areas undertaken by adversaries of the United States;

"(3) making recommendations to the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence on—

"(A) the implementation of the strategies developed under paragraph (1);

"(B) steps that may be taken to address the threats identified under paragraph (2);

"(C) any changes to a program of record that may be required to achieve the strategy under paragraph (1);

"(D) any changes to the Defense Planning Guidance required by section 113(g)(2)(A) of title 10, United States Code, that may be required to achieve the strategy under paragraph (1);

"(E) any changes to the guidance for developing the National Intelligence Program budget required by section 102A(c)(1)(A) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3024(c)(1)(A)), that may be required to implement the strategies under paragraph (1); and

"(F) whether sufficient resources are available for the research activities, workforce, and infrastructure of the Department of Defense and the intelligence community to support the development of capabilities to defeat emerging threats to the United States; and

"(4) carrying out such other activities as are assigned to the Steering Committee by the Secretary of Defense and Director of National Intelligence, jointly.

"(e) Definitions.—In this section:

"(1) The term 'emerging technology' means technology jointly determined to be in an emerging phase of development by the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence, including quantum information science and technology, data analytics, artificial intelligence, autonomous technology, advanced materials, software, high performance computing, robotics, directed energy, hypersonics, biotechnology, medical technologies, and such other technology as may be jointly identified by the Secretary and the Director.

"(2) The term 'intelligence community' has the meaning given such term in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003).

"(f) Sunset.—This section shall terminate on October 1, 2025."

Part-Time and Term Employment of University Faculty and Students in the Defense Science and Technology Enterprise

Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §249, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3493, as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §§212(c)(3), 215(d)(11), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1588, 1594, provided that:

"(a) Program Required.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 1, 2021], the Secretary of Defense shall establish a program under which opportunities for part-time and term employment are made available in the Defense science and technology enterprise for faculty and students of institutions of higher education for the purpose of enabling such faculty and students to carry out research projects in accordance with subsection (b).

"(b) Research Projects.—

"(1) Faculty.—A faculty member who is employed in position made available under subsection (a) shall, in the course of such employment, carry out a research project that—

"(A) relates to a topic in the field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; and

"(B) contributes to the objectives of the Department of Defense, as determined by the Secretary of Defense.

"(2) Students.—A student employed in position made available under subsection (a) shall assist a faculty member with a research project described in paragraph (1).

"(c) Selection of Participants.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the heads of participating organizations in the Defense science and technology enterprise, shall select individuals for participation in the program under subsection (a) as follows:

"(1) Faculty members shall be selected for participation on the basis of—

"(A) the academic credentials and research experience of the faculty member; and

"(B) the extent to which the research proposed to be carried out by the faculty member will contribute to the objectives of the Department of Defense.

"(2) Students shall be selected to assist with a research project under the program on the basis of—

"(A) the academic credentials and other qualifications of the student; and

"(B) the student's ability to fulfill the responsibilities assigned to the student as part of the project.

"(d) Minimum Number of Positions.—

"(1) In general.—During the first year of the program under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall establish not fewer than 10 part-time or term positions for faculty.

"(2) Artificial intelligence and machine learning.—Of the positions established under paragraph (1), not fewer than five such positions shall be reserved for faculty who will conduct research in the area of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

"(e) Authorities.—In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense, or the head of an organization in the Defense science and technology enterprise, as applicable, may—

"(1) use any hiring authority available to the Secretary or the head of such organization, including—

"(A) any hiring authority available under a laboratory demonstration program, including the hiring authority provided under section 4121(b) of title 10, United States Code;

"(B) direct hiring authority under section 1599h of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4092]; and

"(C) expert hiring authority under section 3109 of title 5, United States Code;

"(2) enter into cooperative research and development agreements under section 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a) to enable the sharing of research and expertise with institutions of higher education and the private sector; and

"(3) pay referral bonuses to faculty or students participating in the program who identify—

"(A) students to assist in a research project under the program; or

"(B) students or recent graduates to participate in other programs in the Defense science and technology enterprise, including internships at Department of Defense laboratories and in the Pathways Program of the Department.

"(f) Annual Reports.—

"(1) Initial report.—Not later than 30 days after the conclusion of the first year of the program under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report on the status of the program. The report shall include—

"(A) identification of the number of faculty and students employed under the program;

"(B) identification of the organizations in the Defense science and technology enterprise that employed such individuals; and

"(C) a description of the types of research conducted by such individuals.

"(2) Subsequent reports.—Not later than 30 days after the conclusion of the second and third years of the program under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the progress of the program. Each report shall include—

"(A) the information described in subparagraphs (A) through (C) of paragraph (1);

"(B) the results of any research projects conducted under the program; and

"(C) the number of students and recent graduates who, pursuant to a reference from a faculty member or student participating in the program as described in subsection (e)(3), were hired by the Department of Defense or selected for participation in another program in the Defense science and technology enterprise.

"(g) Definitions.—In this section:

"(1) The term 'Defense science and technology enterprise' means—

"(A) the research organizations of the military departments;

"(B) the science and technology reinvention laboratories (as designated under section 4121(b) of title 10, United States Code);

"(C) the facilities of the Major Range and Test Facility Base (as defined in section 2358a(g) of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4091(f)]); and

"(D) the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

"(2) The term 'faculty' means an individual who serves as a professor, researcher, or instructor at an institution of higher education.

"(3) The term 'institution of higher education' has the meaning given that term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)."

Acquisition Authority of the Senior Official With Principal Responsibility for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title VIII, §808, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3745, as amended by Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, §212(i), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2469; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XV, §1541, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 572, provided that:

"(a) Authority.—The Secretary of Defense shall delegate to the official designated under subsection (b) of section 238 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061) (referred to in this section as the 'Official') the acquisition authority to exercise the functions of a head of an agency (as defined in section 2302 of title 10, United States Code [see 10 U.S.C. 3004]) with respect to appropriate acquisition activities of the office of such official (referred to in this section as the 'Office').

"(b) Acquisition Executive.—

"(1) In general.—The staff of the Official shall include an acquisition executive who shall be responsible for the supervision of appropriate acquisition activities under subsection (a). Subject to the authority, direction, and control of such Official, the acquisition executive shall have the authority—

"(A) to negotiate memoranda of agreement with any element of the Department of Defense to carry out the acquisition of technologies, services, and capabilities developed or identified by the Office;

"(B) to supervise the acquisition of technologies, services, and capabilities to support the mission of the Office;

"(C) to represent the Office in discussions with the Secretaries concerned regarding acquisition programs relating to such appropriate acquisition activities for which the Office is involved; and

"(D) to work with the Secretaries concerned to ensure that the Office is appropriately represented in any joint working group or integrated product team regarding acquisition programs relating to such appropriate activities for which the Office is involved.

"(2) Delivery of acquisition solutions.—The acquisition executive of the Office shall be—

"(A) responsible to the Official for rapidly delivering capabilities to meet validated requirements;

"(B) subordinate to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment in matters of acquisition; and

"(C) included on the distribution list for acquisition directives and instructions of the Department of Defense.

"(c) Acquisition Personnel.—

"(1) In general.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that, at any given time for the duration of the period specified in subsection (d), the Office has at least 10 full-time employees provided by the Secretary to support the Official in carrying out the requirements of this section, including personnel with experience in—

"(A) acquisition practices and processes;

"(B) the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System process;

"(C) program management;

"(D) software development and systems engineering; and

"(E) cost analysis.

"(2) Existing personnel.—The personnel provided under this subsection shall be provided from among the existing personnel of the Department of Defense.

"(d) Funding.—In exercising the acquisition authority granted in subsection (a), the Official may not obligate or expend more than $75,000,000 out of the funds made available in each of fiscal years 2024 through 2029 to enter into new contracts to support appropriate acquisition activities carried out under this section.

"(e) Implementation Plan and Demonstration Required.—

"(1) In general.—

"(A) Plan required.—Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 [Dec. 22, 2023], the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a plan for the delegation and exercise of the acquisition authority described in subsection (a).

"(B) Demonstration required.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Department of Defense, shall provide a demonstration of operational capability delivered under such authority. In addition to the matters specified in paragraph (4), such demonstration shall include a description of—

"(i) how the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer may use the acquisition authorities available to the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer to further the data and artificial intelligence objectives of the Department of Defense, including an inventory of requirements and funding associated with the exercise of such acquisition authorities;

"(ii) how the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer may use the acquisition authorities of other Federal entities to further such objectives, including an inventory of requirements and funding associated with the exercise of such acquisition authorities; and

"(iii) the challenges and benefits of using the acquisition authorities described in clauses (i) and (ii), respectively, to further such objectives.

"(2) Implementation plan.—The plan shall include the following:

"(A) Description of the types of activities to be undertaken using the acquisition authority provided under subsection (a).

"(B) Plan for the negotiation and approval of any such memorandum of agreement with an element of the Department of Defense to support the missions of the Office and transition of artificial intelligence capabilities into appropriate acquisition programs or into operational use.

"(C) Plan for oversight of the position of acquisition executive established in subsection (b).

"(D) Assessment of the acquisition workforce, tools, and infrastructure needs of the Office to support the authority under subsection (a) until September 30, 2025.

"(E) Other matters as appropriate.

"(3) Demonstration.—The capability demonstration shall include a description of how the acquisition authority enabled the capability, how requirements were established and agreed upon, how testing was conducted, and how the capability was transitioned to the user, as well as any other matters deemed appropriate by the Office.

"(4) Relationship to other authorities.—The requirement to submit a plan under this subsection is in addition to the requirements under section 260 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 116–92; 133 Stat. 1293).

"(f) Sunset.—Effective October 1, 2029, the Official may not exercise the authority under subsection (a) and may not enter into any new contracts under this section. The performance on any contract entered into before such date may continue according to the terms of such contract.

"(g) Definitions.—In this section:

"(1) Element.—The term 'element' means an element described under section 111(b) of title 10, United States Code.

"(2) Secretary concerned.—The term 'Secretary concerned' has the meaning given in section 101[(a)](9) of title 10, United States Code."

Direct Air Capture and Blue Carbon Removal Technology Program

Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, §223, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1264, as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §§212(c)(2), 215(d)(8), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1588, 1594, provided that:

"(a) Program Required.—

"(1) In general.—The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Energy, and the heads of such other Federal agencies as the Secretary of Defense considers appropriate, shall carry out a program on research, development, testing, evaluation, study, and demonstration of technologies related to blue carbon capture and direct air capture.

"(2) Program goals.—The goals of the program established under paragraph (1) are as follows:

"(A) To develop technologies that capture carbon dioxide from seawater and the air to turn such carbon dioxide into clean fuels to enhance fuel and energy security.

"(B) To develop and demonstrate technologies that capture carbon dioxide from seawater and the air to reuse such carbon dioxide to create products for military uses.

"(C) To develop direct air capture technologies for use—

"(i) at military installations or facilities of the Department of Defense; or

"(ii) in modes of transportation by the Navy or the Coast Guard.

"(3) Phases.—The program established under paragraph (1) shall be carried out in two phases as follows:

"(A) The first phase shall consist of research and development and shall be carried out as described in subsection (b).

"(B) The second phase shall consist of testing and evaluation and shall be carried out as described in subsection (c), if the Secretary determines that the results of the research and development phase justify implementing the testing and evaluation phase.

"(4) Designation.—The program established under paragraph (1) shall be known as the 'Direct Air Capture and Blue Carbon Removal Technology Program' (in this section referred to as the 'Program').

"(b) Research and Development Phase.—

"(1) In general.—During the research and development phase of the Program, the Secretary of Defense shall conduct research and development in pursuit of the goals set forth in subsection (a)(2).

"(2) Direct air capture.—The research and development phase of the Program may include, with respect to direct air capture, a front end engineering and design study that includes an evaluation of direct air capture designs to produce fuel for use—

"(A) at military installations or facilities of the Department of Defense; or

"(B) in modes of transportation by the Navy or the Coast Guard.

"(3) Commencement.—The Secretary shall commence carrying out the research and development phase of the Program not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 20, 2019].

"(4) Grants authorized.—The Secretary may carry out the research and development phase of the Program through the award of grants to private persons and eligible laboratories.

"(5) Report required.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the completion of the research and development phase of the Program, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the research and development carried out under the Program.

"(c) Testing and Evaluation Phase.—

"(1) In general.—During the testing and evaluation phase of the Program, the Secretary shall, in pursuit of the goals set forth in subsection (a)(2), conduct tests and evaluations of the technologies researched and developed during the research and development phase of the Program.

"(2) Direct air capture.—The testing and evaluation phase of the Program may include demonstration projects for direct air capture to produce fuels for use—

"(A) at military installations or facilities of the Department of Defense; or

"(B) in modes of transportation by the Navy or the Coast Guard.

"(3) Commencement.—Subject to subsection (a)(3)(B), the Secretary shall commence carrying out the testing and evaluation phase of the Program on the date of the completion of the research and development phase described in subsection (b), except that the testing and evaluation phase of the Program with respect to direct air capture may commence at such time after a front end engineering and design study demonstrates to the Secretary that commencement of such phase is appropriate.

"(4) Grants authorized.—The Secretary may carry out the testing and evaluation phase of the Program through the award of grants to private persons and eligible laboratories.

"(5) Locations.—The Secretary shall carry out the testing and evaluation phase of the Program at military installations or facilities of the Department of Defense.

"(6) Report required.—Not later than September 30, 2026, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the findings of the Secretary with respect to the effectiveness of the technologies tested and evaluated under the Program.

"(d) Definitions.—In this section:

"(1) The term 'blue carbon capture' means the removal of dissolved carbon dioxide from seawater through engineered or inorganic processes, including filters, membranes, or phase change systems.

"(2)(A) The term 'direct air capture', with respect to a facility, technology, or system, means that the facility, technology, or system uses carbon capture equipment to capture carbon dioxide directly from the air.

"(B) The term 'direct air capture' does not include any facility, technology, or system that captures carbon dioxide—

"(i) that is deliberately released from a naturally occurring subsurface spring; or

"(ii) using natural photosynthesis.

"(3) The term 'eligible laboratory' means—

"(A) a National Laboratory (as defined in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801));

"(B) a science and technology reinvention laboratory designated under section 4121(b) of title 10, United States Code;

"(C) the Major Range and Test Facility Base (as defined in section 2358a(g) of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4091(f)]); or

"(D) any other facility that supports the research, development, test, and evaluation activities of the Department of Defense or the Department of Energy."

Research Program on Foreign Malign Influence Operations

Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, §228, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1271, provided that:

"(a) Program Authorized.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, may carry out a research program on foreign malign influence operations as part of the university research programs of the Department of Defense.

"(b) Program Objectives.—The objectives of a research program carried out under subsection (a) should include the following:

"(1) Enhance the understanding of foreign malign influence operations, including activities conducted on social media platforms.

"(2) Facilitate the analysis of publicly available or voluntarily provided indicators of foreign malign influence operations.

"(3) Promote collaborative research and information exchange with relevant entities within the Department of Defense and with other agencies or nongovernmental organizations relating to foreign malign influence operations, as appropriate.

"(c) Notice to Congress.—Not later than 30 days before initiating a research program under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] notice of the intent of the Secretary to initiate such a program, which shall include—

"(1) a detailed description of the program and any related research activities;

"(2) the estimated cost and duration of the program; and

"(3) any other matters the Secretary determines to be relevant."

Diversification of the Research and Engineering Workforce of the Department of Defense

Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, §229, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1271, provided that:

"(a) Assessment Required.—

"(1) In general.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and in consultation with the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, shall conduct an assessment of critical skillsets required across, and the diversity of, the research and engineering workforce of the Department of Defense, including the science and technology reinvention laboratories, to support emerging and future warfighter technologies.

"(2) Elements.—The assessment required by paragraph (1) shall include analysis of the following:

"(A) The percentage of women and minorities employed in the research and engineering workforce of the Department of Defense as of the date of the assessment.

"(B) Of the individuals hired into the research and engineering workforce of the Department in the five years preceding the date of the assessment, the percentage of such individuals who are women and minorities.

"(C) The effectiveness of existing hiring, recruitment, and retention incentives for women and minorities in the research and engineering workforce of the Department.

"(D) The effectiveness of the Department in recruiting women and minorities into the laboratory workforce after such individuals complete work on Department-funded research, projects, grant projects, fellowships, and STEM programs.

"(E) The geographical diversity of the workforce across various geographic regions.

"(b) Plan Required.—

"(1) In general.—Based on the results of the assessment conducted under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and in consultation with the Secretaries of the military departments, shall develop and implement a plan to diversify and strengthen the research and engineering workforce of the Department of Defense.

"(2) Elements.—The plan required by paragraph (1) shall—

"(A) align with science and technology strategy priorities of the Department of Defense, including the emerging and future warfighter technology requirements identified by the Department;

"(B) except as provided in subsection (c)(2), set forth steps for the implementation of each recommendation included in the 2013 report of the RAND corporation titled 'First Steps Toward Improving DoD STEM Workforce Diversity';

"(C) harness the full range of the Department's STEM programs and other Department sponsored programs to develop and attract top talent;

"(D) use existing authorities to attract and retain students, academics, and other talent;

"(E) establish and use contracts, agreements, or other arrangements with institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)), including historically black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions (as described in section 371(a) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)) to enable easy and efficient access to research and researchers for Government sponsored basic and applied research and studies at each institution, including contracts, agreements, and other authorized arrangements such as those authorized under—

"(i) section 217 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115–91; 10 U.S.C. 2358 note [now 10 U.S.C. 4001 note, set out below]); and

"(ii) such other authorities as the Secretary determines to be appropriate; and

"(F) include recommendations for changes in authorities, regulations, policies, or any other relevant areas that would support the achievement of the goals set forth in the plan.

"(3) Submittal to congress.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 20, 2019], the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report that includes—

"(A) the plan developed under paragraph (1); and

"(B) with respect to each recommendation described in paragraph (2)(B) that the Secretary has implemented or expects to implement—

"(i) a summary of actions that have been taken to implement the recommendation; and

"(ii) a schedule, with specific milestones, for completing the implementation of the recommendation.

"(c) Deadline for Implementation.—

"(1) In general.—Except as provided in paragraph (2), not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act the Secretary of Defense shall carry out activities to implement the plan developed under subsection (b).

"(2) Exception for implementation of certain recommendations.—

"(A) Delayed implementation.—The Secretary of Defense may commence implementation of a recommendation described in subsection (b)(2)(B) after the date specified in paragraph (1) if the Secretary provides the congressional defense committees with a specific justification for the delay in implementation of such recommendation on or before such date.

"(B) Nonimplementation.—The Secretary of Defense may opt not to implement a recommendation described in subsection (b)(2)(B) if the Secretary provides to the congressional defense committees, on or before the date specified in paragraph (1)—

"(i) a specific justification for the decision not to implement the recommendation; and

"(ii) a summary of the alternative actions the Secretary plans to take to address the issues underlying the recommendation.

"(d) STEM Defined.—In this section, the term 'STEM' means science, technology, engineering, and mathematics."

Process To Align Policy Formulation and Emerging Technology Development

Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, §232, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1277, provided that:

"(a) Alignment of Policy and Technological Development.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 20, 2019], the Secretary of Defense shall establish a process to ensure that the policies of the Department of Defense relating to emerging technology are formulated and updated continuously as such technology is developed by the Department.

"(b) Elements.—As part of the process established under subsection (a), the Secretary shall—

"(1) specify the role of each covered official in ensuring that the formulation of policies relating to emerging technology is carried out concurrently with the development of such technology; and

"(2) incorporate procedures for the continuous legal review of—

"(A) weapons and other defense systems that incorporate or use emerging technology; and

"(B) treaties that may be affected by such technology.

"(c) Briefing Required.—Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary of Defense establishes the process required under subsection (a), the Secretary shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on such process.

"(d) Definitions.—In this section:

"(1) The term 'covered official' means the following:

"(A) The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"(B) The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

"(C) The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.

"(D) The Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.

"(E) The commanders of combatant commands with responsibilities involving the use of weapons or other defense systems that incorporate or use emerging technology, as determined by the Secretary of Defense.

"(F) The Secretaries of the military departments.

"(2) The term 'emerging technology' means technology determined to be in an emerging phase of development by the Secretary of Defense, including quantum computing, technology for the analysis of large and diverse sets of data (commonly known as 'big data analytics'), artificial intelligence, autonomous technology, robotics, directed energy, hypersonics, biotechnology, and such other technology as may be identified by the Secretary."

Procedures for Rapid Reaction to Emerging Technology

Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, §225, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1684, provided that:

"(a) Requirement to Establish Procedures.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 13, 2018], the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall prescribe procedures for the designation and development of technologies that are—

"(1) urgently needed—

"(A) to react to a technological development of an adversary of the United States; or

"(B) to respond to a significant and urgent emerging technology; and

"(2) not receiving appropriate research funding or attention from the Department of Defense.

"(b) Elements.—The procedures prescribed under subsection (a) shall include the following:

"(1) A process for streamlined communications between the Under Secretary, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the commanders of the combatant commands, the science and technology executives within each military department, and the science and technology community, including—

"(A) a process for the commanders of the combatant commands and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to communicate their needs to the science and technology community; and

"(B) a process for the science and technology community to propose technologies that meet the needs communicated by the combatant commands and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"(2) Procedures for the development of technologies proposed pursuant to paragraph (1)(B), including—

"(A) a process for demonstrating performance of the proposed technologies on a short timeline;

"(B) a process for developing a development strategy for a technology, including integration into future budget years; and

"(C) a process for making investment determinations based on information obtained pursuant to subparagraphs (A) and (B).

"(c) Briefing.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on the procedures required by subsection (a)."

Human Factors Modeling and Simulation Activities

Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, §227, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1687, provided that:

"(a) Activities Required.—The Secretary of Defense shall develop and provide for the carrying out of human factors modeling and simulation activities designed to do the following:

"(1) Provide warfighters and civilians with personalized assessment, education, and training tools.

"(2) Identify and implement effective ways to interface and team warfighters with machines.

"(3) Result in the use of intelligent, adaptive augmentation to enhance decision making.

"(4) Result in the development of techniques, technologies, and practices to mitigate critical stressors that impede warfighter and civilian protection, sustainment, and performance.

"(b) Purpose.—The overall purpose of the activities shall be to accelerate research and development that enhances capabilities for human performance, human-systems integration, and training for the warfighter.

"(c) Participants in Activities.—Participants in the activities may include the following:

"(1) Elements of the Department of Defense engaged in science and technology activities.

"(2) Program Executive Offices of the Department.

"(3) Academia.

"(4) The private sector.

"(5) Such other participants as the Secretary considers appropriate."

Defense Quantum Information Science and Technology Research and Development Program

Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, §234, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1692, as amended by Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, §220, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1260; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §214, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3458; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title II, §219, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 188, provided that:

"(a) Establishment.—The Secretary of Defense shall carry out a quantum information science and technology research and development program.

"(b) Purposes.—The purposes of the program required by subsection (a) are as follows:

"(1) To ensure global superiority of the United States in quantum information science necessary for meeting national security requirements.

"(2) To coordinate all quantum information science and technology research and development within the Department of Defense and to provide for interagency cooperation and collaboration on quantum information science and technology research and development between the Department of Defense and other departments and agencies of the United States and appropriate private sector and international entities that are involved in quantum information science and technology research and development.

"(3) To develop and manage a portfolio of fundamental and applied quantum information science and technology and engineering research initiatives that is stable, consistent, and balanced across scientific disciplines.

"(4) To accelerate the transition and deployment of technologies and concepts derived from quantum information science and technology research and development into the Armed Forces, and to establish policies, procedures, and standards for measuring the success of such efforts.

"(5) To collect, synthesize, and disseminate critical information on quantum information science and technology research and development.

"(6) To establish and support appropriate research, innovation, and industrial base, including facilities, workforce, and infrastructure, to support the needs of Department of Defense missions and systems related to quantum information science and technology.

"(c) Administration.—In carrying out the program required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall act through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, who shall supervise the planning, management, and coordination of the program. The Under Secretary, in consultation with the Secretaries of the military departments and the heads of participating Defense Agencies and other departments and agencies of the United States, shall—

"(1) prescribe a set of long-term challenges and a set of specific technical goals for the program, including—

"(A) optimization of analysis of national security data sets;

"(B) development of defense related quantum computing algorithms;

"(C) design of new materials and molecular functions;

"(D) secure communications and cryptography, including development of quantum communications protocols;

"(E) quantum sensing and metrology;

"(F) development of mathematics relating to quantum enhancements to sensing, communications, and computing; and

"(G) processing and manufacturing of low-cost, robust, and reliable quantum information science and technology-enabled devices and systems;

"(2) develop a coordinated and integrated research and investment plan for meeting the near-, mid-, and long-term challenges with definitive milestones while achieving the specific technical goals that builds upon the Department's increased investment in quantum information science and technology research and development, commercial sector and global investments, and other United States Government investments in the quantum information sciences, including through consultation with—

"(A) the National Quantum Coordination Office;

"(B) the subcommittee on Quantum Information Science of the National Science and Technology Council;

"(C) other organizations and elements of the Department of Defense;

"(D) other Federal agencies; and

"(E) appropriate private sector organizations;

"(3) in consultation with the entities listed in paragraph (2), develop plans for—

"(A) the development of the quantum information science and technology workforce;

"(B) enhancing awareness of quantum information science and technology;

"(C) reducing the risk of cybersecurity threats posed by quantum information science technology; and

"(D) development of ethical guidelines for the use of quantum information science technology;

"(4) in consultation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and other appropriate Federal entities, develop a quantum information science taxonomy and standards and requirements for quantum information technology;

"(5) support efforts to increase the technology readiness level of quantum information science technologies under development in the United States;

"(6) not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 13, 2018], develop and continuously update guidance, including classification and data management plans for defense-related quantum information science and technology activities, and policies for control of personnel participating on such activities to minimize the effects of loss of intellectual property in basic and applied quantum information science and information considered sensitive to the leadership of the United States in the field of quantum information science and technology; and

"(7) develop memoranda of agreement, joint funding agreements, and other cooperative arrangements necessary for carrying out the program under subsection (a).

"(d) Quantum Information Science Research Centers.—The Secretary of each military department may establish or designate a defense laboratory or establish activities to engage with appropriate public and private sector organizations, including academic organizations, to enhance and accelerate the research, development, and deployment of quantum information sciences and quantum information science-enabled technologies and systems. The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that not less than one such laboratory or center is established or designated.

"(e) Use of Quantum Computing Capabilities.—The Secretary of each military department shall—

"(1) develop and annually update a list of technical problems and research challenges which are likely to be addressable by quantum computers available for use within in the next one to three years, with a priority for technical problems and challenges where quantum computing systems have performance advantages over traditional computing systems, in order to enhance the capabilities of such quantum computers and support the addressing of relevant technical problems and research challenges; and

"(2) establish programs and enter into agreements with appropriate medium and small businesses with functional quantum computing capabilities to provide such private sector capabilities to government, industry, and academic researchers working on relevant technical problems and research activities.

"(f) Fellowships.—

"(1) Program authorized.—In carrying out the program under subsection (a) and subject to the availability of appropriations to carry out this subsection, the Secretary may carry out a program of fellowships in quantum information science and technology research and development for individuals who have a graduate or postgraduate degree.

"(2) Equal access.—In carrying out the program under paragraph (1), the Secretary may establish procedures to ensure that minority, geographically diverse, and economically disadvantaged students have equal access to fellowship opportunities under such program.

"(g) Multidisciplinary Partnerships With Universities.—In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense may develop partnerships with universities to enable students to engage in multidisciplinary courses of study.

"(h) Report.—

"(1) In general.—Not later than December 31, 2020, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report on the program, in both classified and unclassified format.

"(2) Elements.—The report required by paragraph (1) shall include the following:

"(A) A description of the knowledge-base of the Department with respect to quantum information sciences, plans to defend against quantum based attacks, and any plans of the Secretary to enhance such knowledge-base.

"(B) A plan that describes how the Secretary intends to use quantum information sciences for military applications and to meet other needs of the Department, including a discussion of likely impacts of quantum information science and technology on military capabilities.

"(C) An assessment of the efforts of foreign powers to use quantum information sciences for military applications and other purposes.

"(D) A description of the activities carried out in accordance with this section, including, for each such activity—

"(i) a roadmap for the activity;

"(ii) a summary of the funding provided for the activity; and

"(iii) an estimated timeline for the development and military deployment of quantum technologies supported through the activity.

"(E) A description of the efforts of the Department of Defense to update classification and cybersecurity practices relating to quantum technology, including—

"(i) security processes and requirements for engagement with allied countries; and

"(ii) a plan for security-cleared government and contractor workforce development.

"(F) Such other matters as the Secretary considers appropriate."

Initiative To Support Protection of National Security Academic Researchers From Undue Influence and Other Security Threats

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XII, §1224(b), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 455, provided that: "The Secretary of Defense shall develop the policies required by paragraph (7) of section 1286(c) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 [Pub. L. 115–232] (10 U.S.C. 4001 note), as added by subsection (a)(1)(B), by not later than June 1, 2024."

Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title XII, §1286, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2078, as amended by Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title XII, §1281, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1704; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title X, §1081(d)(6), title XII, §1299C, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3874, 3999; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XII, §§1223(a), 1224(a), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 453, 454, provided that:

"(a) Initiative Required.—The Secretary of Defense shall, in consultation with other appropriate government organizations, establish an initiative to work with institutions of higher education who perform defense research and engineering activities—

"(1) to support protection of intellectual property, controlled information, key personnel, and information about critical technologies relevant to national security;

"(2) to limit undue influence, including through foreign talent programs, by countries to exploit United States technology within the Department of Defense research, science and technology, and innovation enterprise;

"(3) to limit academic institutions identified on the list developed under subsection (c)(8)(A) [now (c)(9)(A)] from benefitting from funding provided by the Department of Defense to United States academic institutions; and

"(4) to support efforts toward development of domestic talent in relevant scientific and engineering fields.

"(b) Institutions and Organizations.—The initiative required by subsection (a) shall be developed and executed to the maximum extent practicable with academic research institutions and other educational and research organizations.

"(c) Requirements.—The initiative required by subsection (a) shall include development of the following:

"(1) Information exchange forum and information repositories to enable awareness of security threats and influence operations being executed against the United States research, technology, and innovation enterprise.

"(2) Training developed and delivered in consultation with institutions of higher education and appropriate Government agencies, and other support to institutions of higher education, to promote security and limit undue influence on institutions of higher education and personnel, including Department of Defense financial support to carry out such activities, that—

"(A) emphasizes best practices for protection of sensitive national security information;

"(B) includes the dissemination of unclassified materials and resources for identifying and protecting against emerging threats to institutions of higher education, including specific counterintelligence information and advice developed specifically for faculty and academic researchers based on actual identified threats; and

"(C) includes requirements for appropriate senior officials of institutions of higher education to receive from appropriate Government agencies updated and periodic briefings that describe the espionage risks to academic institutions and associated personnel posed by technical intelligence gathering activities of near-peer strategic competitors.

"(3) The capacity of Government agencies and institutions of higher education to assess whether individuals affiliated with Department of Defense programs have participated in or are currently participating in foreign talent programs or expert recruitment programs.

"(4) Opportunities to collaborate with defense researchers and research organizations in secure facilities to promote protection of critical information and strengthen defense against foreign intelligence services.

"(5) Regulations and procedures—

"(A) for Government agencies and academic organizations and personnel to support the goals of the initiative; and

"(B) that are consistent with policies that protect open and scientific exchange in fundamental research.

"(6) Policies to limit or prohibit funding provided by the Department of Defense for institutions or individual researchers who knowingly violate regulations developed under the initiative, including regulations relating to foreign talent programs.

"(7) Policies to limit or prohibit funding provided by the Department of Defense for institutions or individual researchers who knowingly contract or make other financial arrangements with entities identified in the list described in paragraph (9), which policies shall include—

"(A) use of such list as part of a risk assessment decision matrix during proposal evaluations, including the development of a question for proposers or broad area announcements that require proposers to disclose any contractual or financial connections with such entities;

"(B) a requirement that the Department shall notify a proposer of suspected noncompliance with a policy issued under this paragraph and provide not less than 30 days to take actions to remedy such noncompliance;

"(C) the establishment of an appeals procedure under which a proposer may appeal a negative decision on a proposal if the decision is based on a determination informed by such list;

"(D) a requirement that each awardee of funding provided by the Department shall disclose to the Department any contract or financial arrangement made with such an entity during the period of the award; and

"(E) a requirement that each awardee of funding provided by the Department shall provide to the Department an annual certification of compliance with policies promulgated pursuant to this paragraph; [sic; the semicolon probably should be a period]

"(8) Initiatives to support the transition of the results of institution of higher education research programs into defense capabilities.

"(9)(A) A list of academic institutions of the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and other countries that—

"(i) have a history of improper technology transfer, intellectual property theft, or cyber or human espionage;

"(ii) operate under the direction of the military forces or intelligence agency of the applicable country;

"(iii) are known—

"(I) to recruit foreign individuals for the purpose of transferring knowledge to advance military or intelligence efforts; or

"(II) to provide misleading information or otherwise attempt to conceal the connections of an individual or institution to a defense or an intelligence agency of the applicable country; or

"(iv) pose a serious risk of improper technology transfer of data, technology, or research that is not published or publicly available.

"(B) The list described in subparagraph (A) shall be developed and continuously updated in consultation with the Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce, the Director of National Intelligence, United States institutions of higher education that conduct significant Department of Defense research or engineering activities, and other appropriate individuals and organizations.

"(10)(A) A list, developed and continuously updated in consultation with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and the appropriate Government agencies, of foreign talent programs that pose a threat to the national security interests of the United States, as determined by the Secretary.

"(B) In developing and updating such list, the Secretary shall consider—

"(i) the extent to which a foreign talent program—

"(I) poses a threat to research funded by the Department of Defense; and

"(II) engages in, or facilitates, cyber attacks, theft, espionage, attempts to gain ownership of or influence over companies, or otherwise interferes in the affairs of the United States; and

"(ii) any other factor the Secretary considers appropriate.

"(11) Development of measures of effectiveness and performance to assess and track progress of the Department of Defense across the initiative, which measures shall include—

"(A) the evaluation of currently available data to support the assessment of such measures, including the identification of areas in which gaps exist that may require collection of completely new data, or modifications to existing data sets;

"(B) current means and methods for the collection of data in an automated manner, including the identification of areas in which gaps exist that may require new means for data collection or visualization of such data; and

"(C) the development of an analysis and assessment methodology framework to make tradeoffs between the measures developed under this paragraph and other metrics related to assessing undue foreign influence on the Department of Defense research enterprise, such as commercial due diligence, beneficial ownership, and foreign ownership, control, and influence.

"(d) Procedures for Enhanced Information Sharing.—

"(1) Collection of information.—

"(A) Defense research and development activities.—Not later than October 1, 2020, for the purpose of maintaining appropriate security controls over research activities, technical information, and intellectual property, the Secretary, in conjunction with appropriate public and private entities, shall establish streamlined procedures to collect appropriate information relating to individuals, including United States citizens and foreign nationals, who participate in defense research and development activities.

"(B) Fundamental research programs.—With respect to fundamental research programs, the academic liaison designated under subsection (g) shall establish policies and procedures to collect, consistent with the best practices of Government agencies that fund academic research, appropriate information relating to individuals who participate in fundamental research programs.

"(2) Protection from release.—The procedures required by paragraph (1) shall include procedures to protect such information from release, consistent with applicable regulations.

"(3) Reporting to government information systems and repositories.—The procedures required by paragraph (1) may include procedures developed, in coordination with appropriate public and private entities, to report such information to existing Government information systems and repositories.

"(e) Annual Report.—

"(1) In general.—Not later than April 30, 2020, and annually thereafter, the Secretary, acting through appropriate Government officials (including the Under Secretary for Research and Engineering), shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report on the activities carried out under the initiative required by subsection (a).

"(2) Contents.—The report required by paragraph (1) shall include the following:

"(A) A description of the activities conducted and the progress made under the initiative.

"(B) The findings of the Secretary with respect to the initiative.

"(C) Such recommendations as the Secretary may have for legislative or administrative action relating to the matters described in subsection (a), including actions related to foreign talent programs.

"(D) Identification and discussion of the gaps in legal authorities that need to be improved to enhance the security of research institutions of higher education performing defense research.

"(E) A description of the actions taken by such institutions to comply with such best practices and guidelines as may be established by under the initiative.

"(F) Identification of any incident relating to undue influence to security threats to academic research activities funded by the Department of Defense, including theft of property or intellectual property relating to a project funded by the Department at an institution of higher education.

"(G) A description of the status of the measures of effectiveness and performance described in subsection (c)(11) for the period covered by such report, including an analytical assessment of the impact of such measures on the goals of the initiative.

"(3) Form.—The report submitted under paragraph (1) shall be submitted in both unclassified and classified formats, as appropriate.

"(f) Publication of Updated Lists.—

"(1) Submittal to congress.—Not later than January 1, 2021, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees the most recently updated lists described in paragraphs (8) and (9) of subsection (c).

"(2) Form.—Each list submitted under paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex.

"(3) Public availability.—Each list submitted under paragraph (1) shall be published on a publicly accessible internet website of the Department of Defense in a searchable format.

"(4) Intervening submittal and publication.—The Secretary may submit and publish an updated list described in paragraph (1) more frequently than required by that paragraph, as the Secretary considers necessary.

"(g) Designation of Academic Liaison.—

"(1) In general.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 [Pub. L. 116–283; approved Jan. 1, 2021], the Secretary, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall designate an academic liaison with principal responsibility for working with the academic and research communities to protect Department-sponsored academic research of concern from undue foreign influence and threats.

"(2) Qualification.—The Secretary shall designate an individual under paragraph (1) who is an official of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

"(3) Duties.—The duties of the academic liaison designated under paragraph (1) shall be as follows:

"(A) To serve as the liaison of the Department with the academic and research communities.

"(B) To execute initiatives of the Department related to the protection of Department-sponsored academic research of concern from undue foreign influence and threats, including the initiative required by subsection (a).

"(C) To conduct outreach and education activities for the academic and research communities on undue foreign influence and threats to Department-sponsored academic research of concern.

"(D) To coordinate and align academic security policies with Department component agencies, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the intelligence community, and appropriate Federal agencies.

"(E) To the extent practicable, to coordinate with the intelligence community to share, not less frequently than annually, with the academic and research communities unclassified information, including counterintelligence information, on threats from undue foreign influence.

"(F) Any other related responsibility, as determined by the Secretary in consultation with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

"(h) Institution of Higher Education Defined.—The term 'institution of higher education' has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)."

Mechanisms for Expedited Access to Technical Talent and Expertise at Academic Institutions To Support Department of Defense Missions

Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title II, §217, Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1328, as amended by Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, §§228, 236, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1687, 1694; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, §218, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1259; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §244, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3488; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §218, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1597, provided that:

"(a) Arrangements Authorized.—

"(1) In general.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 [Pub. L. 116–283; approved Jan. 1, 2021], the Secretary of Defense shall direct the secretaries of the military departments to establish not fewer than four multi-institution task order contracts, consortia, cooperative agreements, or other arrangements to facilitate expedited access to university technical expertise, including faculty, staff, and students, in support of Department of Defense missions in the areas specified in subsection (e).

"(2) Coordination.—In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense may act through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or any other organization or element of the Department of Defense the Secretary considers appropriate.

"(3) Use for technical analyses and engineering support.—The Secretary may use an arrangement under paragraph (1) to fund technical analyses and other engineering support as required to address acquisition, management, training, and operational challenges, including support for classified programs and activities.

"(b) Limitation.—An arrangement established under subsection (a)(1) may not be used to fund research programs that can be executed through other Department of Defense basic research activities.

"(c) Consultation With Other Organizations.—For the purposes of providing technical expertise and reducing costs and duplicative efforts, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretaries of the military departments shall work to ensure and support the sharing of information on the research and consulting that is being carried out across the Federal Government in Department-wide shared information systems including the Defense Technical Information Center.

"(d) Policies and Procedures.—If the Secretary of Defense or a secretary of a military department establishes one or more arrangements under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary of Defense shall establish and implement policies and procedures to govern—

"(1) selection of participants in the arrangement or arrangements;

"(2) the awarding of task orders under the arrangement or arrangements;

"(3) maximum award size for tasks under the arrangement or arrangements;

"(4) the appropriate use of competitive awards and sole source awards under the arrangement or arrangements; and

"(5) technical areas under the arrangement or arrangements.

"(e) Mission Areas.—The areas specified in this subsection are as follows:

"(1) Cybersecurity.

"(2) Air and ground vehicles.

"(3) Shipbuilding.

"(4) Explosives detection and defeat.

"(5) Undersea warfare.

"(6) Trusted electronics.

"(7) Unmanned systems.

"(8) Directed energy.

"(9) Energy, power, and propulsion.

"(10) Management science and operations research.

"(11) Artificial intelligence.

"(12) Data analytics.

"(13) Business systems.

"(14) Technology transfer and transition.

"(15) Biological engineering and genetic enhancement.

"(16) High performance computing.

"(17) Materials science and engineering.

"(18) Quantum information sciences.

"(19) Special operations activities.

"(20) Modeling and simulation.

"(21) Autonomous systems.

"(22) Model based engineering.

"(23) Space.

"(24) Infrastructure resilience.

"(25) Photonics.

"(26) Autonomy.

"(27) Rapid prototyping.

"(28) Additive manufacturing.

"(29) Hypersonics.

"(30) 3D and virtual technology training platforms.

"(31) Nuclear science, security, and nonproliferation.

"(32) Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense.

"(33) Spectrum activities.

"(34) Research security and integrity.

"(35) Printed circuit boards.

"(36) Such other areas as the Secretary considers appropriate.

"(f) Requirement To Establish Consortia.—

"(1) In general.—In carrying out subsection (a)(1)—

"(A) the Secretary of Defense shall seek to establish at least one multi-institution consortium through the Office of the Secretary of Defense;

"(B) the Secretary of the Army shall seek to establish at least one multi-institution consortium through the Army;

"(C) the Secretary of the Navy shall seek to establish at least one multi-institution consortium through the Navy; and

"(D) the Secretary of the Air Force shall seek to establish at least one multi-institution consortium through the Air Force.

"(2) Report required.—Not later than September 30, 2022, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report on the status of the efforts to establish consortia under paragraph (1).

"(g) Sunset.—No new arrangements may be entered into under subsection (a)(1) after September 30, 2028.

"(h) Arrangements Established Under Subsection (a)(1) Defined.—In this section, the term 'arrangement established under subsection (a)(1)' means a multi-institution task order contract, consortia, cooperative agreement, or other arrangement established under subsection (a)(1)."

Information Operations and Engagement Technology Demonstrations

Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title X, §1056, Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 984, provided that:

"(a) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that—

"(1) military information support operations are a critical component of the efforts of the Department of Defense to provide commanders with capabilities to shape the operational environment;

"(2) military information support operations are integral to armed conflict and therefore the Secretary of Defense has broad latitude to conduct military information support operations;

"(3) the Secretary of Defense should develop creative and agile concepts, technologies, and strategies across all available media to most effectively reach target audiences, to counter and degrade the ability of adversaries and potential adversaries to persuade, inspire, and recruit inside areas of hostilities or in other areas in direct support of the objectives of commanders; and

"(4) the Secretary of Defense should request additional funds in future budgets to carry out military information support operations to support the broader efforts of the Government to counter violent extremism.

"(b) Technology Demonstrations Required.—To support the ability of the Department of Defense to provide innovative operational concepts and technologies to shape the informational environment, the Secretary of Defense shall carry out a series of technology demonstrations, subject to the availability of funds for such purpose or to a prior approval reprogramming, to assess innovative new technologies for information operations and information engagement to support the operational and strategic requirements of the commanders of the geographic and functional combatant commands, including the urgent and emergent operational needs and the operational and theater campaign plans of such combatant commanders to further the national security objectives and strategic communications requirements of the United States.

"(c) Plan.—By not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 25, 2015], the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a plan describing how the Department of Defense will execute the technology demonstrations required under subsection (b). Such plan shall include each of the following elements:

"(1) A general timeline for conducting the technology demonstrations.

"(2) Clearly defined goals and endstate objectives for the demonstrations, including traceability of such goals to the tactical, operational, or strategic requirements of the combatant commanders.

"(3) A process for measuring the performance and effectiveness of the demonstrations.

"(4) A coordination structure to include participation between the technology development and the operational communities, including potentially joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational partners.

"(5) The identification of potential technologies to support the tactical, operational, or strategic needs of the combatant commanders.

"(6) An explanation of how such technologies will support and coordinate with elements of joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational partners.

"(d) Congressional Notice.—Upon initiating a technology demonstration under subsection (b), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees written notice of the demonstration that includes a detailed description of the demonstration, including its purpose, cost, engagement medium, targeted audience, and any other details the Secretary of Defense believes will assist the committees in evaluating the demonstration.

"(e) Termination.—The authority to carry out a technology demonstration under this section shall terminate on September 30, 2022.

"(f) Rule of Construction.—Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or alter any authority under which the Department of Defense supports information operations activities within the Department."

Inclusion of Women and Minorities in Clinical Research Projects

Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title II, §252, Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1607, provided that:

"(a) General Rule.—In conducting or supporting clinical research, the Secretary of Defense shall ensure that—

"(1) women who are members of the Armed Forces are included as subjects in each project of such research; and

"(2) members of minority groups who are members of the Armed Forces are included as subjects of such research.

"(b) Waiver Authority.—The requirement in subsection (a) regarding women and members of minority groups who are members of the Armed Forces may be waived by the Secretary of Defense with respect to a project of clinical research if the Secretary determines that the inclusion, as subjects in the project, of women and members of minority groups, respectively—

"(1) is inappropriate with respect to the health of the subjects;

"(2) is inappropriate with respect to the purpose of the research; or

"(3) is inappropriate under such other circumstances as the Secretary of Defense may designate.

"(c) Requirement for Analysis of Research.—In the case of a project of clinical research in which women or members of minority groups will under subsection (a) be included as subjects of the research, the Secretary of Defense shall ensure that the project is designed and carried out so as to provide for a valid analysis of whether the variables being tested in the research affect women or members of minority groups, as the case may be, differently than other persons who are subjects of the research."

University Research Initiative Support Program

Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title VIII, §802, Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1701, as amended by Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title II, §275, Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 241; Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title II, §263, Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2465; Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title X, §1076(c)(2)(E), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1950, provided that:

"(a) Establishment.—The Secretary of Defense, through the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, may establish a University Research Initiative Support Program.

"(b) Purpose.—Under the program, the Assistant Secretary may award grants and contracts to eligible institutions of higher education to support the conduct of research and development relevant to requirements of the Department of Defense.

"(c) Eligibility.—An institution of higher education is eligible for a grant or contract under the program if the institution has received less than a total of $2,000,000 in grants and contracts from the Department of Defense in the two most recent fiscal years for which complete statistics are available when proposals are requested for such grant or contract.

"(d) Competition Required.—The Assistant Secretary shall use competitive procedures in awarding grants and contracts under the program.

"(e) Selection Process.—In awarding grants and contracts under the program, the Assistant Secretary shall use a merit-based selection process that is consistent with the provisions of section 2361(a) of title 10 [now 10 U.S.C. 4141(a)], United States Code.

"(f) Regulations.—The Assistant Secretary shall prescribe regulations for carrying out the program.

"(g) Funding.—Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated under section 201 [107 Stat. 1583], $20,000,000 shall be available for the University Research Initiative Support Program."

Campuses Barring Military Recruiters; Cessation of Payments; Notification of Secretary of Defense

Pub. L. 92–436, title VI, §606, Sept. 29, 1972, 86 Stat. 740, provided that:

"(a) No part of the funds appropriated pursuant to this or any other Act for the Department of Defense or any of the Armed Forces may be used at any institution of higher learning if the Secretary of Defense or his designee determines that recruiting personnel of any of the Armed Forces of the United States are being barred by the policy of such institution from the premises of the institution: except in a case where the Secretary of the service concerned certifies to the Congress in writing that a specific course of instruction is not available at any other institution of higher learning and furnishes to the Congress the reasons why such course of instruction is of vital importance to the security of the United States.

"(b) The prohibition made by subsection (a) of this section as it applies to research and development funds shall not apply if the Secretary of Defense or his designee determines that the expenditure is a continuation or a renewal of a previous program with such institution which is likely to make a significant contribution to the defense effort.

"(c) The Secretaries of the military departments shall furnish to the Secretary of Defense or his designee within 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act [Sept. 29, 1972] and each January 31 and June 30 thereafter the names of any institution of higher learning which the Secretaries determine on such dates are affected by the prohibitions contained in this section."

Similar provisions were contained in the following prior authorization acts:

Pub. L. 92–156, title V, §502, Nov. 17, 1971, 85 Stat. 427.

Pub. L. 91–441, title V, §510, Oct. 7, 1970, 84 Stat. 914.

[§§4002, 4003. Omitted]

Editorial Notes

Codification

As enacted, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1841(b)(1), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243, originally transferred sections 2371 and 2371b of this title to sections 4002 and 4003, respectively, to become effective Jan. 1, 2022. Subsequently, Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151, amended section 1841(b)(1) of Pub. L. 116–283, effective as if included therein, so as to eliminate those transfers, thereby omitting these sections before they took effect. As amended by section 1701(u)(2)(B) of Pub. L. 117–81, sections 2371 and 2371b were transferred to sections 4021 and 4022 of this title, respectively.

§4004. Contract authority for development and demonstration of initial or additional prototype units

(a) Authority.—A contract initially awarded from the competitive selection of a proposal resulting from a general solicitation referred to in section 3012(2) of this title may contain a contract line item or contract option for—

(1) the development and demonstration or initial production of technology developed under the contract; or

(2) the delivery of initial or additional items if the item or a prototype thereof is created as the result of work performed under the contract.

(b) Limitations.—

(1) Minimal amount.—A contract line item or contract option described in subsection (a)(2) shall require the delivery of the minimal amount of initial or additional items to allow for the timely competitive solicitation and award of a follow-on development or production contract for those items.

(2) Term.—A contract line item or contract option described in subsection (a) shall be for a term of not more than 2 years.

(3) Dollar value of work.—The dollar value of the work to be performed pursuant to a contract line item or contract option described in subsection (a) may not exceed $100,000,000, in fiscal year 2017 constant dollars.

(4) Applicability.—The authority provided in subsection (a) applies only to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Secretary of the Air Force.

(c) Procedures.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish procedures to collect and analyze information on the use and benefits of the authority under this section and related impacts on performance, affordability, and capability delivery.

(Added Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title VIII, §861(a)(1), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1493, §2302e; renumbered §4004 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title VIII, §831(a), title XVIII, §§1818(c), 1841(b)(1), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3753, 4243; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1841(b)(2)(D), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(F)(i)(V), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2152; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(B), (v)(1)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151, 2154.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(1), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(B), renumbered section 2302e of this title as this section.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1818(c), which directed the renumbering of section 2302e of this title as section 3345 instead of this section and the substitution of "section 3012(2)" for "section 2302(2)(B)" in subsec. (a), was repealed by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(v)(1)(A), effective as if included therein, so that such renumbering and substitution were no longer directed.

Pub. L. 116–283, §831(a)(1), substituted "development and demonstration" for "advanced development" in section catchline.

Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(2)(D), as added by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(F)(i)(V), substituted "section 3012(2)" for "section 2302(2)(B)" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 116–283, §831(a)(2), substituted "development and demonstration" for "provision of advanced component development, prototype,".

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 116–283, §831(a)(3), added subsec. (c).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by section 1818(c) of Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

§4007. Science and technology programs to be conducted so as to foster the transition of science and technology to higher levels of research, development, test, and evaluation

(a) Policy.—Each official specified in subsection (b) shall ensure that the management and conduct of the science and technology programs under the authority of that official are carried out in a manner that will foster the transition of science and technology to higher levels of research, development, test, and evaluation.

(b) Covered Officials.—Subsection (a) applies to the following officials of the Department of Defense:

(1) The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

(2) The Secretary of each military department.

(3) The Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

(4) The directors and heads of other offices and agencies of the Department of Defense with assigned research, development, test, and evaluation responsibilities.

(Added Pub. L. 106–398, §1 [[div. A], title IX, §904(a)(1)], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A-225, §2359; amended Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title IX, §902(55), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1549; renumbered §4007, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1841(b)(1), (c), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(B), (D), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(c), which directed the renumbering of section 2359 of this title as this section, was amended generally by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(D), effective as if included therein, so that such renumbering was no longer directed.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(1), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(B), renumbered section 2359 of this title as this section.

2019—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 116–92 substituted "Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering" for "Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics".

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Pilot Program on the Use of Private Sector Partnerships To Promote Technology Transition

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §231, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1612, provided that:

"(a) In General.—Consistent with section 2359 of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4007], the Secretary of Defense shall carry out a pilot program to foster the transition of the science and technology programs, projects, and activities of the Department of Defense from the research, development, pilot, and prototyping phases into acquisition activities and operational use. Under the pilot program, the Secretary shall seek to enter into agreements with qualified private sector organizations to support—

"(1) matching technology developers with programs, projects, and activities of the Department that may have a use for the technology developed by such developers;

"(2) providing technical assistance to appropriate parties on participating in the procurement programs and acquisition processes of the Department, including training and consulting on programming, budgeting, contracting, requirements, and other relevant processes and activities; and

"(3) overcoming barriers and challenges facing technology developers, including challenges posed by restrictions on accessing secure facilities, networks, and information.

"(b) Priority.—In carrying out the activities described in paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection (a), a qualified private sector organization shall give priority to technology producers that are small business concerns (as defined under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)), research institutions (as defined in section 9(e) of such Act [15 U.S.C. 638(e)]), or institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C 1001)).

"(c) Terms of Agreements.—The terms of an agreement under subsection (a) shall be determined by the Secretary of Defense.

"(d) Data Collection.—

"(1) Plan required before implementation.—The Secretary of Defense may not enter into an agreement under subsection (a) until the date on which the Secretary—

"(A) completes a plan to for carrying out the data collection required under paragraph (2); and

"(B) submits the plan to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives].

"(2) Data collection required.—The Secretary of Defense shall collect and analyze data on the pilot program under this section for the purposes of—

"(A) developing and sharing best practices for facilitating the transition of science and technology from the research, development, pilot, and prototyping phases into acquisition activities and operational use within the Department of Defense;

"(B) providing information to the leadership of the Department on the implementation of the pilot program and related policy issues; and

"(C) providing information to the congressional defense committees as required under subsection (e).

"(e) Briefing.—Not later than December 31, 2022, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees a briefing on the progress of the Secretary in implementing the pilot program under this section and any related policy issues.

"(f) Consultation.—In carrying out the pilot program under this section, the Secretary of Defense shall consult with—

"(1) service acquisition executives (as defined in section 101 of title 10, United States Code);

"(2) the heads of appropriate Defense Agencies and Department of Defense Field Activities;

"(3) procurement technical assistance centers (as described in chapter 142 [see 10 U.S.C. 4951 et seq.] of title 10, United States Code); and

"(4) such other individuals and organizations as the Secretary determines appropriate.

"(g) Termination.—The pilot program under this section shall terminate on the date that is five years after the date on which Secretary of Defense enters into the first agreement with a qualified private sector organization under subsection (a).

"(h) Comptroller General Assessment and Report.—

"(1) Assessment.—The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct an assessment of the pilot program under this section. The assessment shall include an evaluation of the effectiveness of the pilot program with respect to—

"(A) facilitating the transition of science and technology from the research, development, pilot, and prototyping phases into acquisition activities and operational use within the Department of Defense; and

"(B) protecting sensitive information in the course of the pilot program.

"(2) Report.—Not later than the date specified in paragraph (3), the Comptroller General shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the results of the assessment conducted under paragraph (1).

"(3) Date specified.—The date specified in this paragraph is the earlier of—

"(A) four years after the date on which the Secretary of Defense enters into the first agreement with a qualified private sector organization under subsection (a): or

"(B) five years after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2021]."

Proof of Concept Commercialization of Dual-Use Technology Pilot Program

Pub. L. 113–66, div. A, title XVI, §1603, Dec. 26, 2013, 127 Stat. 944, as amended by Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title VIII, §818, Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3432; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, §217, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1258, provided that:

"(a) Pilot Program.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the Secretary of each military department, may establish and implement a pilot program, to be known as the 'Proof of Concept Commercialization of Dual-Use Technology Pilot Program', with a focus on priority defense technology areas that attract public and private sector funding, as well as private sector investment capital, including from venture capital firms in the United States, in accordance with this section.

"(b) Purpose.—The purpose of the pilot program is to accelerate the commercialization of basic research innovations from qualifying institutions.

"(c) Awards.—

"(1) In general.—Under the pilot program, the Secretary shall make financial awards to qualifying institutions in accordance with this subsection.

"(2) Competitive, merit-based process.—An award under the pilot program shall be made using a competitive, merit-based process.

"(3) Eligibility.—A qualifying institution shall be eligible for an award under the pilot program if the institution agrees to—

"(A) use funds from the award for the uses specified in paragraph (5); and

"(B) oversee the use of the funds through—

"(i) rigorous review of commercialization potential or military utility of technologies, including through use of outside expertise;

"(ii) technology validation milestones focused on market feasibility;

"(iii) simple reporting on program progress; and

"(iv) a process to reallocate funding from poor performing projects to those with more potential.

"(4) Criteria.—An award may be made under the pilot program to a qualifying institution in accordance with the following criteria:

"(A) The extent to which a qualifying institution—

"(i) has an established and proven technology transfer or commercialization office and has a plan for engaging that office in the program's implementation or has outlined an innovative approach to technology transfer that has the potential to increase or accelerate technology transfer outcomes and can be adopted by other qualifying institutions;

"(ii) can assemble a project management board comprised of industry, start-up, venture capital, technical, financial, and business experts;

"(iii) has an intellectual property rights strategy or office; and

"(iv) demonstrates a plan for sustainability beyond the duration of the funding from the award, which may include access to venture capital.

"(B) Such other criteria as the Secretary determines necessary.

"(5) Use of award.—

"(A) In general.—Subject to subparagraph (B), the funds from an award may be used to evaluate the commercial potential of existing discoveries, including activities that contribute to determining a project's commercialization path, including technical validations, market research, clarifying intellectual property rights, and investigating commercial and business opportunities.

"(B) Limitations.—

"(i) The amount of an award may not exceed $1,000,000 a year.

"(ii) Funds from an award may not be used for basic research, or to fund the acquisition of research equipment or supplies unrelated to commercialization activities.

"(d) Qualifying Institution Defined.—In this section, the term 'qualifying institution' means a nonprofit institution, as defined in section 4(3) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703(3)), or a Federal laboratory, as defined in section 4(4) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703(4)).

"(e) Authorities.—In carrying out this section, the Secretary may use the following authorities:

"(1) Section 1599g of title 10 of the United States Code, relating to public-private talent exchanges.

"(2) Section 2368 of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4124], relating to Centers for Science, Technology, and Engineering Partnerships.

"(3) Section 2374a of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4025], relating to prizes for advanced technology achievements.

"(4) Section 2474 of such title, relating to Centers of Industrial and Technical Excellence.

"(5) Section 2521 of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4841, 4842], relating to the Manufacturing Technology Program.

"(6) Section 225 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115–91; 10 U.S.C. 2359 note [now 10 U.S.C. 4061 note prec.]).

"(7) Section 1711 of such Act (Public Law 115–91; 10 U.S.C. 2505 note [now 10 U.S.C. 4816 note]), relating to a pilot program on strengthening manufacturing in the defense industrial base.

"(8) Section 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a) and section 6305 of title 31, United States Code, relating to cooperative research and development agreements.

"(f) Termination.—The pilot program conducted under this section shall terminate on September 30, 2024."

[§§4008, 4009. Omitted]

Editorial Notes

Codification

As enacted, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1841(c), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243, originally transferred sections 2374 and 2357 of this title to sections 4008 and 4009, respectively, to become effective Jan. 1, 2022. Subsequently, Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(D), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151, amended section 1841(c) of Pub. L. 116–283, effective as if included therein, so as to eliminate those transfers, thereby omitting these sections before they took effect. Other amendments by Pub. L. 117–81 resulted in transfers of sections 2374 and 2357 to sections 4024 and 4067 of this title, respectively.

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(d)(7), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2136, which directed amendment of section 4008 of this title by substituting "section 3063" for "section 2303(a)" in subsecs. (a) and (d), effective after the amendments by title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 took effect, could not be executed after the amendment by section 1701(u)(2)(D) of Pub. L. 117–81, which eliminated the transfer of section 2374 of this title to section 4008, effective as if included in title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283.

§4010. Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research

(a) Program Required.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall carry out a Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) as part of the university research programs of the Department of Defense.

(b) Program Objectives.—The objectives of the program are as follows:

(1) To increase the number of university researchers in eligible States capable of performing science and engineering research responsive to the needs of the Department of Defense.

(2) To enhance the capabilities of institutions of higher education in eligible States to develop, plan, and execute science and engineering research that is relevant to the mission of the Department of Defense and competitive under the peer-review systems used for awarding Federal research assistance.

(3) To increase the probability of long-term growth in the competitively awarded financial assistance that institutions of higher education in eligible States receive from the Federal Government for science and engineering research.

(c) Program Activities.—In order to achieve the program objectives, the following activities are authorized under the program:

(1) Competitive award of grants for research and instrumentation to support such research.

(2) Competitive award of financial assistance for graduate students.

(3) To provide assistance to science and engineering researchers at institutions of higher education in eligible States through collaboration between Department of Defense laboratories and such researchers.

(4) Any other activities that are determined necessary to further the achievement of the objectives of the program.

(d) Eligible States.—(1) The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall designate which States are eligible States for the purposes of this section.

(2) The Under Secretary shall designate a State as an eligible State if, as determined by the Under Secretary—

(A) the average annual amount of all Department of Defense obligations for science and engineering research and development that were in effect with institutions of higher education in the State for the three fiscal years preceding the fiscal year for which the designation is effective or for the last three fiscal years for which statistics are available is less than the amount determined by multiplying 60 percent times the amount equal to 1/50 of the total average annual amount of all Department of Defense obligations for science and engineering research and development that were in effect with institutions of higher education in the United States for such three preceding or last fiscal years, as the case may be; and

(B) the State has demonstrated a commitment to developing research bases in the State and to improving science and engineering research and education programs in areas relevant to the mission of the Department of Defense at institutions of higher education in the State.

(3) The Under Secretary shall not remove a designation of a State under paragraph (2) because the State exceeds the funding levels specified under subparagraph (A) of such paragraph unless the State has exceeded such funding levels for at least two consecutive years.

(e) Coordination With Similar Federal Programs.—(1) The Secretary may consult with the Director of the National Science Foundation and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the planning, development, and execution of the program and may coordinate the program with the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research conducted by the National Science Foundation and with similar programs sponsored by other departments and agencies of the Federal Government.

(2) All solicitations under the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research may be made to, and all awards may be made through, the State committees established for purposes of the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research conducted by the National Science Foundation.

(3) A State committee referred to in paragraph (2) shall ensure that activities carried out in the State of that committee under the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research are relevant to the mission of the Department of Defense and coordinated with the activities carried out in the State under other similar initiatives of the Federal Government to stimulate competitive research.

(f) State Defined.—In this section, the term "State" means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

(Added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §214(a), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1589.)

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §214(d), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1591, provided that: "This section [enacting this section and repealing provisions set out as notes under section 2358 of this title] and the amendments and repeals made by this section shall take effect immediately after the effective date of the amendments made by title XVIII of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283) [Jan. 1, 2022]."

§4014. Coordination and communication of defense research activities and technology domain awareness

(a) Coordination of Department of Defense Research, Development, and Technological Data.—The Secretary of Defense shall promote, monitor, and evaluate programs for the communication and exchange of research, development, and technological data—

(1) among the Defense research facilities, combatant commands, and other organizations that are involved in developing for the Department of Defense the technological requirements for new items for use by combat forces;

(2) among Defense research facilities and other offices, agencies, and bureaus in the Department that are engaged in related technological matters;

(3) among other research facilities and other departments or agencies of the Federal Government that are engaged in research, development, and technological matters;

(4) among private commercial, research institution, and university entities engaged in research, development, and technological matters potentially relevant to defense on a voluntary basis;

(5) to the extent practicable, to achieve full awareness of scientific and technological advancement and innovation wherever it may occur, whether funded by the Department of Defense, another element of the Federal Government, or other entities; and

(6) through development and distribution of clear technical communications to the public, military operators, acquisition organizations, and civilian and military decision-makers that convey successes of research and engineering activities supported by the Department and the contributions of such activities to support national needs.

(b) Defense Research Facility Defined.—In this section, the term "Defense research facility" has the meaning given that term by section 4125(b) of this title.

(Added and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1841(d), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(E), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XVIII, §1801(a)(30), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 685.)

Editorial Notes

Codification

The section catchline and text of subsec. (a) of section 2364 of this title, which were transferred to this section by Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(d)(1), were based on Pub. L. 99–661, div. A, title II, §234(c)(1), Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3848; Pub. L. 100–26, §3(1)(A), Apr. 21, 1987, 101 Stat. 273; Pub. L. 100–180, div. A, title XII, §1231(10)(B), Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1160; Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title II, §214(a)(1), (3), Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 767, 768; Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title X, §1081(a)(34), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1596.

Amendments

2023—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 118–31 substituted "section 4125(b) of this title" for "section 4142(b) of this title".

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(d)(1), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(E), transferred section catchline and subsec. (a) of section 2364 of this title to this section.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(d)(2), added subsec. (b).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Effective Date

Section and amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as an Effective Date of 2021 Amendment note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Collaboration Between Defense Laboratories, Industry, and Academia; Open Campus Program

Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, §222, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1682, provided that:

"(a) Collaboration.—The Secretary of Defense may carry out activities to prioritize innovative collaboration between Department of Defense science and technology reinvention laboratories, industry, and academia.

"(b) Open Campus Program.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary, acting through the Commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Commander of the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, and the Chief of Naval Research, or such other officials of the Department as the Secretary considers appropriate, may develop and implement an open campus program for the Department science and technology reinvention laboratories which shall be modeled after the open campus program of the Army Research Laboratory."

[§4015. Omitted]

Editorial Notes

Codification

As enacted, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1841(c), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243, originally transferred section 2361 of this title to this section, to become effective Jan. 1, 2022. Subsequently, Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(D), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151, amended section 1841(c) of Pub. L. 116–283, effective as if included therein, so as to eliminate that transfer, thereby omitting this section before it took effect. Another amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 resulted in the transfer of section 2361 to section 4141 of this title.

SUBCHAPTER II—AGREEMENTS

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1841(c)(2), as added by Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(D), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151, added subchapter heading. Heading was editorially conformed to the style used in this title.

§4021. Research projects: transactions other than contracts and grants

(a) Additional Forms of Transactions Authorized.—The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of each military department may enter into transactions (other than contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants) under the authority of this subsection in carrying out basic, applied, and advanced research projects. The authority under this subsection is in addition to the authority provided in section 4001 of this title to use contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants in carrying out such projects.

(b) Exercise of Authority by Secretary of Defense.—In any exercise of the authority in subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall act through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Defense Innovation Unit, or any other element of the Department of Defense that the Secretary may designate.

(c) Advance Payments.—The authority provided under subsection (a) may be exercised without regard to section 3324 of title 31.

(d) Recovery of Funds.—(1) A cooperative agreement for performance of basic, applied, or advanced research authorized by section 4001 of this title and a transaction authorized by subsection (a) may include a clause that requires a person or other entity to make payments to the Department of Defense or any other department or agency of the Federal Government as a condition for receiving support under the agreement or other transaction.

(2) The amount of any payment received by the Federal Government pursuant to a requirement imposed under paragraph (1) may be credited, to the extent authorized by the Secretary of Defense, to the appropriate account established under subsection (f). Amounts so credited shall be merged with other funds in the account and shall be available for the same purposes and the same period for which other funds in such account are available.

(e) Conditions.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that—

(1) to the maximum extent practicable, no cooperative agreement containing a clause under subsection (d) and no transaction entered into under subsection (a) provides for research that duplicates research being conducted under existing programs carried out by the Department of Defense; and

(2) to the extent that the Secretary determines practicable, the funds provided by the Government under a cooperative agreement containing a clause under subsection (d) or a transaction authorized by subsection (a) do not exceed the total amount provided by other parties to the cooperative agreement or other transaction.

(f) Support Accounts.—There is hereby established on the books of the Treasury separate accounts for each of the military departments, the Defense Innovation Unit, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for support of research projects and development projects provided for in cooperative agreements containing a clause under subsection (d) and research projects provided for in transactions entered into under subsection (a). Funds in those accounts shall be available for the payment of such support.

(g) Education and Training.—The Secretary of Defense shall—

(1) ensure that management, technical, and contracting personnel of the Department of Defense involved in the award or administration of transactions under this section or other innovative forms of contracting are afforded opportunities for adequate education and training; and

(2) establish minimum levels and requirements for continuous and experiential learning for such personnel, including levels and requirements for acquisition certification programs.

(h) Guidance.—The Secretary of Defense shall issue guidance to carry out this section.

(i) Protection of Certain Information From Disclosure.—(1) Disclosure of information described in paragraph (2) is not required, and may not be compelled, under section 552 of title 5 for five years after the date on which the information is received by the Department of Defense.

(2)(A) Paragraph (1) applies to information described in subparagraph (B) that is in the records of the Department of Defense if the information was submitted to the Department in a competitive or noncompetitive process having the potential for resulting in an award, to the party submitting the information, of a cooperative agreement for performance of basic, applied, or advanced research authorized by section 4001 of this title or another transaction authorized by subsection (a).

(B) The information referred to in subparagraph (A) is the following:

(i) A proposal, proposal abstract, and supporting documents.

(ii) A business plan submitted on a confidential basis.

(iii) Technical information submitted on a confidential basis.

(Added Pub. L. 101–189, div. A, title II, §251(a)(1), Nov. 29, 1989, 103 Stat. 1403, §2371; amended Pub. L. 101–510, div. A, title XIV, §1484(k)(9), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1719; Pub. L. 102–190, div. A, title VIII, §826, Dec. 5, 1991, 105 Stat. 1442; Pub. L. 102–484, div. A, title II, §217, Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2352; Pub. L. 103–35, title II, §201(c)(4), May 31, 1993, 107 Stat. 98; Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title VIII, §827(b), title XI, §1182(a)(6), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1712, 1771; Pub. L. 103–355, title I, §1301(b), Oct. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 3285; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title XV, §1502(a)(1), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 502; Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title II, §267(a)–(c)(1)(A), title X, §1073(e)(1)(B), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2467, 2468, 2658; Pub. L. 105–85, div. A, title VIII, §832, Nov. 18, 1997, 111 Stat. 1842; Pub. L. 105–261, div. A, title VIII, §817, Oct. 17, 1998, 112 Stat. 2089; Pub. L. 106–65, div. A, title X, §1067(1), Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 774; Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title X, §1031(a)(19), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1597; Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title X, §1071(f)(20), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3511; Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title VIII, §863, Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1494; renumbered §4021 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1841(b)(1), (2)(B), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title VIII, §821(a), title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(B), (F)(i)(III), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1825, 2151; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title IX, §913(a)(2), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 367.)

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 4021 was renumbered section 7371 of this title.

Another prior section 4021, act Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 233, related to appointments in professional and scientific service, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 85–861, §36B(11), Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1570.

Amendments

2023—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 118–31, §913(a)(2)(A), inserted ", the Defense Innovation Unit," after "Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency".

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 118–31, §913(a)(2)(B), substituted ", the Defense Innovation Unit, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency" for "and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency".

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(2)(B), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(F)(i)(III), substituted "section 4001" for "section 2358" wherever appearing.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(1), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(B), renumbered section 2371 of this title as this section.

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 117–81, §821(a)(1), struck out par. (1) designation before "The Secretary of Defense", redesignated subpars. (A) and (B) of former par. (1) as pars. (1) and (2), respectively, and struck out former par. (2) which read as follows: "A cooperative agreement containing a clause under subsection (d) or a transaction authorized by subsection (a) may be used for a research project when the use of a standard contract, grant, or cooperative agreement for such project is not feasible or appropriate."

Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 117–81, §821(a)(2), amended subsec. (h) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: "The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section."

2017—Subsecs. (g), (h). Pub. L. 115–91 added subsec. (g) and redesignated former subsec. (g) as (h).

2014—Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 113–291 struck out subsec. (h) which related to annual report on use of certain cooperative agreements and transactions.

2003—Subsec. (h)(3). Pub. L. 108–136 added par. (3).

1999—Subsec. (h)(1). Pub. L. 106–65 substituted "and the Committee on Armed Services" for "and the Committee on National Security" in introductory provisions.

1998—Subsec. (i)(2)(A). Pub. L. 105–261 substituted "cooperative agreement for performance of basic, applied, or advanced research authorized by section 2358 of this title" for "cooperative agreement that includes a clause described in subsection (d)".

1997—Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 105–85 added subsec. (i).

1996—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 104–201, §1073(e)(1)(B), inserted "Defense" before "Advanced Research Projects Agency".

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 104–201, §267(a), inserted "(1)" before "The Secretary of Defense", redesignated former pars. (1) and (2) as subpars. (A) and (B), respectively, inserted "and" after semicolon at end of subpar. (A), substituted a period for "; and" at end of subpar. (B), added par. (2), and struck out par. (3) which read as follows: "a cooperative agreement containing a clause under subsection (d) or a transaction authorized under subsection (a) is used for a research project only when the use of a standard contract, grant, or cooperative agreement for such project is not feasible or appropriate."

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 104–201, §1073(e)(1)(B), inserted "Defense" before "Advanced Research Projects Agency".

Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 104–201, §267(b), reenacted heading without change and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: "Not later than 60 days after the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on National Security of the House of Representatives a report on all cooperative agreements entered into under section 2358 of this title during such fiscal year that contain a clause authorized by subsection (d) and on all transactions entered into under subsection (a) during such fiscal year. The report shall contain, with respect to each such cooperative agreement and transaction, the following:

"(1) A general description of the cooperative agreement or other transaction (as the case may be), including the technologies for which research is provided for under such agreement or transaction.

"(2) The potential military and, if any, commercial utility of such technologies.

"(3) The reasons for not using a contract or grant to provide support for such research.

"(4) The amount of the payments, if any, that were received by the Federal Government during the fiscal year covered by the report pursuant to a clause included in such cooperative agreement or other transaction pursuant to subsection (d).

"(5) The amount of the payments reported under paragraph (4), if any, that were credited to each account established under subsection (f)."

Pub. L. 104–106 substituted "Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on National Security of the House of Representatives" for "Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives".

Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 104–201, §1073(e)(1)(B), which directed amendment of subsec. (i) by inserting "Defense" before "Advanced Research Projects Agency", could not be executed because of the renumbering of subsec. (i) as section 2371a of this title by Pub. L. 104–201, §267(c)(1)(A). See below.

Pub. L. 104–201, §267(c)(1)(A), renumbered subsec. (i) of this section as section 2371a of this title.

1994—Pub. L. 103–355 amended section generally. Prior to amendment section related to cooperative agreements and other transactions for advanced research projects.

1993—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–160, §827(b)(1)(C), substituted "section 2358 of this title" for "subsection (a)" in par. (1) and "subsection (d)" for "subsection (e)" in par. (2).

Pub. L. 103–160, §827(b)(1)(A), (B), redesignated subsec. (b) as (a) and struck out former subsec. (a), as amended by Pub. L. 103–160, §1182(a)(6), (h), which read as follows: "The Secretary of Defense, in carrying out advanced research projects through the Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the Secretary of each military department, in carrying out advanced research projects, may enter into cooperative agreements and other transactions with any person, any agency or instrumentality of the United States, any unit of State or local government, any educational institution, and any other entity."

Pub. L. 103–160, §1182(a)(6), substituted "Advanced Research Projects Agency" for "Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency".

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103–160, §827(b)(1)(B), redesignated subsec. (c) as (b). Former subsec. (b) redesignated (a).

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 103–160, §827(b)(1)(B), (2)(A), redesignated subsec. (d) as (c) and inserted "and development" after "research" in two places in par. (1). Former subsec. (c) redesignated (b).

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 103–160, §827(b)(1)(B), (D), (2)(B), redesignated subsec. (e), as amended by Pub. L. 103–160, §1182(a)(6), (h), as (d) and substituted "section 2358 of this title" for "subsection (a)" and "research and development" for "advanced research". Former subsec. (d) redesignated (c).

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 103–160, §827(b)(1)(B), (E), (2)(B), (C), redesignated subsec. (f) as (e), in par. (1) substituted "research and development are" for "advanced research is", in par. (3) substituted "research and development" for "advanced research", in par. (4) substituted "subsection (a)" for "subsection (b)", and in par. (5) substituted "subsection (d)" for "subsection (e)". Former subsec. (e) redesignated (d).

Pub. L. 103–160, §1182(a)(6), substituted "Advanced Research Projects Agency" for "Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency".

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 103–160, §827(b)(1)(B), redesignated subsec. (g), as amended by Pub. L. 103–160, §1182(a)(6), (h), as (f). Former subsec. (f) redesignated (e).

Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 103–160, §827(b)(1)(B), redesignated subsec. (g), as amended by Pub. L. 103–160, §1182(a)(6), (h), as (f).

Pub. L. 103–160, §1182(a)(6), substituted "Advanced Research Projects Agency" for "Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency".

Pub. L. 103–35 substituted "granted by section 12" for "granted by section 11" and "provisions of sections 11 and 12" for "provisions of sections 10 and 11".

1992—Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 102–484 added subsec. (g).

1991—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102–190, §826(a), inserted "and the Secretary of each military department, in carrying out advanced research projects,".

Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 102–190, §826(b)(1)(A), struck out "by the Secretary" after "transactions entered into".

Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 102–190, §826(b)(1)(B), substituted "to the appropriate account" for "to the account".

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 102–190, §826(b)(2), substituted "The Secretary of Defense" for "The Secretary" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 102–190, §826(b)(3), substituted "separate accounts for each of the military departments and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency" for "an account" and "those accounts" for "such account".

Subsec. (f)(5). Pub. L. 102–190, §826(b)(4), substituted "each account" for "the account".

Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 102–190, §826(c), struck out subsec. (g) which read as follows: "The authority of the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements and other transactions under this section expires at the close of September 30, 1991."

1990—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 101–510 substituted "Committees on" for "Committees of" in introductory provisions.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2023 Amendment; Implementation

Amendment by Pub. L. 118–31 effective 180 days after Dec. 22, 2023, with additional implementation requirements, see section 913(b)(1), (2) of Pub. L. 118–31, set out as notes under section 1766 of this title.

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by section 1701(u)(2)(B), (F)(i)(III) of Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Effective Date of 1994 Amendment

For effective date and applicability of amendment by Pub. L. 103–355, see section 10001 of Pub. L. 103–355, set out as a note under section 8752 of this title.

Reporting Requirement for Certain Defense Acquisition Activities

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title VIII, §825, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1831, provided that:

"(a) Procedures for Identifying Certain Acquisition Agreements and Activities.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish procedures to identify organizations performing on individual projects under the following types of awards:

"(1) Other transaction agreements pursuant to the authorities under section[s] 2371 and 2371b of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4021 and 4022].

"(2) Individual task orders awarded under a task order contract (as defined in section 2304d of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 3401]), including individual task orders issued to a federally funded research and development center.

"(b) For initial agreements covered under subsection (a), the procedures required under subsection (a) shall include, but not be limited to—

"(1) the participants to the transaction (other than the Federal Government);

"(2) each business selected to perform work under the transaction by a participant to the transaction that is a consortium of private entities;

"(3) the date on which each participant entered into the transaction;

"(4) the amount of the transaction; and

"(5) other related matters the Secretary deems appropriate.

"(c) For follow-on contracts, agreements, or transactions covered under subsection (a), the procedures required under subsection (a) shall include, but not be limited to—

"(1) identification of the initial covered contract or transaction and each subsequent follow-on contract or transaction;

"(2) the awardee;

"(3) the amount;

"(4) the date awarded; and

"(5) other related matters the Secretary deems appropriate.

"(d) The Administrator of the General Services Administration shall update the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) within 180 days to collect the data required under this section.

"(e) Reporting.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2021], and not less than annually thereafter, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report on the use of agreements and activities described in subsection (a) and associated funding.

"(f) Publication of Information.—Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall establish procedures to collect information on individual agreements and activities described in this section and associated funding in an online, public, searchable database, unless the Secretary deems such disclosure inappropriate for individual agreements based on national security concerns."

Listing of Other Transaction Authority Consortia

Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title VIII, §833, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3753, provided that: "Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 1, 2021], the Secretary of Defense shall maintain on the single Government-wide point of entry described under section 1708 of title 41, United States Code, a list of the consortia used by the Secretary to announce or otherwise make available opportunities to enter into a transaction under the authority of section 2371 of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4021], or a transaction for a prototype project under section 2371b of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4022]."

Data, Policy, and Reporting on the Use of Other Transactions

Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, §873, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1905, as amended by Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title VIII, §819, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1488, provided that:

"(a) Collection and Storage.—The Service Acquisition Executives of the military departments shall collect data on the use of other transactions by their respective departments, and the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment shall collect data on all other use by the Department of Defense of other transactions, including use by the Defense Agencies. The data shall be stored in a manner that allows the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and other appropriate officials access at any time.

"(b) Use of Data.—The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition shall—

"(1) analyze and leverage the data collected under subsection (a) to update policy and guidance related to the use of other transactions; and

"(2) make the data collected under subsection (a) accessible to any official designated by the Secretary of Defense for inclusion by such official in relevant reports made by such official.

"(c) Report Required.—

"(1) In general.—Not later than December 31, 2019, and annually thereafter through December 31, 2023, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report on the use of other transaction authority to carry out prototype projects during the preceding fiscal year. Each report shall summarize the data collected under subsection (a) on the nature and extent of each such use of the authority, including a description—

"(A) of the participants to an agreement entered into pursuant to the authority of subsection (a) of section 2371b of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4022], or a follow-on contract or transaction entered into pursuant to the authority of subsection (f) of such section;

"(B) of the quantity of prototype projects to be produced pursuant to such an agreement, follow-on contract, or transaction;

"(C) of the amount of payments made pursuant to each such agreement, follow-on contract, or transaction;

"(D) of the purpose, description, and status of prototype projects carried out pursuant to each such agreement, follow-on contract, or transaction; and

"(E) including case examples, of the successes and challenges with using the authority of such subsection (a) or (f).

"(2) Form of report.—A report required under this subsection shall be submitted in unclassified form without any designation relating to dissemination control, but may contain a classified annex."

Preference for Use of Other Transactions and Experimental Authority

Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title VIII, §867, Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1495, provided that: "In the execution of science and technology and prototyping programs, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a preference, to be applied in circumstances determined appropriate by the Secretary, for using transactions other than contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants entered into pursuant to sections 2371 and 2371b of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4021 and 4022], and authority for procurement for experimental purposes pursuant to section 2373 of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4023]."

§4022. Authority of the Department of Defense to carry out certain prototype projects

(a) Authority.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Director of the Defense Innovation Unit, the Secretary of a military department, or any other official designated by the Secretary of Defense may, under the authority of section 4021 of this title, carry out prototype projects that are directly relevant to enhancing the mission effectiveness of personnel of the Department of Defense or improving platforms, systems, components, or materials proposed to be acquired or developed by the Department of Defense, or to improvement of platforms, systems, components, or materials in use by the armed forces.

(2) The authority of this section—

(A) may be exercised for a transaction for a prototype project that is expected to cost the Department of Defense in excess of $100,000,000 but not in excess of $500,000,000 (including all options) only upon a written determination by the senior procurement executive for the agency as designated for the purpose of section 1702(c) of title 41, or, for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Defense Innovation Unit, or the Missile Defense Agency, the director of the agency that—

(i) the requirements of subsection (d) will be met; and

(ii) the use of the authority of this section is essential to promoting the success of the prototype project;

(B) may be exercised for a transaction for a prototype project that is expected to cost the Department of Defense in excess of $500,000,000 (including all options) only if—

(i) the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering or the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment determines in writing that—

(I) the requirements of subsection (d) will be met; and

(II) the use of the authority of this section is essential to meet critical national security objectives; and

(ii) the congressional defense committees are notified in writing at least 30 days before such authority is exercised; and

(C) may be exercised for a transaction for a follow-on production contract or transaction that is awarded pursuant to subsection (f) and expected to cost the Department of Defense in excess of $100,000,000 (including all options) only if a covered official—

(i) determines in writing that—

(I) the requirements of subsection (d) were met for the prior transaction for the prototype project that provided for the award of the follow-on production contract or transaction, and the requirements of subsection (f) will be met; and

(II) the use of the authority of this section is essential to meet critical national security objectives; and

(ii) notifies the congressional defense committees in writing of the determinations required under clause (i) at the time such authority is exercised.

(3) The authority of a senior procurement executive or director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Defense Innovation Unit, or Missile Defense Agency under paragraph (2)(A), and the authority of the Under Secretaries of Defense under paragraph (2)(B), may not be delegated.

(b) Exercise of Authority.—

(1) Subsection (e)(2) of such section 4021 shall not apply to projects carried out under subsection (a).

(2) To the maximum extent practicable, competitive procedures shall be used when entering into agreements to carry out the prototype projects under subsection (a).

(c) Comptroller General Access to Information.—(1) Each agreement entered into by an official referred to in subsection (a) to carry out a project under that subsection that provides for payments in a total amount in excess of $5,000,000 shall include a clause that provides for the Comptroller General, in the discretion of the Comptroller General, to examine the records of any party to the agreement or any entity that participates in the performance of the agreement.

(2) The requirement in paragraph (1) shall not apply with respect to a party or entity, or a subordinate element of a party or entity, that has not entered into any other agreement that provides for audit access by a Government entity in the year prior to the date of the agreement.

(3)(A) The right provided to the Comptroller General in a clause of an agreement under paragraph (1) is limited as provided in subparagraph (B) in the case of a party to the agreement, an entity that participates in the performance of the agreement, or a subordinate element of that party or entity if the only agreements or other transactions that the party, entity, or subordinate element entered into with Government entities in the year prior to the date of that agreement are cooperative agreements or transactions that were entered into under this section or section 4021 of this title.

(B) The only records of a party, other entity, or subordinate element referred to in subparagraph (A) that the Comptroller General may examine in the exercise of the right referred to in that subparagraph are records of the same type as the records that the Government has had the right to examine under the audit access clauses of the previous agreements or transactions referred to in such subparagraph that were entered into by that particular party, entity, or subordinate element.

(4) The head of the contracting activity that is carrying out the agreement may waive the applicability of the requirement in paragraph (1) to the agreement if the head of the contracting activity determines that it would not be in the public interest to apply the requirement to the agreement. The waiver shall be effective with respect to the agreement only if the head of the contracting activity transmits a notification of the waiver to Congress and the Comptroller General before entering into the agreement. The notification shall include the rationale for the determination.

(5) The Comptroller General may not examine records pursuant to a clause included in an agreement under paragraph (1) more than three years after the final payment is made by the United States under the agreement.

(d) Appropriate Use of Authority.—(1) The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that no official of an agency enters into a transaction (other than a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement) for a prototype project under the authority of this section unless one of the following conditions is met:

(A) There is at least one nontraditional defense contractor or nonprofit research institution participating to a significant extent in the prototype project.

(B) All significant participants in the transaction other than the Federal Government are small businesses (including small businesses participating in a program described under section 9 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638)) or nontraditional defense contractors.

(C) At least one third of the total cost of the prototype project is to be paid out of funds provided by sources other than the Federal Government.

(D) The senior procurement executive for the agency determines in writing that exceptional circumstances justify the use of a transaction that provides for innovative business arrangements or structures that would not be feasible or appropriate under a contract, or would provide an opportunity to expand the defense supply base in a manner that would not be practical or feasible under a contract.

(2)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the amounts counted for the purposes of this subsection as being provided, or to be provided, by a party to a transaction with respect to a prototype project that is entered into under this section other than the Federal Government do not include costs that were incurred before the date on which the transaction becomes effective.

(B) Costs that were incurred for a prototype project by a party after the beginning of negotiations resulting in a transaction (other than a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement) with respect to the project before the date on which the transaction becomes effective may be counted for purposes of this subsection as being provided, or to be provided, by the party to the transaction if and to the extent that the official responsible for entering into the transaction determines in writing that—

(i) the party incurred the costs in anticipation of entering into the transaction; and

(ii) it was appropriate for the party to incur the costs before the transaction became effective in order to ensure the successful implementation of the transaction.

(3) The requirements of this subsection do not apply to follow-on production contracts or transactions under subsection (f).

(e) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) The term "covered official" means—

(A) a service acquisition executive;

(B) the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency;

(C) the Director of the Defense Innovation Unit;

(D) the Director of the Missile Defense Agency;

(E) the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment; or

(F) the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

(2) The term "nontraditional defense contractor" has the meaning given the term under section 3014 of this title.

(3) The term "service acquisition executive" has the meaning given that term in section 101(a) of this title.

(4) The term "small business" means a small business concern as defined under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).

(5) The term "prototype project" includes a project that addresses—

(A) a proof of concept, model, or process, including a business process;

(B) reverse engineering to address obsolescence;

(C) a pilot or novel application of commercial technologies for defense purposes;

(D) agile development activity;

(E) the creation, design, development, or demonstration of operational utility; or

(F) any combination of subparagraphs (A) through (E).

(f) Follow-on Production Contracts or Transactions.—(1) A transaction entered into under this section for a prototype project may provide for the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction to the participants in the transaction. A transaction includes all individual prototype subprojects awarded under the transaction to a consortium of United States industry and academic institutions.

(2) A follow-on production contract or transaction provided for in a transaction under paragraph (1) may be awarded to the participants in the transaction without the use of competitive procedures, notwithstanding the requirements of chapter 221 of this title and even if explicit notification was not listed within the request for proposal for the transaction if—

(A) competitive procedures were used for the selection of parties for participation in the transaction; and

(B) the participants in the transaction successfully completed the prototype project provided for in the transaction.

(3) A follow-on production contract or transaction may be awarded, pursuant to this subsection, when the Department determines that an individual prototype or prototype subproject as part of a consortium is successfully completed by the participants.

(4) Award of a follow-on production contract or transaction pursuant to the terms under this subsection is not contingent upon the successful completion of all activities within a consortium as a condition for an award for follow-on production of a successfully completed prototype or prototype subproject within that consortium.

(5) Contracts and transactions entered into pursuant to this subsection may be awarded using the authority in subsection (a), under the authority of chapter 137 ¹ of this title, or under such procedures, terms, and conditions as the Secretary of Defense may establish by regulation.

(g) Authority To Provide Prototypes and Follow-on Production Items as Government-furnished Equipment.—An agreement entered into pursuant to the authority of subsection (a) or a follow-on contract or transaction entered into pursuant to the authority of subsection (f) may provide for prototypes or follow-on production items to be provided to another contractor as Government-furnished equipment.

(h) Applicability of Procurement Ethics Requirements.—An agreement entered into under the authority of this section shall be treated as a Federal agency procurement for the purposes of chapter 21 of title 41.

(i) Pilot Authority for Use of Other Transactions for Installation or Facility Prototyping.—

(1) In general.—The Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military department may establish a pilot program under which the Secretary may, under the authority of this section, carry out prototype projects that are directly relevant to enhancing the ability of the Department of Defense to prototype the design, development, or demonstration of new construction techniques or technologies to improve military installations or facilities (as such terms are defined in section 2801 of this title).

(2) Limits.—In carrying out prototype projects under the pilot program established under paragraph (1)—

(A) except for projects carried out for the purpose of repairing a facility, not more than two prototype projects may begin to be carried out per fiscal year under such pilot program; and

(B) the aggregate value of all transactions entered into under such pilot program may not exceed $300,000,000.

(3) Use of amounts.—The Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military department may carry out prototype projects under the pilot program established under paragraph (1) using amounts available to the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military department (as applicable) for military construction, operation and maintenance, or research, development, test, and evaluation, notwithstanding—

(A) subchapters I and III of chapter 169 of this title; and

(B) chapters 221 and 223 of this title.

(4) Sunset.—

(A) In general.—Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the authority to carry out prototype projects under the pilot program established under paragraph (1) shall terminate on September 30, 2025.

(B) Ongoing project exception.—Subparagraph (A) shall not apply with respect to prototype projects being carried out under the pilot program established under paragraph (1) on the date described in subparagraph (A).

(Added Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title VIII, §815(a)(1), Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 893, §2371b; amended Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title II, §216, title VIII, §864, Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1328, 1494; Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, §211, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1674; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title XVII, §1731(a)(46), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1814; renumbered §4022 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1841(b)(1), (2)(C), 1883(b)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243, 4294; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title VIII, §821(b), title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(B), (F)(i)(IV), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1825, 2151; Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title VIII, §§842, 843, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2717, 2718; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title VIII, §§821, 822(a), title IX, §913(a), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 326, 327, 367.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Chapter 137 of this title, referred to in subsec. (f)(5), was repealed by Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1881(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4293, effective Jan. 1, 2022, in conjunction with the transfer and reorganization of acquisition provisions in this title by Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, Jan. 1, 2022, 134 Stat. 4149. For definition of "chapter 137 legacy provisions", see section 3016 of this title.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 4022, act Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 233, related to employment of contract surgeons in an emergency, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 98–94, title IX, §932(b)(1), (f) Sept. 24, 1983, 97 Stat. 650, effective Oct. 1, 1983, with continuation provision for existing contracts.

Amendments

2023—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 118–31, §913(a)(3)(A)(i), inserted "the Director of the Defense Innovation Unit," after "Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency,".

Subsec. (a)(2)(A). Pub. L. 118–31, §913(a)(3)(A)(ii), inserted ", the Defense Innovation Unit," after "Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (a)(2)(C)(i)(I). Pub. L. 118–31, §821(1), inserted "were met for the prior transaction for the prototype project that provided for the award of the follow-on production contract or transaction, and the requirements of subsection (f)" after "subsection (d)".

Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 118–31, §913(a)(3)(A)(iii), inserted ", Defense Innovation Unit," after "Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency".

Subsec. (d)(3). Pub. L. 118–31, §821(2), added par. (3).

Subsec. (e)(1)(C) to (F). Pub. L. 118–31, §913(a)(3)(B), added subpar. (C) and redesignated former subpars. (C) to (E) as (D) to (F), respectively.

Subsec. (i)(2)(A). Pub. L. 118–31, §822(a)(1)(A), inserted "except for projects carried out for the purpose of repairing a facility," before "not more".

Subsec. (i)(2)(B). Pub. L. 118–31, §822(a)(1)(B), substituted "$300,000,000" for "$200,000,000".

Subsec. (i)(3), (4). Pub. L. 118–31, §822(a)(2), (3), added par. (3) and redesignated former par. (3) as (4).

2022—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 117–263, §843(1), substituted "personnel of the Department of Defense or improving" for "military personnel and the supporting".

Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 117–263, §842(1)(A), struck out ", and any follow-on production contract or transaction that is awarded pursuant to subsection (f)," after "a prototype project" in two places.

Subsec. (a)(2)(C). Pub. L. 117–263, §842(1)(B)–(D), added subpar. (C).

Subsec. (e)(1) to (4). Pub. L. 117–263, §842(2), added pars. (1) and (3) and redesignated former pars. (1) and (2) as (2) and (4), respectively.

Subsec. (e)(5). Pub. L. 117–263, §843(2), added par. (5).

Subsec. (f)(2). Pub. L. 117–263, §842(3), substituted "of chapter 221 of this title and even if explicit notification was not listed within the request for proposal for the transaction" for "of section 2304 of this title,".

Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 117–263, §843(3), added subsec. (i).

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(1), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(B), renumbered section 2371b of this title as this section.

Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(2)(C), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(F)(i)(IV), substituted "section 4021" for "section 2371".

Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 117–81, §821(b), substituted "Subsection (e)(2)" for "Subsections (e)(1)(B) and (e)(2)".

Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(2)(C), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(F)(i)(IV), substituted "section 4021" for "section 2371".

Subsec. (c)(3)(A). Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(2)(C), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(F)(i)(IV), substituted "section 4021" for "section 2371".

Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2), substituted "section 3014" for "section 2302(9)".

Subsec. (f)(2). Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2), which directed that each reference in the text of title 10 to a section that was redesignated by title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283, as such section was in effect before the redesignation, be amended by striking such reference and inserting a reference to the appropriate redesignated section, was not executed with respect to "section 2304", which was redesignated as multiple sections.

2019—Subsec. (d)(1)(C). Pub. L. 116–92 substituted "sources other than" for "sources other than other than".

2018—Subsec. (a)(2)(A). Pub. L. 115–232, §211(1)(A), substituted "for a prototype project, and any follow-on production contract or transaction that is awarded pursuant to subsection (f)," for "(for a prototype project)" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (a)(2)(B). Pub. L. 115–232, §211(1)(B)(i), substituted "for a prototype project, and any follow-on production contract or transaction that is awarded pursuant to subsection (f)," for "(for a prototype project)" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (a)(2)(B)(i). Pub. L. 115–232, §211(1)(B)(ii), substituted "Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering or the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment" for "Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 115–232, §211(1)(C), which directed substitution of "Under Secretaries of Defense" for "Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics" in par. (3) of subsec. (a)(2), was executed by making the substitution in par. (3) of subsec. (a), to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 115–232, §211(2), inserted "the prototype" after "carry out".

Subsec. (f)(3) to (5). Pub. L. 115–232, §211(3), added pars. (3) and (4) and redesignated former par. (3) as (5).

2017—Subsec. (a)(2)(A). Pub. L. 115–91, §864(a)(1), (2), in introductory provisions, substituted "for a transaction (for a prototype project)" for "for a prototype project", "$100,000,000" for "$50,000,000", and "$500,000,000" for "$250,000,000".

Subsec. (a)(2)(B). Pub. L. 115–91, §864(a)(1), (3), in introductory provisions, substituted "for a transaction (for a prototype project)" for "for a prototype project" and "$500,000,000" for "$250,000,000".

Subsec. (d)(1)(A). Pub. L. 115–91, §216, inserted "or nonprofit research institution" after "defense contractor".

Subsec. (d)(1)(B). Pub. L. 115–91, §864(b), inserted "(including small businesses participating in a program described under section 9 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638))" after "small businesses".

Subsec. (d)(1)(C). Pub. L. 115–91, §864(c), substituted "provided by sources other than" for "provided by parties to the transaction".

Subsec. (f)(1). Pub. L. 115–91, §864(d), inserted at end "A transaction includes all individual prototype subprojects awarded under the transaction to a consortium of United States industry and academic institutions."

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2023 Amendment; Implementation

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title VIII, §822(b), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 327, provided that: "The amendments made by this section [amending this section] shall apply with respect to transactions entered into on or after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 22, 2023]."

Amendment by section 913(a)(3) of Pub. L. 118–31 effective 180 days after Dec. 22, 2023, with additional implementation requirements, see section 913(b)(1), (2) of Pub. L. 118–31, set out as notes under section 1766 of this title.

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by section 1701(u)(2)(B), (F)(i)(IV) of Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Limitation on Missile Defense Agency Production of Satellites and Ground Systems Associated With Operation of Such Satellites

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVI, §1662(a), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2103, provided that:

"(1) Production of satellites and ground systems.—The Director of the Missile Defense Agency may not authorize or obligate funding for a program of record for the production of satellites or ground systems associated with the operation of such satellites.

"(2) Prototype satellites.—

"(A) Authority.—The Director, with the concurrence of the Space Acquisition Council established by section 9021 of title 10, United States Code, may authorize the production of one or more prototype satellites, consistent with the requirements of the Missile Defense Agency.

"(B) Report.—Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Space Acquisition Council concurs with the Director with respect to authorizing the production of a prototype satellite under subparagraph (A), the chair of the Council shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report explaining the reasons for such concurrence.

"(C) Obligation of funds.—The Director may not obligate funds for the production of a prototype satellite under subparagraph (A) before the date on which the Space Acquisition Council submits the report for such prototype satellite under subparagraph (B)."

Relaxation of Department of Defense Other Transaction Authority Requirements Related to the National Emergency for the Coronavirus Disease 2019

Pub. L. 116–136, div. B, title III, §13006, Mar. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 522, provided that:

"(a) Notwithstanding paragraph (3) of section 2371b(a) of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4022(a)], the authority of a senior procurement executive or director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or Missile Defense Agency under paragraph (2)(A) of such section [probably should be "subsection"], and the authority of the Under Secretaries of Defense under paragraph (2)(B) of such section [probably should be "subsection"], for any transaction related to the national emergency for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) may be delegated to such officials in the Department of Defense as the Secretary of Defense shall specify for purposes of this section.

"(b)(1) Notwithstanding clause (ii) of section 2371b(a)(2)(B) of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4022(a)(2)(B)], no advance notice to Congress is required under that clause for transitions described in that section that are related to the national emergency for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19).

"(2) In the event a transaction covered by paragraph (1) is carried out, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering or the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, as applicable, shall submit to the congressional defense committees a notice on the carrying out of such transaction as soon as is practicable after the commencement of the carrying out of such transaction.

"(3) In this subsection, the term 'congressional defense committees' has the meaning given such term in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code."

Repeal of Obsolete Authority; Transition Provision

Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title VIII, §815(c), Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 896, provided that: "Section 845 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994 (Public Law 103–160; [former] 10 U.S.C. 2371 note) is hereby repealed. Transactions entered into under the authority of such section 845 shall remain in force and effect and shall be modified as appropriate to reflect the amendments made by this section [enacting this section, amending former section 2302 of this title, and amending provisions set out as a note under section 4001 of this title]."

Updated Guidance

Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title VIII, §815(e), Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 896, provided that: "Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 25, 2015], the Secretary of Defense shall issue updated guidance to implement the amendments made by this section [enacting this section, amending former section 2302 of this title, amending provisions set out as a note under section 4001 of this title, and repealing provisions formerly set out as a note under section 2371 of this title]."

¹ See References in Text note below.

§4023. Procurement for experimental purposes

(a) Authority.—The Secretary of Defense and the Secretaries of the military departments may each buy ordnance, signal, chemical activity, transportation, energy, medical, space-flight, telecommunications, and aeronautical supplies, including parts and accessories, and designs thereof, that the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary concerned considers necessary for experimental or test purposes in the development of the best supplies that are needed for the national defense.

(b) Procedures.—Purchases under this section may be made inside or outside the United States and by contract or otherwise. Chapter 137 ¹ of this title applies only when such purchases are made in quantities greater than necessary for experimentation, technical evaluation, assessment of operational utility, or safety or to provide a residual operational capability.

(Added Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title VIII, §822(c)(1), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1706, §2373; amended Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title X, §1070(g), Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2859; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title VIII, §812, Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 395; Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title VIII, §814, Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 893; Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, §886, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1916; renumbered §4023, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1841(b)(1), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Chapter 137 of this title, referred to in subsec. (b), was repealed by Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1881(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4293, effective Jan. 1, 2022, in conjunction with the transfer and reorganization of acquisition provisions in this title by Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, Jan. 1, 2022, 134 Stat. 4149. For definition of "chapter 137 legacy provisions", see section 3016 of this title.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 4023, act Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 233, related to employment of civilians in service club and library services, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 87–651, title I, §116(1), Sept. 7, 1962, 76 Stat. 513.

Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in sections 4504 and 9504 of this title, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 103–160, §822(c)(2).

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(1), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(B), renumbered section 2373 of this title as this section.

2018—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115–232 inserted "telecommunications," after "space-flight,".

2015—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 114–92, §814(a), inserted "transportation, energy, medical, space-flight," before "and aeronautical supplies".

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 114–92, §814(b), substituted "only when such purchases are made in quantities greater than necessary for experimentation, technical evaluation, assessment of operational utility, or safety or to provide a residual operational capability" for "only when such purchases are made in quantity".

1996—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 104–106 inserted "only" after "applies" in second sentence.

1994—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–337 substituted "chemical activity, and aeronautical supplies," for "and chemical activity supplies,".

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

¹ See References in Text note below.

§4024. Merit-based award of grants for research and development

(a) It is the policy of Congress that an agency named in section 3063 of this title should not be required by legislation to award a new grant for research, development, test, or evaluation to a non-Federal Government entity. It is further the policy of Congress that any program, project, or technology identified in legislation be awarded through merit-based selection procedures.

(b) A provision of law may not be construed as requiring a new grant to be awarded to a specified non-Federal Government entity unless that provision of law—

(1) specifically refers to this subsection;

(2) specifically identifies the particular non-Federal Government entity involved; and

(3) specifically states that the award to that entity is required by such provision of law in contravention of the policy set forth in subsection (a).

(c) For purposes of this section, a grant is a new grant unless the work provided for in the grant is a continuation of the work performed by the specified entity under a preceding grant.

(d) This section shall not apply with respect to any grant that calls upon the National Academy of Sciences to investigate, examine, or experiment upon any subject of science or art of significance to an agency named in section 3063 of this title and to report on such matters to the Congress or any agency of the Federal Government.

(Added Pub. L. 103–355, title VII, §7203(a)(2), Oct. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 3380, §2374; renumbered §4024 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1841(b)(1), (c), 1883(b)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243, 4294; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(B), (D), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XVIII, §1801(a)(31), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 685.)

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 4024 was renumbered section 7374 of this title.

Amendments

2023—Subsecs. (a), (d). Pub. L. 118–31 substituted "section 3063 of this title" for "section 2303(a) of this title".

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(c), which directed the renumbering of section 2374 of this title as section 4008 instead of this section, was amended generally by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(D), effective as if included therein, so that such renumbering was no longer directed.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(1), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(B), renumbered section 2374 of this title as this section.

Subsecs. (a), (d). Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2), which directed that each reference in the text of title 10 to a section that was redesignated by title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283, as such section was in effect before the redesignation, be amended by striking such reference and inserting a reference to the appropriate redesignated section, was not executed with respect to "section 2303(a)", which was redesignated as multiple sections.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Effective Date

For effective date and applicability of section, see section 10001 of Pub. L. 103–355, set out as an Effective Date of 1994 Amendment note under section 8752 of this title.

§4025. Prizes for advanced technology achievements

(a) Authority.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, and the service acquisition executive for each military department, may carry out programs to award cash prizes and other types of prizes, including procurement contracts and other agreements, that the Secretary determines are appropriate to recognize outstanding achievements in basic, advanced, and applied research, technology development, and prototype development that—

(1) have the potential for application to the performance of the military missions of the Department of Defense; or

(2) demonstrate management practices that improve the schedule or performance, reduce the costs, or otherwise support the transition of technology into acquisition programs or operational use.

(b) Competition Requirements.—Each program under subsection (a) shall use a competitive process for the selection of recipients of cash prizes and for the selection of recipients of procurement contracts and other agreements. The process shall include the widely-advertised solicitation of submissions.

(c) Limitations.—(1) No prize competition may result in the award of a prize with a fair market value of more than $10,000,000 without the approval of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

(2) No prize competition may result in the award of more than $1,000,000 in cash prizes without the approval of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

(3) No prize competition may result in the award of a solely nonmonetary prize with a fair market value of more than $10,000 without the approval of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

(d) Relationship to Other Authority.—A program under subsection (a) may be carried out in conjunction with or in addition to the exercise of any other authority of an official referred to in that subsection.

(e) Acceptance of Funds.—In addition to such sums as may be appropriated or otherwise made available to the Secretary to award prizes under this section, the Secretary may accept funds or nonmonetary items from other departments and agencies of the Federal Government, from State and local governments, and from the private sector, to award prizes under this section. The Secretary may not give any special consideration to any private sector entity in return for a donation.

(f) Use of Prize Authority.—Use of prize authority under this section shall be considered the use of competitive procedures for the purposes of chapter 221 of this title.

(g) Congressional Notice.—

(1) In general.—Not later than 15 days after a procurement contract or other agreement that exceeds a fair market value of $10,000,000 is awarded under the authority under a program under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees written notice of such award.

(2) Contents.—Each notice submitted under paragraph (1) shall include—

(A) the value of the relevant procurement contract or other agreement, as applicable, including all options;

(B) if applicable, a summary of the management practice that contributed to an improvement to schedule or performance or a reduction in cost relating to the transition of technology;

(C) an identification of any program executive officer (as defined in section 1737 of this title) responsible for implementation or oversight of research results, technology development, prototype development, or management practices (as applicable) for which an award was made under this section, and a brief summary of lessons learned by such program executive officer in carrying out such implementation or oversight;

(D) a brief description of the research result, technology development, or prototype for which such procurement contract or other agreement, as applicable, was awarded; and

(E) an explanation of the benefit to the performance of the military mission of the Department of Defense resulting from the award.

(Added Pub. L. 106–65, div. A, title II, §244(a), Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 552, §2374a; amended Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title II, §248(a), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2502; Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title X, §1031(a)(20), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1598; Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title II, §257, Jan. 6, 2006, 119 Stat. 3184; Pub. L. 109–364, div. A, title II, §212, Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2119; Pub. L. 111–84, div. A, title II, §253, Oct. 28, 2009, 123 Stat. 2243; Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title IX, §901(j)(4), Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4324; Pub. L. 113–66, div. A, title II, §263, Dec. 26, 2013, 127 Stat. 726; Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title II, §211, Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3324; Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title X, §1079(a), Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 999; Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title X, §1081(c)(6), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2420; Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title II, §213, Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1324; Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title X, §1081(a)(21), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1984; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, §215, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1257; renumbered §4025 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1841(b)(1), 1842(b), 1883(b)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4244, 4294; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title VIII, §822, title XVII, §1701(q)(1), (u)(2)(B), (3)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1825, 2148, 2151, 2152; Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title VIII, §844, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2719.)

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 4025 was renumbered section 7375 of this title.

Amendments

2022—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 117–263, §844(1), substituted "development that—" for "development that", inserted par. (1) designation before "have the potential", substituted "Defense; or" for "Defense.", and added par. (2).

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 117–263, §844(2), struck out "of research results, technology developments, and prototypes" before period at end.

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 117–263, §844(3), struck out "to acquire, support, or stimulate basic, advanced and applied research, technology development, or prototype projects" before period at end.

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 117–263, §844(4), substituted "chapter 221" for "section 2304".

Subsec. (g)(2)(B) to (E). Pub. L. 117–263, §844(5), added subpars. (B) and (C) and redesignated former subpars. (B) and (C) as (D) and (E), respectively.

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1842(b), which directed the renumbering of section 2374a of this title as section 4065 instead of this section, was amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(q)(1), (u)(3)(B), effective as if included therein, so that such renumbering was no longer directed.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(1), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(B), renumbered section 2374a of this title as this section.

Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 117–81, §822(1), inserted ", including procurement contracts and other agreements," after "other types of prizes".

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 117–81, §822(2), inserted "and for the selection of recipients of procurement contracts and other agreements" after "cash prizes".

Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 117–81, §822(3), inserted "without the approval of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering" before period at end.

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2), which directed that each reference in the text of title 10 to a section that was redesignated by title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283, as such section was in effect before the redesignation, be amended by striking such reference and inserting a reference to the appropriate redesignated section, was not executed with respect to "section 2304", which was redesignated as multiple sections.

Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 117–81, §822(4), added subsec. (g).

2019—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–92 substituted "Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment," for "Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering".

2018—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 115–232 substituted "Federal Government," for "Federal Government,,".

2017—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115–91, §213(1), substituted "and other types of prizes that the Secretary determines are appropriate to recognize" for "in recognition of".

Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 115–91, §213(2)(A), substituted "prize with a fair market value of" for "cash prize of".

Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 115–91, §213(2)(B), substituted "Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering" for "Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics".

Subsec. (c)(3). Pub. L. 115–91, §213(2)(C), added par. (3).

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 115–91, §213(3), inserted "or nonmonetary items" after "accept funds", substituted ", from State and local governments, and from the private sector" for "and from State and local governments", and inserted at end "The Secretary may not give any special consideration to any private sector entity in return for a donation."

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 115–91, §213(4), amended subsec. (f) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: "The authority to award prizes under subsection (a) shall terminate at the end of September 30, 2018."

2016—Subsecs. (f), (g). Pub. L. 114–328, §1081(c)(6), made technical amendment to directory language of Pub. L. 114–92, §1079(a). See 2015 Amendment note below.

2015—Subsecs. (f), (g). Pub. L. 114–92, §1079(a), as amended by Pub. L. 114–328, §1081(c)(6), redesignated subsec. (g) as (f) and struck out former subsec. (f) which related to biennial reports.

2014—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 113–291, §211(a), substituted "No prize competition may result in the award of a cash prize of more than $10,000,000." for "The total amount made available for award of cash prizes in a fiscal year may not exceed $10,000,000."

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 113–291, §211(b)(2), added subsec. (e). Former subsec. (e) redesignated (f).

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 113–291, §211(c)(3), substituted "Biennial" for "Annual" in heading.

Pub. L. 113–291, §211(b)(1), redesignated subsec. (e) as (f). Former subsec. (f) redesignated (g).

Subsec. (f)(1). Pub. L. 113–291, §211(c)(1), substituted "every other year" for "each year" and "two fiscal years" for "fiscal year".

Subsec. (f)(2). Pub. L. 113–291, §211(c)(2), substituted "a period of two fiscal years" for "a fiscal year" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 113–291, §211(b)(1), redesignated subsec. (f) as (g).

2013—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 113–66 substituted "September 30, 2018" for "September 30, 2013".

2011—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 111–383 substituted "Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering" for "Director of Defense Research and Engineering".

2009—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 111–84 substituted "2013" for "2010".

2006—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 109–364, §212(a)(1), substituted "Director of Defense Research and Engineering and the service acquisition executive for each military department" for "Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency" and "programs" for "a program".

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 109–364, §212(a)(2)(A), substituted "Each program" for "The program".

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 109–364, §212(a)(2)(B), substituted "A program" for "The program" and "an official referred to in that subsection" for "the Director".

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 109–364, §212(c), reenacted heading without change and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (e) required an annual report, which included the results of consultations between the Director and officials of the military departments, a description of goals, cash prizes, methods used for submissions, a description of resources, and a description of transition plans.

Pub. L. 109–163 reenacted heading without change and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: "Promptly after the end of each fiscal year during which one or more prizes are awarded under the program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the administration of the program for that fiscal year. The report shall include the following:

"(1) The military applications of the research, technology, or prototypes for which prizes were awarded.

"(2) The total amount of the prizes awarded.

"(3) The methods used for solicitation and evaluation of submissions, together with an assessment of the effectiveness of those methods."

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 109–364, §212(b), substituted "2010" for "2007".

2003—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 108–136 inserted "during which one or more prizes are awarded under the program under subsection (a)" after "each fiscal year" in introductory provisions.

2002—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 107–314 substituted "September 30, 2007" for "September 30, 2003".

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by section 1701(q)(1), (u)(2)(B), (3)(B) of Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Effective Date of 2016 Amendment

Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title X, §1081(c), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2419, provided that the amendment made by section 1081(c)(6) is effective as of Nov. 25, 2015, and as if included in Pub. L. 114–92 as enacted.

Effective Date of 2011 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 111–383 effective Jan. 1, 2011, see section 901(p) of Pub. L. 111–383, set out as a note under section 131 of this title.

Prize Competition for Technology That Detects and Watermarks Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XV, §1543, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 573, provided that:

"(a) Establishment.—Not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 22, 2023], under the authority of section 4025 of title 10, United States Code, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a prize competition designed to evaluate technology (including applications, tools, and models) for generative artificial intelligence detection and generative artificial intelligence watermarking, for the purposes of—

"(1) facilitating the research, development, testing, evaluation, and competition of such technologies to support the Secretaries of the military departments and the commanders of combatant commands in warfighting requirements; and

"(2) transitioning such technologies, including technologies developed pursuant to pilot programs, prototype projects, or other research and development programs, from the prototyping phase to production.

"(b) Participation.—The participants in the prize competition under subsection (a) may include federally funded research and development centers, entities within the private sector, entities within the defense industrial base, institutions of higher education, Federal departments and agencies, and such other categories of participants as the Secretary of Defense considers appropriate.

"(c) Designation.—The prize competition under subsection (a) shall be known as the 'Generative AI Detection and Watermark Competition'.

"(d) Administration.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall administer the prize competition under subsection (a).

"(e) Framework.—Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on the framework to be used in carrying out the prize competition under subsection (a).

"(f) Annual Briefings.—Not later than October 1 of each year until the date of termination under subsection (g), the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees a briefing on the results of the prize competition under subsection (a).

"(g) Termination.—The authority to carry out the prize competition under subsection (a) shall terminate on December 31, 2025.

"(h) Definitions.—In this section:

"(1) The term 'generative artificial intelligence detection' means, with respect to digital content, the positive identification of the use of generative artificial intelligence in the generation of such content.

"(2) The term 'generative artificial intelligence watermarking' means, with respect to digital content, embedding within such content data conveying attribution of the generation of such content to generative artificial intelligence."

Prize Competition To Identify Root Cause of Physiological Episodes on Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force Training and Operational Aircraft

Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title X, §1089, Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1605, as amended by Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1842(c)(1), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4244; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(3)(C), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2152, provided that:

"(a) In General.—Under the authority of section 4025 of title 10, United States Code, and section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719), the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary of the Air Force, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and the heads of any other appropriate Federal agencies that have experience in prize competitions, and when appropriate, in coordination with private organizations, may establish a prize competition designed to accelerate identification of the root cause or causes of, or find solutions to, physiological episodes experienced in Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force training and operational aircraft.

"(b) Evaluation of Personnel.—The Secretary of Defense, or the Secretary's designee, shall select the person or persons to conduct the competition authorized in subsection (a) and evaluate any submissions.

"(c) Limitation.—The Secretary of Defense may not exercise the authority under subsection (a) before the date that is 15 days after the date on which the Secretary of Defense submits to [the] congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] certification in writing that the use of the authority will not compromise classified information, proprietary information, or intellectual property."

§4026. Cooperative research and development agreements under Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980

The Secretary of Defense, in carrying out research projects through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the Secretary of each military department, in carrying out research projects, may permit the director of any federally funded research and development center to enter into cooperative research and development agreements with any person, any agency or instrumentality of the United States, any unit of State or local government, and any other entity under the authority granted by section 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a). Technology may be transferred to a non-Federal party to such an agreement consistent with the provisions of sections 11 and 12 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 3710, 3710a).

(Added and amended Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title II, §267(c)(1)(A), (B), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2468, §2371a; Pub. L. 105–85, div. A, title X, §1073(a)(50), Nov. 18, 1997, 111 Stat. 1903; renumbered §4026 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1841(b)(1), 1844(b)(1), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243, 4245; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(B), (5)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151, 2154.)

Editorial Notes

Codification

The text of section 2371(i) of this title, which was transferred to this section, redesignated as text of section, and amended by Pub. L. 104–201, §267(c)(1)(A), (B), was based on Pub. L. 103–355, title I, §1301(b), Oct. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 3286.

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1844(b)(1), which directed the renumbering of section 2371a of this title as section 4143 instead of this section, was repealed, and a new section 1844(b) was enacted, by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(5)(D), effective as if included therein, so that such renumbering was no longer directed.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(b)(1), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(B), renumbered section 2371a of this title as this section.

1997—Pub. L. 105–85 inserted "Defense" before "Advanced Research Projects Agency".

1996—Pub. L. 104–201 transferred section 2371(i) of this title to this section, added section catchline, and struck out subsec. (i) designation and heading which read as follows: "Cooperative Research and Development Agreements Under Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980". See Codification note above.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

§4027. Disclosure requirements for recipients of research and development funds

(a) In General.—Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c), an individual or entity (including a State or local government) that uses funds received from the Department of Defense to carry out research or development activities shall include, in any public document pertaining to such activities, a clear statement indicating the dollar amount of the funds received from the Department for such activities.

(b) Exception.—The disclosure requirement under subsection (a) shall not apply to a public document consisting of fewer than 280 characters.

(c) Waiver.—The Secretary of Defense may waive the disclosure requirement under subsection (a) on a case-by-case basis.

(d) Public Document Defined.—In this section, the term "public document" means any document or other written statement made available for public reference or use, regardless of whether such document or statement is made available in hard copy or electronic format.

(Added Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §212(a)(1), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3456, §2374b; renumbered §4027, Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(e)(4)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2139.)

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 4027 was renumbered section 7377 of this title.

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 117–81 renumbered section 2374b of this title as this section.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title VIII, §881(a), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2744, provided that: "The amendments made by section 1701(e) and paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 802(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117–81) [renumbering this section and sections 4094, 4873, 4875, and 8755 of this title] shall be deemed to have taken effect immediately before the amendments made by section 1881 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283; 134 Stat. 4293) [see Tables for classification]."

[Subsec. (a) of section 1881 of Pub. L. 116–283, referred to in section 881(a) of Pub. L. 117–263, set out above, provided in part that chapter 139 of this title, in which chapter section 2374b of this title had been located, was repealed.]

Effective Date

Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §212(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3456, provided that: "The amendments made by subsection (a) [enacting this section] shall take effect on October 1, 2021, and shall apply with respect to funds for research and development that are awarded by the Department of Defense on or after that date."

Treatment of Section 4027 Requirements

Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title VIII, §881(b), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2744, provided that: "An individual or entity to which the requirements under section 4027 of title 10, United States Code, were applicable during the period beginning on January 1, 2022, and ending on the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 23, 2022] pursuant to subsection (a) [set out as an Effective Date of 2021 Amendment note above] shall be deemed to have complied with such requirements during such period."

CHAPTER 303—RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING ACTIVITIES

Subchapter I—General

        

Subchapter II—Personnel

        

Subchapter III—Research and Development Centers and Facilities

        

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior chapter 303 "WEAPON SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED MATTERS", consisting of reserved section 4071, was repealed by Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1841(a)(1)(A), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4242.

A prior chapter 303 was renumbered chapter 703 of this title.

Amendments

2023—Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title IX, §913(a)(1), title XVIII, §1801(a)(32), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 365, 685, struck out identical second item 4094 "Enhanced pay authority for certain research and technology positions in science and technology reinvention laboratories" and added item 4127. Amendments were made pursuant to section 102 of this title.

2022—Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title XI, §1106(b), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2818, added identical second item 4094 "Enhanced pay authority for certain research and technology positions in science and technology reinvention laboratories" after item 4093.

2021—Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §215(b), title XVII, §1701(e)(3)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1593, 2138, added items 4094 "Enhanced pay authority for certain research and technology positions in science and technology reinvention laboratories" and 4121 and struck out former item 4121 "[Reserved]", effective after the amendment made by Pub. L. 116–283, as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, see note below.

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(3)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2152, amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1842(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4244, which added this analysis, by substituting chapter heading, items for subchapters I to III, and items 4061 to 4067, 4091 to 4093, and 4121 to 4126 for former chapter heading "INNOVATION" and items 4061 to 4066.

¹ So in original. Probably should be "Defense Innovation Unit."

SUBCHAPTER I—GENERAL

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(3)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2152, amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1842(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4244, which added this chapter, by adding subchapter heading. Heading was editorially conformed to the style used in this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Establishment of Innovators Information Repository in the Department of Defense

Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, §220, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1681, provided that:

"(a) In General.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 13, 2018], the Secretary of Defense shall, acting through the Defense Technical Information Center, establish an innovators information repository within the Department of Defense in accordance with this section.

"(b) Maintenance of Information Repository.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall maintain the information repository and ensure that it is periodically updated.

"(c) Elements of Information Repository.—The information repository established under subsection (a) shall—

"(1) be coordinated across the Department of Defense enterprise to focus on small business innovators that are small, independent United States businesses, including those participating in the Small Business Innovation Research program or the Small Business Technology Transfer program;

"(2) include appropriate information about each participant, including a description of—

"(A) the need or requirement applicable to the participant;

"(B) the participant's technology with appropriate technical detail and appropriate protections of proprietary information or data;

"(C) any prior business of the participant with the Department; and

"(D) whether the participant's technology was incorporated into a program of record; and

"(3) incorporate the appropriate classification due to compilation of information.

"(d) Use of Information Repository.—After the information repository is established under subsection (a), the Secretary shall encourage use of the information repository by Department organizations involved in technology development and protection, including program offices, before initiating a Request for Information or a Request for Proposal to determine whether an organic technology exists or is being developed currently by a an [sic] entity supported by the Department (which may include a company, academic consortium, or other entity)."

National Security Innovation Activities

Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, §230, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1689, as amended by Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §213(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3456, provided that:

"(a) Establishment.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall establish activities to develop interaction between the Department of Defense and the commercial technology industry and academia with regard to emerging hardware products and technologies with national security applications.

"(b) Elements.—The activities required by subsection (a) shall include the following:

"(1) Informing and encouraging private investment in specific hardware technologies of interest to future defense technology needs with unique national security applications.

"(2) Funding research and technology development in hardware-intensive capabilities that private industry has not sufficiently supported to meet rapidly emerging defense and national security needs.

"(3) Contributing to the development of policies, policy implementation, and actions to deter strategic acquisition of industrial and technical capabilities in the private sector by foreign entities that could potentially exclude companies from participating in the Department of Defense technology and industrial base.

"(4) Identifying promising emerging technology in industry and academia for the Department of Defense for potential support or research and development cooperation.

"(c) Transfer of Personnel and Resources.—

"(1) In general.—Subject to paragraph (2), the Under Secretary may transfer such personnel, resources, and authorities that are under the control of the Under Secretary as the Under Secretary considers appropriate to carry out the activities established under subsection (a) from other elements of the Department under the control of the Under Secretary or upon approval of the Secretary of Defense.

"(2) Certification.—The Under Secretary may only make a transfer of personnel, resources, or authorities under paragraph (1) upon certification by the Under Secretary that the activities established under paragraph (a) can attract sufficient private sector investment, has personnel with sufficient technical and management expertise, and has identified relevant technologies and systems for potential investment in order to carry out the activities established under subsection (a), independent of further government funding beyond this authorization.

"(d) Establishment of Nonprofit Entity.—The Under Secretary may establish or fund a nonprofit entity to carry out the program activities under subsection (a).

"(e) Advisory Assistance.—

"(1) In general.—The Under Secretary shall establish a mechanism to seek advice from existing Federal advisory committees on matters relating to—

"(A) the implementation and prioritization of activities established under subsection (a); and

"(B) determining how such activities may be used to support the overall technology strategy of the Department of Defense.

"(2) Existing federal advisory committees defined.—In this subsection, the term 'existing Federal advisory committee' means an advisory committee that—

"(A) is established pursuant to a provision of Federal law other than this section; and

"(B) has responsibilities relevant to the activities established under subsection (a), as determined by the Under Secretary.

"(f) Plan.—

"(1) In general.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 13, 2018], the Under Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a detailed plan to carry out this section.

"(2) Elements.—The plan required by paragraph (1) shall include the following:

"(A) A description of the additional authorities needed to carry out the activities set forth in subsection (b).

"(B) Plans for transfers under subsection (c), including plans for private fund-matching and investment mechanisms, oversight, treatment of rights relating to technical data developed, and relevant dates and goals of such transfers.

"(C) Plans for attracting the participation of the commercial technology industry and academia and how those plans fit into the current Department of Defense research and engineering enterprise.

"(g) Authorities.—In carrying out this section, the Under Secretary may use the following authorities:

"(1) Section 1711 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115–91) [10 U.S.C. 4816 note], relating to a pilot program on strengthening the defense industrial and innovation base.

"(2) Section 1599g of title 10 of the United States Code, relating to public-private talent exchanges.

"(3) Section 2368 of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4124], relating to Centers for Science, Technology, and Engineering Partnerships.

"(4) Section 2374a of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4025], relating to prizes for advanced technology achievements.

"(5) Section 2474 of such title, relating to Centers of Industrial and Technical Excellence.

"(6) Section 2521 of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4841, 4842], relating to the Manufacturing Technology Program.

"(7) Subchapter VI of chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code, relating to assignments to and from States.

"(8) Chapter 47 of such title, relating to personnel research programs and demonstration projects.

"(9) Section 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a) and section 6305 of title 31, United States Code, relating to cooperative research and development agreements.

"(10) Such other authorities as the Under Secretary considers appropriate.

"(h) Notice Required.—Not later than 15 days before the date on which the Under Secretary first exercises the authority granted under subsection (d) and not later than 15 days before the date on which the Under Secretary first obligates or expends any amount authorized under subsection (h), the Under Secretary shall notify the congressional defense committees of such exercise, obligation, or expenditure, as the case may be."

Joint Artificial Intelligence Research, Development, and Transition Activities

Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, §238, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1695, as amended by Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, §221, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1261; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §232, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3480; Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, §212(l), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2470; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XV, §1521(b), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 551, provided that:

"(a) Establishment.—

"(1) In general.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish a set of activities within the Department of Defense to coordinate the efforts of the Department to acquire, develop, mature, and transition artificial intelligence technologies into operational use.

"(2) Emphasis.—The set of activities established under paragraph (1) shall include—

"(A) acquisition and development of mature artificial intelligence technologies in support of defense missions;

"(B) applying artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions to operational problems by directly delivering artificial intelligence capabilities to the Armed Forces and other organizations and elements of the Department of Defense;

"(C) accelerating the development, testing, and fielding of new artificial intelligence and artificial intelligence-enabling capabilities; and

"(D) coordinating and deconflicting activities involving artificial intelligence and artificial intelligence-enabled capabilities within the Department.

"(b) Designation.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 13, 2018], the Secretary shall designate a senior official of the Department with principal responsibility for the coordination of activities relating to the development and demonstration of artificial intelligence and machine learning for the Department.

"(c) Organization and Roles.—

"(1) In general.—In addition to designating an official under subsection (b), the Secretary of Defense shall assign to appropriate officials within the Department of Defense roles and responsibilities relating to the research, development, prototyping, testing, procurement of, requirements for, and operational use of artificial intelligence technologies.

"(2) Appropriate officials.—The officials assigned roles and responsibilities under paragraph (1) shall include—

"(A) the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering;

"(B) the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment;

"(C) one or more officials in each military department;

"(D) officials of appropriate Defense Agencies; and

"(E) such other officials as the Secretary of Defense determines appropriate.

"(d) Duties.—The duties of the official designated under subsection (b) shall include the following:

"(1) Strategic plan.—Developing a detailed strategic plan to acquire, develop, mature, adopt, and transition artificial intelligence technologies into operational use. Such plan shall include the following:

"(A) A strategic roadmap for the identification and coordination of the development and fielding of artificial intelligence technologies and key enabling capabilities.

"(B) The continuous evaluation and adaptation of relevant artificial intelligence capabilities developed both inside the Department and in other organizations for military missions and business operations.

"(2) Acceleration of acquisition, development and fielding of artificial intelligence.—The official designated under subsection (b) shall—

"(A) use the flexibility of regulations, personnel, acquisition, partnerships with industry and academia, or other relevant policies of the Department to accelerate the acquisition and fielding of artificial intelligence capabilities;

"(B) ensure engagement with defense and private industries, research universities, and unaffiliated, nonprofit research institutions;

"(C) provide technical advice and support to entities in the Department and the military departments to optimize the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to meet Department missions;

"(D) support the development of requirements for artificial intelligence capabilities that address the highest priority capability gaps of the Department and technical feasibility;

"(E) develop and support capabilities for technical analysis and assessment of threat capabilities based on artificial intelligence;

"(F) ensure that the Department has appropriate workforce and capabilities at laboratories, test ranges, and within the organic defense industrial base to support the artificial intelligence capabilities and requirements of the Department;

"(G) develop classification guidance for all artificial intelligence related activities of the Department;

"(H) develop standard data formats for the Department that—

"(i) aid in defining the relative maturity of datasets; and

"(ii) inform best practices for cost and schedule computation, data collection strategies aligned to mission outcomes, and dataset maintenance practices;

"(I) establish data and model usage agreements and collaborative partnership agreements for artificial intelligence product development with each organization and element of the Department, including each of the Armed Forces;

"(J) work with appropriate officials to develop appropriate ethical, legal, and other policies for the Department governing the development and use of artificial intelligence enabled systems and technologies in operational situations; and

"(K) ensure—

"(i) that artificial intelligence programs of each military department and of the Defense Agencies are consistent with the priorities identified under this section;

"(ii) appropriate coordination of artificial intelligence activities of the Department with interagency, industry, and international efforts relating to artificial intelligence, including relevant participation in standards setting bodies; and

"(iii) that appropriate entities in the Department are reviewing all open source publications from both the United States and outside the United States that contribute to, affect, or advance—

     "(I) artificial intelligence research and development; or

     "(II) the understanding of the Secretary concerning the investments by adversaries of the United States in artificial intelligence and the development by such adversaries of capabilities relating to artificial intelligence.

"(3) Chief digital and artificial intelligence officer governing council.—

"(A) Establishment.—The Secretary shall establish a council to provide policy oversight to ensure the responsible, coordinated, and ethical employment of data and artificial intelligence capabilities across Department of Defense missions and operations. Such council shall be known as the 'Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer Governing Council' (in this paragraph referred to as the 'Council').

"(B) Membership.—The Council shall be composed of the following:

"(i) Joint Staff J–6.

"(ii) The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.

"(iii) The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Evaluation.

"(iv) The Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.

"(v) The Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.

"(vi) The Director of Cost Analysis and Program Evaluation.

"(vii) The Chief Information Officer of the Department.

"(viii) The Director of Administration and Management.

"(ix) The service acquisition executives of each of the military departments.

"(C) Head of council.—The Council shall be headed by the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Department.

"(D) Meetings.—The Council shall meet not less frequently than twice each fiscal year.

"(E) Duties of council.—The duties of the Council are as follows:

"(i) To streamline the organizational structure of the Department as such structure relates to the development, implementation, and oversight of artificial intelligence.

"(ii) To improve coordination on artificial intelligence governance with the defense industry sector.

"(iii) To issue and oversee guidance on ethical requirements and protections for the use of artificial intelligence supported by Department funding and the reduction or mitigation of instances of unintended bias in artificial intelligence algorithms.

"(iv) To identify, monitor, and periodically update appropriate recommendations for the operational use of artificial intelligence.

"(v) To review, to the extent the head of the Council considers necessary, artificial intelligence program funding, to ensure that any investment by the Department in an artificial intelligence tool, system, or algorithm adheres to each applicable policy of the Department relating to artificial intelligence.

"(vi) To provide periodic status updates on the efforts of the Department to develop and implement artificial intelligence into existing Department programs and processes.

"(vii) To issue guidance on access and distribution restrictions relating to data, models, tool sets, or testing or validation infrastructure.

"(viii) To implement and oversee an educational program on data and artificial intelligence, for the purpose of familiarizing personnel Department-wide on the applications of artificial intelligence within the respective operations of such personnel.

"(ix) To implement and oversee a scorecard to assess data decrees of the Department.

"(x) Such other duties as the Council determines appropriate.

"(F) Periodic reports.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 [Dec. 22, 2023], and not less frequently than once every 18 months thereafter, the Council shall submit to the Secretary and the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report on the activities of the Council during the period covered by the report.

"(e) Access to Information.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 [Pub. L. 116–283; approved Jan. 1, 2021], the Secretary of Defense shall issue regulations to ensure that the official designated under subsection (b) has access to such information on programs and activities of the military departments and other Defense Agencies as the Secretary considers appropriate to carry out the duties set forth in subsection (d). At a minimum, such access shall ensure that the official designated under subsection (b) has the ability to discover, access, share, and appropriately reuse data and models of the Armed Forces and other organizations and elements of the Department of Defense, build and maintain artificial intelligence capabilities for the Department, and execute the duties assigned to the Director by the Secretary.

"(f) Delineation of Definition of Artificial Intelligence.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 13, 2018], the Secretary shall delineate a definition of the term 'artificial intelligence' for use within the Department.

"(g) Artificial Intelligence Defined.—In this section, the term 'artificial intelligence' includes the following:

"(1) Any artificial system that performs tasks under varying and unpredictable circumstances without significant human oversight, or that can learn from experience and improve performance when exposed to data sets.

"(2) An artificial system developed in computer software, physical hardware, or other context that solves tasks requiring human-like perception, cognition, planning, learning, communication, or physical action.

"(3) An artificial system designed to think or act like a human, including cognitive architectures and neural networks.

"(4) A set of techniques, including machine learning, that is designed to approximate a cognitive task.

"(5) An artificial system designed to act rationally, including an intelligent software agent or embodied robot that achieves goals using perception, planning, reasoning, learning, communicating, decision making, and acting."

[Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, §212(m), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2471, provided that: "Any reference in any law, regulation, guidance, instruction, or other document of the Federal Government to the Director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center of the Department of Defense or to the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center shall be deemed to refer to the official designated under section 238(b) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061) [set out above] or the office of such official, as the case may be."]

Support for National Security Innovation and Entrepreneurial Education

Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title II, §225, Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1334, as amended by Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, §233, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1692; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, §219, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1260, provided that:

"(a) Support Authorized.—

"(1) In general.—The Secretary of Defense may, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, support national security innovation and entrepreneurial education programs.

"(2) Elements.—Support under paragraph (1) may include the following:

"(A) Materials to recruit participants, including veterans, for programs described in paragraph (1).

"(B) Model curriculum for such programs.

"(C) Training materials for such programs.

"(D) Best practices for the conduct of such programs.

"(E) Experimental learning opportunities for program participants to interact with operational forces and better understand national security challenges.

"(F) Exchanges and partnerships with Department of Defense science and technology activities.

"(G) Activities consistent with the Proof of Concept Commercialization Pilot Program established under section 1603 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 (Public Law 113–66; 10 U.S.C. 2359 note [now 10 U.S.C. 4007 note]).

"(b) Consultation.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary may consult with the heads of such Federal agencies, universities, and public and private entities engaged in the development of advanced technologies as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

"(c) Authorities.—The Secretary may—

"(1) develop and maintain metrics to assess national security innovation and entrepreneurial education activities to ensure standards for programs supported under subsection (b) are consistent and being met; and

"(2) ensure that any recipient of an award under the Small Business Technology Transfer program, the Small Business Innovation Research program, and science and technology programs of the Department of Defense has the option to participate in training under a national security innovation and entrepreneurial education program supported under subsection (b).

"(d) Participation by Federal Employees and Members of the Armed Forces.—The Secretary may encourage Federal employees and members of the Armed Forces to participate in a national security innovation and entrepreneurial education program supported under subsection (a) in order to gain exposure to modern innovation and entrepreneurial methodologies.

"(e) Coordination.—In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall consider coordinating and partnering with activities and organizations involved in the following:

"(1) Hack the Army.

"(2) Hack the Air Force.

"(3) Hack the Pentagon.

"(4) The Army Digital Service.

"(5) The Defense Digital Service.

"(6) The Air Force Digital Service.

"(7) Challenge and prize competitions of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

"(8) The Defense Science Study Group.

"(9) The Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR).

"(10) The Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR).

"(11) War colleges of the military departments.

"(12) Hacking for Defense.

"(13) The National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowship (NSSEFF) program.

"(14) The Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) scholarship program.

"(15) The young faculty award program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

"(16) The National Security Technology Accelerator.

"(17) The I-Corps Program.

"(18) The Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Programs of the Department of Energy."

Hypersonics Development

Pub. L. 109–364, div. A, title II, §218, Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2126, as amended by Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title II, §241, Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1343; Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title X, §1079(f), Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 999; Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title II, §214(b), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1325; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, §216, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1257; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §217(e), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3462, provided that:

"(a) Establishment of Joint Hypersonics Transition Office.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish within the Office of the Secretary of Defense a Joint Hypersonics Transition Office (in this section referred to as the 'Office'). The Office shall carry out the program and activities described in subsections (b) and (c) and shall have such other responsibilities relating to hypersonics as the Secretary shall specify[.]

"(b) University Expertise.—

"(1) Arrangement with institutions of higher education.—Using the authority specified in section 217 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115–91; 10 U.S.C. 2358 note [now 10 U.S.C. 4001 note]) or another similar authority, the Office shall seek to enter into an arrangement with one or more institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) under which such institutions may provide the Office with foundational and applied hypersonic research, development, and workforce support in areas that the Office determines to be relevant for the Department of Defense.

"(2) Availability of information.—The Office shall ensure that the results of any research and reports produced pursuant to an arrangement under paragraph (1) are made available to the Federal Government, the private sector, academia, and international partners consistent with appropriate security classification guidance.

"(c) Responsibilities.—The Office shall do the following:

"(1) Expedite testing, evaluation, and acquisition of hypersonic technologies to meet the stated needs of the warfighter, including flight testing, ground-based-testing, and underwater launch testing.

"(2) Ensure prototyping demonstration programs on hypersonic systems integrate advanced technologies to speed the maturation and deployment of future hypersonic systems.

"(3) Ensure that any demonstration program on hypersonic systems is carried out only if determined to be consistent with the roadmap for the relevant critical technology area supportive of the National Defense Strategy, as developed by the senior official with responsibility for such area under section 217 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 [Pub. L. 116–283; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note].

"(4) Develop strategies and roadmaps for hypersonic technologies to enable the transition of such technologies to future operational capabilities for the warfighter.

"(5) Develop and implement a strategy for enhancing the current and future hypersonics workforce.

"(6) Coordinate with relevant stakeholders and agencies to support the technological advantage of the United States in developing hypersonic systems."

Research and Development of Defense Biomedical Countermeasures

Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title XVI, §1601, Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1680, as amended by Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title X, §1062(g)(3), Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1585; Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title X, §1071(b)(5)(B), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3507; Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title VIII, §815(d), Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 896; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §215(d)(1), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1593, provided that:

"(a) In General.—The Secretary of Defense (in this section referred to as the 'Secretary') shall carry out a program to accelerate the research, development and procurement of biomedical countermeasures, including but not limited to therapeutics and vaccines, for the protection of the Armed Forces from attack by one or more biological, chemical, radiological, or nuclear agents.

"(b) Interagency Cooperation.—(1) In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Secretary may enter into interagency agreements and other collaborative undertakings with other Federal agencies.

"(2) The Secretary, through regular, structured, and close consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall ensure that the activities of the Department of Defense in carrying out the program are coordinated with, complement, and do not unnecessarily duplicate activities of the Department of Health and Human Services or the Department of Homeland Security.

"(c) Expedited Procurement Authority.—(1) For any procurement of property or services for use (as determined by the Secretary) in performing, administering, or supporting biomedical countermeasures research and development, the Secretary may, when appropriate, use streamlined acquisition procedures and other expedited procurement procedures authorized in—

"(A) section 1903 of title 41, United States Code; and

"(B) sections 2371 and 2371b of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4021 and 4022].

"(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) and the provisions of law referred to in such paragraph, each of the following provisions shall apply to the procurements described in this subsection to the same extent that such provisions would apply to such procurements in the absence of paragraph (1):

"(A) Chapter 37 of title 40, United States Code (relating to contract work hours and safety standards).

"(B) Section 8703(a) of title 41, United States Code.

"(C) Section 2313 of title 10, United States Code [see 10 U.S.C. 3841] (relating to the examination of contractor records).

"(3) The Secretary shall institute appropriate internal controls for use of the authority under paragraph (1), including requirements for documenting the justification for each use of such authority.

"(d) Department of Defense Facilities Authority.—(1) If the Secretary determines that it is necessary to acquire, lease, construct, or improve laboratories, research facilities, and other real property of the Department of Defense in order to carry out the program under this section, the Secretary may do so using the procedures set forth in paragraphs (2), (3), (4), and (5).

"(2) The Secretary shall use existing construction authorities provided by subchapter I of chapter 169 of title 10, United States Code, to the maximum extent possible.

"(3)(A) If the Secretary determines that use of authorities in paragraph (2) would prevent the Department from meeting a specific facility requirement for the program, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of Senate and House of Representatives] advance notification, which shall include the following:

"(i) Certification by the Secretary that use of existing construction authorities would prevent the Department from meeting the specific facility requirement.

"(ii) A detailed explanation of the reasons why existing authorities cannot be used.

"(iii) A justification of the facility requirement.

"(iv) Construction project data and estimated cost.

"(v) Identification of the source or sources of the funds proposed to be expended.

"(B) The facility project may be carried out only after the end of the 21-day period beginning on the date the notification is received by the congressional defense committees.

"(4) If the Secretary determines: (A) that the facility is vital to national security or to the protection of health, safety, or the quality of the environment; and (B) the requirement for the facility is so urgent that the advance notification in paragraph (3) and the subsequent 21-day deferral of the facility project would threaten the life, health, or safety of personnel, or would otherwise jeopardize national security, the Secretary may obligate funds for the facility and notify the congressional defense committees within seven days after the date on which appropriated funds are obligated with the information required in paragraph (3).

"(5) Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the Secretary to acquire, construct, lease, or improve a facility having general utility beyond the specific purposes of the program.

"(6) In this subsection, the term 'facility' has the meaning given the term in section 2801(c) of title 10, United States Code.

"(e) Authority for Personal Services Contracts.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the authority provided by section 1091 of title 10, United States Code, for personal services contracts to carry out health care responsibilities in medical treatment facilities of the Department of Defense shall also be available, subject to the same terms and conditions, for personal services contracts to carry out research and development activities under this section. The number of individuals whose personal services are obtained under this subsection may not exceed 30 at any time.

"(2) The authority provided by such section 1091 may not be used for a personal services contract unless the contracting officer for the contract ensures that—

"(A) the services to be procured are urgent or unique; and

"(B) it would not be practicable for the Department of Defense to obtain such services by other measures.

"(f) Streamlined Personnel Authority.—(1) The Secretary may appoint highly qualified experts, including scientific and technical personnel, to carry out research and development under this section in accordance with the authorities provided in section 4121(a) of title 10, United States Code, [former] section 1101 of the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 (Public Law 105–261 [5 U.S.C. 3104 note]), and section 1101 of this Act [enacting chapter 99 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, and provisions set out as a note under section 9901 of Title 5].

"(2) The Secretary may use the authority under paragraph (1) only upon a determination by the Secretary that use of such authority is necessary to accelerate the research and development under the program.

"(3) The Secretary shall institute appropriate internal controls for each use of the authority under paragraph (1)."

Defense Nanotechnology Research and Development Program

Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title II, §246, Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2500, as amended by Pub. L. 110–181, div. A, title II, §240, Jan. 28, 2008, 122 Stat. 48; Pub. L. 111–84, div. A, title II, §242, Oct. 28, 2009, 123 Stat. 2237; Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title X, §1076(c)(2)(A)(iv), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1950, provided that:

"(a) Establishment.—The Secretary of Defense shall carry out a defense nanotechnology research and development program.

"(b) Purposes.—The purposes of the program are as follows:

"(1) To ensure United States global superiority in nanotechnology necessary for meeting national security requirements.

"(2) To coordinate all nanoscale research and development within the Department of Defense, and to provide for interagency cooperation and collaboration on nanoscale research and development between the Department of Defense and other departments and agencies of the United States that are involved in the National Nanotechnology Initiative and with the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office under section 3 of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7502).

"(3) To develop and manage a portfolio of nanotechnology research and development initiatives that is stable, consistent, and balanced across scientific disciplines.

"(4) To accelerate the transition and deployment of technologies and concepts derived from nanoscale research and development into the Armed Forces, and to establish policies, procedures, and standards for measuring the success of such efforts.

"(5) To collect, synthesize, and disseminate critical information on nanoscale research and development.

"(c) Administration.—In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall act through the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, who shall supervise the planning, management, and coordination of the program. The Under Secretary, in consultation with the Secretaries of the military departments and the heads of participating Defense Agencies and other departments and agencies of the United States, shall—

"(1) prescribe a set of long-term challenges and a set of specific technical goals for the program;

"(2) develop a coordinated and integrated research and investment plan for meeting the long-term challenges and achieving the specific technical goals that builds upon investments by the Department and other departments and agencies participating in the National Nanotechnology Initiative in nanotechnology research and development;

"(3) develop memoranda of agreement, joint funding agreements, and other cooperative arrangements necessary for meeting the long-term challenges and achieving the specific technical goals; and

"(4) oversee Department of Defense participation in interagency coordination of the program with other departments and agencies participating in the National Nanotechnology Initiative.

"(d) Strategic Plan.—The Under Secretary shall develop and maintain a strategic plan for defense nanotechnology research and development that—

"(1) is integrated with the strategic plan for the National Nanotechnology Initiative and the strategic plans of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the military departments, and the Defense Agencies; and

"(2) includes a clear strategy for transitioning the research into products needed by the Department.

"(e) Reports.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics shall submit to the National Science and Technology Council information on the program that covers the information described in paragraphs (1) through (5) of section 2(d) of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7501(d)) to be included in the annual report submitted by the Council under that section."

Program To Increase Business Innovation in Defense Acquisition Programs

Pub. L. 106–65, div. A, title VIII, §812(a)–(c), (e), Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 709, 710, provided that:

"(a) Requirement To Develop Plan.—Not later than March 1, 2000, the Secretary of Defense shall publish in the Federal Register for public comment a plan to provide for increased innovative technology for acquisition programs of the Department of Defense from commercial private sector entities, including small-business concerns.

"(b) Implementation of Plan.—Not later than March 1, 2001, the Secretary of Defense shall implement the plan required by subsection (a), subject to any modifications the Secretary may choose to make in response to comments received.

"(c) Elements of Plan.—The plan required by subsection (a) shall include, at a minimum, the following elements:

"(1) Procedures through which commercial private sector entities, including small-business concerns, may submit proposals recommending cost-saving and innovative ideas to acquisition program managers.

"(2) A review process designed to make recommendations on the merit and viability of the proposals submitted under paragraph (1) at appropriate times during the acquisition cycle.

"(3) Measures to limit potential disruptions to existing contracts and programs from proposals accepted and incorporated into acquisition programs of the Department of Defense.

"(4) Measures to ensure that research and development efforts of small-business concerns are considered as early as possible in a program's acquisition planning process to accommodate potential technology insertion without disruption to existing contracts and programs.

"(e) Small-Business Concern Defined.—In this section, the term 'small-business concern' has the same meaning as the meaning of such term as used in the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.)."

§4061. Defense Research and Development Rapid Innovation Program

(a) Program Established.—(1) The Secretary of Defense shall establish a competitive, merit-based program to enable and assist small businesses to accelerate the commercialization of various technologies, including critical technologies developed pursuant to phase II Small Business Innovation Research Program projects, phase II Small Business Technology Transfer Program projects, technologies developed by the defense laboratories, capabilities developed through competitively awarded prototype agreements and other innovative technologies (including dual use technologies).

(2) The purpose of this program is to stimulate innovative technologies and reduce acquisition or lifecycle costs, address technical risks, improve the timeliness and thoroughness of test and evaluation outcomes, support the integration of such products, and rapidly insert such products directly in support of primarily major defense acquisition programs, but also other defense acquisition programs that meet critical national security needs.

(b) Guidelines.—The Secretary shall issue guidelines for the operation of the program. At a minimum such guidance shall provide for the following:

(1) The issuance of one or more broad agency announcements or the use of any other competitive or merit-based processes by the Department of Defense for candidate proposals in support of primarily major defense acquisition programs, but also other defense acquisition programs as described in subsection (a).

(2) The review of candidate proposals by the Department of Defense and by each Office of Small Business Programs of each military department and the merit-based selection of the most promising cost-effective proposals for funding through contracts, cooperative agreements, and other transactions for the purposes of carrying out the program.

(3) The total amount of funding provided to any project under the program from funding provided under subsection (d) shall not exceed $6,000,000.

(4) No project shall receive more than a total of two years of funding under the program from funding provided under subsection (d), unless the Secretary, or the Secretary's designee, approves funding for any additional year.

(5) Mechanisms to facilitate transition of follow-on or current projects carried out under the program into defense acquisition programs, through the use of the authorities of section 4004 of this title or such other authorities as may be appropriate to conduct further testing, low rate production, or full rate production of technologies developed under the program.

(6) Projects are selected using merit-based selection procedures and the selection of projects is not subject to undue influence by Congress or other Federal agencies.

(7) A preference under the program for funding small business concerns.

(c) Treatment Pursuant to Certain Congressional Rules.—Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to require or enable any official of the Department of Defense to provide funding under this section to any earmark as defined pursuant to House Rule XXI, clause 9, or any congressionally directed spending item as defined pursuant to Senate Rule XLIV, paragraph 5.

(d) Funding.—(1) Subject to the availability of appropriations for such purpose and to the limitation under paragraph (2), the amounts authorized to be appropriated for research, development, test, and evaluation for a fiscal year may be used for such fiscal year for the program established under subsection (a).

(2) During any fiscal year, the total amount of awards in an amount greater than $6,000,000 made under the program established under subsection (a) may not exceed 25 percent of the amount made available to carry out such program during such fiscal year.

(e) Transfer Authority.—(1) The Secretary may transfer funds available for the program to the research, development, test, and evaluation accounts of a military department, defense agency, or the unified combatant command for special operations forces pursuant to a proposal, or any part of a proposal, that the Secretary determines would directly support the purposes of the program.

(2) The transfer authority provided in this subsection is in addition to any other transfer authority available to the Department of Defense.

(Added Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, §224(a)(1), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1683, §2359a; amended Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title VIII, §878(a), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1530; renumbered §4061 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1842(b), 1883(b)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4244, 4294; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(d)(8), (q)(1), (u)(3)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2136, 2148, 2152; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title VIII, §860, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 346.)

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 4061 was renumbered section 7381 of this title.

Amendments

2023—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 118–31, §860(1)(A), inserted "to enable and assist small businesses" after "merit-based program" and "capabilities developed through competitively awarded prototype agreements" after "defense laboratories," and substituted "commercialization of various technologies, including critical technologies" for "fielding of technologies".

Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 118–31, §860(1)(B), inserted "support the integration of such products," after "evaluation outcomes,".

Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 118–31, §860(2)(A), inserted "primarily major defense acquisition programs, but also other" after "candidate proposals in support of".

Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 118–31, §860(2)(B), substituted "by each Office of Small Business Programs of each military department" for "by each military department".

Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 118–31, §860(3), substituted "$6,000,000" for "$3,000,000".

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1842(b), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(q)(1), (u)(3)(B), renumbered section 2359a of this title as this section.

Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(d)(8), which directed the substitution of "section 4004" for "section 2302e", could not be executed because of the intervening amendment by Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2). See note below.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2), substituted "section 4004" for "section 2302e".

2019—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 116–92, §878(a)(1), inserted "phase II Small Business Technology Transfer Program projects," after "projects,".

Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 116–92, §878(a)(2)(A), substituted "$6,000,000." for "$3,000,000, unless the Secretary, or the Secretary's designee, approves a larger amount of funding for the project."

Subsec. (b)(7). Pub. L. 116–92, §878(a)(2)(B), added par. (7).

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 116–92, §878(a)(3), designated existing provisions as par. (1), inserted "and to the limitation under paragraph (2)" after "for such purpose", and added par. (2).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by section 1701(d)(8) of Pub. L. 117–81 to take effect immediately after the amendments made by title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 have taken effect, see section 1701(a)(3) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by section 1701(q)(1), (u)(3)(B) of Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Regional Activities

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §213(b), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1589, provided that: "Subject to the availability of appropriations for such purpose, the Secretary of Defense may expand the efforts of the Defense Innovation Unit to engage and collaborate with private-sector industry and communities in various regions of the United States—

"(1) to accelerate the adoption of commercially developed advanced technology in modernization priority areas and such other key technology areas as may be identified by the Secretary; and

"(2) to expand outreach to communities that do not otherwise have a Defense Innovation Unit presence, including economically disadvantaged communities."

Pilot Program To Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title VIII, §834, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1835, as amended by Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title VIII, §845, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2720, provided that:

"(a) Pilot Program.—Subject to availability of appropriations, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a competitive, merit-based pilot program to accelerate the procurement and fielding of innovative technologies by, with respect to such technologies—

"(1) reducing acquisition or life-cycle costs;

"(2) addressing technical risks;

"(3) improving the timeliness and thoroughness of test and evaluation outcomes; and

"(4) rapidly implementing such technologies to directly support defense missions.

"(b) Guidelines.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2021], the Secretary shall issue guidelines for the operation of the pilot program established under this section. At a minimum such guidelines shall provide for the following:

"(1) The issuance of one or more solicitations for proposals by the Department of Defense in support of the pilot program, with a priority established for technologies developed by small business concerns (as defined under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)) or nontraditional defense contractors (as defined under section 2302 of title 10, United States Code [see 10 U.S.C. 3014]).

"(2) A process for—

"(A) the review of proposals received in response to a solicitation issued under paragraph (1) by the Secretary of Defense and by each Secretary of a military department;

"(B) the merit-based selection of the most promising cost-effective proposals; and

"(C) the procurement of goods or services offered by such a proposal through contracts, cooperative agreements, other transaction authority, or by another appropriate process.

"(c) Maximum Amount.—The total amount of funding provided for any proposal selected for an award under the pilot program established under this section shall not exceed $50,000,000, unless the Secretary (or designee of the Secretary) approves a greater amount of funding.

"(d) Data Collection.—

"(1) Plan required before implementation.—The Secretary of Defense may not provide funding under this section until the date on which the Secretary—

"(A) completes a plan for carrying out the data collection required under paragraph (2); and

"(B) submits the plan to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives].

"(2) Data collection required.—The Secretary of Defense shall collect and analyze data on the pilot program established under this section for the purposes of—

"(A) developing and sharing best practices for achieving the objectives of the pilot program;

"(B) providing information on the implementation of the pilot program and related policy issues; and

"(C) reporting to the congressional defense committees as required under subsection (e).

"(e) Biannual Reports.—Not later than March 1 and September 1 of each year beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act until the termination of the pilot program established under this section, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the pilot program.

"(f) Congressional Notification.—The Secretary of Defense shall notify the congressional defense committees within 30 days after funding has been provided for a proposal selected for an award under the pilot program established under this section.

"(g) Termination.—The authority to carry out a pilot program under this section shall terminate on September 30, 2027."

§4062. Defense Acquisition Challenge Program

(a) Program Required.—(1) The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall carry out a program to provide opportunities for the increased introduction of innovative and cost-saving technology in acquisition programs of the Department of Defense.

(2) The program, to be known as the Defense Acquisition Challenge Program (hereinafter in this section referred to as the "Challenge Program"), shall provide any person or activity within or outside the Department of Defense with the opportunity to propose alternatives, to be known as challenge proposals, at the component, subsystem, system, or system-of-systems level of an existing Department of Defense acquisition program, or to address any broader functional challenge to Department of Defense missions that may not fall within an acquisition program, that would result in improvements in performance, affordability, manufacturability, or operational capability of that acquisition program or function.

(b) Panels.—The Under Secretary shall establish one or more panels of highly qualified scientists and engineers (hereinafter in this section referred to as "Panels") to provide preliminary evaluations of challenge proposals under subsection (c).

(c) Preliminary Evaluation by Panels.—(1) Under procedures prescribed by the Under Secretary, a person or activity within or outside the Department of Defense may submit challenge proposals to a Panel, through the unsolicited proposal process or in response to a broad agency announcement.

(2) The Under Secretary shall establish procedures pursuant to which appropriate officials of the Department of Defense may identify proposals submitted through the unsolicited proposal process as challenge proposals. The procedures shall provide for the expeditious referral of such proposals to a Panel for preliminary evaluation under this subsection.

(3) The Under Secretary shall issue on an annual basis not less than one such broad agency announcement inviting interested parties to submit challenge proposals. Such announcements may also identify particular technology areas and acquisition programs or functions that will be given priority in the evaluation of challenge proposals.

(4)(A) The Under Secretary shall establish procedures for the prompt issuance of a solicitation for challenge proposals addressing—

(i) any acquisition program for which, since the last such announcement, the Secretary concerned has determined under section 4374 of this title that the program's acquisition unit cost or procurement unit cost has increased by a percentage equal to or greater than the critical cost growth threshold for the program (in this section referred to as a "critical cost growth threshold breach");

(ii) any design, engineering, manufacturing, or technology integration issues, in accordance with the assessment required by section 4375(b) of this title, that have contributed significantly to the cost growth of such program; and

(iii) any functional challenges of importance to Department of Defense missions.

(B) A solicitation under this paragraph may be included in a broad agency announcement issued pursuant to paragraph (3) as long as the broad agency announcement is released in an expeditious manner following the determination of the Secretary concerned that a critical cost growth threshold breach has occurred with respect to a major defense acquisition program.

(5) Under procedures established by the Under Secretary, a Panel shall carry out a preliminary evaluation of each challenge proposal submitted in response to a broad agency announcement, or submitted through the unsolicited proposal process and identified as a challenge proposal in accordance with paragraph (2), to determine each of the following:

(A) Whether the challenge proposal has merit.

(B) Whether the challenge proposal is likely to result in improvements in performance, affordability, manufacturability, or operational capability at the component, subsystem, system, or system-of-systems level of an acquisition program.

(C) Whether the challenge proposal could be implemented in the acquisition program rapidly, at an acceptable cost, and without unacceptable disruption to the acquisition program.

(D) Whether the challenge proposal is likely to result in improvements to any functional challenges of importance to Department of Defense missions, and whether the proposal could be implemented rapidly, at an acceptable cost, and without unacceptable disruption to such missions.

(6) The Under Secretary—

(A) may establish procedures to ensure that the Challenge Program does not become an avenue for the repetitive submission of proposals that have been previously reviewed and found not to have merit; and

(B) may establish procedures to ensure that the Challenge Program establishes appropriate priorities for proposals from businesses that are not major contractors with the Department of Defense.

(7) If a Panel determines that a challenge proposal satisfies each of the criteria specified in paragraph (5), the person or activity submitting that challenge proposal shall be provided an opportunity to submit such challenge proposal for a full review and evaluation under subsection (d).

(d) Full Review and Evaluation.—(1) Under procedures prescribed by the Under Secretary, for each challenge proposal submitted for a full review and evaluation as provided in subsection (c)(7), the office carrying out the acquisition program to which the proposal relates shall, in consultation with the prime system contractor carrying out such program, conduct a full review and evaluation of the proposal.

(2) The full review and evaluation shall, independent of the determination of a Panel under subsection (c)(5), determine each of the matters specified in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of such subsection. The full review and evaluation shall also include—

(A) an assessment of the cost of adopting the challenge proposal and implementing it in the acquisition program; and

(B) consideration of any intellectual property issues associated with the challenge proposal.

(e) Action Upon Favorable Full Review and Evaluation.—(1) Under procedures prescribed by the Under Secretary, each challenge proposal determined under a full review and evaluation to satisfy each of the criteria specified in subsection (c)(5) with respect to an acquisition program shall be considered by the office carrying out the applicable acquisition program and the prime system contractor for incorporation into the acquisition program as a new technology insertion at the component, subsystem, system, or system-of-systems level.

(2) The Under Secretary shall encourage the adoption of each challenge proposal referred to in paragraph (1) by providing suitable incentives to the office carrying out the acquisition program and the prime system contractor carrying out such program.

(3) In the case of a challenge proposal submitted in response to a solicitation issued as a result of a critical cost growth threshold breach that is determined under full review and evaluation to satisfy each of the criteria specified in subsection (c)(5), the Under Secretary shall establish guidelines for covering the costs of the challenge proposal. If appropriate, such guidelines shall not be restricted to funding provided by the Defense Acquisition Challenge Program, but shall also consider alternative funding sources, such as the acquisition program with respect to which the breach occurred.

(f) Action Upon Unfavorable Full Review and Evaluation.—Under procedures prescribed by the Under Secretary, if a challenge proposal is determined by a Panel to satisfy each of the criteria specified in subsection (c)(5), but is not determined under a full review and evaluation to satisfy such criteria, the following provisions apply:

(1) The office carrying out the full review and evaluation shall provide to the Panel that conducted the preliminary evaluation a statement containing a summary of the rationale for the unfavorable evaluation.

(2) If the Panel disagrees with the rationale provided under paragraph (1), the Panel may return the challenge proposal to the office for further consideration.

(g) Access to Technical Resources.—(1) Under procedures established by the Under Secretary, the technical resources of the laboratories, research, development, and engineering centers, test and evaluation activities, and other elements of the Department may be called upon to support the activities of the Challenge Program.

(2) Funds available to carry out this program may be used to compensate such laboratories, centers, activities, and elements for technical assistance provided to a Panel pursuant to paragraph (1).

(h) Conflicts of Interest and Confidentiality.—In carrying out each preliminary evaluation under subsection (c) and full review under subsection (d), the Under Secretary shall ensure the elimination of conflicts of interest and that the identity of any person or activity submitting a challenge proposal is not disclosed outside the Federal Government, prior to contract award, without the consent of the person or activity. For purposes of the proceeding sentence, the term "Federal Government" includes both employees of the Federal Government and employees of Federal Government contractors providing advisory and assistance services as described in part 37 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

(i) Limitation on Use of Funds.—Funds made available for the Challenge Program may be used only for activities authorized by this section, and not for implementation of challenge proposals.

(j) Treatment of Use of Certain Procedures as Use of Competitive Procedures.—The use of general solicitation competitive procedures established under subsection (c) shall be considered to be the use of competitive procedures for purposes of sections 3201 through 3205 of this title.

(k) System Defined.—In this section, the term "system"—

(1) means—

(A) the organization of hardware, software, material, facilities, personnel, data, and services needed to perform a designated function with specified results (such as the gathering of specified data, its processing, and its delivery to users); or

(B) a combination of two or more interrelated pieces (or sets) of equipment arranged in a functional package to perform an operational function or to satisfy a requirement; and

(2) includes a major system.

(l) Pilot Program for Programs Other Than Major Defense Acquisition Programs.—

(1) In general.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall carry out a pilot program to expand the use of the authority provided in this section to provide opportunities for the introduction of innovative and cost-saving approaches to programs other than major defense acquisition programs through the submission, review, and implementation, where appropriate, of qualifying proposals.

(2) Qualifying proposals.—For purposes of this subsection, a qualifying proposal is an offer to supply a nondevelopmental item that—

(A) is evaluated as achieving a level of performance that is at least equal to the level of performance of an item being procured under a covered acquisition program and as providing savings in excess of 15 percent after considering all costs to the Government of implementing such proposal; or

(B) is evaluated as achieving a level of performance that is significantly better than the level of performance of an item being procured under a covered acquisition program without any increase in cost to the Government.

(3) Review procedures.—The Under Secretary shall adopt modifications as may be needed to the procedures applicable to the Challenge Program to provide for Department of Defense review of, and action on, qualifying proposals. Such procedures shall include, at a minimum, the issuance of a broad agency announcement inviting interested parties to submit qualifying proposals in areas of interest to the Department.

(4) Definitions.—In this subsection:

(A) Nondevelopmental item.—The term "nondevelopmental item" has the meaning given that term in section 110 of title 41.

(B) Covered acquisition program.—The term "covered acquisition program" means any acquisition program of the Department of Defense other than a major defense acquisition program, but does not include any contract awarded under an exception to competitive acquisition authorized by the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.).

(C) Level of performance.—The term "level of performance", with respect to a nondevelopmental item, means the extent to which the item demonstrates required item functional characteristics.

(5) Sunset.—The authority to carry out the pilot program under this subsection shall terminate on January 7, 2021.

(Added Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title II, §243(a), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2495, §2359b; amended Pub. L. 109–364, div. A, title II, §213(b), (d)–(g), Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2121–2123; Pub. L. 110–417, [div. A], title VIII, §821, Oct. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 4531; Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title VIII, §827, Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4270; Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title X, §1076(e)(3), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1951; Pub. L. 113–66, div. A, title X, §1091(a)(10), Dec. 26, 2013, 127 Stat. 876; Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title X, §1071(a)(6), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3504; Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title VIII, §828, Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2281; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title IX, §902(56), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1549; renumbered §4062 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1842(b), 1883(b)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4244, 4294; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(d)(9), (q)(1), (u)(3)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2137, 2148, 2152.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Small Business Act, referred to in subsec. (l)(4)(B), is Pub. L. 85–536, §2(1 et seq.), July 18, 1958, 72 Stat. 384, which is classified generally to chapter 14A (§631 et seq.) of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 631 of Title 15 and Tables.

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1842(b), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(q)(1), (u)(3)(B), renumbered section 2359b of this title as this section.

Subsec. (c)(4)(A)(i). Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(d)(9)(A)(i), which directed the substitution of "section 4374" for "section 2433(d)", could not be executed because of the intervening amendment by Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2). See note below.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2), substituted "section 4374" for "section 2433(d)".

Subsec. (c)(4)(A)(ii). Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(d)(9)(A)(ii), substituted "section 4375(b)" for "section 2433(e)(2)(A)".

Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2), which directed that each reference in the text of title 10 to a section that was redesignated by title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283, as such section was in effect before the redesignation, be amended by striking such reference and inserting a reference to the appropriate redesignated section, could not be executed for "section 2433(e)(2)(A)" as there were no subparagraphs in subsec. (e)(2) of former section 2433 of this title after general amendment by Pub. L. 111–23, title II, §206(a)(3), May 22, 2009, 123 Stat. 1728. Section 2433(e)(2) was transferred to section 4375(b) of this title by Pub. L. 116–283.

Subsec. (j). Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(d)(9)(B), substituted "sections 3201 through 3205" for "chapter 137".

Subsec. (k)(2). Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(d)(9)(C), which directed that "(as defined in section 2302(5) of this title)" be struck out, was executed by striking out "(as defined in section 3041 of this title)" before period at end to reflect the probable intent of Congress and the intervening amendment by Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2). See note below.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2), substituted "section 3041" for "section 2302(5)".

2019—Subsecs. (a)(1), (l)(1). Pub. L. 116–92 substituted "Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering" for "Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics".

2016—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 114–328, §828(a), substituted "system, or system-of-systems level of an existing Department of Defense acquisition program, or to address any broader functional challenge to Department of Defense missions that may not fall within an acquisition program, that would result in improvements in performance, affordability, manufacturability, or operational capability of that acquisition program or function." for "or system level of an existing Department of Defense acquisition program that would result in improvements in performance, affordability, manufacturability, or operational capability of that acquisition program."

Subsec. (c)(3). Pub. L. 114–328, §828(d)(1), inserted "or functions" after "acquisition programs".

Subsec. (c)(4)(A)(iii). Pub. L. 114–328, §828(d)(2), added cl. (iii).

Subsec. (c)(5)(B). Pub. L. 114–328, §828(d)(4), substituted "system, or system-of-systems" for "or system".

Subsec. (c)(5)(D). Pub. L. 114–328, §828(d)(3), added subpar. (D).

Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 114–328, §828(d)(4), substituted "system, or system-of-systems" for "or system".

Subsec. (j). Pub. L. 114–328, §828(b)(2), added subsec. (j). Former subsec. (j) redesignated (k).

Subsecs. (k), (l). Pub. L. 114–328, §828(b)(1), redesignated subsecs. (j) and (k) as (k) and (l), respectively.

Subsec. (l)(5). Pub. L. 114–328, §828(c), substituted "2021" for "2016".

2014—Subsec. (k)(4)(A). Pub. L. 113–291 substituted "section 110 of title 41" for "section 4 of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 403)".

2013—Subsec. (k)(4)(B). Pub. L. 113–66 inserted period at end.

Subsec. (k)(5). Pub. L. 112–239 substituted "January 7, 2016" for "the date that is five years after the date of the enactment of this Act".

2011—Subsecs. (j) to (l). Pub. L. 111–383 redesignated subsec. (l) as (j), added subsec. (k), and struck out former subsecs. (j) and (k) which related to annual report and termination of authority, respectively.

2008—Subsec. (l). Pub. L. 110–417 added subsec. (l).

2006—Subsec. (c)(4), (5). Pub. L. 109–364, §213(b)(1), added par. (4) and redesignated former par. (4) as (5). Former par. (5) redesignated (6).

Subsec. (c)(6). Pub. L. 109–364, §213(b)(1)(A), (d), redesignated par. (5) as (6) and amended it generally. Prior to amendment, par. (6) read as follows: "The Under Secretary may establish procedures to ensure that the Challenge Program does not become an avenue for the repetitive submission of proposals that have been previously reviewed and found not to have merit." Former par. (6) redesignated (7).

Subsec. (c)(7). Pub. L. 109–364, §213(b)(1)(A), (g)(1), redesignated par. (6) as (7) and substituted "paragraph (5)" for "paragraph (4)".

Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 109–364, §213(g)(2), substituted "subsection (c)(7)" for "subsection (c)(6)".

Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 109–364, §213(g)(3), substituted "subsection (c)(5)" for "subsection (c)(4)" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 109–364, §213(g)(4), substituted "subsection (c)(5)" for "subsection (c)(4)".

Subsec. (e)(3). Pub. L. 109–364, §213(b)(2), added par. (3).

Subsecs. (f), (g). Pub. L. 109–364, §213(b)(3), added subsec. (f) and redesignated former subsec. (f) as (g). Former subsec. (g) redesignated (h).

Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 109–364, §213(b)(3)(A), (e), redesignated subsec. (g) as (h), substituted "Conflicts of Interest and Confidentiality" for "Elimination of Conflicts of Interest" in heading, substituted "conflicts of interest and that the identity of any person or activity submitting a challenge proposal is not disclosed outside the Federal Government, prior to contract award, without the consent of the person or activity" for "conflicts of interest", and inserted at end "For purposes of the proceeding sentence, the term 'Federal Government' includes both employees of the Federal Government and employees of Federal Government contractors providing advisory and assistance services as described in part 37 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation." Former subsec. (h) redesignated (i).

Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 109–364, §213(b)(3)(A), redesignated subsec. (h) as (i). Former subsec. (i) redesignated (j).

Subsec. (j). Pub. L. 109–364, §213(b)(3)(A), (4), redesignated subsec. (i) as (j) and substituted "The report shall also include a list of each challenge proposal that was determined by a Panel to satisfy each of the criteria specified in subsection (c)(5), but was not determined under a full review and evaluation to satisfy such criteria, together with a detailed rationale for the Department's determination that such criteria were not satisfied" for "No report is required for a fiscal year in which the Challenge Program is not carried out". Former subsec. (j) redesignated (k).

Subsec. (k). Pub. L. 109–364, §213(b)(3)(A), (f), redesignated subsec. (j) as (k) and substituted "2012" for "2007".

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by section 1701(d)(9) of Pub. L. 117–81 to take effect immediately after the amendments made by title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 have taken effect, see section 1701(a)(3) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by section 1701(q)(1), (u)(3)(B) of Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and Effective Date note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

[§§4063 to 4065. Omitted]

Editorial Notes

Codification

As enacted, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1842(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4244, originally transferred sections 2361a, 2358b, and 2374a of this title to sections 4063 to 4065, respectively, to become effective Jan. 1, 2022. Subsequently, Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(q)(1), (u)(3)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2148, 2152, amended section 1842(b) of Pub. L. 116–283, effective as if included therein, so as to eliminate those transfers, thereby omitting these sections before they took effect. Other amendments by Pub. L. 117–81 resulted in transfers of sections 2361a, 2358b, and 2374a to sections 4142, 1766, and 4025 of this title, respectively.

§4066. Global Research Watch Program

(a) Program.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall carry out a Global Research Watch program in accordance with this section.

(b) Program Goals.—The goals of the program are as follows:

(1) To monitor and analyze the basic and applied research activities and capabilities of foreign nations and private sector persons in areas of military interest, including allies and competitors.

(2) To provide standards for comparison and comparative analysis of research capabilities of foreign nations and private sector persons in relation to the research capabilities of the United States.

(3) To assist Congress and Department of Defense officials in making investment decisions for research in technical areas where the United States may not be the global leader.

(4) To identify areas where significant opportunities for cooperative research may exist.

(5) To coordinate and promote the international cooperative research and analysis activities of each of the armed forces and Defense Agencies.

(6) To establish and maintain an electronic database on international research capabilities, comparative assessments of capabilities, cooperative research opportunities, and ongoing cooperative programs.

(c) Focus of Program.—The program shall be focused on research and technologies at a technical maturity level equivalent to Department of Defense basic and applied research programs.

(d) Coordination.—(1) The Under Secretary shall coordinate the program with the international cooperation and analysis activities of the military departments and Defense Agencies.

(2) The Secretaries of the military departments and the directors of the Defense Agencies shall provide the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering such assistance as the Under Secretary may require for purposes of the program.

(3)(A) Funds available to a military department for a fiscal year for monitoring or analyzing the research activities and capabilities of foreign nations may not be obligated or expended until the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering certifies to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics that the Secretary of such military department has provided the assistance required under paragraph (2).

(B) The limitation in subparagraph (A) shall not be construed to alter or effect the availability to a military department of funds for intelligence activities.

(e) Classification of Database Information.—Information in electronic databases of the Global Research Watch program shall be maintained in unclassified form and, as determined necessary by the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, in classified form in such databases.

(f) Termination.—The requirement to carry out the program under this section shall terminate on September 30, 2025.

(Added Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title II, §231(a), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1421, §2365; amended Pub. L. 109–364, div. A, title II, §232, Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2134; Pub. L. 111–84, div. A, title II, §211, Oct. 28, 2009, 123 Stat. 2225; Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title IX, §901(j)(3), Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4324; Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title X, §1076(c)(2)(B), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1950; Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title II, §215, Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 769; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, §266, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1301; renumbered §4066, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1842(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4244; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(q)(1), (u)(3)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2148, 2152.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1842(b), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(q)(1), (u)(3)(B), renumbered section 2365 of this title as this section.

2019—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–92, §266(1), substituted "Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering" for "Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering".

Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 116–92, §266(3), substituted "Under Secretary" for "Assistant Secretary".

Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 116–92, §266(1), (3), substituted "Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering" for "Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering" and "Under Secretary" for "Assistant Secretary".

Subsec. (d)(3)(A). Pub. L. 116–92, §266(2), substituted "Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering" for "Assistant Secretary".

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 116–92, §266(2), substituted "Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering" for "Assistant Secretary".

2015—Subsec. (b)(1), (2). Pub. L. 114–92, §215(1), inserted "and private sector persons" after "foreign nations".

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 114–92, §215(2), substituted "September 30, 2025" for "September 30, 2015".

2013—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 112–239, §1076(c)(2)(B)(i), inserted "of Defense for Research and Engineering" after "The Assistant Secretary".

Subsec. (d)(3)(A). Pub. L. 112–239, §1076(c)(2)(B)(ii), substituted "Assistant Secretary" for "Director".

2011—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 111–383, §901(j)(3)(A), substituted "Assistant Secretary" for "Director of Defense Research and Engineering".

Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 111–383, §901(j)(3)(B), substituted "Assistant Secretary" for "Director".

Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 111–383, §901(j)(3)(C), substituted "Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering" for "Director of Defense Research and Engineering" and "Assistant Secretary may" for "Director may".

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 111–383, §901(j)(3)(D), substituted "Assistant Secretary" for "Director".

2009—Subsec. (d)(3). Pub. L. 111–84, §211(a), added par. (3).

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 111–84, §211(b), substituted "2015" for "2011".

2006—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 109–364 substituted "2011" for "2006".

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Effective Date of 2011 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 111–383 effective Jan. 1, 2011, see section 901(p) of Pub. L. 111–383, set out as a note under section 131 of this title.

§4067. Technology protection features activities

(a) Activities.—The Secretary of Defense shall carry out activities to develop and incorporate technology protection features in a designated system during the research and development phase of such system.

(b) Cost-sharing.—(1) Any contract for the design or development of a system resulting from activities under subsection (a) for the purpose of enhancing or enabling the exportability of the system, either for the development of program protection strategies for the system or the design and incorporation of exportability features into the system, shall include a cost-sharing provision that requires the contractor to bear half of the cost of such activities, or such other portion of such cost as the Secretary considers appropriate upon showing of good cause.

(2) The Secretary may deem the portion of the costs of the contractor described in paragraph (1) with respect to a designated system as allowable independent research and development costs under the regulations issued under section 3762 of this title if—

(A) the designated system receives Milestone B approval; and

(B) the Secretary determines that doing so would further the purposes of this section.

(c) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) The term "designated system" means any system (including a major system, as defined in section 3041 of title 10, United States Code) that the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment designates for purposes of this section.

(2) The term "independent research and development costs" has the meaning given the term in section 31.205-18 of title 48, Code of Federal Regulations.

(3) The term "Milestone B approval" has the meaning given the term in section 4172(e)(7) of this title.

(4) The term "technology protection features" means the technical modifications necessary to protect critical program information, including anti-tamper technologies and other systems engineering activities intended to prevent or delay exploitation of critical technologies in a designated system.

(Added Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, §223(a), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1682, §2357; renumbered §4067 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1841(c), 1842(b), 1883(b)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243, 4244, 4294; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title VIII, §831(a), title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(D), (3)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1832, 2151, 2152.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1842(b), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(3)(B), renumbered section 2357 of this title as this section.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(c), which directed the renumbering of section 2357 of this title as section 4009 instead of this section, was amended generally by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(D), effective as if included therein, so that such transfer was no longer directed.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 117–81, §831(a)(1), designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2).

Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2), substituted "section 3762" for "section 2372" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2), substituted "section 3041" for "section 2302(5)".

Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 117–81, §831(a)(2)(B), added par. (2). Former par. (2) redesignated (4).

Subsec. (c)(3). Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2), substituted "section 4172(e)(7)" for "section 2366(e)(7)".

Pub. L. 117–81, §831(a)(2)(B), added par. (3).

Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 117–81, §831(a)(2)(A), redesignated par. (2) as (4).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Conforming Regulations

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title VIII, §831(b), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1832, provided that: "Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2021], the Secretary of Defense shall revise the Department of Defense Supplement to the Federal Acquisition Regulation to conform with section 2357 of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4067], as amended by subsection (a)."

Updated Guidance on Planning for Exportability Features for Future Programs

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title VIII, §810, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 321, provided that:

"(a) Program Guidance on Planning for Exportability Features.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 22, 2023], the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment shall ensure that the program guidance for major defense acquisition programs (as defined in section 4201 of title 10, United States Code) and for acquisition programs and projects that are carried out using the rapid fielding or rapid prototyping acquisition pathway under section 804 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114–92; 10 U.S.C. 3201 note prec.) is revised to integrate planning for exportability features under section 4067 of title 10, United States Code, including—

"(1) for major defense acquisition programs, an assessment of such programs to identify potential exportability needs; and

"(2) for technologies under an acquisition program or project carried out using the rapid fielding or rapid prototyping acquisition pathway that are transitioned to a major capability acquisition program, an assessment of potential exportability needs of such technologies not later than one year after the date of such transition.

"(b) Revision of Guidance for Program Protection Plans.—Not later than three years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall revise guidance for program protection plans to integrate a requirement to determine exportability for the programs covered by such plans."

SUBCHAPTER II—PERSONNEL

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(3)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2152, amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1842(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4244, which added this chapter, by adding subchapter heading. Heading was editorially conformed to the style used in this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Pilot Program on Dynamic Shaping of the Workforce To Improve the Technical Skills and Expertise at Certain Department of Defense Laboratories

Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title XI, §1109, Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 1028, as amended by Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title XI, §1112(b), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2012; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §215(d)(3), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1593; Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title XI, §1110, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2820, provided that:

"(a) Pilot Program Required.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish a pilot program to utilize the authorities specified in subsection (b) at the Department of Defense laboratories specified in subsection (c) to provide the directors of such laboratories the authority to dynamically shape the mix of technical skills and expertise in the workforces of such laboratories in order to achieve one or more of the following:

"(1) To meet organizational and Department-designated missions in the most cost-effective and efficient manner.

"(2) To upgrade and enhance the scientific quality of the workforces of such laboratories.

"(3) To shape such workforces to better respond to such missions.

"(4) To reduce the average unit cost of such workforces.

"(b) Workforce Shaping Authorities.—The authorities that shall be available for use by the director of a Department of Defense laboratory under the pilot program are the following:

"(1) Flexible length and renewable term technical appointments.—

"(A) In general.—Subject to the provisions of this paragraph, authority otherwise available to the director by law (and within the available budgetary resources of the laboratory) to make appointments as follows:

"(i) Appointment of qualified scientific and technical personnel who are not current Department of Defense civilian employees into any scientific or technical position in the laboratory for a period of more than one year but not more than six years.

"(ii) Appointment of qualified scientific and technical personnel who are Department civilian employees in term appointments into any scientific or technical position in the laboratory for a period of more than one year but not more than six years.

"(B) Benefits.—Personnel appointed under this paragraph shall be provided with benefits comparable to those provided to similar employees at the laboratory concerned, including professional development opportunities, eligibility for all laboratory awards programs, and designation as 'status applicants' for the purposes of eligibility for positions in the Federal service.

"(C) Extension of appointments.—The appointment of any individual under this paragraph may be extended without limit in up to six year increments at any time during any term of service under such conditions as the director concerned shall establish for purposes of this paragraph.

"(2) Reemployment of annuitants.—Authorities to authorize the director of any science and technology reinvention laboratory (in this section referred to as 'STRL') to reemploy annuitants in accordance with section 9902(g) of title 5, United States Code, except that as a condition for reemployment the director may authorize the deduction from the pay of any annuitant so reemployed of an amount up to the amount of the annuity otherwise payable to such annuitant allocable to the period of actual employment of such annuitant, which amount shall be determined in a manner specified by the director for purposes of this paragraph to ensure the most cost effective execution of designated missions by the laboratory while retaining critical technical skills.

"(3) Early retirement incentives.—Authorities to authorize the director of any STRL to authorize voluntary early retirement of employees in accordance with section 8336 of title 5, United States Code, without regard to section 8336(d)(2)(D) or 3522 of such title, and with employees so separated voluntarily from service.

"(4) Separation incentive pay.—Authorities to authorize the director of any STRL to pay voluntary separation pay to employees in accordance with section 8414(b)(1)(B) of title 5, United States Code, without regard to clause (iv) or (v) of such section or section 3522 of such title, and with—

"(A) employees so separated voluntarily from service under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for purposes of the pilot program; and

"(B) payments to employees so separated authorized under section 3523 of such title without regard to—

"(i) the plan otherwise required by section 3522 of such title; and

"(ii) paragraph (1) or (3) of section 3523(b) of such title.

"(c) Laboratories.—The Department of Defense laboratories specified in this subsection are the laboratories designated under section 4121(b) of title 10, United States Code.

"(d) Expiration.—

"(1) In general.—The authority in this section shall expire on December 31, 2027.

"(2) Continuation of authorities exercised before termination.—The expiration in paragraph (1) shall not be construed to effect the continuation after the date specified in paragraph (1) of any term of employment or other benefit authorized under this section before that date in accordance with the terms of such authorization."

Pilot Program on Assignment to Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of Private Sector Personnel With Critical Research and Development Expertise

Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title II, §232, Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3332, as amended by Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title X, §1051(t)(1), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1566; Pub. L. 117–286, §4(c)(20), Dec. 27, 2022, 136 Stat. 4356, provided that:

"(a) Pilot Program Authorized.—In accordance with the provisions of this section, the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency may carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of temporarily assigning covered individuals with significant technical expertise in research and development areas of critical importance to defense missions to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to lead research or development projects of the Agency.

"(b) Assignment of Covered Individuals.—

"(1) Number of individuals assigned.—Under the pilot program, the Director may assign covered individuals to the Agency as described in subsection (a), but may not have more than five covered individuals so assigned at any given time.

"(2) Period of assignment.—

"(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the Director may, under the pilot program, assign a covered individual described in subsection (a) to lead research and development projects of the Agency for a period of not more than two years.

"(B) The Director may extend the assignment of a covered individual for one additional period of not more than two years as the Director considers appropriate.

"(3) Application of certain provisions of law.—

"(A) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the Director shall carry out the pilot program in accordance with the provisions of subchapter VI of chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code, except that, for purposes of the pilot program, the term 'other organization', as used in such subchapter, shall be deemed to include a covered entity.

"(B) A covered individual employed by a covered entity who is assigned to the Agency under the pilot program is deemed to be an employee of the Department of Defense for purposes of the following provisions of law:

"(i) Chapter 73 of title 5, United States Code.

"(ii) Sections 201, 203, 205, 207, 208, 209, 603, 606, 607, 643, 654, 1905, and 1913 of title 18, United States Code.

"(iii) Sections 1343, 1344, and 1349(b) of title 31, United States Code.

"(iv) Chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code (commonly known as the 'Federal Tort Claims Act'), and any other Federal tort liability statute.

"(v) Chapter 131 of title 5, United States Code.

"(vi) Section 1043 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 [26 U.S.C. 1043].

"(vii) Chapter 21 of title 41, United States Code.

"(4) Pay and supervision.—A covered individual employed by a covered entity who is assigned to the Agency under the pilot program—

"(A) may continue to receive pay and benefits from such covered entity with or without reimbursement by the Agency;

"(B) is not entitled to pay from the Agency; and

"(C) shall be subject to supervision by the Director in all duties performed for the Agency under the pilot program.

"(c) Conflicts of Interest.—

"(1) Practices and procedures required.—The Director shall develop practices and procedures to manage conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest that could arise through assignments under the pilot program.

"(2) Elements.—The practices and procedures required by paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, the requirement that each covered individual assigned to the Agency under the pilot program shall sign an agreement that provides for the following:

"(A) The nondisclosure of any trade secrets or other nonpublic or proprietary information which is of commercial value to the covered entity from which such covered individual is assigned.

"(B) The assignment of rights to intellectual property developed in the course of any research or development project under the pilot program—

"(i) to the Agency and its contracting partners in accordance with applicable provisions of law regarding intellectual property rights; and

"(ii) not to the covered individual or the covered entity from which such covered individual is assigned.

"(C) Such additional measures as the Director considers necessary to carry out the program in accordance with Federal law.

"(d) Prohibition on Charges by Covered Entities.—A covered entity may not charge the Federal Government, as direct or indirect costs under a Federal contract, the costs of pay or benefits paid by the covered entity to a covered individual assigned to the Agency under the pilot program.

"(e) Termination of Authority.—The authority provided in this section shall expire on September 30, 2025, except that any covered individual assigned to the Agency under the pilot program shall continue in such assignment until the terms of such assignment have been satisfied.

"(f) Definitions.—In this section:

"(1) The term 'covered individual' means any individual who is employed by a covered entity.

"(2) The term 'covered entity' means any non-Federal, nongovernmental entity that, as of the date on which a covered individual employed by the entity is assigned to the Agency under the pilot program, is a nontraditional defense contractor (as defined in section 2302 of title 10, United States Code [see 10 U.S.C. 3014])."

§4091. Authorities for certain positions at science and technology reinvention laboratories

(a) Authority to Make Direct Appointments.—

(1) Candidates for scientific and engineering positions at science and technology reinvention laboratories.—The director of any Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratory (hereinafter in this section referred to as an "STRL") may appoint qualified candidates possessing a bachelor's or advanced degree to positions described in paragraph (1) of subsection (b) as an employee in a laboratory described in that paragraph without regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5 (other than sections 3303 and 3328 of such title).

(2) Veteran candidates for similar positions at research and engineering facilities.—The director of any STRL may appoint qualified veteran candidates to positions described in paragraph (2) of subsection (b) as an employee at a laboratory, agency, or organization specified in that paragraph without regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5.

(3) Students enrolled in scientific and engineering programs.—The director of any STRL may appoint qualified candidates enrolled in a program of undergraduate or graduate instruction leading to a bachelor's or an advanced degree in a scientific, technical, engineering or mathematical course of study at an institution of higher education (as that term is defined in sections 101 and 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002)) to positions described in paragraph (3) of subsection (b) as an employee in a laboratory described in that paragraph without regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5 (other than sections 3303 and 3328 of such title).

(4) Noncompetitive conversion of appointments.—With respect to any student appointed by the director of an STRL under paragraph (3) to a temporary or term appointment, upon graduation from the applicable institution of higher education (as defined in such paragraph), the director may noncompetitively convert such student to another temporary appointment or to a term or permanent appointment within the STRL without regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5 (other than sections 3303 and 3328 of such title), provided the student meets all eligibility and Office of Personnel Management qualification requirements for the position.

(b) Covered Positions.—

(1) Candidates for scientific and engineering positions.—The positions described in this paragraph are scientific and engineering positions that may be temporary, term, or permanent in any laboratory designated by section 4121(b) of this title as a Department of Defense science and technology reinvention laboratory.

(2) Qualified veteran candidates.—The positions described in this paragraph are scientific, technical, engineering, and mathematics positions, including technicians, in the following:

(A) Any laboratory referred to in paragraph (1).

(B) Any other Department of Defense research and engineering agency or organization designated by the Secretary for purposes of subsection (a)(2).

(3) Candidates enrolled in scientific and engineering programs.—The positions described in this paragraph are scientific and engineering positions that may be temporary or term in any laboratory designated by section 4121(b) of this title as a Department of Defense science and technology reinvention laboratory.

(c) Limitation on Number of Appointments Allowable in a Fiscal Year.—The authority under subsection (a) may not, in any fiscal year and with respect to any laboratory, agency, or organization described in subsection (b), be exercised with respect to a number of candidates greater than the following:

(1) In the case of a laboratory described in subsection (b)(1), with respect to appointment authority under subsection (a)(1), the number equal to 11 percent of the total number of scientific and engineering positions in such laboratory that are filled as of the close of the preceding fiscal year.

(2) In the case of a laboratory, agency, or organization described in subsection (b)(2), with respect to appointment authority under subsection (a)(2), the number equal to 3 percent of the total number of scientific, technical, engineering, mathematics, and technician positions in such laboratory, agency, or organization that are filled as of the close of the preceding fiscal year.

(3) In the case of a laboratory described in subsection (b)(3), with respect to appointment authority under subsection (a)(3), the number equal to 10 percent of the total number of scientific and engineering positions in such laboratory that are filled as of the close of the preceding fiscal year.

(d) Senior Scientific Technical Managers.—

(1) Establishment.—There is hereby established in each STRL, each facility of the Major Range and Test Facility Base, and the Defense Test Resource Management Center a category of senior professional scientific and technical positions, the incumbents of which shall be designated as "senior scientific technical managers" and which shall be positions classified above GS–15 of the General Schedule, notwithstanding section 5108(a) of title 5. The primary functions of such positions shall be—

(A) to engage in research and development in the physical, biological, medical, or engineering sciences, or another field closely related to the mission of such STRL, of such facility of the Major Range and Test Facility Base, or the Defense Test Resource Management Center; and

(B) to carry out technical supervisory responsibilities.

(2) Appointments.—(A) The laboratory positions described in paragraph (1) may be filled, and shall be managed, by the director of the STRL involved, under criteria established pursuant to section 4121(a) of this title, relating to personnel demonstration projects at laboratories of the Department of Defense, except that the director of the laboratory involved shall determine the number of such positions at such laboratory, not to exceed 2 percent of the number of scientists and engineers employed at such laboratory as of the close of the last fiscal year before the fiscal year in which any appointments subject to that numerical limitation are made.

(B) The test and evaluation positions described in paragraph (1) may be filled, and shall be managed, by the director of the Major Range and Test Facility Base, in the case of a position at a facility of the Major Range and Test Facility Base, and the director of the Defense Test Resource Management Center, in the case of a position at such center, under criteria established pursuant to section 4121(a) of this title, relating to personnel demonstration projects at laboratories of the Department of Defense, except that the director involved shall determine the number of such positions at each facility of the Major Range and Test Facility Base and the Defense Test Resource Management Center, not to exceed two percent of the number of scientists and engineers, but at least one position, employed at the Major Range and Test Facility Base or the Defense Test Resource Management Center, as the case may be, as of the close of the last fiscal year before the fiscal year in which any appointments subject to those numerical limitations are made.

(e) Exclusion From Personnel Limitations.—

(1) In general.—The director of an STRL shall manage the workforce strength, structure, positions, and compensation of such STRL—

(A) without regard to any limitation on appointments, positions, or funding with respect to such STRL, subject to subparagraph (B); and

(B) in a manner consistent with the budget available with respect to such STRL.

(2) Exceptions.—Paragraph (1) shall not apply to Senior Executive Service positions (as defined in section 3132(a) of title 5) or scientific and professional positions authorized under section 3104 of such title.

(f) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) The term "Defense Test Resource Management Center" means the Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center established under section 4173 of this title.

(2) The term "employee" has the meaning given that term in section 2105 of title 5.

(3) The term "Major Range and Test Facility Base" means the test and evaluation facilities and resources that are designated by the Secretary of Defense as facilities and resources comprising the Major Range and Test Facility Base.

(4) The term "veteran" has the meaning given that term in section 101 of title 38.

(Added Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title XI, §1122(a)(1), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2453, §2358a; amended Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title XI, §1111, Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1636; Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title XI, §1112(a), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2012; renumbered §4091, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1843(a), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(4)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2153; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1843(b)(2), 1845(c)(5), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4245, 4247; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §§212(a), 215(d)(13), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1588, 1595; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XI, §1103, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 427.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2023—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 118–31, §1103(1), substituted "bachelor's or advanced degree" for "bachelor's degree".

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 118–31, §1103(2)(A), (B), (D), substituted "Fiscal Year" for "Calendar Year" in heading, "fiscal year" for "calendar year" in introductory provisions, and "the preceding fiscal year" for "the fiscal year last ending before the start of such calendar year" in pars. (1) to (3).

Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 118–31, §1103(2)(C), substituted "11 percent" for "6 percent".

Subsecs. (f), (g). Pub. L. 118–31, §1103(3), (4), redesignated subsec. (g) as (f) and struck out former subsec. (f) which related to direct hire authority at personnel demonstration laboratories for advanced degree holders.

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1843(a), as added by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(4)(A), renumbered section 2358a of this title as this section.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1843(b)(2), which directed the renumbering of section 2358a of this title as section 4111 instead of this section, was repealed by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(4)(A), effective as if included therein, so that such renumbering was no longer directed.

Subsec. (b)(1), (3). Pub. L. 117–81, §215(d)(13)(A), substituted "designated by section 4121(b) of this title" for "designated by section 1105(a) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111–84; 10 U.S.C. 2358 note)".

Subsec. (d)(2)(A), (B). Pub. L. 117–81, §215(d)(13)(B), substituted "pursuant to section 4121(a) of this title" for "pursuant to section 342(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995 (Public Law 103–337; 10 U.S.C. 2358 note)".

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 117–81, §212(a)(2), added subsec. (f). Former subsec. (f) redesignated (g).

Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 117–81, §212(a)(1), redesignated subsec. (f) as (g).

Subsec. (g)(1). Pub. L. 116–283, §1845(c)(5), which directed amendment of subsec. (f)(1) of this section, as transferred and redesignated by section 503(b)(2) of Pub. L. 116–283, by substituting "section 4173" for "section 196", was executed to subsec. (g)(1) of this section, as transferred and redesignated by section 1843(a) of Pub. L. 116–283, to reflect the probable intent of Congress and the amendments by Pub. L. 117–81, §§212(a)(1), 1701(u)(4)(A). See notes above.

2018—Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 115–232 substituted "of appointments" for "to permanent appointment" in heading and "to another temporary appointment or to a term or permanent appointment" for "to a permanent appointment" in text.

2017—Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 115–91, §1111(1)(A)(i), inserted ", each facility of the Major Range and Test Facility Base, and the Defense Test Resource Management Center" after "each STRL" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (d)(1)(A). Pub. L. 115–91, §1111(1)(A)(ii), which directed insertion of ", of such facility of the Major Range and Test Facility Base, or the Defense Test Resource Management Center", was executed by making the insertion after "such STRL", to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 115–91, §1111(1)(B), designated existing provisions as subpar. (A), substituted "The laboratory positions" for "The positions", and added subpar. (B).

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 115–91, §1111(2), added pars. (1) and (3) and redesignated former pars. (1) and (2) as (2) and (4), respectively.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §215(e), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1595, provided that: "This section [enacting section 4121 of this title, amending this section and sections 4094 and 4124 of this title, amending provisions set out as notes preceding section 1580 of this title and under sections 2223a, 2358, 4001, and 4121 of this title, and repealing provisions set out as notes under section 2358 of this title] and the amendments and repeals made by this section shall take effect immediately after the effective date of the amendments made by title XVIII of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283) [Jan. 1, 2022]."

Amendment by section 1701(u)(4)(A) of Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

§4092. Personnel management authority to attract experts in science and engineering

(a) Programs Authorized.—

(1) Laboratories of the military departments.—The Secretary of Defense may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided in subsection (b) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering for such laboratories of the military departments as the Secretary shall designate for purposes of the program for research and development projects of such laboratories.

(2) DARPA.—The Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided in subsection (b) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering for research and development projects and to enhance the administration and management of the Agency.

(3) DOTE.—The Director of the Office of Operational Test and Evaluation may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided in subsection (b) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering to support operational test and evaluation missions of the Office.

(4) Strategic capabilities office.—The Director of the Strategic Capabilities Office may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided in subsection (b) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering for the Office.

(5) DIU.—The Director of the Defense Innovation Unit may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided in subsection (b) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering for the Unit.

(6) Joint artificial intelligence.—The official designated under section 238(b) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232) may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided in subsection (b) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering to support the activities of such official under section 238 of such Act. The authority to carry out the program under this paragraph shall terminate on December 31, 2024.

(7) NGA.—The Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided in subsection (b) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering for research and development projects and to enhance the administration and management of the Agency.

(8) SDA.—The Director of the Space Development Agency may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided in subsection (b) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering for research and development projects and to enhance the administration and management of the Agency. The authority to carry out the program under this paragraph shall terminate on December 31, 2030.

(9) United states cyber command.—The Commander of United States Cyber Command may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided in subsection (b) in order to facilitate the recruitment of eminent experts in computer science, data science, engineering, mathematics, and computer network exploitation within the headquarters of United States Cyber Command and the Cyber National Mission Force.

(10) Office of the under secretary of defense for research and engineering.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided in subsection (b) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering for the Office of the Under Secretary.

(b) Personnel Management Authority.—Under a program under subsection (a), the official responsible for administration of the program may—

(1) without regard to any provision of title 5 governing the appointment of employees in the civil service—

(A) in the case of the laboratories of the military departments designated pursuant to subsection (a)(1), appoint scientists and engineers to a total of not more than 40 scientific and engineering positions in such laboratories;

(B) in the case of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, appoint individuals to a total of not more than 140 positions in the Agency;

(C) in the case of the Office of Operational Test and Evaluation, appoint scientists and engineers to a total of not more than 10 scientific and engineering positions in the Office;

(D) in the case of the Strategic Capabilities Office, appoint scientists and engineers to a total of not more than 5 scientific and engineering positions in the Office;

(E) in the case of the Defense Innovation Unit, appoint scientists and engineers to a total of not more than 5 scientific and engineering positions in the Unit;

(F) in the case of the office of the official designated under section 238(b) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232), appoint scientists and engineers to a total of not more than 5 scientific and engineering positions in support of the activities of such official under section 238 of such Act;

(G) in the case of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, appoint individuals to a total of not more than 7 positions in the Agency, of which not more than 2 such positions may be positions of administration or management in the Agency;

(H) in the case of the Space Development Agency, appoint individuals to a total of not more than 15 positions in the Agency, of which not more than 5 such positions may be positions of administration or management of the Agency;

(I) in the case of United States Cyber Command, appoint computer scientists, data scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and computer network exploitation specialists to a total of not more than 10 scientific and engineering positions in the Command; and

(J) in the case of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, appoint scientists and engineers to a total of not more than 10 scientific and engineering positions in the Office;

(2) notwithstanding any provision of title 5 governing the rates of pay or classification of employees in the executive branch, prescribe the rates of basic pay for positions to which employees are appointed under paragraph (1)—

(A) in the case of employees appointed pursuant to subparagraphs (B) and (H) of paragraph (1)—

(i) to any of the 5 positions designated by the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and any of the 5 positions designated by the Director of the Space Development Agency for purposes of this clause, at rates not in excess of a rate equal to 150 percent of the maximum rate of basic pay authorized for positions at Level I of the Executive Schedule under section 5312 of title 5; and

(ii) to any other position designated by the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or the Director of the Space Development Agency for purposes of this clause, at rates not in excess of the maximum amount of total annual compensation payable at the salary set in accordance with section 104 of title 3;

(B) in the case of employees appointed pursuant to paragraph (1)(G), to any of 2 positions of administration or management designated by the Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for purposes of this subparagraph; and

(C) in the case of any other employee appointed pursuant to paragraph (1), at rates not in excess of the maximum rate of basic pay authorized for senior-level positions under section 5376 of title 5;

(3) pay any employee appointed under paragraph (1), other than an employee appointed to a position designated as described in paragraph (2)(A), payments in addition to basic pay within the limit applicable to the employee under subsection (d); and

(4) during any fiscal year—

(A) pay up to 15 individuals newly appointed pursuant to paragraph (1)(B) the travel, transportation, and relocation expenses and services described under sections 5724, 5724a, and 5724c of title 5; and

(B) pay up to 15 individuals previously appointed pursuant to such paragraph, upon separation, the travel, transportation, and relocation expenses and services described under such sections (as applicable).

(c) Limitation on Term of Appointment.—

(1) In general.—Except as provided in paragraph (2), the service of an employee under an appointment under subsection (b)(1) may not exceed four years.

(2) Extension.—The official responsible for the administration of a program under subsection (a) may, in the case of a particular employee under the program, extend the period to which service is limited under paragraph (1) by up to two years if the official determines that such action is necessary to promote the efficiency of a laboratory of a military department, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Office of Operational Test and Evaluation, the Strategic Capabilities Office, the Defense Innovation Unit, the activities under section 238 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232), the Space Development Agency, or the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, as applicable.

(d) Maximum Amount of Additional Payments Payable.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or section 5307 of title 5, no additional payments may be paid to an employee under subsection (b)(3) in any calendar year if, or to the extent that, the employee's total annual compensation in such calendar year will exceed the maximum amount of total annual compensation payable at the salary set in accordance with section 104 of title 3.

(Added Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title XI, §1121(a)(1), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2451, §1599h; amended Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title XI, §1111, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2011; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, §212, title XI, §1101, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1255, 1595; Pub. L. 116–260, div. W, title IV, §402, Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2377; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVI, §1602, title XVII, §1708(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4042, 4085; renumbered §4092, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1843(a), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(4)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2153; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title X, §1081(a)(21), title XI, §1107, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1920, 1951; Pub. L. 117–103, div. X, title IV, §412, Mar. 15, 2022, 136 Stat. 976; Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, §§212(a), 213, title XI, §1109, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2466, 2471, 2819; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title II, §213, title XVIII, §1801(a)(33), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 183, 685.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Section 238 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, referred to in subsecs. (a)(6), (b)(1)(F), and (c)(2), is section 238 of Pub. L. 115–232, which is set out as a note preceding section 4061 of this title.

Amendments

2023—Subsec. (b)(1)(B). Pub. L. 118–31, §213(1), struck out ", of which not more than 5 such positions may be positions of administration or management of the Agency" before semicolon at end.

Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 118–31, §213(2), amended par. (4) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (4) read as follows: "during any fiscal year, pay up to 15 individuals newly appointed pursuant to paragraph (1)(B) the travel, transportation, and relocation expenses and services described under sections 5724, 5724a, and 5724c of title 5."

Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 118–31, §1801(a)(33), substituted "the activities" for "the the activities".

2022—Subsec. (a)(6). Pub. L. 117–263, §212(a)(1), in heading, struck out "center" after "intelligence", and in text, substituted "official designated under section 238(b) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232)" for "Director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center" and "to support the activities of such official under section 238 of such Act" for "for the Center".

Subsec. (a)(8). Pub. L. 117–263, §1109(1), substituted "December 31, 2030" for "December 31, 2025".

Subsec. (a)(10). Pub. L. 117–263, §213(1), added par. (10).

Subsec. (b)(1)(F). Pub. L. 117–263, §212(a)(2), substituted "office of the official designated under section 238(b) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232)" for "Joint Artificial Intelligence Center" and "in support of the activities of such official under section 238 of such Act" for "in the Center".

Subsec. (b)(1)(H). Pub. L. 117–263, §1109(2)(A), substituted "15 positions" for "10 positions" and "5 such positions" for "3 such positions".

Subsec. (b)(1)(J). Pub. L. 117–263, §213(2), added subpar. (J).

Subsec. (b)(2)(A). Pub. L. 117–263, §1109(2)(B)(i), substituted "subparagraphs (B) and (H) of paragraph (1)" for "paragraph (1)(B)" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (b)(2)(A)(i). Pub. L. 117–263, §1109(2)(B)(ii), substituted "to any of the" for "to any of" and inserted "and any of the 5 positions designated by the Director of the Space Development Agency" after "Projects Agency".

Subsec. (b)(2)(A)(ii). Pub. L. 117–263, §1109(2)(B)(iii), substituted "the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or the Director of the Space Development Agency" for "the Director".

Subsec. (b)(2)(B), (C). Pub. L. 117–103 added subpar. (B) and redesignated former subpar. (B) as (C).

Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 117–263, §1109(3), which directed amendment of par. (2) by inserting "the Space Development Agency," after "Intelligence Center,", was executed by making the insertion after "the activities under section 238 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232)," to reflect the probable intent of Congress and the intervening amendment by Pub. L. 117–263, §212(a)(3). See below.

Pub. L. 117–263, §212(a)(3), substituted "the activities under section 238 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232)" for "Joint Artificial Intelligence Center".

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1843(a), as added by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(4)(A), renumbered section 1599h of this title as this section.

Subsec. (a)(7). Pub. L. 117–81, §1081(a)(21)(A), redesignated second par. (7), relating to the Space Development Agency, as (8). Former par. (8) redesignated (9).

Pub. L. 116–283, §1602(a), added par. (7) relating to the Space Development Agency.

Subsec. (a)(8). Pub. L. 116–283, §1708(a)(1), added par. (8).

Subsec. (a)(9). Pub. L. 117–81, §1081(a)(21)(A), redesignated par. (8) as (9).

Subsec. (b)(1)(G). Pub. L. 117–81, §1081(a)(21)(B), redesignated second subpar. (G), relating to the Space Development Agency, as (H). Former subpar. (H) redesignated (I).

Pub. L. 116–283, §1602(b), added subpar. (G) relating to the Space Development Agency. Similar conforming amendments to subsec. (b)(1)(E) and (F) were made by Pub. L. 116–260 and Pub. L. 116–283. Text of subsec. (b)(1)(E) reflects amendment made by Pub. L. 116–283.

Subsec. (b)(1)(H). Pub. L. 116–283, §1708(a)(2), added subpar. (H). Conforming amendment inserting "and" at end of subpar. (G) was executed to the second subpar. (G) to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

Subsec. (b)(1)(I). Pub. L. 117–81, §1081(a)(21)(B), redesignated subpar. (H) as (I).

Subsec. (b)(2)(A). Pub. L. 117–81, §1107(1)(A), added subpar. (A) and struck out former subpar. (A) which read as follows: "in the case of employees appointed pursuant to paragraph (1)(B) to any of 5 positions designated by the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for purposes of this subparagraph, at rates not in excess of a rate equal to 150 percent of the maximum rate of basic pay authorized for positions at Level I of the Executive Schedule under section 5312 of title 5; and".

Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 117–81, §1107(1)(B)–(3), added par. (4).

2020—Subsec. (a)(7). Pub. L. 116–260, §402(1), added par. (7) relating to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

Subsec. (b)(1)(G). Pub. L. 116–260, §402(2), added subpar. (G) relating to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 116–260, §402(3), substituted "the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, or the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency" for "or the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center".

2019—Subsec. (a)(5). Pub. L. 116–92, §212(d)(1), substituted "DIU" for "Diux" in heading and struck out "Experimental" after "Innovation Unit".

Subsec. (a)(6). Pub. L. 116–92, §212(a), added par. (6).

Subsec. (b)(1)(B). Pub. L. 116–92, §1101, substituted "140 positions" for "100 positions".

Subsec. (b)(1)(E). Pub. L. 116–92, §212(d)(2), struck out "Experimental" after "Innovation Unit".

Subsec. (b)(1)(F). Pub. L. 116–92, §212(b), added subpar. (F).

Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 116–92, §212(c), substituted "the Defense Innovation Unit, or the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center" for "or the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental".

2018—Subsec. (a)(4), (5). Pub. L. 115–232, §1111(a), added pars. (4) and (5).

Subsec. (b)(1)(D), (E). Pub. L. 115–232, §1111(b), added subpars. (D) and (E).

Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 115–232, §1111(c), substituted "the Office of Operational Test and Evaluation, the Strategic Capabilities Office, or the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental" for "or the Office of Operational Test and Evaluation".

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by section 1843(a) of Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Program To Develop Accesses, Discover Vulnerabilities, and Engineer Cyber Tools and Develop Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Offensive Cyber Operations

Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVII, §1708(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4085, provided that:

"(1) In general.—Pursuant to the authority provided under section 1599h(a)(8) of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), [now 10 U.S.C. 4092(a)(9)] the Commander of United States Cyber Command shall establish a program or augment an existing program within the Command to develop accesses, discover vulnerabilities, and engineer cyber tools and develop tactics, techniques, and procedures for the use of these assets and capabilities in offensive cyber operations.

"(2) Elements.—The program or augmented program required by paragraph (1) shall—

"(A) develop accesses, discover vulnerabilities, and engineer cyber tools and develop tactics, techniques, and procedures fit for Department of Defense military operations in cyberspace, such as reliability, meeting short development and operational timelines, low cost, and expendability;

"(B) aim to decrease the reliance of Cyber Command on accesses, tools, and expertise provided by the intelligence community;

"(C) be designed to provide technical and operational expertise on par with that of programs of the intelligence community;

"(D) enable the Commander to attract and retain expertise resident in the private sector and other technologically elite government organizations; and

"(E) coordinate development activities with, and, as appropriate, facilitate transition of capabilities from, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Strategic Capabilities Office, and components within the intelligence community.

"(3) Intelligence community defined.—In this subsection, the term 'intelligence community' has the meaning given such term in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)."

Guidance and Direction on Use of Direct Hiring Processes for Artificial Intelligence Professionals and Other Data Science and Software Development Personnel

Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVII, §1751, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4143, provided that:

"(a) Guidance Required.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 1, 2021], the Secretary of Defense shall review applicable Department of Defense guidance and where beneficial issue new guidance to the secretaries of the military departments and the heads of the defense components on improved use of the direct hiring processes for artificial intelligence professionals and other data science and software development personnel.

"(b) Objective.—The objective of the guidance issued under subsection (a) shall be to ensure that organizational leaders assume greater responsibility for the results of civilian hiring of artificial intelligence professionals and other data science and software development personnel.

"(c) Contents of Guidance.—At a minimum, the guidance required by subsection (a) shall—

"(1) instruct human resources professionals and hiring authorities to utilize available direct hiring authorities (including excepted service authorities) for the hiring of artificial intelligence professionals and other data science and software development personnel, to the maximum extent practicable;

"(2) instruct hiring authorities, when using direct hiring authorities, to prioritize utilization of panels of subject matter experts over human resources professionals to assess applicant qualifications and determine which applicants are best qualified for a position;

"(3) authorize and encourage the use of ePortfolio reviews to provide insight into the previous work of applicants as a tangible demonstration of capabilities and contribute to the assessment of applicant qualifications by subject matter experts; and

"(4) encourage the use of referral bonuses for recruitment and hiring of highly qualified artificial intelligence professionals and other data science and software development personnel in accordance with volume 451 of Department of Defense Instruction 1400.25.

"(d) Report.—

"(1) In general.—Not later than one year after the date on which the guidance is issued under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report on the guidance issued pursuant to subsection (a).

"(2) Contents.—At a minimum, the report submitted under paragraph (1) shall address the following:

"(A) The objectives of the guidance and the manner in which the guidance seeks to achieve those objectives.

"(B) The effect of the guidance on the hiring process for artificial intelligence professionals and other data science and software development personnel, including the effect on—

"(i) hiring time;

"(ii) the use of direct hiring authority;

"(iii) the use of subject matter experts; and

"(iv) the quality of new hires, as assessed by hiring managers and organizational leaders."

Applicability of Personnel Management Authority to Personnel Currently Employed Under Superseded Authority

Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title XI, §1121(c), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2452, provided that:

"(1) In general.—Any individual employed as of the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 23, 2016] under section 1101(b)(1) of the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 (5 U.S.C. 3104 note) (as in effect on the day before such date) shall remain employed under section 1599h of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4092] (as added by subsection (a)), after such date in accordance with such section 1599h [now 4092] and the applicable program carried out under such section 1599h [now 4092].

"(2) Date of appointment.—For purposes of subsection (c) of section 1599h of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4092(c)] (as so added), the date of the appointment of any employee who remains employed as described in paragraph (1) shall be the date of the appointment of such employee under section 1101(b)(1) of the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 (5 U.S.C. 3104 note) (as so in effect)."

§4093. Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Education Program

(a) Requirement for Program.—The Secretary of Defense shall carry out a program to provide financial assistance for education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology skills and disciplines that, as determined by the Secretary, are critical to the national security functions of the Department of Defense and are needed in the Department of Defense workforce.

(b) Financial Assistance.—(1) Under the program under this section, the Secretary of Defense may award a scholarship or fellowship in accordance with this section to a person who—

(A) is a citizen of the United States or, subject to subsection (g), a country the government of which is a party to The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) memorandum of understanding of October 24, 1995;

(B) is pursuing an associates degree, undergraduate degree, or advanced degree in a critical skill or discipline described in subsection (a) at an accredited institution of higher education; and

(C) enters into a service agreement with the Secretary of Defense as described in subsection (c).

(2) The amount of the financial assistance provided under a scholarship or fellowship awarded to a person under this subsection shall be an amount determined by the Secretary of Defense.

(3) Financial assistance provided under a scholarship or fellowship awarded under this section may be paid directly to the recipient of such scholarship or fellowship or to an administering entity for disbursement of the funds.

(c) Service Agreement for Recipients of Financial Assistance.—(1) To receive financial assistance under this section—

(A) in the case of an employee of the Department of Defense, the employee shall enter into a written agreement to continue in the employment of the department for the period of obligated service determined under paragraph (2); and

(B) in the case of a person not an employee of the Department of Defense, the person shall enter into a written agreement to accept and continue employment for the period of obligated service determined under paragraph (2)—

(i) with the Department, including by serving on active duty in the Armed Forces; or

(ii) with a public or private entity or organization outside of the Department if the Secretary—

(I) is unable to find an appropriate position for the person within the Department; and

(II) determines that employment of the person with such entity or organization for the purpose of such obligated service would provide a benefit to the Department.

(2) For the purposes of this subsection, the period of obligated service for a recipient of financial assistance under this section shall be the period determined by the Secretary of Defense as being appropriate to obtain adequate service in exchange for such financial assistance. The period of service required of a recipient may not be less than the total period of pursuit of a degree that is covered by such financial assistance. The period of obligated service is in addition to any other period for which the recipient is obligated to serve in the civil service of the United States.

(3) An agreement entered into under this subsection by a person pursuing an academic degree shall include any terms and conditions that the Secretary of Defense determines necessary to protect the interests of the United States or otherwise appropriate for carrying out this section.

(d) Employment of Program Participants.—The Secretary of Defense—

(1) may, without regard to any provision of title 5 governing appointment of employees to competitive service positions within the Department of Defense, appoint to a position in the Department of Defense in the excepted service an individual who has successfully completed an academic program for which a scholarship or fellowship under this section was awarded and who, under the terms of the agreement for such scholarship or fellowship, at the time of such appointment, owes a service commitment to the Department;

(2) may, upon satisfactory completion of 2 years of substantially continuous service by an incumbent who was appointed to an excepted service position under the authority of paragraph (1), convert the appointment of such individual, without competition, to a career or career conditional appointment; and

(3) may establish arrangements so that participants may participate in a paid internship for an appropriate period with an industry sponsor.

(e) Refund for Period of Unserved Obligated Service.—(1)(A) A participant in the program under this section who is not an employee of the Department of Defense and who voluntarily fails to complete the educational program for which financial assistance has been provided under this section, or fails to maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, shall refund to the United States an appropriate amount, as determined by the Secretary.

(B) A participant in the program under this section who is an employee of the Department of Defense and who—

(i) voluntarily fails to complete the educational program for which financial assistance has been provided, or fails to maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary; or

(ii) before completion of the period of obligated service required of such participant—

(I) voluntarily terminates such participant's employment with the Department; or

(II) is removed from such participant's employment with the Department on the basis of misconduct,

shall refund the United States an appropriate amount, as determined by the Secretary.

(2) An obligation to reimburse the United States imposed under paragraph (1) is for all purposes a debt owed to the United States.

(3) The Secretary of Defense may waive, in whole or in part, a refund required under paragraph (1) if the Secretary determines that recovery would be against equity and good conscience or would be contrary to the best interests of the United States.

(4) A discharge in bankruptcy under title 11 that is entered less than five years after the termination of an agreement under this section does not discharge the person signing such agreement from a debt arising under such agreement or under this subsection.

(f) Relationship to Other Programs.—(1) The Secretary of Defense shall coordinate the provision of financial assistance under the authority of this section with the provision of financial assistance under the other authorities provided in this chapter in order to maximize the benefits derived by the Department of Defense from the exercise of all such authorities.

(2) The Secretary of Defense shall seek to enter into partnerships with minority institutions of higher education and appropriate public and private sector organizations to diversify the participants in the program under subsection (a).

(3) In coordination with the efforts under paragraph (2), the Secretary of Defense shall additionally establish a program, which shall be known as the "Ronald V. Dellums Memorial Fellowship in STEM", to provide financial assistance under this section to at least 30 students from communities that are underrepresented in the Department of Defense STEM workforce, not fewer of 50 percent of whom shall attend historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions. As part of such program, the Secretary shall establish an internship program that provides each student who is awarded a fellowship under this paragraph with an internship in an organization or element of the Department of Defense, and to the extent practicable, each such student shall be paired with a mid-level or a senior-level official of the relevant organization or element of the Department of Defense who shall serve as a mentor during the internship.

(g) Limitation on Participation.—(1) The Secretary may not award scholarships or fellowships under this section to more than five individuals described in paragraph (2) per year.

(2) An individual described in this paragraph is an individual who—

(A) has not previously been awarded a scholarship or fellowship under the program under this section;

(B) is not a citizen of the United States; and

(C) is a citizen of a country the government of which is a party to The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) memorandum of understanding of October 24, 1995.

(h) Institution of Higher Education Defined.—In this section, the term "institution of higher education" has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).

(Added Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title XI, §1104(d)(1), Jan. 6, 2006, 119 Stat. 3449, §2192a; amended Pub. L. 110–417, [div. A], title X, §1061(a)(5), Oct. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 4612; Pub. L. 111–84, div. A, title XI, §1102(a)–(d)(1), Oct. 28, 2009, 123 Stat. 2484, 2485; Pub. L. 113–66, div. A, title XI, §1105(a)(1), Dec. 26, 2013, 127 Stat. 886; Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title II, §215, Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3327; Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title II, §212, Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 767; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §242, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3488; renumbered §4093, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1843(a), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(4)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2153; Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title X, §1083, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2800.)

Editorial Notes

Codification

Section, as added by Pub. L. 109–163, consists of text of Pub. L. 108–375, div. A, title XI, §1105, Oct. 28, 2004, 118 Stat. 2074; Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title X, §1056(d), title XI, §1104(a)–(c), Jan. 6, 2006, 119 Stat. 3440, 3448, 3449; Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title X, §1075(h)(5), Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4377, which was formerly set out as a note under section 2192 of this title, and was repealed by Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title XI, §1104(e)(1), Jan. 6, 2006, 119 Stat. 3450.

Amendments

2022—Subsec. (f)(3). Pub. L. 117–263 added par. (3).

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1843(a), as added by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(4)(A), renumbered section 2192a of this title as this section.

Subsec. (c)(1)(B)(i). Pub. L. 116–283, §242(1), inserted ", including by serving on active duty in the Armed Forces" after "Department".

Subsec. (d)(3). Pub. L. 116–283, §242(2), added par. (3).

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 116–283, §242(3), designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2).

2015—Subsec. (b)(1)(A). Pub. L. 114–92, §212(1), inserted "or, subject to subsection (g), a country the government of which is a party to The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) memorandum of understanding of October 24, 1995" after "United States".

Subsecs. (g), (h). Pub. L. 114–92, §212(2), (3), added subsec. (g) and redesignated former subsec. (g) as (h).

2014—Subsec. (c)(1)(B). Pub. L. 113–291 amended subpar. (B) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (B) read as follows: "in the case of a person not an employee of the Department of Defense, the person shall enter into a written agreement to accept and continue employment in the Department of Defense for the period of obligated service determined under paragraph (2)."

2013—Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 113–66 substituted "an amount determined by the Secretary of Defense" for "the amount determined by the Secretary of Defense as being necessary to pay all educational expenses incurred by that person, including tuition, fees, cost of books, laboratory expenses, equipment expenses, and expenses of room and board".

2009—Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 111–84, §1102(b), substituted "The" for "Except as provided in subsection (d), the" in second sentence.

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 111–84, §1102(a), amended subsec. (d) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (d) provided that, under certain circumstances, the Secretary of Defense could appoint or retain a SMART program participant as an interim employee and separate such participant from employment if no appropriate permanent position was available at the end of the interim period and that the period of interim service would count towards the participant's obligated service requirements.

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 111–84, §1102(c), struck out "The program under this section is in addition to the authorities provided in chapter 111 of this title." before "The Secretary" and substituted "the other authorities provided in this chapter" for "the authorities provided in such chapter".

Subsecs. (g), (h). Pub. L. 111–84, §1102(d)(1), redesignated subsec. (h) as (g) and struck out former subsec. (g). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: "Not later than February 1, 2007, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate, and the Committee on Government Reform of the House of Representatives a plan for expanding and improving the national defense science and engineering workforce educational assistance program carried out under this section as appropriate to improve recruitment and retention to meet the requirements of the Department of Defense for its science and engineering workforce on a short-term basis and on a long-term basis."

2008—Subsec. (e)(4). Pub. L. 110–417, §1061(a)(5)(A), substituted "title 11" for "title 11, United States Code,".

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 110–417, §1061(a)(5)(B), substituted "this title" for "title 10, United States Code".

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by section 1843(a) of Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

National Security Workforce and Educational Diversity Activities

Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §250, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3495, provided that:

"(a) In General.—The Secretary of Defense shall seek to diversify participation in the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Education Program under section 2192a of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4093].

"(b) Activities.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall—

"(1) subject to the availability of appropriations for this purpose, set aside funds for financial assistance, scholarships, and fellowships for students at historically Black colleges or universities or at minority institutions of higher education and such other institutions as the Secretary considers appropriate;

"(2) partner with institutions of higher education, and such other public and private sector organizations as the Secretary considers appropriate, to increase diversity of participants in the program described in subsection (a);

"(3) establish individual and organizational incentives, and such other activities as the Secretary considers appropriate, to increase diversity of student participation in the program described in subsection (a);

"(4) increase awareness of opportunities to participate in the program described in subsection (a);

"(5) evaluate the potential for new programs, fellowships, and other activities at historically Black colleges or universities and minority institutions of higher education to increase diversity in educational and workforce development programs;

"(6) identify potential changes to the program described in subsection (a) that would improve diversity of participants in such program; and

"(7) establish metrics to evaluate success of activities under this section.

"(c) Report.—Not later than September 30, 2024, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report that evaluates the success of activities conducted by the Secretary in increasing diversity in appropriate programs of the Department of Defense and hiring and retaining diverse individuals in the science, mathematics, and research workforce of the public sector."

Effect on Current Participants in SMART Pilot Program

Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title XI, §1104(f), Jan. 6, 2006, 119 Stat. 3450, provided that: "Participation in the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Scholarship Pilot Program under section 1105 of Public Law 108–375 [see Codification note above] by an individual who has entered into an agreement under that pilot program before the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 6, 2006] shall be governed by the terms of such agreement without regard to the amendments made by this section [enacting this section, amending section 3304 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, and amending and repealing provisions set out as a note under section 2192 of this title]."

§4094. Enhanced pay authority for certain research and technology positions in science and technology reinvention laboratories

(a) In General.—The Secretary of Defense may carry out a program using the pay authority specified in subsection (d) to fix the rate of basic pay for positions described in subsection (c) in order to assist the military departments in attracting and retaining high quality acquisition and technology experts in positions responsible for managing and performing complex, high-cost research and technology development efforts in the science and technology reinvention laboratories of the Department of Defense.

(b) Approval Required.—The program may be carried out in a military department only with the approval of the service acquisition executive of the military department concerned.

(c) Positions.—The positions described in this subsection are positions in the science and technology reinvention laboratories of the Department of Defense that—

(1) require expertise of an extremely high level in a scientific, technical, professional, or acquisition management field; and

(2) are critical to the successful accomplishment of an important research or technology development mission.

(d) Rate of Basic Pay.—The pay authority specified in this subsection is authority as follows:

(1) Authority to fix the rate of basic pay for a position at a rate not to exceed 150 percent of the rate of basic pay payable for level I of the Executive Schedule, upon the approval of the service acquisition executive concerned.

(2) Authority to fix the rate of basic pay for a position at a rate in excess of 150 percent of the rate of basic pay payable for level I of the Executive Schedule, upon the approval of the Secretary of the military department concerned.

(e) Limitations.—

(1) In general.—The authority in subsection (a) may be used only to the extent necessary to competitively recruit or retain individuals exceptionally well qualified for positions described in subsection (c).

(2) Number of positions.—The authority in subsection (a) may not be used with respect to more than five positions in each military department at any one time, unless the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, in concurrence with the Secretaries of the military departments concerned, authorizes the transfer of positions from one military department to another.

(3) Term of positions.—The authority in subsection (a) may be used only for positions having a term of less than five years.

(f) Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratories of the Department of Defense Defined.—In this section, the term "science and technology reinvention laboratories of the Department of Defense" means the laboratories designated as science and technology reinvention laboratories by section 4121(b) of this title.

(Added Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title XI, §1106(a), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2817.)

Editorial Notes

Codification

Another section 4094, added Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XI, §1115(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3895, §2358c; renumbered §4094 and amended Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §215(d)(14), title XVII, §1701(e)(3)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1595, 2138, which related to enhanced pay authority for certain research and technology positions in science and technology reinvention laboratories and was substantially identical to this section, was repealed by Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XVIII, §1801(a)(32), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 685.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title XI, §1106(c), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2818, provided that: "This section [enacting this section] shall take effect immediately after section 881 of this Act [section 881(a) and (b) of Pub. L. 117–263, set out as notes under section 4027 of this title]."

SUBCHAPTER III—RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTERS AND FACILITIES

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(3)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2152, amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1842(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4244, which added this chapter, by adding subchapter heading. Heading was editorially conformed to the style used in this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Laboratory Quality Enhancement Program

Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title II, §211, Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2046, as amended by Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title II, §218(a), (b)(1), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1329, 1330; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §215(d)(6), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1594, provided that:

"(a) In General.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall carry out a program to be known as the 'Laboratory Quality Enhancement Program' under which the Secretary shall establish the panels described in subsection (b) and direct such panels—

"(1) to review and make recommendations to the Secretary with respect to—

"(A) existing policies and practices affecting the science and technology reinvention laboratories to improve the mission effectiveness of such laboratories;

"(B) new initiatives proposed by the science and technology reinvention laboratories; and

"(C) new interpretations of existing statutes and regulations that would enhance the ability of a director of a science and technology reinvention laboratory to manage the facility and discharge the mission of the laboratory;

"(2) to support implementation of current and future initiatives affecting the science and technology reinvention laboratories; and

"(3) to conduct assessments or data analysis on such other issues as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

"(b) Panels.—The panels described in this subsection are:

"(1) A panel on personnel, workforce development, and talent management.

"(2) A panel on facilities, equipment, and infrastructure.

"(3) A panel on research strategy, technology transfer, and industry and university partnerships.

"(4) A panel on governance and oversight processes.

"(c) Composition of Panels.—(1) Each panel described in paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection (b) may be composed of subject matter and technical management experts from—

"(A) laboratories and research centers of the Army, Navy, and Air Force;

"(B) appropriate Defense Agencies;

"(C) the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; and

"(D) such other entities as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

"(2) The panel described in subsection (b)(4) shall be composed of—

"(A) the Director of the Army Research Laboratory;

"(B) the Director of the Air Force Research Laboratory;

"(C) the Director of the Naval Research Laboratory;

"(D) the Director of the Engineer Research and Development Center of the Army Corps of Engineers; and

"(E) such other members as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

"(d) Governance of Panels.—(1) The chairperson of each panel shall be selected by its members.

"(2) Each panel, in coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall transmit to the Science and Technology Executive Committee of the Department of Defense such information or findings on topics requiring decision or approval as the panel considers appropriate.

"(3)(A) Each panel described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of subsection (b) shall submit to the panel described in paragraph (4) of such subsection (relating to governance and oversight processes) the following:

"(i) The findings of the panel with respect to the review conducted by the panel under subsection (a)(1)(C).

"(ii) The recommendations made by the panel under such subsection.

"(iii) Such comments, findings, and recommendations as the panel may have received by a science and technology reinvention laboratory with respect to—

"(I) the review conducted by the panel under such subsection; or

"(II) recommendations made by the panel under such subsection.

"(B)(i) The panel described in subsection (b)(4) shall review and refashion such recommendations as the panel may receive under subparagraph (A).

"(ii) In reviewing and refashioning recommendations under clause (i), the panel may, as the panel considers appropriate, consult with the science and technology executive of the affected service.

"(C) The panel described in subsection (b)(4) shall submit to the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering the recommendations made by the panel under subsection (a)(1)(C) and the recommendations refashioned by the panel under subparagraph (B) of this paragraph.

"(e) Interpretation of Provisions of Law.—(1) The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, acting under the guidance of the Secretary, shall issue regulations regarding the meaning, scope, implementation, and applicability of any provision of a statute relating to a science and technology reinvention laboratory.

"(2) In interpreting or defining under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall, to the degree practicable, emphasize providing the maximum operational flexibility to the directors of the science and technology reinvention laboratories to discharge the missions of their laboratories.

"(3) In interpreting or defining under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, consult and coordinate with the secretaries of the military departments and such other agencies or entities as the Under Secretary considers relevant, on any proposed revision to regulations under paragraph (1).

"(4) In interpreting or defining under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall seek recommendations from the panel described in subsection (b)(4).

"(f) Discharge of Certain Authorities to Conduct Personnel Demonstration Projects.—[Amended section 342(b) of Pub. L. 103–337, formerly set out as a note under section 2358 of this title.]

"(g) Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratory Defined.—In this section, the term 'science and technology reinvention laboratory' means a science and technology reinvention laboratory designated under section 4121(b)of title 10, United States Code."

Defense Laboratory Modernization Pilot Program

Pub. L. 114–92, div. B, title XXVIII, §2803, Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 1169, as amended by Pub. L. 114–328, div. B, title XXVIII, §2806, Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2715; Pub. L. 115–232, div. B, title XXVIII, §2808(a)–(c), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2265, 2266; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §215(d)(4), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1594, which authorized using amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the Department of Defense for research, development, test, and evaluation, to fund certain military construction projects, was repealed by Pub. L. 117–263, div. B, title XXVIII, §2803(c), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2994. See section 2805(g) of this title.

§4121. Science and technology reinvention laboratories: authority and designation

(a) In General.—(1) The Secretary of Defense may carry out personnel demonstration projects at Department of Defense laboratories designated by the Secretary as Department of Defense science and technology reinvention laboratories.

(2)(A) Each personnel demonstration project carried out under the authority of paragraph (1) shall be generally similar in nature to the China Lake demonstration project.

(B) For purposes of subparagraph (A), the China Lake demonstration project is the demonstration project that is authorized by section 6 of the Civil Service Miscellaneous Amendments Act of 1983 (Public Law 98–224) to be continued at the Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, California, and at the Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego, California.

(3) If the Secretary carries out a demonstration project at a laboratory pursuant to paragraph (1), section 4703 of title 5 shall apply to the demonstration project, except that—

(A) subsection (d) of such section 4703 shall not apply to the demonstration project;

(B) the authority of the Secretary to carry out the demonstration project is that which is provided in paragraph (1) rather than the authority which is provided in such section 4703; and

(C) the Secretary shall exercise the authorities granted to the Office of Personnel Management under such section 4703 through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (who shall place an emphasis in the exercise of such authorities on enhancing efficient operations of the laboratory and who may, in exercising such authorities, request administrative support from science and technology reinvention laboratories to review, research, and adjudicate personnel demonstration project proposals).

(4) The employees of a laboratory covered by a personnel demonstration project carried out under this section shall be exempt from, and may not be counted for the purposes of, any constraint or limitation in a statute or regulation in terms of supervisory ratios or maximum number of employees in any specific category or categories of employment that may otherwise be applicable to the employees. The employees shall be managed by the director of the laboratory subject to the supervision of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

(5) The limitations in section 5373 of title 5 do not apply to the authority of the Secretary under this subsection to prescribe salary schedules and other related benefits.

(b) Designation of Laboratories.—Each of the following is hereby designated as a Department of Defense science and technology reinvention laboratory as described in subsection (a):

(1) The Air Force Research Laboratory.

(2) The Joint Warfare Analysis Center.

(3) The Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences.

(4) The Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center.

(5) The Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory.

(6) The Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation and Missile Center.

(7) The Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center.

(8) The Combat Capabilities Development Command Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Center.

(9) The Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center.

(10) The Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center.

(11) The Engineer Research and Development Center.

(12) The Medical Research and Development Command.

(13) The Technical Center, US Army Space and Missile Defense Command.

(14) The Naval Air Systems Command Warfare Centers.

(15) The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center.

(16) The Naval Information Warfare Centers, Atlantic and Pacific.

(17) The Naval Medical Research Center.

(18) The Naval Research Laboratory.

(19) The Naval Sea Systems Command Warfare Centers.

(20) The Office of Naval Research.

(c) Conversion Procedures.—The Secretary of Defense shall implement procedures to convert the civilian personnel of each Department of Defense science and technology reinvention laboratory, as so designated by subsection (b), to the personnel system under an appropriate demonstration project (as referred to in subsection (a)). Any conversion under this subsection—

(1) shall not adversely affect any employee with respect to pay or any other term or condition of employment;

(2) shall be consistent with section 4703(f) of title 5;

(3) shall be completed within 18 months after designation; and

(4) shall not apply to prevailing rate employees (as defined by section 5342(a)(2) of title 5) or senior executives (as defined by section 3132(a)(3) of such title).

(d) Limitation.—The science and technology reinvention laboratories, as so designated by subsection (a), may not implement any personnel system, other than a personnel system under an appropriate demonstration project (as referred to subsection (a)), without prior congressional authorization.

(Added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §215(a), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1591.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Section 6 of the Civil Service Miscellaneous Amendments Act of 1983, referred to in subsec. (a)(2)(B), is section 6 of Pub. L. 98–224, Mar. 2, 1984, 98 Stat. 49, which is not classified to the Code.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective immediately after the effective date of the amendments made by title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 (Jan. 1, 2022), see section 215(e) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out as an Effective Date of 2021 Amendment note under section 4091 of this title.

Defense Laboratories Personnel Demonstration Projects

Pub. L. 110–181, div. A, title XI, §1107, Jan. 28, 2008, 122 Stat. 357, as amended by Pub. L. 110–417, [div. A], title XI, §1109, Oct. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 4618; Pub. L. 111–84, div. A, title X, §1073(d), Oct. 28, 2009, 123 Stat. 2475; Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title XI, §1101(b), Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4382; Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title X, §1066(b)(2), Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1588; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §215(d)(2), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1593, provided that:

"(e) [sic] Requirement.—The Secretary of Defense shall take all necessary actions to fully implement and use the authorities provided to the Secretary under subsection (a) of section 4121 of title 10, United States Code, to carry out personnel management demonstration projects at Department of Defense laboratories designated by subsection (b) of such section as Department of Defense science and technology reinvention laboratories.

"(b) Process for Full Implementation.—The Secretary of Defense shall also implement a process and implementation plan to fully utilize the authorities described in subsection (a) to enhance the performance of the missions of the laboratories.

"(c) Other Laboratories.—Any flexibility available to any demonstration laboratory shall be available for use at any other laboratory designated by section 4121(b) of title 10, United States Code[,] as a Department of Defense science and technology reinvention laboratory.

"(d) Submission of List and Description.—Not later than March 1 of each year, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report containing a list and description of the demonstration project notices, amendments, and changes requested by the laboratories during the preceding calendar year. The list shall include all approved and disapproved notices, amendments, and changes, and the reasons for disapproval or delay in approval.

"(e) Status Reports.—

"(1) In general.—The Secretary shall include in each report under subsection (d) the information described in paragraph (2).

"(2) Information required.—Each report under subsection (d) shall describe the following:

"(A) The actions taken by the Secretary of Defense under subsection (a) during the year covered by the report.

"(B) The progress made by the Secretary of Defense during such year in developing and implementing the plan required by subsection (b), including the anticipated date for completion of such plan and a list and description of any issues relating to the development or implementation of such plan.

"(C) With respect to any applications by any Department of Defense laboratories seeking to be designated as a demonstration laboratory or to otherwise obtain any of the personnel flexibilities available to a demonstration laboratory—

"(i) the number of applications that were received, pending, or acted on during such year;

"(ii) the status or disposition of any applications under clause (i), including, in the case of any application on which a final decision was rendered, the laboratory involved, what the laboratory had requested, the decision reached, and the reasons for the decision; and

"(iii) in the case of any applications under clause (i) on which a final decision was not rendered, the date by which a final decision is anticipated.

"(3) Definition.—For purposes of this subsection, the term 'demonstration laboratory' means a laboratory designated by the Secretary of Defense under the provisions of section 4121(a) of title 10, United States Code."

[For termination, effective Dec. 31, 2021, of annual reporting provisions in section 1107(d) of Pub. L. 110–181, set out above, see section 1061 of Pub. L. 114–328, set out as a note under section 111 of this title.]

§4123. Mechanisms to provide funds for defense laboratories for research and development of technologies for military missions

(a) Mechanisms to Provide Funds.—(1) The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretaries of the military departments, shall establish mechanisms under which the director of a defense laboratory may use an amount of funds equal to not less than two percent and not more than four percent of all funds available to the defense laboratory for the following purposes:

(A) To fund innovative basic and applied research that is conducted at the defense laboratory and supports military missions.

(B) To fund development programs that support the transition of technologies developed by the defense laboratory into operational use.

(C) To fund workforce development activities that improve the capacity of the defense laboratory to recruit and retain personnel with necessary scientific and engineering expertise that support military missions.

(D) To fund the repair or minor military construction of the laboratory infrastructure and equipment, in accordance with subsection (b).

(2) The mechanisms established under paragraph (1) shall provide that funding shall be used under paragraph (1) at the discretion of the director of a defense laboratory in consultation with the science and technology executive of the military department concerned.

(3) The science and technology executive of a military department may develop policies and guidance to leverage funding and promote cross-laboratory collaboration, including with laboratories of other military departments.

(4) After consultation with the science and technology executive of the military department concerned, the director of a defense laboratory may charge customer activities a fixed percentage fee, in addition to normal costs of performance, in order to obtain funds to carry out activities authorized by this subsection. The fixed fee may not exceed four percent of costs.

(b) Availability of Funds for Infrastructure Projects.—Funds shall be available in accordance with subsection (a)(1)(D) only if—

(1) the Secretary notifies the congressional defense committees of the total cost of the project before the date on which the Secretary uses the mechanism under such subsection for such project; and

(2) the Secretary ensures that the project complies with the applicable cost limitations in—

(A) section 2805(d) of this title, with respect to revitalization and recapitalization projects; and

(B) section 2811 of this title, with respect to repair projects.

(c) Release and Dissemination of Information on Contributions From Use of Authority to Military Missions.—

(1) Collection of information.—The Secretary shall establish and maintain mechanisms for the continuous collection of information on achievements, best practices identified, lessons learned, and challenges arising in the exercise of the authority in this section.

(2) Release of information.—The Secretary shall establish and maintain mechanisms as follows:

(A) Mechanisms for the release to the public of information on achievements and best practices described in paragraph (1) in unclassified form.

(B) Mechanisms for dissemination to appropriate civilian and military officials of information on achievements and best practices described in paragraph (1) in classified form.

(Added Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title II, §220(a), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1332, §2363; amended Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, §250, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1702; renumbered §4123, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1843(b)(1), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(4)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2153.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1843(b)(1), as added by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(4)(A), renumbered section 2363 of this title as this section. A former section 1843(b)(1) of Pub. L. 116–283, which directed the renumbering of section 2363 of this title as section 4103 instead of this section, was repealed by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(4)(A), effective as if included therein, so that such renumbering was no longer directed.

2018—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 115–232 amended subsec. (c) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (c) related to annual reports on the use of the authority under subsec. (a).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

§4124. Centers for Science, Technology, and Engineering Partnership

(a) Designation.—(1) The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretaries of the military departments, shall designate each science and technology reinvention laboratory as a Center for Science, Technology, and Engineering Partnership (in this section referred to as "Centers") in the recognized core competencies of the designee.

(2) The Secretary of Defense shall establish a policy to encourage the Secretary of each military department to reengineer management and business processes and adopt best-business and personnel practices at the Centers of the Secretary concerned in connection with the capability requirements of the Centers, so as to serve as recognized leaders in such capabilities throughout the Department of Defense and in the national technology and industrial base.

(3) The Secretary of Defense, acting through the directors of the Centers, may conduct one or more pilot programs, consistent with applicable requirements of law, to test any practices referred to in paragraph (2) that the Directors determine could—

(A) improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operations at Centers;

(B) improve the support provided by the Centers for the elements of the Department of Defense who use the services of the Centers; and

(C) enhance capabilities by reducing the cost and improving the performance and efficiency of executing laboratory missions.

(b) Public-private Partnerships.—(1) To achieve one or more objectives set forth in paragraph (2), the Secretary may authorize and establish incentives for the Director of a Center to enter into public-private cooperative arrangements (in this section referred to as a "public-private partnership") to provide for any of the following:

(A) For employees of the Center, academia, private industry, State and local governments, or other entities outside the Department of Defense to perform (under contract, subcontract, or otherwise) work related to the capabilities of the Center, including any work that—

(i) involves one or more capabilities of the Center; and

(ii) may be applicable to both the Department and commercial entities.

(B) For private industry or other entities outside the Department of Defense to use for either Government or commercial purposes any capabilities of the Center that are not fully used for Department of Defense activities for any period determined to be consistent with the needs of the Department of Defense.

(2) The objectives for exercising the authority provided in paragraph (1) are as follows:

(A) To maximize the use of the capacity of a Center.

(B) To reduce or eliminate the cost of ownership of a Center by the Department of Defense.

(C) To reduce the cost of science, technology, and engineering activities of the Department of Defense.

(D) To leverage private sector investment in—

(i) such efforts as research and equipment recapitalization for a Center; and

(ii) the promotion of the undertaking of commercial business ventures based on the capabilities of a Center, as determined by the director of the Center.

(E) To foster cooperation and technology transfer between the armed forces, academia, private industry, and State and local governments.

(F) To increase access by a Center to a skilled technical workforce that can contribute to the effective and efficient execution of the missions of the Department of Defense.

(G) To increase the ability of a Center to access and use non-Department of Defense methods to develop and innovate and access capabilities that contribute to the effective and efficient execution of the missions of the Department of Defense.

(3)(A) Public-private partnerships entered into under paragraph (1) may be used for purposes relating to technology transfer and other authorities described in subparagraph (B).

(B) The authorities described in this subparagraph are provisions of law that provide for cooperation and partnership by the Department of Defense with academia, private industry, and State and local governments, including the following:

(i) Sections 3371 through 3375 of title 5.

(ii) Sections 2194, 2563, 4001, 4021, 4831, and 4062 of this title.

(iii) Section 209 of title 35.

(iv) Sections 8, 12, and 23 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3706, 3710a, and 3715).

(c) Private Sector Use of Excess Capacity.—Any capability of a Center made available to the private sector may be used to perform research and testing activities in order to make more efficient and economical use of Government-owned capabilities and encourage the creation and preservation of jobs to ensure the availability of a workforce with the necessary research and technical skills to meet the needs of the armed forces.

(d) Crediting of Amounts for Performance.—Amounts received by a Center for work performed under a public-private partnership may—

(1) be credited to the appropriation or fund, including a working-capital or revolving fund, that incurs the cost of performing the work; or

(2) be used by the Director of the Center as the Director considers appropriate and consistent with section 219 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110–417; 10 U.S.C. 2358 note).¹

(e) Availability of Excess Capacities to Private-sector Partners.—Capacities of a Center may be made available for use by a private-sector entity under this section only if—

(1) the use of the capacities will not have a significant adverse effect on the performance of the Center or the ability of the Center to achieve the mission of the Center, as determined by the Director of the Center; and

(2) the private-sector entity agrees—

(A) to reimburse the Department of Defense when required in accordance with the guidance of the Department for the direct and indirect costs (including any rental costs) that are attributable to the use of the capabilities by the private-sector entity, as determined by the Secretary of the military departments; and

(B) to hold harmless and indemnify the United States from—

(i) any claim for damages or injury to any person or property arising out of the use of the capabilities, except under the circumstances described in section 2563(c)(3) of this title; and

(ii) any liability or claim for damages or injury to any person or property arising out of a decision by the Secretary to suspend or terminate that use of capabilities during a war or national emergency.

(f) Use of Partnership Intermediaries to Promote Defense Research and Education.—(1) Subject to the approval of the Secretary or the head of the another department or agency of the Federal Government concerned, the Director of a Center may enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding or other transaction with a partnership intermediary that provides for the partnership intermediary to perform services for the Department of Defense that increase the likelihood of success in the conduct of cooperative or joint activities of the Center with industry or academic institutions.

(2) In this subsection, the term "partnership intermediary" means an agency of a State or local government, or a nonprofit entity owned in whole or in part by, chartered by, funded in whole or in part by, or operated in whole or in part by or on behalf of a State or local government, that—

(A) assists, counsels, advises, evaluates, or otherwise cooperates with industry or academic institutions that need or can make demonstrably productive use of technology-related assistance from a Center;

(B) facilitates technology transfer from industry or academic institutions to a Center; or

(C) assists and facilitates workforce development in critical technology areas for technology transition activities to fulfill unmet needs of a Center.

(g) Construction of Provision.—Nothing in this section may be construed to authorize a change, otherwise prohibited by law, from the performance of work at a Center by personnel of the Department of Defense to performance by a contractor.

(h) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) The term "capabilities", with respect to a Center for Science, Technology, and Engineering Partnership, means the facilities, equipment, personnel, intellectual property, and other assets that support the core competencies of the Center.

(2) The term "national technology and industrial base" has the meaning given that term in section 4801 of this title.

(3) The term "science and technology reinvention laboratory" means a science and technology reinvention laboratory designated under section 4121(b) of this title.

(Added Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title II, §211(a), Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 764, §2368; amended Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, §231, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1690; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title XVII, §1731(a)(45), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1814; renumbered §4124 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1843(b)(1), (d), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(4)(A), (C), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2153; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1844(b)(1), (c), 1883(b)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4245, 4246, 4294; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §215(d)(12), title XVII, §1701(u)(5)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1594, 2154; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title II, §214, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 184.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Section 219 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, referred to in subsec. (d)(2), is section 219 of Pub. L. 110–417, [div. A], title II, Oct. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 4389, which was set out as a note under section 2358 of this title, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title II, §220(c)(1), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1333. Provisions similar to those in former section 219 of Pub. L. 110–417 are now contained in section 4123 of this title.

Amendments

2023—Subsec. (f)(2). Pub. L. 118–31 inserted dash after "local government, that" and subpar. (A) designation before "assists" and added subpars. (B) and (C).

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1844(b)(1), which directed the renumbering of section 2368 of this title as section 4146 instead of this section, was repealed by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(5)(B), effective as if included therein, so that such renumbering was no longer directed.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1843(b)(1), as added by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(4)(A), renumbered section 2368 of this title as this section.

Subsec. (b)(3)(B)(ii). Pub. L. 116–283, §1843(d), as added by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(4)(C), substituted "2563, 4001, 4021, 4831, and 4062" for "2358, 2371, 2511, 2539b, and 2563". Former section 1844(c)(1) of Pub. L. 116–283, which directed substitution of "4001, 4002, 4831, 4892," for "2358, 2371, 2511, 2539b,", was repealed by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(5)(B), effective as if included in title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283.

Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 116–283, §1844(c)(2), which directed substitution of "section 4103 of this title." for "section 219 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110–417; 10 U.S.C. 2358 note).", was repealed by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(5)(B), effective as if included in title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283.

Subsec. (h)(3). Pub. L. 117–81, §215(d)(12), which directed amendment of section "2124(h)(3)" of this title by substituting "designated under section 4121(b) of this title" for "designated under section 1105 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111–84; 10 U.S.C. 2358 note)", was executed by making the substitution in subsec. (h)(3) of this section to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

2019—Subsec. (f)(1). Pub. L. 116–92 substituted "transaction" for "transition".

2018—Subsecs. (f) to (h). Pub. L. 115–232 added subsec. (f) and redesignated former subsecs. (f) and (g) as (g) and (h), respectively.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by section 215 of Pub. L. 117–81 effective immediately after the effective date of the amendments made by title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 (Jan. 1, 2022), see section 215(e) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out as a note under section 4091 of this title.

Amendment by section 1701(u)(4)(A), (C), (5)(B) of Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

¹ See References in Text note below.

§4125. Functions of Defense research facilities

(a) Functions of Defense Research Facilities.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure, to the maximum extent practicable—

(1) that Defense research facilities are assigned broad mission requirements rather than specific hardware needs;

(2) that appropriate personnel of such facilities are assigned to serve as consultants on component and support system standardization;

(3) that the managers of such facilities have broad latitude to choose research and development projects based on awareness of activities throughout the technology domain, including within the Federal Government, the Department of Defense, public and private research institutions and universities, and the global commercial marketplace;

(4) that technology position and issue papers prepared by Defense research facilities are readily available to all components of the Department of Defense and to contractors who submit bids or proposals for Department of Defense contracts;

(5) that, in order to promote increased consideration of technological issues early in the development process, any technological assessment made by a Defense research facility shall be provided to the Defense Technical Information Center repository to support acquisition decisions; and

(6) that, in light of Defense research facilities being funded by the public, Defense research facilities are broadly authorized and encouraged to support national technological development goals and support technological missions of other departments and agencies of the Federal Government, when such support is determined by the Secretary of Defense to be in the best interests of the Federal Government.

(b) Definitions.—In this section, the term "Defense research facility" means a Department of Defense facility which performs or contracts for the performance of—

(1) basic research; or

(2) applied research known as exploratory development.

(Added and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1843(b)(2), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(4)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2153.)

Codification

The text of subsecs. (b) and (c) of section 2364 of this title, which were transferred to this section and redesignated as subsecs. (a) and (b), respectively, by Pub. L. 116–283, §1843(b)(2), was based on Pub. L. 99–661, div. A, title II, §234(c)(1), Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3848; Pub. L. 100–26, §§3(1)(A), 7(a)(9), Apr. 21, 1987, 101 Stat. 273, 278; Pub. L. 100–180, div. A, title XII, §1231(10)(A), Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1160; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title VIII, §805, Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 390; Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title II, §213, Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3325; Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title II, §214(a)(2), Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 768; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1844(d), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4246; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(5)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2154.

Amendments

2021—Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 116–283, §1843(b)(2), as added by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(4)(A), transferred subsecs. (b) and (c) of section 2364 of this title to this section and redesignated them as subsecs. (a) and (b), respectively.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and Effective Date note below.

Effective Date

Section and amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as an Effective Date of 2021 Amendment note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Specification of Certain Duties of the Defense Technical Information Center

Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title IX, §905, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1922, as amended by Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1842(c)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4244, provided that:

"(a) In General.—In addition to any other duties specified for the Defense Technical Information Center by law, regulation, or Department of Defense directive or instruction, the duties of the Center shall include the following:

"(1) To execute the Global Research Watch Program under section 4066 of title 10, United States Code.

"(2) To develop and maintain datasets and other data repositories on research and engineering activities being conducted within the Department.

"(b) Action Plan.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 13, 2018], the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a plan of action for the commencement by the Defense Technical Information Center of the duties specified in subsection (a)."

Coordination of High-Temperature Superconductivity Research and Development

Pub. L. 100–180, div. A, title II, §218(b)(2), Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1053, as amended by Pub. L. 100–418, title V, §5115(c), Aug. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 1433; Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title IX, §904(f), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1729; Pub. L. 106–65, div. A, title IX, §911(a)(1), Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 717, provided that: "The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, shall—

"(A) coordinate the research and development activities of the Department of Defense relating to high-temperature superconductivity; and

"(B) ensure that such research and development—

"(i) is carried out in coordination with the high-temperature superconductivity research and development activities of the Department of Energy (including the national laboratories of the Department of Energy), the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and

"(ii) complements rather than duplicates such activities."

§4126. Use of federally funded research and development centers

(a) Limitation on Use of Centers.—Except as provided in subsection (b), the Secretary of Defense may not place work with a federally funded research and development center unless such work is within the purpose, mission, and general scope of effort of such center as established in the sponsoring agreement of the Department of Defense with such center.

(b) Exception for Applied Scientific Research.—This section does not apply to a federally funded research and development center that performs applied scientific research under laboratory conditions.

(c) Limitation on Creation of New Centers.—(1) The head of an agency may not obligate or expend amounts appropriated to the Department of Defense for purposes of operating a federally funded research center that was not in existence before June 2, 1986, until—

(A) the head of the agency submits to Congress a report with respect to such center that describes the purpose, mission, and general scope of effort of the center; and

(B) a period of 60 days beginning on the date such report is received by Congress has elapsed.

(2) In this subsection, the term "head of an agency" has the meaning given such term in section 3004 of this title.

(d) Identification to Congress of FFRDC Workload Effort.—After the close of a fiscal year, and not later than January 1 of the next year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report setting forth the actual obligations and the actual man-years of effort expended at each federally funded research and development center during that fiscal year.

(Added Pub. L. 99–500, §101(c) [title X, §912(a)(1)], Oct. 18, 1986, 100 Stat. 1783–82, 1783-146, and Pub. L. 99–591, §101(c) [title X, §912(a)(1)], Oct. 30, 1986, 100 Stat. 3341–82, 3341-146, §2367; Pub. L. 99–661, div. A, title IX, formerly title IV, §912(a)(1), Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3925, renumbered title IX, Pub. L. 100–26, §3(5), Apr. 21, 1987, 101 Stat. 273; amended Pub. L. 102–190, div. A, title II, §256(a)(1), Dec. 5, 1991, 105 Stat. 1330; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title XV, §1502(a)(9), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 503; Pub. L. 106–65, div. A, title X, §1067(1), Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 774; Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title X, §1041(a)(12), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2645; renumbered §4126, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1843(b)(1), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(4)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2153; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1844(b)(1), 1883(b)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4245, 4294; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(5)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2154.)

Editorial Notes

Codification

Pub. L. 99–591 is a corrected version of Pub. L. 99–500.

Pub. L. 99–500, Pub. L. 99–591, and Pub. L. 99–661 added identical sections.

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1844(b)(1), which directed the renumbering of section 2367 of this title as section 4147 instead of this section, was repealed by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(5)(B), effective as if included therein, so that such renumbering was no longer directed.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1843(b)(1), as added by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(4)(A), renumbered section 2367 of this title as this section.

Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2), substituted "section 3004" for "section 2302(1)".

2002—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 107–314, §1041(a)(12), struck out designations for pars. (1) and (2) and text of par. (1). Prior to amendment par. (1) read as follows: "In the documents provided to Congress by the Secretary of Defense in support of the budget submitted by the President under section 1105 of title 31 for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall set forth the proposed amount of the man-years of effort to be funded by the Department of Defense for each federally funded research and development center for the fiscal year covered by that budget."

1999—Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 106–65 substituted "and the Committee on Armed Services" for "and the Committee on National Security".

1996—Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 104–106 substituted "the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on National Security and the Committee on Appropriations of the" for "the Committees on Armed Services and the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and".

1991—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 102–190 added subsec. (d).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Effective Date of 1991 Amendment

Pub. L. 102–190, div. A, title II, §256(a)(2), Dec. 5, 1991, 105 Stat. 1330, provided that:

"(A) Paragraph (1) of subsection (d) of section 2367 of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4126], as added by paragraph (1), shall take effect with respect to the budget submitted for fiscal year 1994.

"(B) Paragraph (2) of such subsection shall take effect with respect to fiscal year 1992."

Termination of Reporting Requirements

For termination, effective Dec. 31, 2021, of provisions in subsec. (d) of this section requiring submittal of annual report to Congress, see section 1061 of Pub. L. 114–328, set out as a note under section 111 of this title.

Pilot Program on Disclosure of Certain Sensitive Information to Federally Funded Research and Development Centers

Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title II, §235, Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2064, provided that:

"(a) In General.—The Secretary of Defense shall carry out a pilot program on—

"(1) permitting officers and employees of the Department of Defense to disclose sensitive information to federally funded research and development centers of the Department for the sole purpose of the performance of administrative, technical, or professional services under and within the scope of the contracts with the parent organizations of such federally funded research and development centers; and

"(2) appropriately protecting proprietary information from unauthorized disclosure or use by such centers.

"(b) FFRDCs.—The pilot program shall be carried out with one or more federally funded research and development centers of the Department selected by the Secretary for participation in the pilot program.

"(c) FFRDC Personnel.—Sensitive information may be disclosed to personnel of a federally funded research and development center under the pilot program only if such personnel and contractors agree to be subject to, and comply with, appropriate ethics standards and requirements applicable to Government personnel, including the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 [see 5 U.S.C. 13101 et seq.], section 1905 of title 18, United States Code, and chapter 21 of title 41, United States Code.

"(d) Conditions on Disclosure.—Sensitive information may be disclosed under the pilot program only if the federally funded research and development center concerned and its parent organization agree to and acknowledge in the parent organization's contract with the Department of Defense that—

"(1) sensitive information furnished to the federally funded research and development center will be accessed and used only for the purposes stated in the contract between the parent organization of the federally funded research and development center and the Department of Defense;

"(2) the federally funded research and development center will take all precautions necessary to prevent disclosure of the sensitive information furnished to anyone not authorized access to the information in order to perform the applicable contract;

"(3) sensitive information furnished under the pilot program shall not be used by the federally funded research and development center or parent organization to compete against a third party for a Government or non-Government contract or funding, or to support other current or future research or technology development activities performed by the federally funded research and development center; and

"(4) any personnel of a federally funded research and development center participating in the pilot program may not disclose or use any trade secrets or any nonpublic information accessed under the pilot program, unless specifically authorized by this section.

"(e) Duration.—(1) The pilot program may commence at any time after the review and issuance of policy guidance, updated appropriately, pertaining to the identification, mitigation, and prevention of potentially unfair competitive advantage conferred to federally funded research and development center personnel with access to sensitive information who serve as technical advisors to acquisition programs.

"(2) The pilot program shall terminate on the date that is three years after the date of the commencement of the pilot program.

"(f) Assessment.—Not later than two years after the commencement of the pilot program, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the pilot program, including an assessment of the effectiveness of activities under the pilot program in improving acquisition processes and the effectiveness of protections of private-sector intellectual property in the course of such activities.

"(g) Sensitive Information Defined.—In this section, the term 'sensitive information' means confidential commercial, financial, or proprietary information, technical data, contract performance, contract performance evaluation, management, and administration data, or other privileged information owned by other contractors of the Department of Defense that is exempt from public disclosure under section 552(b)(4) of title 5, United States Code, or which would otherwise be prohibited from disclosure under section 1832 or 1905 of title 18, United States Code."

§4127. Defense innovation unit ¹

(a) Establishment.—There is established in the Department of Defense a Defense Innovation Unit (referred to in this section as the "Unit").

(b) Director and Deputy Director.—There is a Director of the Unit who shall be appointed by the Secretary of Defense from among persons with substantial experience in innovation and commercial technology, as determined by the Secretary.

(c) Authority of Director.—The Director is the head of the Unit. The Director—

(1) shall serve as a principal staff assistant to the Secretary of Defense on matters within the responsibility of the Unit;

(2) shall report directly to the Secretary without intervening authority; and

(3) may communicate views on matters within the responsibility of the Unit directly to the Secretary without obtaining the approval or concurrence of any other official within the Department of Defense.

(d) Responsibilities.—The Unit shall have the following responsibilities:

(1) Seek out, identify, and support development of and experimentation with commercial technologies that have the potential to be implemented within the Department of Defense.

(2) Accelerate the adoption or integration of commercial technologies within the Department of Defense to transform military capacity and capabilities.

(3) Serve as the principal liaison between the Department of Defense and individuals and entities in the national security innovation base, including entrepreneurs, startups, commercial technology companies, and venture capital sources.

(4) Carry out programs, projects, and other activities to strengthen the national security innovation base.

(5) Coordinate and harmonize the activities of other organizations and elements of the Department of Defense on matters relating to commercial technologies, dual use technologies, and the innovation of such technologies.

(6) Coordinate and advise efforts among elements of the Department of Defense on matters relating to the development, procurement, and fielding of nontraditional capabilities.

(7) Coordinate with the Joint Staff and the commanders of the combatant commands to identify operational challenges that have the potential to be addressed through the use of nontraditional capabilities, including dual-use technologies, that are being developed and financed in the commercial sector.

(8) Using funds made available to the Unit—

(A) select projects to be carried out by one or more of the service-level innovation organizations;

(B) allocate funds to service-level innovation organizations to carry out such projects; and

(C) monitor the execution of such projects by the service-level innovation organizations.

(9) Serve as the principal liaison between the Department of Defense, nontraditional defense contractors, investors in nontraditional defense companies, and departments and agencies of the Federal Government pursing ² nontraditional capabilities similar to those pursued by the Department.

(10) Lead engagement with industry, academia, and other nongovernment entities to develop—

(A) domestic capacity with respect to innovative, commercial, and dual-use technologies and the use of nontraditional defense contractors; and

(B) the capacity of international allies and partners of the United States with respect to such technologies and the use of such contractors.

(11) Carry out such other activities as the Secretary of Defense determines appropriate.

(e) Support for Multi-stakeholder Partnerships.—

(1) The Director shall identify and support multi-stakeholder research and innovation partnerships that—

(A) have the potential to generate technologies, processes, products, or other solutions that address national defense or security needs; and

(B) have as an objective the technology transfer or commercialization of the work product generated by the partnership, which may include work product that incorporates Government-developed intellectual property licensed to the partnership in accordance with paragraph (3).

(2) Support provided by the Director to a multi-stakeholder research and innovation partnership under this subsection may include—

(A) providing funding or other resources to the partnership;

(B) participating in the partnership;

(C) providing technical and technological advice and guidance to the partnership;

(D) suggesting and introducing other participants for inclusion in the partnership;

(E) providing the partnership with insight into desired solutions for defense and security needs; and

(F) such other forms of support as the Director determines appropriate.

(3) To the extent the Director determines appropriate, the Director shall seek to actively inform potential participants in multi-stakeholder research and innovation partnerships of the availability of Government-developed intellectual property that may be licensed to the partnership.

(4) On an annual basis, the Director shall submit to the Secretary of Defense and the congressional defense committees a report on the activities, advances, outcomes, and work product of the multi-stakeholder research and innovation partnerships supported under this subsection.

(f) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) The term "multi-stakeholder research and innovation partnership" means a partnership composed of any combination of two or more of the following:

(A) Universities, colleges, or other institutions of higher education with research and innovation capability.

(B) Non-profit organizations that provide policy, research, outreach, operations, organizational, management, testing, evaluation, technology transfer, legal, financial, or advocacy expertise.

(C) For-profit commercial enterprises that may be publicly or privately owned, early stage or mature, and incorporated or operating by another ownership structure.

(D) Departments or agencies of the Federal Government with expertise, operations, or resources related to the objectives of the multi-stakeholder research and innovation partnership.

(2) The term "nontraditional capability" means a solution to an operational challenge that can significantly leverage commercial innovation or external capital with minimal dependencies on fielded systems.

(3) The term "nontraditional defense contractor" has the meaning given that term in section 3014 of this title.

(Added Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title IX, §913(a)(1), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 365.)

Delayed Effective Date of Section

Section effective 180 days after Dec. 22, 2023, with additional implementation requirements, see Effective Date; Implementation note below.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date; Implementation

Section effective 180 days after Dec. 22, 2023, with additional implementation requirements, see section 913(b)(1), (2) of Pub. L. 118–31, set out as notes under section 1766 of this title.

¹ So in original. Probably should be "Defense Innovation Unit".

² So in original. Probably should be "pursuing".

CHAPTER 305—UNIVERSITIES

        

Editorial Notes

Codification

Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1843(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4244, initially enacted chapter 305 of this title, consisting of sections 4103, 4111, and 4112, which was to become effective Jan. 1, 2022. However, Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(4)(A), (5)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2153, repealed section 1843(a), and enacted a new section 1844(a), of Pub. L. 116–283, effective as if included therein, which eliminated the initial chapter 305 and enacted the current one.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Support for Protection of Sensitive Research Performed on Behalf of the Department of Defense

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title II, §221, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 188, provided that:

"(a) In General.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, may enter into contracts or other agreements with one or more eligible entities to assist institutions of higher education in protecting sensitive research performed on behalf of the Department of Defense.

"(b) Activities.—An eligible entity that enters into a contract or other agreement with the Secretary of Defense under subsection (a) shall carry out activities to assist institutions of higher education in protecting sensitive research performed on behalf of the Department of Defense. Such activities may include—

"(1) conducting effective due diligence in vetting visiting scholars;

"(2) assisting institutions in meeting applicable research security requirements, including through the use of common procedures and practices and shared infrastructure, as appropriate;

"(3) providing training to employees and offices of the institution that have responsibilities relating to research security; and

"(4) providing advice and assistance to institutions in establishing and maintaining research security programs.

"(c) Considerations.—In selecting an entity to receive a contract or other agreement under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall consider the following:

"(1) Geographic diversity and the extent to which the entity is able to maximize coverage of different regions of the United States.

"(2) Any ratings of the entity made by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency as part of the Agency's annual security vulnerability assessment ratings.

"(3) Whether and to what extent the entity uses best practices for research security as outlined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

"(4) The entity's demonstrated excellence in security programs, including receipt of awards for excellence in counterintelligence and outstanding achievement in industrial security.

"(d) Performance Metrics.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish metrics to measure the performance of each entity with which the Secretary enters into a contract or other agreement under subsection (a).

"(e) Notification and Report.—For any year in which the Secretary of Defense exercises the authority provided under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report that—

"(1) identifies each eligible entity with which the Secretary entered into a contract or other agreement under such subsection; and

"(2) evaluates the performance of the entity.

"(f) Eligible Entity Defined.—In this section, the term 'eligible entity' means—

"(1) an entity the Secretary of Defense determines to be eligible to participate in the activities authorized under this section; or

"(2) a consortium composed of two or more such entities."

Support to Covered Educational Institutions

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title II, §227(f), (g), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 198, provided that:

"(f) Support to Covered Educational Institutions.—

"(1) In general.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering may establish a program to award contracts, grants, or other agreements on a competitive basis to a covered educational institution, and to perform other appropriate activities, for the purposes described in paragraph (2).

"(2) Purposes.—The purposes described in this paragraph are the following:

"(A) Developing the capability, including workforce and research infrastructure capabilities, for covered educational institutions to more effectively compete for Federal engineering, applied research, commercialization, and workforce development funding opportunities.

"(B) Improving the capability of covered educational institutions to—

"(i) recruit and retain research faculty;

"(ii) participate in appropriate personnel exchange programs; and

"(iii) participate in appropriate educational and career development activities.

"(C) Any other purposes the Under Secretary determines appropriate for enhancing the engineering, applied research, commercialization, and development capabilities of covered educational institutions.

"(g) Definitions.—In this section:

"(1) Covered educational institution.—The term 'covered educational institution' means—

"(A) a mining, metallurgical, geological, or mineral engineering program—

"(i) accredited by a non-governmental organization that accredits post-secondary education programs in applied and natural science, engineering technology, and computing; and

"(ii) located at an institution of higher education; or

"(B) any other post-secondary educational institution with a geology or engineering program or department that has experience in mining research or work with the mining industry.

"(2) Critical materials.—The term 'critical materials' means materials designated as strategic and critical under section 3(a) of the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act (50 U.S.C. 98b(a)).

"(3) Institution of higher education.—For purposes of paragraph (1), the term 'institution of higher education' has the meaning given in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)."

Infrastructure To Support Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation Missions

Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, §252, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1285, as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §215(d)(9), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1594, provided that:

"(a) Master Plan Required.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and in coordination with the Secretaries of the military departments, shall develop and implement a master plan that addresses the research, development, test, and evaluation infrastructure and modernization requirements of the Department of Defense, including the science and technology reinvention laboratories and the facilities of the Major Range and Test Facility Base.

"(b) Elements.—The master plan required under subsection (a) shall include, with respect to the research, development, test, and evaluation infrastructure of the Department of Defense, the following:

"(1) A summary of deficiencies in the infrastructure, by location, and the effect of the deficiencies on the ability of the Department—

"(A) to meet current and future military requirements identified in the National Defense Strategy;

"(B) to support science and technology development and acquisition programs; and

"(C) to recruit and train qualified personnel.

"(2) A summary of existing and emerging military research, development, test, and evaluation mission areas, by location, that require modernization investments in the infrastructure—

"(A) to improve operations in a manner that may benefit all users;

"(B) to enhance the overall capabilities of the research, development, test, and evaluation infrastructure, including facilities and resources;

"(C) to improve safety for personnel and facilities; and

"(D) to reduce the long-term cost of operation and maintenance.

"(3) Identification of specific infrastructure projects that are required to address the infrastructure deficiencies identified under paragraph (1) or to support the existing and emerging mission areas identified under paragraph (2).

"(4) For each project identified under paragraph (3)—

"(A) a description of the scope of work;

"(B) a cost estimate;

"(C) a summary of the plan for the project;

"(D) an explanation of the level of priority that will be given to the project; and

"(E) a schedule of required infrastructure investments.

"(5) A description of how the Department, including each military department concerned, will carry out the infrastructure projects identified in paragraph (3) using the range of authorities and methods available to the Department, including—

"(A) military construction authority under section 2802 of title 10, United States Code;

"(B) unspecified minor military construction authority under section 2805(a) of such title;

"(C) laboratory revitalization authority under section 2805(d) of such title;

"(D) the authority to carry out facility repair projects, including the conversion of existing facilities, under section 2811 of such title;

"(E) the authority provided under the Defense Laboratory Modernization Pilot Program under section 2803 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114–92; 10 U.S.C. 2358 note [now 10 U.S.C. 4121 note prec.]);

"(F) methods that leverage funding from entities outside the Department, including public-private partnerships, enhanced use leases and real property exchanges;

"(G) the authority to conduct commercial test and evaluation activities at a Major Range and Test Facility Installation, under section 2681 of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4175]; and

"(H) any other authorities and methods determined to be appropriate by the Secretary of Defense.

"(6) Identification of any regulatory or policy barriers to the effective and efficient implementation of the master plan.

"(c) Consultation and Coordination.—In developing and implementing the plan required under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall—

"(1) consult with existing and anticipated customers and users of the capabilities of the Major Range and Test Facility Base and science and technology reinvention laboratories;

"(2) ensure consistency with the science and technology roadmaps and strategies of the Department of Defense and the Armed Forces; and

"(3) ensure consistency with the strategic plan for test and evaluation resources required by section 196(d) of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4173(d)].

"(d) Submittal to Congress.—Not later than January 1, 2021, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretaries of the military departments, shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] the master plan developed under subsection (a).

"(e) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation Infrastructure Defined.—In this section, the term 'research, development, test, and evaluation infrastructure' means the infrastructure of—

"(1) the science and technology reinvention laboratories (as designated under section 4121(b) of title 10, United States Code);

"(2) the Major Range and Test Facility Base (as defined in section 2358a(f)(3) of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4091(f)(3)]); and

"(3) other facilities that support the research development, test, and evaluation activities of the Department."

Pilot Program for the Enhancement of the Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation Centers of the Department of Defense

Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title II, §233, Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2061, as amended by Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title II, §235, title X, §1081(d)(2), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1341, 1600; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title XVII, §1731(d), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1816; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §216(a), (b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3460; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §§215(d)(7), 219, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1594, 1597, provided that:

"(a) Pilot Program Required.—

"(1) In general.—The Secretary of Defense and the Secretaries of the military departments shall jointly carry out a pilot program to demonstrate methods for the more effective development of technology and management of functions at eligible centers.

"(2) Eligible centers.—For purposes of the pilot program, the eligible centers are—

"(A) the science and technology reinvention laboratories, as designated under section 4121(b) of title 10, United States Code;

"(B) the test and evaluation centers which are activities specified as part of the Major Range and Test Facility Base in Department of Defense Directive 3200.11; and

"(C) the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

"(b) Selection.—

"(1) In general.—The Secretaries described in subsection (a) shall ensure that participation in the pilot program includes—

"(A) the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; and

"(B) in accordance with paragraph (2)—

"(i) five additional eligible centers described in subparagraph (A) of subsection (a)(2) from each of the military departments; and

"(ii) five additional eligible centers described in subparagraph (B) of such subsection from each of the military departments.

"(2) Selection procedures.—(A) The head of an eligible center described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of subsection (a)(2) seeking to participate in the pilot program shall submit to the appropriate reviewer an application therefor at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the appropriate reviewer shall specify.

"(B) Not later than 120 days after the date of such submittal, each appropriate reviewer shall—

"(i) evaluate each application received under subparagraph (A); and

"(ii) approve or disapprove of the application.

"(C) If the head of an eligible center submits an application under subparagraph (A) in accordance with the requirements specified by the appropriate reviewer for purposes of such subparagraph and the appropriate reviewer neither approves nor disapproves such application pursuant to subparagraph (B)(ii) on or before the date that is 120 days after the date of such submittal, such eligible center shall be considered a participant in the pilot program.

"(D) For purposes of this paragraph, the appropriate reviewer is—

"(i) in the case of an eligible center described in subparagraph (A) of subsection (a)(2), the Laboratory Quality Enhancement Program; and

"(ii) in the case of an eligible center described in subparagraph (B) of such subsection, the Director of the Test Resource Management Center.

"(c) Participation in Program.—

"(1) In general.—Subject to paragraph (2), the head of each eligible center selected under subsection (b)(1) shall submit to the Assistant Secretary concerned a proposal on, and implement, alternative and innovative methods of effective management and operations of eligible centers, rapid project delivery, support, experimentation, prototyping, and partnership with universities and private sector entities to—

"(A) generate greater value and efficiencies in research and development activities;

"(B) enable more efficient and effective operations of supporting activities, such as—

"(i) facility management, construction, and repair;

"(ii) business operations;

"(iii) personnel management policies and practices; and

"(iv) intramural and public outreach; and

"(C) enable more rapid deployment of warfighter capabilities.

"(2) Implementation.—(A) The head of an eligible center described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of subsection (a)(2) shall implement each method proposed under paragraph (1) unless such method is disapproved in writing by the Assistant Secretary concerned within 60 days of receiving a proposal from an eligible center selected under subsection (b)(1) by such Assistant Secretary.

"(B) The Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency shall implement each method proposed under paragraph (1) unless such method is disapproved in writing by the Deputy Secretary of Defense or a designee of the Deputy Secretary within 60 days of receiving a proposal from the Director.

"(C) In this paragraph, the term 'Assistant Secretary concerned' means—

"(i) the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition [now Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics], with respect to matters concerning the Air Force;

"(ii) the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, with respect to matters concerning the Army; and

"(iii) the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, with respect to matters concerning the Navy.

"(d) Waiver Authority for Demonstration and Implementation.—Until the termination of the pilot program under subsection (e), the head of an eligible center selected under subsection (b)(1) may waive any regulation, restriction, requirement, guidance, policy, procedure, or departmental instruction that would affect the implementation of a method proposed under subsection (c)(1), unless such implementation would be prohibited by a provision of a Federal statute or common law.

"(e) Termination.—The pilot program shall terminate on September 30, 2027.

"(f) Report.—

"(1) In general.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 [Pub. L. 116–283; approved Jan. 1, 2021], the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report on the status of the pilot program.

"(2) Contents.—The report required by paragraph (1) shall include the following:

"(A) Identification of the eligible centers participating in the pilot program.

"(B) Identification of the eligible centers whose applications to participate in the pilot program were disapproved under subsection (b), including justifications for such disapprovals.

"(C) A description of the methods implemented pursuant to subsection (c).

"(D) A description of the methods that were proposed pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection (c) but disapproved under paragraph (2) of such subsection.

"(E) An assessment of how methods implemented pursuant to subsection (c) have contributed to the objectives identified in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of paragraph (1) of such subsection.

"(F) With respect to any military department not participating in the pilot program, an explanation for such nonparticipation, including identification of—

"(i) any issues that may be preventing such participation; and

"(ii) any offices or other elements of the Department of Defense that may be responsible for the delay in participation."

[Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §216(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3460, provided in part that the amendment made to section 233(c)(2)(C)(ii) of Pub. L. 114–328, set out above, by section 216(b) of Pub. L. 116–283 is effective as of Dec. 23, 2016, and as if included in such section 233(c)(2)(C)(ii) as enacted.]

[Pub. L. 116–92, §1731(d), and Pub. L. 116–283, §216(b), made identical amendments to section 233(c)(2)(C)(ii) of Pub. L. 114–328, set out above, by substituting "Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology" for "Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics", both effective as of Dec. 23, 2016, and as if included in such section as enacted. However, the substitution reflects execution of the amendment made by Pub. L. 116–283 and not by Pub. L. 116–92, as the latter directed amendment of the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018", and Pub. L. 114–328 is known as the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017".]

§4141. Award of grants and contracts to colleges and universities: requirement of competition

(a) The Secretary of Defense may not make a grant or award a contract to a college or university for the performance of research and development, or for the construction of any research or other facility, unless—

(1) in the case of a grant, the grant is made using competitive procedures; and

(2) in the case of a contract, the contract is awarded in accordance with section 2304 ¹ of this title (other than pursuant to subsection (c)(5) ¹ of that section).

(b)(1) A provision of law may not be construed as modifying or superseding the provisions of subsection (a), or as requiring funds to be made available by the Secretary of Defense to a particular college or university by grant or contract, unless that provision of law—

(A) specifically refers to this section;

(B) specifically states that such provision of law modifies or supersedes the provisions of this section; and

(C) specifically identifies the particular college or university involved and states that the grant to be made or the contract to be awarded, as the case may be, pursuant to such provision of law is being made or awarded in contravention of subsection (a).

(2) A grant may not be made, or a contract awarded, pursuant to a provision of law that authorizes or requires the making of the grant, or the awarding of the contract, in a manner that is inconsistent with subsection (a) until—

(A) the Secretary of Defense submits to Congress a notice in writing of the intent to make the grant or award the contract; and

(B) a period of 180 days has elapsed after the date on which the notice is received by Congress.

(Added Pub. L. 100–456, div. A, title II, §220(a), Sept. 29, 1988, 102 Stat. 1940, §2361; amended Pub. L. 101–189, div. A, title II, §252(a), (b)(1), (c)(1), Nov. 29, 1989, 103 Stat. 1404, 1405; Pub. L. 101–510, div. A, title XIII, §1311(4), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1669; Pub. L. 103–35, title II, §201(g)(5), May 31, 1993, 107 Stat. 100; Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title VIII, §821(b), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1704; Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title VIII, §813, Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2816; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title II, §264, title XV, §1502(a)(1), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 237, 502; Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title II, §265, Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2466; renumbered §4141, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1844(b), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(5)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2154; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1841(c), 1883(b)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243, 4294; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(2)(D), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Section 2304 of this title, referred to in subsec. (a)(2), was repealed by Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1801(d), 1881(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4151, 4293, effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law. Subsecs. (a) to (l) of section 2304 were transferred to various provisions in chapter 221 of this title, with the same effective date and conditions, by Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1811(c)(2)–(5), (d)(2)–(9), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4165–4170. Subsection (c)(5) of section 2304 was transferred to section 3204(a)(5) of this title.

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1844(b), as added by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(5)(B), renumbered section 2361 of this title as this section.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1841(c), which directed the renumbering of section 2361 of this title as section 4015 instead of this section, was amended generally by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(2)(D), effective as if included therein, so that such renumbering was no longer directed.

Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2), which directed that each reference in the text of title 10 to a section that was redesignated by title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283, as such section was in effect before the redesignation, be amended by striking such reference and inserting a reference to the appropriate redesignated section, was not executed with respect to "section 2304", which was redesignated as multiple sections.

1996—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104–201 struck out subsec. (c) which read as follows:

"(1) The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on National Security of the House of Representatives an annual report on the use of competitive procedures for the award of research and development contracts, and the award of construction contracts, to colleges and universities. Each such report shall include—

"(A) a list of each college and university that, during the period covered by the report, received more than $1,000,000 in such contracts through the use of procedures other than competitive procedures; and

"(B) the cumulative amount of such contracts received during that period by each such college and university.

"(2) Each report under paragraph (1) shall cover the preceding fiscal year and shall be submitted not later than February 1 of the fiscal year after the fiscal year covered by the report."

Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 104–106, §1502(a)(1), substituted "Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on National Security of the House of Representatives" for "Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives".

Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 104–106, §264, substituted "preceding fiscal year" for "preceding calendar year" and "the fiscal year after the fiscal year" for "the year after the year".

1994—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 103–337 added subsec. (c).

1993—Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 103–35 substituted "inconsistent" for "inconsisent".

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 103–160 struck out subsec. (c) which read as follows:

"(1) The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives an annual report on the use of competitive procedures for the award of research and development contracts, and the award of construction contracts, to colleges and universities. Each such report shall include—

"(A) a list of each college and university that, during the period covered by the report, received more than $1,000,000 in such contracts through the use of procedures other than competitive procedures; and

"(B) the cumulative amount of such contracts received during that period by each such college and university.

"(2) The reports under paragraph (1) shall cover the preceding calendar year and shall be submitted not later than February 1 of the year after the year covered by the report.

"(3) A report is not required under paragraph (1) for any period beginning after December 31, 1993."

1990—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 101–510, §1311(4)(A), substituted "an annual report" for "a semiannual report" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 101–510, §1311(4)(B), substituted "the preceding calendar year and shall be submitted not later than February 1 of the year after the year covered by the report" for "the six-month periods ending on June 30 and December 31 of each year. Each such report shall be submitted within 30 days after the end of the period covered by the report".

1989—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 101–189, §252(a), substituted "unless—" for "unless" and pars. (1) and (2) for "the grant or contract is made or awarded using competitive procedures."

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 101–189, §252(b)(1), amended subsec. (b) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (b) read as follows: "A provision of law enacted after the date of the enactment of this section may not be construed as modifying or superseding the provisions of subsection (a) unless that provision of law specifically refers to this section and specifically states that such provision of law modifies or supersedes the provisions of this section."

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 101–189, §252(c)(1), added subsec. (c).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Effective Date of 1993 Amendment

Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title VIII, §821(b), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1704, provided that the amendment made by that section is effective Feb. 1, 1994.

Effective Date of 1989 Amendment

Pub. L. 101–189, div. A, title II, §252(b)(2), Nov. 29, 1989, 103 Stat. 1405, provided that: "Subsection (b) of section 2361 of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4141(b)], as amended by paragraph (1), applies with respect to any provision of law enacted after September 30, 1989."

Effective Date

Pub. L. 100–456, div. A, title II, §220(c), Sept. 29, 1988, 102 Stat. 1941, provided that: "The limitation specified in section 2361(a) of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4141(a)] (as added by subsection (a)), on the authority of the Secretary of Defense to make grants and award contracts shall take effect on October 1, 1989."

¹ See References in Text note below.

§4142. Extramural acquisition innovation and research activities

(a) Establishment.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and in coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall establish and maintain extramural acquisition innovation and research activities as described in subsection (d), which shall include an acquisition research organization within a civilian college or university that is not owned or operated by the Federal Government that is established to provide and maintain essential research and development capabilities through a long-term strategic relationship with the Department of Defense.

(b) Goals.—The goal of any activity conducted pursuant to this section shall be to provide academic analyses and policy alternatives for innovation in defense acquisition policies and practices to policymakers in the Federal Government by using a variety of means intended to widely disseminate research findings from such an activity, in addition to executing demonstration and pilot programs of innovative acquisition policies and practices.

(c) Director.—

(1) Appointment.—Not later than June 1, 2020, the Secretary of Defense shall appoint an individual from civilian life to serve as the director for the extramural acquisition innovation and research activities required by this section (referred to in this section as the "Director").

(2) Term.—The Director shall serve a term of five years.

(d) Activities.—The activities described in this subsection are as follows:

(1) Research on past and current defense acquisition policies and practices, commercial and international best practices, and the application of new technologies and analytical capabilities to improve acquisition policies and practices.

(2) Pilot programs to prototype and demonstrate new acquisition practices for potential transition to wider use in the Department of Defense.

(3) Establishment of data repositories and development of analytical capabilities, in coordination with the Chief Data Officer of the Department of Defense, to enable researchers and acquisition professionals to access and analyze historical data sets to support research and new policy and practice development.

(4) Executive education to—

(A) support acquisition workforce development, including for early career, mid-career, and senior leaders; and

(B) provide appropriate education on acquisition issues to non-acquisition professionals.

(5) On an ongoing basis, a review of the implementation of recommendations contained in relevant Department of Defense and private sector studies on acquisition policies and practices, including—

(A) for recommendations for the enactment of legislation, identify the extent to which the recommendations have been enacted into law by Congress;

(B) for recommendations for the issuance of regulations, identify the extent to which the recommendations have been adopted through the issuance or revision of regulations;

(C) for recommendations for revisions to policies and procedures in the executive branch, identify the extent to which the recommendations have been adopted through issuance of an appropriate implementing directive or other form of guidance; and

(D) for recommendations for the resources required to implement recommendations contained in relevant Department of Defense and private sector studies on acquisition policies and practices.

(6) Engagement with researchers and acquisition professionals in the Department of Defense, as appropriate.

(e) Funding.—Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary may use amounts available in the Defense Acquisition Workforce and Development Account to carry out the requirements of this section.

(f) Annual Report.—Not later than September 30, 2021, and annually thereafter, the Director shall submit to the Secretary of Defense and the congressional defense committees a report describing the activities conducted under this section during the previous year.

(Added Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title VIII, §835(a)(1), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1494, §2361a; renumbered §4142, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1844(b), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(5)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2154; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1842(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4244; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(q)(1), (u)(3)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2148, 2152.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1844(b), as added by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(5)(B), renumbered section 2361a of this title as this section.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1842(b), which directed the renumbering of section 2361a of this title as section 4063 instead of this section, was amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(q)(1), (u)(3)(B), effective as if included therein, so that such renumbering was no longer directed.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Implementation of Section

Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title VIII, §835(a)(3), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1496, provided that:

"(A) Deadline.—Not later than March 1, 2020, the Secretary of Defense shall establish the extramural acquisition innovation and research activities required by section 2361a of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4142] (as added by this subsection).

"(B) Report.—

"(i) In general.—Not later than January 1, 2021, the Director of the extramural acquisition innovation and research activities appointed under such section shall submit to the Secretary of Defense a report setting forth a plan, proposed budget, and schedule for execution of such activities.

"(ii) Transmittal.—Not later than February 1, 2021, the Secretary of Defense shall transmit the report required under clause (i), together with whatever comments the Secretary considers appropriate, to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives."

Records of the Section 809 Panel

Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title VIII, §835(b), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1496, provided that:

"(1) Transfer and maintenance of records.—Not later than March 1, 2020, the records of the Section 809 Panel shall be transferred to, and shall be maintained by, the Defense Technical Information Center.

"(2) Status of records.—Working papers, records of interview, and any other draft work products generated for any purpose by the Section 809 Panel shall be covered by the deliberative process privilege exemption under paragraph (5) of section 552(b) of title 5, United States Code.

"(3) Availability.—To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall make the records available to support activities conducted by the research organization described under section 2361a of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4142] (as added by subsection (a)).

"(4) Section 809 panel defined.—In this subsection, the term 'Section 809 Panel' means the panel established by the Secretary of Defense pursuant to section 809 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114–92) [129 Stat. 889]."

§4143. Research and development laboratories: contracts for services of university students

(a) Subject to the availability of appropriations for such purpose, the Secretary of Defense may procure by contract under the authority of this section the temporary or intermittent services of students at institutions of higher learning for the purpose of providing technical support at defense research and development laboratories. Such contracts may be made directly with such students or with nonprofit organizations employing such students.

(b) Students providing services pursuant to a contract made under subsection (a) shall be considered to be employees for the purposes of chapter 81 of title 5, relating to compensation for work injuries, and to be employees of the government for the purposes of chapter 171 of title 28, relating to tort claims. Such students who are not otherwise employed by the Federal Government shall not be considered to be Federal employees for any other purpose.

(c) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section. Such regulations shall include definitions for the purposes of this section of the terms "student", "institution of higher learning", and "nonprofit organization".

(Added Pub. L. 97–86, title VI, §603(a), Dec. 1, 1981, 95 Stat. 1110, §2360; renumbered §4143, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1844(b), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(5)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2154; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1843(b)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4245; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(4)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2153.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1844(b), as added by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(5)(B), renumbered section 2360 of this title as this section.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1843(b)(2), which directed the renumbering of section 2360 of this title as section 4112 instead of this section, was repealed by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(4)(A), effective as if included therein, so that such renumbering was no longer directed.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

§4144. Research and educational programs and activities: historically black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions of higher education

(a) Program Established.—(1) The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the Secretary of each military department, shall carry out a program to provide assistance to covered educational institutions to assist the Department in defense-related research, development, testing, and evaluation activities.

(2) The Secretary of Defense may not delegate or transfer to an individual outside the Office of the Secretary of Defense the authority regarding the programming or budgeting of the program established by this section that is carried out by the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

(b) Program Objective.—The objective of the program established by subsection (a)(1) is to enhance defense-related research and education at covered educational institutions. Such objective shall be accomplished through initiatives designed to—

(1) enhance the research and educational capabilities of such institutions in areas of importance to national defense, as determined by the Secretary;

(2) encourage the participation of such institutions in the research, development, testing, and evaluation programs and activities of the Department of Defense;

(3) increase the number of graduates from such institutions engaged in disciplines important to the national security functions of the Department of Defense, as determined by the Secretary; and

(4) encourage research and educational collaborations between such institutions and other institutions of higher education, Government defense organizations, and the defense industry.

(c) Assistance Provided.—Under the program established by subsection (a)(1), the Secretary of Defense may provide covered educational institutions with funding or technical assistance, including any of the following:

(1) Support for research, development, testing, evaluation, or educational enhancements in areas important to national defense through the competitive awarding of grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, scholarships, fellowships, or the acquisition of research equipment or instrumentation.

(2) Support to assist in the attraction and retention of faculty in scientific disciplines important to the national security functions of the Department of Defense.

(3) Establishing partnerships between such institutions and defense laboratories, Government defense organizations, the defense industry, and other institutions of higher education in research, development, testing, and evaluation in areas important to the national security functions of the Department of Defense.

(4) Other such non-monetary assistance as the Secretary finds appropriate to enhance defense-related research, development, testing, and evaluation activities at such institutions.

(d) Incentives.—(1) The Secretary of Defense may develop incentives to encourage research and educational collaborations between covered educational institutions and other institutions of higher education.

(2) The Secretary of Defense shall establish goals and incentives to encourage federally funded research and development centers, science and technology reinvention laboratories, and University Affiliated Research Centers funded by the Department of Defense—

(A) to assess the capacity of covered educational institutions to address the research and development needs of the Department through partnerships and collaborations; and

(B) if appropriate, to enter into partnerships and collaborations with such institutions.

(e) Criteria for Funding.—The Secretary of Defense may establish procedures under which the Secretary may limit funding under this section to institutions that have not otherwise received a significant amount of funding from the Department of Defense for research, development, testing, and evaluation programs supporting the national security functions of the Department.

(f) Definition of Covered Educational Institution.—In this section the term "covered educational institution" means—

(1) an institution of higher education eligible for assistance under title III or V of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1051 et seq.); or

(2) an accredited postsecondary minority institution.

(Added Pub. L. 111–84, div. A, title II, §252(a), Oct. 28, 2009, 123 Stat. 2242, §2362; amended Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title X, §1075(b)(32), Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4370; Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title II, §219, Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1335; Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title X, §1076(c)(2)(A)(i), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1949; Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, §245, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1700; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, §214, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1257; renumbered §4144, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1844(b), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(5)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2154; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1838(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4242; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §220(c), title XVII, §1701(v)(2)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1599, 2154.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Higher Education Act of 1965, referred to in subsec. (f)(1), is Pub. L. 89–329, Nov. 8, 1965, 79 Stat. 1219. Titles III and V of the Act are classified generally to subchapters III (§1051 et seq.) and V (§1101 et seq.), respectively, of chapter 28 of Title 20, Education. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 1001 of Title 20 and Tables.

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1844(b), as added by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(5)(B), renumbered section 2362 of this title as this section.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1838(b), which directed renumbering section 2362 of this title as section 3904 instead of this section, was amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(v)(2)(A), effective as if included therein, so that such renumbering was no longer directed.

Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 117–81, §220(c)(1), substituted "Under Secretary" for "Assistant Secretary" in pars. (1) and (2).

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 117–81, §220(c)(2), designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2).

2019—Subsecs. (d) to (f). Pub. L. 116–92 added subsec. (d) and redesignated former subsecs. (d) and (e) as (e) and (f), respectively.

2018—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 115–232 substituted "Criteria" for "Priority" in heading and "limit" for "give priority in providing" in text.

2013—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub L. 112–239 substituted "Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering" for "Director of Defense Research and Engineering".

2011—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 112–81, §219(a), designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2).

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 112–81, §219(b)(1), substituted "established by subsection (a)(1)" for "established under subsection (a)" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 112–81, §219(b)(2), substituted "subsection (a)(1)" for "subsection (a)" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 111–383 substituted "title III or V" for "title III or IV".

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and Effective Date note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Outreach to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority-Serving Institutions Regarding National Security Innovation Network Programs That Promote Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Institutions of Higher Education

Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, §222, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2479, provided that:

"(a) Pilot Program.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, acting through the National Security Innovation Network, may carry out a pilot program under which the Under Secretary conducts activities, including outreach and technical assistance, to better connect historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions to the commercialization, innovation, and entrepreneurial activities of the Department of Defense.

"(b) Briefing.—Not later than one year after commencing a pilot program under subsection (a), the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on the program, including—

"(1) an explanation of—

"(A) the results of any outreach efforts conducted under the pilot program;

"(B) the success of the pilot program in expanding National Security Innovation Network programs to historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions; and

"(C) any potential barriers to the expansion of the pilot program; and

"(2) recommendations for how the Department of Defense can support historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions to enable such institutions to successfully participate in Department of Defense commercialization, innovation, and entrepreneurship programs.

"(c) Termination.—The authority to carry out the pilot program under subsection (a) shall terminate on the date that is five years after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 23, 2022].

"(d) Definitions.—In this section:

"(1) The term 'historically Black college or university' means a part B institution (as defined in section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061)).

"(2) The term 'other minority-serving institution' means an institution of higher education specified in paragraphs (2) through (7) of section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a))."

Report and Pilot Program Based on Recommendations Regarding Defense Research Capacity at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority-Serving Institutions

Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, §223, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2480, provided that:

"(a) Report Required.—

"(1) In general.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 23, 2022], the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report on the recommendations set forth in the publication of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine titled 'Defense Research Capacity at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority Institutions: Transitioning from Good Intentions to Measurable Outcomes' and dated April 28, 2022.

"(2) Contents.—The report required under paragraph (1) shall include the following:

"(A) With respect to the recommendations and subrecommendations set forth in the publication described in paragraph (1)—

"(i) a description of each recommendation and subrecommendation the Secretary has implemented as of the date of the report;

"(ii) a description of each recommendation and subrecommendation the Secretary has commenced implementing as of the date of the report, including a justification for determining to commence implementing the recommendation; and

"(iii) a description of each recommendation and subrecommendation the Secretary has not implemented or commenced implementing as of the date of the report and a determination as to whether or not to implement the recommendation.

"(B) For each recommendation or subrecommendation the Secretary determines to implement under subparagraph (A)(iii)—

"(i) a timeline for implementation;

"(ii) a description of any additional resources or authorities required for implementation; and

"(iii) the plan for implementation.

"(C) For each recommendation or subrecommendation the Secretary determines not to implement under subparagraph (A)(iii), a justification for the determination not to implement the recommendation.

"(3) Format.—The report required under paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.

"(b) Program to Implement Report Recommendations and Subrecommendations.—

"(1) Program required.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish and carry out a program (referred to in this subsection as the 'Program') under which the Secretary carries out activities to increase the capacity of eligible institutions to achieve very high research activity status.

"(2) Considerations.—In establishing the Program the Secretary shall consider—

"(A) the recommendations and subrecommendations to be implemented under subsection (a);

"(B) the extent of nascent research capabilities and planned research capabilities at eligible institutions and the relevance of those capabilities to research areas of interest to the Department of Defense;

"(C) recommendations from previous studies for increasing the level of research activity at eligible institutions to very high research activity status, including measurable milestones such as growth in very high research activity status indicators and other relevant factors;

"(D) how institutions participating in the Program will evaluate and assess progress toward achieving very high research activity status;

"(E) how such institutions will sustain an increased level of research activity after the Program terminates; and

"(F) reporting requirements for institutions participating in the Program.

"(3) Consultation.—In designing the Program, the Secretary may consult with the President's Board of Advisors on historically Black colleges and universities.

"(4) Program activities.—

"(A) Activities.—Under the Program, the Secretary shall carry out activities to build the capacity of eligible institutions to achieve very high research activity status, which may include—

"(i) activities to support—

     "(I) faculty professional development;

     "(II) stipends for undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral scholars;

     "(III) recruitment and retention of faculty and graduate students;

     "(IV) the provision of laboratory equipment and instrumentation;

     "(V) communication and dissemination of research products produced during the Program;

     "(VI) construction, modernization, rehabilitation, or retrofitting of facilities for research purposes; and

"(ii) such other activities as the Secretary determines appropriate.

"(B) Identification of priority areas.—The Secretary shall establish and update, on an annual basis, a list of research priorities for STEM and critical technologies appropriate for the Program to assist eligible institutions in identifying appropriate areas for research and related activities.

"(5) Termination.—The Program shall terminate 10 years after the date on which the Secretary commences the Program.

"(6) Evaluation.—Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act and every two years thereafter until the date on which the Program terminates under paragraph (5), the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report providing an update on the Program, including—

"(A) a description of the activities carried out under the Program;

"(B) an analysis of any growth in very high research activity status indicators of eligible institutions that participated in the Program; and

"(C) emerging research areas of interest to the Department of Defense that are being pursued by such institutions.

"(7) Report to congress.—Not later than 180 days after the date on which the program terminates under paragraph (5), the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the Program that includes the following:

"(A) An analysis of the growth in very high research activity status indicators of eligible institutions that participated in the Program.

"(B) An evaluation on the effectiveness of the Program in increasing the research capacity of such institutions.

"(C) An explanation of how institutions that achieved very high research activity status plan to sustain that status after the termination of the Program.

"(D) An evaluation of the maintenance of very high research status by eligible institutions that participated in the Program.

"(E) An evaluation of the effectiveness of the Program in increasing the diversity of students conducting high quality research in unique areas.

"(F) Recommendations with respect to further activities and investments necessary to elevate the research status of historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions.

"(G) Recommendations as to whether the Program should be renewed or expanded.

"(c) Definitions.—In this section:

"(1) The term 'eligible institution' means a historically Black college or university or other minority-serving institution that is classified as a high research activity status institution at the time of participation in the program under subsection (b).

"(2) The term 'high research activity status' means R2 status, as classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

"(3) The term 'historically Black college or university' has the meaning given the term 'part B institution' under section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061).

"(4) The term 'other minority-serving institution' means an institution of higher education specified in paragraphs (2) through (7) of section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)).

"(5) The term 'Secretary' means the Secretary of Defense.

"(6) The term 'very high research activity status' means R1 status, as classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

"(7) The term 'very high research activity status indicators' means the categories used by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education to delineate which institutions have very high activity status, including—

"(A) annual expenditures in science and engineering;

"(B) per-capita (faculty member) expenditures in science and engineering;

"(C) annual expenditures in non-science and engineering fields;

"(D) per-capita (faculty member) expenditures in non-science and engineering fields;

"(E) doctorates awarded in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields;

"(F) doctorates awarded in social science fields;

"(G) doctorates awarded in the humanities;

"(H) doctorates awarded in other fields with a research emphasis;

"(I) total number of research staff including postdoctoral researchers;

"(J) other doctorate-holding non-faculty researchers in science and engineering and per-capita (faculty) number of doctorate-level research staff including post-doctoral researchers; and

"(K) other categories utilized to determine classification."

Defense Research and Engineering Activities at Minority Institutions

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §220(b), (d), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1598, 1599, provided that:

"(b) Activities to Support the Research and Engineering Capacity of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions.—

"(1) In general.—Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary [of Defense] may establish a program to award contracts, grants, or other agreements on a competitive basis, and to perform other appropriate activities for the purposes described in paragraph (2).

"(2) Purposes.—The purposes described in this paragraph are the following:

"(A) Developing the capability, including workforce and research infrastructure, for minority institutions to more effectively compete for Federal engineering, research, and development funding opportunities.

"(B) Improving the capability of such institutions to recruit and retain research faculty, and to participate in appropriate personnel exchange programs and educational and career development activities.

"(C) Any other purposes the Secretary determines appropriate for enhancing the defense-related engineering, research, and development capabilities of minority institutions.

"(d) Minority Institution Defined.—In this section, the term 'minority institution' means a covered educational institution (as defined in section 2362 of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4144])."

National Study on Defense Research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority Institutions

Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, §262, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1295, provided that:

"(a) Study Required.—The Secretary of Defense shall seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (referred to in this section as the 'National Academies') under which the National Academies will conduct a study on the status of defense research at covered institutions and the methods and means necessary to advance research capacity at covered institutions to comprehensively address the national security and defense needs of the United States.

"(b) Designation.—The study conducted under subsection (a) shall be known as the 'National Study on Defense Research At Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority Institutions'.

"(c) Elements.—The study conducted under subsection (a) shall include an examination of each of the following:

"(1) The degree to which covered institutions are successful in competing for and executing Department of Defense contracts and grants for defense research.

"(2) Best practices for advancing the capacity of covered institutions to compete for and conduct research programs related to national security and defense.

"(3) The advancements and investments necessary to elevate covered institutions to R2 status or R1 status on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, consistent with the criteria of the classification system.

"(4) The facilities and infrastructure for defense-related research at covered institutions as compared to the facilities and infrastructure at institutions classified as R1 status on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

"(5) Incentives to attract, recruit, and retain leading research faculty to covered institutions.

"(6) Best practices of institutions classified as R1 status on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, including best practices with respect to—

"(A) the establishment of a distinct legal entity to—

"(i) enter into contracts or receive grants from the Department;

"(ii) lay the groundwork for future research opportunities;

"(iii) develop research proposals;

"(iv) engage with defense research funding organizations; and

"(v) execute the administration of grants; and

"(B) determining the type of legal entity, if any, to establish for the purposes described in subparagraph (A).

"(7) The ability of covered institutions to develop, protect, and commercialize intellectual property created through defense-related research.

"(8) The total amount of defense research funding awarded to all institutions of higher education, including covered institutions, through contracts and grants for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2019 and, with respect to each such institution—

"(A) whether the institution established a distinct legal entity to enter into contracts or receive grants from the Department and, if so, the type of legal entity that was established;

"(B) the total value of contracts and grants awarded to the institution of higher education for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2019;

"(C) the overhead rate of the institution of higher education for fiscal year 2019;

"(D) the institution's classification on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education; and

"(E) whether the institution qualifies as a covered institution.

"(9) Recommendations for strengthening and enhancing the programs executed under section 2362 of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4144].

"(10) Recommendations to enhance the capacity of covered institutions to transition research products into defense acquisition programs or commercialization.

"(11) Previous executive or legislative actions by the Federal Government to address imbalances in Federal research funding, including such programs as the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (commonly known as 'DEPSCoR').

"(12) The effectiveness of the Department in attracting and retaining students specializing in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields from covered institutions for the Department's programs on emerging capabilities and technologies.

"(13) Recommendations for the development of incentives to encourage research and educational collaborations between covered institutions and other institutions of higher education.

"(14) Any other matters the Secretary of Defense determines to be relevant to advancing the defense research capacity of covered institutions.

"(d) Reports.—

"(1) Initial report.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 20, 2019], the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the President and the appropriate congressional committees an initial report that includes—

"(A) the findings of the study conducted under subsection (a); and

"(B) any recommendations that the National Academies may have for action by the executive branch and Congress to improve the participation of covered institutions in Department of Defense research and any actions that may be carried out to expand the research capacity of such institutions.

"(2) Final report.—Not later than December 31, 2021, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the President and the appropriate congressional committees a comprehensive report on the results of the study required under subsection (a).

"(3) Form of reports.—Each report submitted under this subsection shall be made publicly available.

"(e) Implementation Required.—

"(1) In general.—Except as provided in paragraph (2), not later than March 1, 2022, the Secretary of Defense shall commence implementation of each recommendation included in the final report submitted under subsection (d)(2).

"(2) Exceptions.—

"(A) Delayed implementation.—The Secretary of Defense may commence implementation of a recommendation described paragraph (1) later than March 1, 2022, if—

"(i) the Secretary submits to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] written notice of the intent of the Secretary to delay implementation of the recommendation; and

"(ii) includes, as part of such notice, a specific justification for the delay in implementing the recommendation.

"(B) Nonimplementation.—The Secretary of Defense may elect not to implement a recommendation described in paragraph (1), if—

"(i) the Secretary submits to the congressional defense committees written notice of the intent of the Secretary not to implement the recommendation; and

"(ii) includes, as part of such notice—

     "(I) the reasons for the Secretary's decision not to implement the recommendation; and

     "(II) a summary of alternative actions the Secretary will carry out to address the purposes underlying the recommendation.

"(3) Implementation plan.—For each recommendation that the Secretary implements under this subsection, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees an implementation plan that includes—

"(A) a summary of actions that have been, or will be, carried out to implement the recommendation; and

"(B) a schedule, with specific milestones, for completing the implementation of the recommendation.

"(f) List of Covered Institutions.—The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Education and the Presidents of the National Academies, shall make available a list identifying each covered institution examined as part of the study under subsection (a). The list shall be made available on a publicly accessible website and shall be updated not less frequently than once annually until the date on which the final report is submitted under subsection (d)(2).

"(g) Definitions.—In this section:

"(1) The term 'appropriate congressional committees' means—

"(A) the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives];

"(B) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; and

"(C) the Committee on Education and Labor [now Committee on Education and the Workforce] of the House of Representatives.

"(2) The term 'covered institution' means—

"(A) a part B institution (as that term is defined in section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2))[)]; or

"(B) any other institution of higher education (as that term is defined in section 101 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1001)) at which not less than 50 percent of the total student enrollment consists of students from ethnic groups that are underrepresented in the fields of science and engineering."

Strategies for Engagement With Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions of Higher Education

Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title II, §233, Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 779, provided that:

"(a) Basic Research Entities.—

"(1) Strategy.—The heads of each basic research entity shall each develop a strategy for how to engage with and support the development of scientific, technical, engineering, and mathematics capabilities of covered educational institutions in carrying out section 2362 of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4144].

"(2) Elements.—Each strategy under paragraph (1) shall include the following:

"(A) Goals and vision for maintaining a credible and sustainable program relating to the engagement and support under the strategy.

"(B) Metrics to enhance scientific, technical, engineering, and mathematics capabilities at covered educational institutions, including with respect to measuring progress toward increasing the success of such institutions to compete for broader research funding sources other than set-aside funds.

"(C) Promotion of mentoring opportunities between covered educational institutions and other research institutions.

"(D) Regular assessment of activities that are used to develop, maintain, and grow scientific, technical, engineering, and mathematics capabilities.

"(E) Inclusion of faculty of covered educational institutions into program reviews, peer reviews, and other similar activities.

"(F) Targeting of undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students at covered educational institutions for inclusion into research or internship opportunities within the military department.

"(b) Office of the Secretary.—The Secretary of Defense shall develop and implement a strategy for how to engage with and support the development of scientific, technical, engineering, and mathematics capabilities of covered educational institutions pursuant to the strategies developed under subsection (a).

"(c) Submission.—

"(1) Basic research entities.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 25, 2015], the heads of each basic research entity shall each submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] the strategy developed by the head under subsection (a)(1).

"(2) Office of the secretary.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees the strategy developed under subsection (b).

"(d) Covered Institution Defined.—In this section:

"(1) The term 'basic research entity' means an entity of the Department of Defense that executes research, development, test, and evaluation budget activity 1 funding, as described in the Department of Defense Financial Management Regulation.

"(2) The term 'covered educational institution' has the meaning given that term in section 2362(e) of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4144(f)]."

[§§4145 to 4147. Omitted]

Editorial Notes

Codification

Sections 4145 to 4147 were initially transferred from sections 2350l, 2368, and 2367 of this title, respectively, by Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1844(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4246, to become effective Jan. 1, 2022. Subsequently, Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(5)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2154, struck out and added a new section 1844(b) of Pub. L. 116–283, effective as if included therein. The new section 1844(b) did not direct any transfers to sections 4145 to 4147, thereby omitting these sections before they took effect. After other amendments by Pub. L. 117–81, section 2350l was not transferred, and sections 2368 and 2367 were transferred to sections 4124 and 4126 of this title, respectively.

CHAPTER 307—TEST AND EVALUATION

        

Editorial Notes

Codification

Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1844(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4245, initially enacted chapter 307 of this title, consisting of sections 4141 to 4147, which was to become effective Jan. 1, 2022. However, Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(5)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2153, amended section 1844(a) of Pub. L. 116–283, effective as if included therein, so that instead of enacting chapter 307, it enacted chapter 305 of this title consisting of sections 4141 to 4144.

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(6)(A), (C), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2154, amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1845(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4247, which added this analysis, by redesignating chapter 309 as this chapter and by adding items 4174 and 4175.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Pilot Program To Test Machine-Vision Technologies To Determine the Authenticity and Security of Microelectronic Parts in Weapon Systems

Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, §843, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1878, as amended by Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1806(e)(3)(C), 1866(d)(1), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4156, 4280, provided that:

"(a) Pilot Program Authorized.—The Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, in coordination with the Defense Microelectronics Activity, shall establish a pilot program to test the feasibility and reliability of using machine-vision technologies to determine the authenticity and security of microelectronic parts in weapon systems.

"(b) Objectives of Pilot Program.—The Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, in coordination with the Defense Microelectronics Activity, shall design any pilot program conducted under this section to determine the following:

"(1) The effectiveness and technology readiness level of machine-vision technologies to determine the authenticity of microelectronic parts at the time of the creation of such part through final insertion of such part into weapon systems.

"(2) The best method of incorporating machine-vision technologies into the process of developing, transporting, and inserting microelectronics into weapon systems.

"(3) The rules, regulations, or processes that hinder the development and incorporation of machine-vision technologies, and the application of such rules, regulations, or processes to mitigate counterfeit microelectronics proliferation throughout the Department of Defense.

"(c) Consultation.—To develop the pilot program under this section, the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, in coordination with the Defense Microelectronics Activity, may consult with the following entities:

"(1) Manufacturers of semiconductors or electronics.

"(2) Industry associations relating to semiconductors or electronics.

"(3) Original equipment manufacturers of products for the Department of Defense.

"(4) Nontraditional defense contractors (as defined in section 3014 of title 10, United States Code) that are machine vision companies.

"(5) Federal laboratories (as defined in section 4801(5) of title 10, United States Code).

"(6) Other elements of the Department of Defense that fall under the authority of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

"(d) Commencement and Duration.—The pilot program established under this section shall be established not later than April 1, 2019, and all activities under such pilot program shall terminate not later than December 31, 2020."

[Pub. L. 116–283, §1866(d)(1)(A), which directed amendment of section 843(c)(4) of Pub. L. 115–232, set out above, by substituting "section 3021" for "section 2302(9)", could not be executed because of the intervening amendment by section 1806(e)(3)(C) of Pub. L. 116–283, which had substituted "section 3014" for "section 2302(9)".]

§4171. Operational test and evaluation of defense acquisition programs

(a) Condition for Proceeding Beyond Low-rate Initial Production.—(1) The Secretary of Defense shall provide that a covered major defense acquisition program, a covered designated major subprogram, or an element of the ballistic missile defense system may not proceed beyond low-rate initial production until initial operational test and evaluation of the program, subprogram, or element is completed.

(2) In this subsection:

(A) The term "covered major defense acquisition program" means a major defense acquisition program that involves the acquisition of a weapon system that is a major system.

(B) The term "covered designated major subprogram" means a major subprogram designated under section 4203(a)(1) of this title that is a major subprogram of a covered major defense acquisition program.

(b) Operational Test and Evaluation.—(1) Operational testing of a major defense acquisition program may not be conducted until the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation of the Department of Defense approves (in writing) the adequacy of the plans (including the projected level of funding) for operational test and evaluation to be conducted in connection with that program.

(2) The Director shall analyze the results of the operational test and evaluation conducted for each major defense acquisition program. At the conclusion of such testing, the Director shall prepare a report stating—

(A) the opinion of the Director as to—

(i) whether the test and evaluation performed were adequate; and

(ii) whether the results of such test and evaluation confirm that the items or components actually tested are effective and suitable for combat; and

(B) additional information on the operational capabilities of the items or components that the Director considers appropriate based on the testing conducted.

(3) The Director shall submit each report under paragraph (2) to the Secretary of Defense, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, and the congressional defense committees. Each such report shall be submitted to those committees in precisely the same form and with precisely the same content as the report originally was submitted to the Secretary and Under Secretary and shall be accompanied by such comments as the Secretary may wish to make on the report.

(4) A final decision within the Department of Defense to proceed with a major defense acquisition program beyond low-rate initial production may not be made until the Director has submitted to the Secretary of Defense the report with respect to that program under paragraph (2) and the congressional defense committees have received that report.

(5) If, before a final decision described in paragraph (4) is made for a major defense acquisition program, a decision is made within the Department of Defense to proceed to operational use of that program or to make procurement funds available for that program, the Director shall submit to the Secretary of Defense and the congressional defense committees the report with respect to that program under paragraph (2) as soon as practicable after the decision described in this paragraph is made.

(6) In this subsection, the term "major defense acquisition program" has the meaning given that term in section 139(a)(2)(B) of this title.

(c) Determination of Quantity of Articles Required for Operational Testing.—The quantity of articles of a new system that are to be procured for operational testing shall be determined by—

(1) the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation of the Department of Defense, in the case of a new system that is a major defense acquisition program (as defined in section 139(a)(2)(B) of this title); or

(2) the operational test and evaluation agency of the military department concerned, in the case of a new system that is not a major defense acquisition program.

(d) Impartiality of Contractor Testing Personnel.—In the case of a major defense acquisition program (as defined in subsection (a)(2)), no person employed by the contractor for the system being tested may be involved in the conduct of the operational test and evaluation required under subsection (a). The limitation in the preceding sentence does not apply to the extent that the Secretary of Defense plans for persons employed by that contractor to be involved in the operation, maintenance, and support of the system being tested when the system is deployed in combat.

(e) Impartial Contracted Advisory and Assistance Services.—(1) The Director may not contract with any person for advisory and assistance services with regard to the test and evaluation of a system if that person participated in (or is participating in) the development, production, or testing of such system for a military department or Defense Agency (or for another contractor of the Department of Defense).

(2) The Director may waive the limitation under paragraph (1) in any case if the Director determines in writing that sufficient steps have been taken to ensure the impartiality of the contractor in providing the services. The Inspector General of the Department of Defense shall review each such waiver and shall include in the Inspector General's semi-annual report an assessment of those waivers made since the last such report.

(3)(A) A contractor that has participated in (or is participating in) the development, production, or testing of a system for a military department or Defense Agency (or for another contractor of the Department of Defense) may not be involved (in any way) in the establishment of criteria for data collection, performance assessment, or evaluation activities for the operational test and evaluation.

(B) The limitation in subparagraph (A) does not apply to a contractor that has participated in such development, production, or testing solely in testing for the Federal Government.

(f) Source of Funds for Testing.—The costs for all tests required under subsection (a) shall be paid from funds available for the system being tested.

(g) Director's Annual Report.—As part of the annual report of the Director under section 139 of this title, the Director shall describe for each program covered in the report the status of test and evaluation activities in comparison with the test and evaluation master plan for that program, as approved by the Director. The Director shall include in such annual report a description of each waiver granted under subsection (e)(2) since the last such report.

(h) Operational Test and Evaluation Defined.—In this section, the term "operational test and evaluation" has the meaning given that term in section 139(a)(2)(A) of this title. For purposes of subsection (a), that term does not include an operational assessment based exclusively on—

(1) computer modeling;

(2) simulation; or

(3) an analysis of system requirements, engineering proposals, design specifications, or any other information contained in program documents.

(Added Pub. L. 101–189, div. A, title VIII, §802(a)(1), Nov. 29, 1989, 103 Stat. 1484, §2399; amended Pub. L. 102–484, div. A, title VIII, §819, Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2458; Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title IX, §904(d)(1), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1728; Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title X, §1070(a)(11), (f), Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2856, 2859; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title XV, §1502(a)(19), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 504; Pub. L. 106–65, div. A, title X, §1067(1), Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 774; Pub. L. 107–107, div. A, title X, §1048(b)(2), Dec. 28, 2001, 115 Stat. 1225; Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title X, §1062(a)(9), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2650; Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title X, §1043(b)(14), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1611; Pub. L. 109–364, div. A, title II, §231(a), Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2131; Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title VIII, §814(d), Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4267; Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title XVI, §1677(a), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1774; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title IX, §902(62), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1550; renumbered §4171 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1845(b), 1883(b)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4247, 4294; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(d)(10), (u)(6)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2137, 2154.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1845(b), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(6)(B), renumbered section 2399 of this title as this section.

Subsec. (a)(2)(A). Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(d)(10)(A), struck out "within the meaning of that term in section 3041 of this title" before period at end.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2), substituted "section 3041" for "section 2302(5)".

Subsec. (a)(2)(B). Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(d)(10)(B), which directed the substitution of "under section 4203(a)(1) of this title" for "under" and all that followed through "this title", was not executed in light of the prior amendment by section 1883(b)(2) of Pub. L. 116—283, to reflect the probable intent of Congress. See note below.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2), substituted "section 4203(a)(1)" for "section 2430a(a)(1)".

2019—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 116–92 substituted "Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering," for "Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics,".

2017—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 115–91 substituted ", a covered designated major subprogram, or an element of the ballistic missile defense system" for "or a covered designated major subprogram" and "program, subprogram, or element" for "program or subprogram".

2011—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 111–383 amended subsec. (a) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows:

"(1) The Secretary of Defense shall provide that a major defense acquisition program may not proceed beyond low-rate initial production until initial operational test and evaluation of the program is completed.

"(2) In this subsection, the term 'major defense acquisition program' means a conventional weapons system that—

"(A) is a major system within the meaning of that term in section 2302(5) of this title; and

"(B) is designed for use in combat."

2006—Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 109–364, §231(a)(1), amended par. (2) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (2) read as follows: "The Director shall analyze the results of the operational test and evaluation conducted for each major defense acquisition program. At the conclusion of such testing, the Director shall prepare a report stating the opinion of the Director as to—

"(A) whether the test and evaluation performed were adequate; and

"(B) whether the results of such test and evaluation confirm that the items or components actually tested are effective and suitable for combat."

Subsec. (b)(5), (6). Pub. L. 109–364, §231(a)(2), (3), added par. (5) and redesignated former par. (5) as (6).

2003—Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 108–136 substituted "Operational Test and Evaluation Defined" for "Definitions" in heading, struck out introductory provisions which read "In this section:", substituted "In this section, the term" for "(1) The term", redesignated subpars. (A) to (C) of former par. (1) as pars. (1) to (3), respectively, realigned margins, and struck out former par. (2) which defined "congressional defense committees" to mean the Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

2002—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 107–314 substituted "means a conventional weapons system that" for "means" in introductory provisions and struck out "a conventional weapons system that" before "is a major system" in subpar. (A).

2001—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 107–107 substituted "Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics" for "Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology".

1999—Subsec. (h)(2)(B). Pub. L. 106–65 substituted "Committee on Armed Services" for "Committee on National Security".

1996—Subsec. (h)(2). Pub. L. 104–106 substituted "means—" and subpars. (A) and (B) for "means the Committees on Armed Services and the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and House of Representatives."

1994—Subsecs. (b)(5), (c)(1). Pub. L. 103–337, §1070(a)(11)(A), substituted "139(a)(2)(B)" for "138(a)(2)(B)".

Subsec. (e)(3)(B). Pub. L. 103–337, §1070(f), substituted "solely in testing for" for "solely as a representative of".

Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 103–337, §1070(a)(11)(B), substituted "139" for "138".

Subsec. (h)(1). Pub. L. 103–337, §1070(a)(11)(C), substituted "139(a)(2)(A)" for "138(a)(2)(A)".

1993—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 103–160 substituted "Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology" for "Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition".

1992—Subsec. (e)(3). Pub. L. 102–484 designated existing provisions as subpar. (A) and added subpar. (B).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by section 1701(d)(10) of Pub. L. 117–81 to take effect immediately after the amendments made by title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 have taken effect, see section 1701(a)(3) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by section 1701(u)(6)(B) of Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Termination of Reporting Requirements

For termination, effective Dec. 31, 2021, of provisions in subsec. (g) of this section requiring submittal of annual report to Congress, see section 1061 of Pub. L. 114–328, set out as a note under section 111 of this title.

Enhancements to Transparency in Test and Evaluation Processes and Data

Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title VIII, §839, Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1475, provided that:

"(a) Additional Test and Evaluation Duties of Military Secretaries and Defense Agency Heads.—

"(1) Report on comparison of operational test and evaluation results to legacy items or components.—Concurrent with the submission of a report required under section 2399(b)(2) of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4171(b)(2)], the Secretary of a military department or the head of a Defense Agency may provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] and the Secretary of Defense a report describing of the performance of the items or components evaluated as part of the operational test and evaluation for each major defense acquisition program conducted under such section by the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation in relation to comparable legacy items or components, if such items or components exist and relevant data are available without requiring additional testing.

"(2) Additional report on operational test and evaluation activities.—Within 45 days after the submission of an annual report required by section 139(h) of title 10, United States Code, the Secretaries of the military departments may each submit to the congressional defense committees a report addressing any concerns related to information included in the annual report, or providing updated or additional information, as appropriate.

"(b) Requirements for Collection of Cost Data on Test and Evaluation.—

"(1) In general.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 12, 2017] and subject to paragraph (2), the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, the senior official of the Department of Defense with responsibility for developmental testing, and the Director of the Test Resource Management Center shall jointly develop policies, procedures, guidance, and a method to collect data that ensures that consistent and high quality data are collected on the full range of estimated and actual developmental, live fire, and operational testing costs for major defense acquisition programs.

"(2) Concurrence and coordination required.—Before implementing the policies, procedures, guidance, and method developed under paragraph (1), the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, the senior official of the Department of Defense with responsibility for developmental testing, and the Director of the Test Resource Management Center shall—

"(A) obtain the concurrence of the Director for Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation; and

"(B) coordinate with the Secretaries of the military departments.

"(3) Data requirements.—

"(A) Electronic database.—Data on estimated and actual developmental, live fire, and operational testing costs shall be maintained in an electronic database maintained by the Director for Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation or another appropriate official of the Department of Defense, and shall be made available for analysis by testing, acquisition, and other appropriate officials of the Department of Defense, as determined by the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, the senior official of the Department of Defense with responsibility for developmental testing, or the Director of the Test Resource Management Center.

"(B) Diaggregation [sic] by costs.—To the maximum extent practicable, data collected under this subsection shall be set forth separately by costs for developmental testing, operational testing, and training.

"(c) Major Defense Acquisition Program Defined.—In this section, the term 'major defense acquisition program' has the meaning provided in section 2430 of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4201]."

§4172. Major systems and munitions programs: survivability testing and lethality testing required before full-scale production

(a) Requirements.—(1) The Secretary of Defense shall provide that—

(A) a covered system may not proceed beyond low-rate initial production until realistic survivability testing of the system is completed in accordance with this section and the report required by subsection (d) with respect to that testing is submitted in accordance with that subsection; and

(B) a major munition program or a missile program may not proceed beyond low-rate initial production until realistic lethality testing of the program is completed in accordance with this section and the report required by subsection (d) with respect to that testing is submitted in accordance with that subsection.

(2) The Secretary of Defense shall provide that a covered product improvement program may not proceed beyond low-rate initial production until—

(A) in the case of a product improvement to a covered system, realistic survivability testing is completed in accordance with this section; and

(B) in the case of a product improvement to a major munitions program or a missile program, realistic lethality testing is completed in accordance with this section.

(b) Test Guidelines.—(1) Survivability and lethality tests required under subsection (a) shall be carried out sufficiently early in the development phase of the system or program (including a covered product improvement program) to allow any design deficiency demonstrated by the testing to be corrected in the design of the system, munition, or missile (or in the product modification or upgrade to the system, munition, or missile) before proceeding beyond low-rate initial production.

(2) The costs of all tests required under that subsection shall be paid from funds available for the system being tested.

(c) Waiver Authority.—(1) The Secretary of Defense may waive the application of the survivability and lethality tests of this section to a covered system, munitions program, missile program, or covered product improvement program if the Secretary determines that live-fire testing of such system or program would be unreasonably expensive and impractical and submits a certification of that determination to Congress—

(A) before Milestone B approval for the system or program; or

(B) in the case of a system or program initiated at—

(i) Milestone B, as soon as is practicable after the Milestone B approval; or

(ii) Milestone C, as soon as is practicable after the Milestone C approval.

(2) In the case of a covered system (or covered product improvement program for a covered system), the Secretary may waive the application of the survivability and lethality tests of this section to such system or program and instead allow testing of the system or program in combat by firing munitions likely to be encountered in combat at components, subsystems, and subassemblies, together with performing design analyses, modeling and simulation, and analysis of combat data. Such alternative testing may not be carried out in the case of any covered system (or covered product improvement program for a covered system) unless the Secretary certifies to Congress, before the system or program enters system development and demonstration, that the survivability and lethality testing of such system or program otherwise required by this section would be unreasonably expensive and impracticable.

(3) The Secretary shall include with any certification under paragraph (1) or (2) a report explaining how the Secretary plans to evaluate the survivability or the lethality of the system or program and assessing possible alternatives to realistic survivability testing of the system or program.

(4) In time of war or mobilization, the President may suspend the operation of any provision of this section.

(d) Reporting to Congress.—(1) At the conclusion of survivability or lethality testing under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall submit a report on the testing to the congressional defense committees. Each such report shall describe the results of the survivability or lethality testing and shall give the Secretary's overall assessment of the testing.

(2) If a decision is made within the Department of Defense to proceed to operational use of a system, or to make procurement funds available for a system, before Milestone C approval of that system, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees, as soon as practicable after such decision, the following:

(A) A report describing the status of survivability and live fire testing of that system.

(B) The report required under paragraph (1).

(e) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) The term "covered system" means—

(A) a vehicle, weapon platform, or conventional weapon system that—

(i) includes features designed to provide some degree of protection to users in combat; and

(ii) is a major system as defined in section 3041 of this title; or

(B) any other system or program designated by the Secretary of Defense for purposes of this section.

(2) The term "major munitions program" means—

(A) a munition program for which more than 1,000,000 rounds are planned to be acquired; or

(B) a conventional munitions program that is a major system within the meaning of that term in section 3041 of this title.

(3) The term "realistic survivability testing" means, in the case of a covered system (or a covered product improvement program for a covered system), testing for vulnerability of the system in combat by firing munitions likely to be encountered in combat (or munitions with a capability similar to such munitions) at the system configured for combat, with the primary emphasis on testing vulnerability with respect to potential user casualties and taking into equal consideration the susceptibility to attack and combat performance of the system.

(4) The term "realistic lethality testing" means, in the case of a major munitions program or a missile program (or a covered product improvement program for such a program), testing for lethality by firing the munition or missile concerned at appropriate targets configured for combat.

(5) The term "configured for combat", with respect to a weapon system, platform, or vehicle, means loaded or equipped with all dangerous materials (including all flammables and explosives) that would normally be on board in combat.

(6) The term "covered product improvement program" means a program under which—

(A) a modification or upgrade will be made to a covered system which (as determined by the Secretary of Defense) is likely to affect significantly the survivability of such system; or

(B) a modification or upgrade will be made to a major munitions program or a missile program which (as determined by the Secretary of Defense) is likely to affect significantly the lethality of the munition or missile produced under the program.

(7) The term "Milestone B approval" means a decision to enter into system development and demonstration pursuant to guidance prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for the management of Department of Defense acquisition programs.

(8) The term "Milestone C approval" means a decision to enter into production and deployment pursuant to guidance prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for the management of Department of Defense acquisition programs.

(Added Pub. L. 99–500, §101(c) [title X, §910(a)(1)], Oct. 18, 1986, 100 Stat. 1783–82, 1783-143, and Pub. L. 99–591, §101(c) [title X, §910(a)(1)], Oct. 30, 1986, 100 Stat. 3341–82, 3341-143, §2366; Pub. L. 99–661, div. A, title IX, formerly title IV, §910(a)(1), Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3923, renumbered title IX, Pub. L. 100–26, §3(5), Apr. 21, 1987, 101 Stat. 273; amended Pub. L. 100–180, div. A, title VIII, §802, title XII, §1231(11), Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1123, 1160; Pub. L. 100–456, div. A, title XII, §1233(l)(3), Sept. 29, 1988, 102 Stat. 2058; Pub. L. 101–189, div. A, title VIII, §§802(c)(1)–(4)(A), 804, Nov. 29, 1989, 103 Stat. 1486, 1488; Pub. L. 101–510, div. A, title XIV, §1484(h)(7), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1718; Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title VIII, §828(d)(2), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1715; Pub. L. 103–355, title III, §3014, Oct. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 3332; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title XV, §1502(a)(18), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 504; Pub. L. 106–65, div. A, title X, §1067(1), Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 774; Pub. L. 107–107, div. A, title VIII, §821(a), Dec. 28, 2001, 115 Stat. 1181; Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title VIII, §818, Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2611; Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title X, §1043(b)(13), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1611; Pub. L. 110–417, [div. A], title II, §251(a), (b), Oct. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 4400; renumbered §4172 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1845(b), 1883(b)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4247, 4294; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(6)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2154.)

Editorial Notes

Codification

Pub. L. 99–591 is a corrected version of Pub. L. 99–500.

Pub. L. 99–500, Pub. L. 99–591, and Pub. L. 99–661 added identical sections.

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1845(b), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(6)(B), renumbered section 2366 of this title as this section.

Subsec. (e)(1)(A)(ii), (2)(B). Pub. L. 116–283, §1883(b)(2), substituted "section 3041" for "section 2302(5)".

2008—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 110–417, §251(b), designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2).

Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 110–417, §251(a), amended par. (1) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (1) read as follows: "The term 'covered system' means a vehicle, weapon platform, or conventional weapon system—

"(A) that includes features designed to provide some degree of protection to users in combat; and

"(B) that is a major system within the meaning of that term in section 2302(5) of this title."

2003—Subsec. (e)(7) to (9). Pub. L. 108–136 redesignated pars. (8) and (9) as (7) and (8), respectively, and struck out former par. (7) which read as follows: "The term 'congressional defense committees' means—

"(A) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and

"(B) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives."

2002—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 107–314, §818(a), amended par. (1) generally. Prior to amendment par. (1) read as follows: "The Secretary of Defense may waive the application of the survivability and lethality tests of this section to a covered system, munitions program, missile program, or covered product improvement program if the Secretary, before the system or program enters system development and demonstration, certifies to Congress that live-fire testing of such system or program would be unreasonably expensive and impractical."

Subsec. (e)(8), (9). Pub. L. 107–314, §818(b), added pars. (8) and (9).

2001—Subsec. (c)(1), (2). Pub. L. 107–107 substituted "system development and demonstration" for "engineering and manufacturing development".

1999—Subsec. (e)(7)(B). Pub. L. 106–65 substituted "Committee on Armed Services" for "Committee on National Security".

1996—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 104–106, §1502(a)(18)(A), substituted "the congressional defense committees" for "the Committees on Armed Services and on Appropriations of the Senate and House of Representatives".

Subsec. (e)(7). Pub. L. 104–106, §1502(a)(18)(B), added par. (7).

1994—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 103–355, §3014(a)(2), (b), substituted "engineering and manufacturing development" for "full-scale engineering development" in first sentence and redesignated second sentence as par. (3).

Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 103–355, §3014(a)(1), (3), added par. (2) and redesignated former par. (2) as (4).

Subsec. (c)(3). Pub. L. 103–355, §3014(a)(2), redesignated second sentence of par. (1) as par. (3) and substituted "certification under paragraph (1) or (2)" for "such certification".

Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 103–355, §3014(a)(1), redesignated par. (2) as (4).

1993—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 103–160 substituted "to the Committees on Armed Services and on Appropriations of the Senate and House of Representatives" for "to the defense committees of Congress (as defined in section 2362(e)(3) of this title)".

1990—Subsec. (a)(1)(A), (B). Pub. L. 101–510 made technical correction to directory language of Pub. L. 101–189, §804(a), see 1989 Amendment note below.

1989—Pub. L. 101–189, §802(c)(4)(A), substituted "testing and lethality testing required before full-scale production" for "and lethality testing; operational testing" in section catchline.

Subsec. (a)(1)(A). Pub. L. 101–189, §§802(c)(1)(A), 804(a), as amended by Pub. L. 101–510, substituted "this section and the report required by subsection (d) with respect to that testing is submitted in accordance with that subsection; and" for "this section;".

Subsec. (a)(1)(B). Pub. L. 101–189, §§802(c)(1)(B), 804(a), as amended by Pub. L. 101–510, substituted "this section and the report required by subsection (d) with respect to that testing is submitted in accordance with that subsection." for "this section; and".

Subsec. (a)(1)(C). Pub. L. 101–189, §802(c)(1)(C), struck out subpar. (C) which read as follows: "a major defense acquisition program may not proceed beyond low-rate initial production until initial operational test and evaluation of the program is completed in accordance with this section."

Subsec. (b)(2), (3). Pub. L. 101–189, §802(c)(2), redesignated par. (3) as (2) and struck out former par. (2) which read as follows: "In the case of a major defense acquisition program, no person employed by the contractor for the system being tested may be involved in the conduct of the operational test and evaluation required under subsection (a). The limitation in the preceding sentence does not apply to the extent that the Secretary of Defense plans for persons employed by that contractor to be involved in the operation, maintenance, and support of the system being tested when the system is deployed in combat."

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 101–189, §804(b), inserted at end "Each such report shall describe the results of the survivability or lethality testing and shall give the Secretary's overall assessment of the testing."

Subsec. (e)(3) to (8). Pub. L. 101–189, §802(c)(3), redesignated pars. (4), (5), (6), and (8) as (3), (4), (5), and (6), respectively, and struck out former par. (3) which defined "major defense acquisition program" and former par. (7) which defined "operational test and evaluation".

1988—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 100–456 made technical correction to directory language of Pub. L. 100–180, §802(a)(1)(C). See 1987 Amendment note below.

1987—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100–180, §802(a)(1), as amended by Pub. L. 100–456, designated existing provisions as par. (1), redesignated former pars. (1) to (3) as subpars. (A) to (C), and added par. (2).

Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 100–180, §802(a)(2), inserted "(including a covered product improvement program)" after "system or program" and "(or in the product modification or upgrade to the system, munition, or missile)" after "or missile".

Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 100–180, §802(b), inserted at end "The limitation in the preceding sentence does not apply to the extent that the Secretary of Defense plans for persons employed by that contractor to be involved in the operation, maintenance, and support of the system being tested when the system is deployed in combat."

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 100–180, §802(a)(3), (c), (d)(1), designated existing provisions as par. (1), substituted "missile program, or covered product improvement program" for "or missile program", and inserted at end "The Secretary shall include with any such certification a report explaining how the Secretary plans to evaluate the survivability or the lethality of the system or program and assessing possible alternatives to realistic survivability testing of the system or program."

Pub. L. 100–180, §802(d)(2), designated existing provisions of former subsec. (d) as par. (2) of subsec. (c) and struck out heading of former subsec. (d) "Waiver in time of war or mobilization".

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 100–180, §802(d)(3), added subsec. (d). Former subsec. (d) redesignated subsec. (c)(2).

Subsec. (e)(1)(B). Pub. L. 100–180, §1231(11), substituted "section 2302(5)" for "section 2303(5)".

Subsec. (e)(4). Pub. L. 100–180, §802(a)(4)(A), (e), inserted "(or a covered product improvement program for a covered system)" after "covered system", struck out "and survivability" after "for vulnerability", and substituted "susceptibility to attack" for "operational requirements".

Subsec. (e)(5). Pub. L. 100–180, §802(a)(4)(B), inserted "(or a covered product improvement program for such a program)" after "missile program".

Subsec. (e)(8). Pub. L. 100–180, §802(a)(4)(C), added par. (8).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Effective Date of 1988 Amendment

Pub. L. 100–456, div. A, title XII, §1233(l)(5), Sept. 29, 1988, 102 Stat. 2058, provided that: "The amendments made by this subsection [amending this section and sections 4214 and 8855 of this title and section 301c of Title 37, Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services] shall apply as if included in the enactment of Public Law 100–180."

Effective Date

Pub. L. 99–500, §101(c) [title X, §910(b)], Oct. 18, 1986, 100 Stat. 1783–82, 1783-145, Pub. L. 99–591, §101(c) [title X, §910(b)], Oct. 30, 1986, 100 Stat. 3341–82, 3341-145, and Pub. L. 99–661, div. A, title IX, formerly title IV, §910(b), Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3924, renumbered title IX, Pub. L. 100–26, §3(5), Apr. 21, 1987, 101 Stat. 273, provided that: "Section 2366 of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4172] (as added by subsection (a)), shall apply with respect to any decision to proceed with a program beyond low-rate initial production that is made—

"(1) after May 31, 1987, in the case of a decision referred to in subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2) of such section; or

"(2) after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 18, 1986], in the case of a decision referred to in subsection (a)(3) of such section."

Consideration of Lethality in the Analysis of Alternatives for Munitions

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title II, §242, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 208, provided that:

"(a) Analysis of Alternatives Review.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that lethality is considered in any analysis of alternatives conducted prior to issuing a capability development document for purposes of procuring any new munition or modifying an existing munition.

"(b) Consideration of Energetic Materials.—In assessing the lethality of a munition for purposes of the analysis of alternatives described under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall include the margin of effectiveness, increased system capacities, and cost implications afforded by the potential use of novel or alternative energetic materials in the munition to achieve increased explosive effects.

"(c) Energetic Materials Defined.—In this section, the term 'energetic materials' means critical chemicals that—

"(1) release large amounts of energy in a short amount of time; and

"(2) are capable of being used in explosives that create lethal effects in warheads."

Pilot Program on Incorporation of the CL20 Compound in Certain Weapon Systems

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title II, §243, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 209, provided that:

"(a) Pilot Program Required.—The Secretary of Defense shall carry out a pilot program under which the Secretary incorporates the CL20 compound as the energetic material for the main fill in the warheads or propellants of three weapon systems under development by the Department of Defense for the purpose of determining cost, schedule, and lethality performance parameters for such systems.

"(b) Selection of Weapon Systems.—Each of the three weapon systems selected under subsection (a) shall be a weapon system that does not, as of the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 22, 2023], already incorporate the CL20 compound as the energetic material for the main fill in the warhead or propellant of the system.

"(c) Timeline for Integration.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that the CL20 energetic compound is integrated into each weapon system selected under subsection (a) by not later than three years after the date of the enactment of this Act.

"(d) Briefing.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on progress of the Secretary in carrying out the pilot program under this section, including—

"(1) identification of the weapon systems selected by the Secretary under subsection (a);

"(2) with respect to each such weapon system, identification of—

"(A) a timeline for incorporating the CL20 energetic compound into such weapon system;

"(B) the organization within the Department of Defense responsible for carrying out activities under the pilot program for such weapon system; and

"(C) any locations at which testing associated with such weapon system under the program is expected to be carried out; and

"(3) the baseline cost, schedule, and lethality objectives that will be used to evaluate the performance of weapon systems under the program.

"(e) Definitions.—In this section, the term 'energetic material' means critical chemicals and formulations that—

"(1) release large amounts of stored chemical energy; and

"(2) are capable of being used as explosives, propellants, pyrotechnics, and reactive materials that—

"(A) create lethal effects in warheads in kinetic weapons components and systems; or

"(B) increase propellant performance in a weapon propulsion system as related to lethal effects, range, or speed."

Development and Implementation of Digital Technologies for Survivability and Lethality Testing

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, §223, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1601, provided that:

"(a) Expansion of Survivability and Lethality Testing.—

"(1) In general.—The Secretary, in coordination with covered officials, shall—

"(A) expand the survivability and lethality testing of covered systems to include testing against non-kinetic threats; and

"(B) develop digital technologies to test such systems against such threats throughout the life cycle of each such system.

"(2) Development of digital technologies for live fire testing.—

"(A) In general.—The Secretary, in coordination with covered officials, shall develop—

"(i) digital technologies to enable the modeling and simulation of the live fire testing required under section 2366 of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4172]; and

"(ii) a process to use data from physical live fire testing to inform and refine the digital technologies described in clause (i).

"(B) Objectives.—In carrying out subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall seek to achieve the following objectives:

"(i) Enable assessments of full spectrum survivability and lethality of each covered system with respect to kinetic and non-kinetic threats.

"(ii) Inform the development and refinement of digital technology to test and improve covered systems.

"(iii) Enable survivability and lethality assessments of the warfighting capabilities of a covered system with respect to—

     "(I) communications;

     "(II) firepower;

     "(III) mobility;

     "(IV) catastrophic survivability; and

     "(V) lethality.

"(C) Demonstration activities.—

"(i) In general.—The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall carry out activities to demonstrate the digital technologies for full spectrum survivability testing developed under subparagraph (A).

"(ii) Program selection.—The Secretary shall assess and select not fewer than three and not more than ten programs of the Department to participate in the demonstration activities required under clause (i).

"(iii) Armed forces programs.—Of the programs selected pursuant to clause (ii), the Director shall select—

     "(I) at least one such program from the Army;

     "(II) at least one such program from the Navy or the Marine Corps; and

     "(III) at least one such program from the Air Force or the Space Force.

"(3) Regular survivability and lethality testing throughout life cycle.—

"(A) In general.—The Secretary, in coordination with covered officials, shall—

"(i) develop a process to regularly test through the use of digital technologies the survivability and lethality of each covered system against kinetic and non-kinetic threats throughout the life cycle of such system as threats evolve; and

"(ii) establish guidance for such testing.

"(B) Elements.—In carrying out subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall determine the following:

"(i) When to deploy digital technologies to provide timely and up-to-date insights with respect to covered systems without unduly delaying fielding of capabilities.

"(ii) The situations in which it may be necessary to develop and use digital technologies to assess legacy fleet vulnerabilities.

"(b) Reports and Briefing.—

"(1) Assessment and selection of programs.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2021], the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report that identifies the programs selected to participate in the demonstration activities under subsection (a)(2)(C).

"(2) Modernization and digitization report.—

"(A) In general.—Not later than March 15, 2023, the Director shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report that includes—

"(i) an assessment of the progress of the Secretary in carrying out subsection (a);

"(ii) an assessment of each of the demonstration activities carried out under subsection (a)(2)(C), including a comparison of—

     "(I) the risks, benefits, and costs of using digital technologies for live fire testing and evaluation; and

     "(II) the risks, benefits, and costs of traditional physical live fire testing approaches that—

"(aa) are not supported by digital technologies;

"(bb) do not include testing against non-kinetic threats; and

"(cc) do not include full spectrum survivability;

"(iii) an explanation of—

     "(I) how real-world operational and digital survivability and lethality testing data will be used to inform and enhance digital technology;

     "(II) the contribution of such data to the digital modernization efforts required under section 836 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283) [10 U.S.C. 3101 note]; and

     "(III) the contribution of such data to the decision-support processes for managing and overseeing acquisition programs of the Department;

"(iv) an assessment of the ability of the Department to perform full spectrum survivability and lethality testing of each covered system with respect to kinetic and non-kinetic threats;

"(v) an assessment of the processes implemented by the Department to manage digital technologies developed pursuant to subsection (a); and

"(vi) an assessment of the processes implemented by the Department to develop digital technology that can perform full spectrum survivability and lethality testing with respect to kinetic and non-kinetic threats.

"(B) Briefing.—Not later than April 14, 2023, the Director shall provide to the congressional defense committees a briefing that identifies any changes to existing law that may be necessary to implement subsection (a).

"(c) Definitions.—In this section:

"(1) The term 'covered officials' means—

"(A) the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering;

"(B) the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment;

"(C) the Chief Information Officer;

"(D) the Director;

"(E) the Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation;

"(F) the Service Acquisition Executives;

"(G) the Service testing commands;

"(H) the Director of the Defense Digital Service; and

"(I) representatives from—

"(i) the Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center;

"(ii) the High Performance Computing Modernization Program Office; and

"(iii) the Joint Technical Coordination Group for Munitions Effectiveness.

"(2) The term 'covered system' means any warfighting capability that can degrade, disable, deceive, or destroy forces or missions.

"(3) The term 'Department' means the Department of Defense.

"(4) The term 'digital technologies' includes digital models, digital simulations, and digital twin capabilities that may be used to test the survivability and lethality of a covered system.

"(5) The term 'Director' means the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation.

"(6) The term 'full spectrum survivability and lethality testing' means a series of assessments of the effects of kinetic and non-kinetic threats on the communications, firepower, mobility, catastrophic survivability, and lethality of a covered system.

"(7) The term 'non-kinetic threats' means unconventional threats, including—

"(A) cyber attacks;

"(B) electromagnetic spectrum operations;

"(C) chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear effects and high yield explosives; and

"(D) directed energy weapons.

"(8) The term 'Secretary' means the Secretary of Defense."

§4173. Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center

(a) Establishment as Department of Defense Field Activity.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish within the Department of Defense under section 191 of this title a Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center (hereinafter in this section referred to as the "Center"). The Secretary shall designate the Center as a Department of Defense Field Activity.

(b) Director and Deputy Director.—(1) At the head of the Center shall be a Director, selected by the Secretary from among individuals who have substantial experience in the field of test and evaluation.

(2) There shall be a Deputy Director of the Center, selected by the Secretary from among individuals who have substantial experience in the field of test and evaluation. The Deputy Director shall act for, and exercise the powers of, the Director when the Director is disabled or the position of Director is vacant.

(c) Duties of Director.—(1) The Director shall have the following duties:

(A) To review and provide oversight of proposed Department of Defense budgets and expenditures for—

(i) the test and evaluation facilities and resources of the Major Range and Test Facility Base of the Department of Defense; and

(ii) all other test and evaluation facilities and resources within and outside of the Department of Defense, other than budgets and expenditures for activities described in section 139(j) of this title.

(B) To review proposed significant changes to the test and evaluation facilities and resources of the Major Range and Test Facility Base, including with respect to the expansion, divestment, consolidation, or curtailment of activities, before they are implemented by the Secretaries of the military departments or the heads of the Defense Agencies with test and evaluation responsibilities and advise the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering of the impact of such changes on the adequacy of such test and evaluation facilities and resources to meet the test and evaluation requirements of the Department.

(C) To complete and maintain the quadrennial strategic plan required by subsection (d).

(D) To review proposed budgets under subsection (e) and submit reports and certifications required by such subsection.

(E) To administer the Central Test and Evaluation Investment Program and the program of the Department of Defense for test and evaluation science and technology.

(2) The Director shall have access to such records and data of the Department of Defense (including the appropriate records and data of each military department and Defense Agency) that are necessary in order to carry out the duties of the Director under this section.

(d) Quadrennial Strategic Plan for Department of Defense Test and Evaluation Resources.—(1) Not less often than once every four fiscal years, and within one year after release of the National Defense Strategy, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, in coordination with the Director of the Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center, the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Secretaries of the military departments, and the heads of Defense Agencies with test and evaluation responsibilities, shall complete a quadrennial strategic plan reflecting the future needs of the Department of Defense with respect to test and evaluation facilities and resources. Each quadrennial strategic plan shall cover the period of thirty fiscal years beginning with the fiscal year in which the plan is submitted under paragraph (3). The quadrennial strategic plan shall be based on a comprehensive review of both funded and unfunded test and evaluation requirements of the Department, future threats to national security, and the adequacy of the test and evaluation facilities and resources of the Department to meet those future requirements and threats.

(2) The quadrennial strategic plan shall include the following:

(A) An assessment of the test and evaluation requirements of the Department for the period covered by the plan.

(B) An identification of performance measures associated with the successful achievement of test and evaluation objectives for the period covered by the plan.

(C) An assessment of the test and evaluation facilities and resources that will be needed to meet current and future requirements for test and evaluation of the Department of Defense major weapon systems based on current and emerging threats.

(D) An assessment of the current state of the test and evaluation facilities and resources of the Department.

(E) An assessment of plans and business case analyses supporting any significant modification of the test and evaluation facilities and resources of the Department projected, proposed, or recommended by the Secretary of a military department or the head of a Defense Agency for such period, including with respect to the expansion, divestment, consolidation, or curtailment of activities.

(F) An itemization of acquisitions, upgrades, and improvements necessary to ensure that the test and evaluation facilities and resources of the Department are adequate to meet such requirements and satisfy such performance measures.

(G) An assessment of the budgetary resources necessary to implement such acquisitions, upgrades, and improvements.

(3) Upon completing a quadrennial strategic plan under paragraph (1), the Director shall submit to the Secretary of Defense a report on that plan. The report shall include the plan and a description of the review on which the plan is based.

(4) Not later than 60 days after the date on which the report is submitted under paragraph (3), the Secretary of Defense shall transmit to the Committee on Armed Services and Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services and Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives the report, together with any comments with respect to the report that the Secretary considers appropriate.

(5)(A) In addition to the quadrennial strategic plan completed under paragraph (1), the Director of the Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center shall also complete an annual update to the quadrennial strategic plan.

(B) Each annual update completed under subparagraph (A) shall include the following:

(i) A summary of changes to the assessment provided in the most recent quadrennial strategic plan.

(ii) Comments and recommendations the Director considers appropriate.

(iii) Test and evaluation challenges raised since the completion of the most recent quadrennial strategic plan.

(iv) Actions taken or planned to address such challenges.

(e) Certification of Budgets.—(1) The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), shall require that the Secretary of each military department and the head of each Defense Agency with test and evaluation responsibilities transmit such Secretary's or Defense Agency head's proposed budget for test and evaluation activities, including modeling and simulation activities, for a fiscal year and for the period covered by the future-years defense program submitted to Congress under section 221 of this title for that fiscal year to the Director of the Center for review under paragraph (2) before submitting such proposed budget to the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller).

(2)(A) The Director of the Center shall review each proposed budget transmitted under paragraph (1) and shall, not later than January 31 of the year preceding the fiscal year for which such budgets are proposed, submit to the Secretary of Defense a report containing the comments of the Director with respect to all such proposed budgets, together with the certification of the Director as to whether such proposed budgets are adequate.

(B) The Director shall also submit, together with such report and such certification, an additional certification as to whether such proposed budgets provide balanced support for such quadrennial strategic plan.

(3) The Secretary of Defense shall, not later than March 31 of the year preceding the fiscal year for which such budgets are proposed, submit to Congress a report on those proposed budgets which the Director has not certified under paragraph (2)(A) to be adequate. The report shall include the following matters:

(A) A discussion of the actions that the Secretary proposes to take, together with any recommended legislation that the Secretary considers appropriate, to address the inadequacy of the proposed budgets.

(B) Any additional comments that the Secretary considers appropriate regarding the inadequacy of the proposed budgets.

(f) Approval of Certain Modifications.—(1) The Secretary of a military department or the head of a Defense Agency with test and evaluation responsibilities may not implement a projected, proposed, or recommended significant modification of the test and evaluation facilities and resources of the Department, including with respect to the expansion, divestment, consolidation, or curtailment of activities, until—

(A) the Secretary or the head, as the case may be, submits to the Director a business case analysis for such modification; and

(B) the Director reviews such analysis and approves such modification.

(2) The Director shall submit to the Secretary of Defense an annual report containing the comments of the Director with respect to each business case analysis reviewed under paragraph (1)(B) during the year covered by the report.

(g) Supervision of Director by Under Secretary.—The Director of the Center shall be subject to the supervision of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. The Director shall report directly to the Under Secretary, without the interposition of any other supervising official.

(h) Administrative Support of Center.—The Secretary of Defense shall provide the Director with administrative support adequate for carrying out the Director's responsibilities under this section. The Secretary shall provide the support out of the headquarters activities of the Department or any other activities that the Secretary considers appropriate.

(i) Definition.—In this section, the term "Major Range and Test Facility Base" means the test and evaluation facilities and resources that are designated by the Secretary of Defense as facilities and resources comprising the Major Range and Test Facility Base.

(Added Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title II, §231(a)(1), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2487, §196; amended Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title II, §212, Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1416; Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title II, §258(a), title IX, §902, Jan. 6, 2006, 119 Stat. 3185, 3397; Pub. L. 111–84, div. A, title II, §251, Oct. 28, 2009, 123 Stat. 2241; Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title II, §214, Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3326; Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title V, §502(c), title X, §1081(a)(3), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2102, 2417; Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title II, §222, Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1333; Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, §221, title IX, §904, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1681, 1922; renumbered §4173 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, §272, title XVIII, §1845(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3502, 4247; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title X, §1081(a)(5), title XVII, §1701(u)(6)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1919, 2154.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1845(b), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(6)(B), renumbered section 196 of this title as this section.

Subsec. (c)(1)(C). Pub. L. 116–283, §272(a)(1), inserted "quadrennial" before "strategic plan".

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 117–81, §1081(a)(5), substituted "National Defense Strategy," for "National Defense Strategy,,".

Pub. L. 116–283, §272(a)(2), inserted "Quadrennial" before "Strategic Plan" in heading and "quadrennial" before "strategic plan" wherever appearing in text.

Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 116–283, §272(e), which directed substitution of "Test Resource Management Center" for "Test Resources Management Center" in subsec. (d)(1) "of such", was executed by making substitution to "such section", meaning subsec. (d)(1) of this section, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

Pub. L. 116–283, §272(b), substituted "four fiscal years, and within one year after release of the National Defense Strategy," for "two fiscal years" in first sentence.

Subsec. (d)(2)(C). Pub. L. 116–283, §272(c), substituted "for test and evaluation of the Department of Defense major weapon systems based on current and emerging threats." for "based on current and emerging threats and satisfy such performance measures."

Subsec. (d)(5). Pub. L. 116–283, §272(d), added par. (5).

Subsec. (e)(2)(B). Pub. L. 116–283, §272(a)(1), inserted "quadrennial" before "strategic plan".

2018—Subsec. (c)(1)(B). Pub. L. 115–232, §904, which directed substitution of "Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering" for "Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics", was executed by making the substitution for "Under Secretary of Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics" to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 115–232, §221(1), amended par. (1) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (1) read as follows: "Not less often than once every two fiscal years, the Director, in coordination with the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, the Secretaries of the military departments, and the heads of Defense Agencies with test and evaluation responsibilities, shall complete a strategic plan reflecting the needs of the Department of Defense with respect to test and evaluation facilities and resources, including modeling and simulation capabilities. Each such strategic plan shall cover the period of ten fiscal years beginning with the fiscal year in which the plan is submitted under paragraph (3). The strategic plan shall be based on a comprehensive review of the test and evaluation requirements of the Department and the adequacy of the test and evaluation facilities and resources of the Department to meet those requirements."

Subsec. (d)(2)(C). Pub. L. 115–232, §221(2), substituted "needed to meet current and future requirements based on current and emerging threats" for "needed to meet such requirements".

Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 115–232, §904, substituted "Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering" for "Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics".

2017—Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 115–91, §222(1), inserted ", including modeling and simulation capabilities" after "and resources" in the first sentence.

Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 115–91, §222(2), inserted ", including modeling and simulation activities," after "evaluation activities".

2016—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 114–328, §502(c), struck out second and third sentences which read as follows: "A commissioned officer serving as the Director, while so serving, holds the grade of lieutenant general or, in the case of an officer of the Navy, vice admiral. A civilian officer or employee serving as the Director, while so serving, has a pay level equivalent in grade to lieutenant general."

Subsec. (c)(1)(A)(ii). Pub. L. 114–328, §1081(a)(3), substituted "section 139(j)" for "section 139(i)".

2014—Subsec. (c)(1)(B). Pub. L. 113–291, §214(a), inserted ", including with respect to the expansion, divestment, consolidation, or curtailment of activities," after "Base".

Subsec. (d)(2)(E) to (G). Pub. L. 113–291, §214(b), added subpar. (E) and redesignated former subpars. (E) and (F) as (F) and (G), respectively.

Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 113–291, §214(c), inserted "and for the period covered by the future-years defense program submitted to Congress under section 221 of this title for that fiscal year" after "activities for a fiscal year".

Subsecs. (f) to (i). Pub. L. 113–291, §214(d), added subsec. (f) and redesignated former subsecs. (f) to (h) as (g) to (i), respectively.

2009—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 111–84 inserted par. (1) designation before "The Director", redesignated former par. (1) as subpar. (A) and former subpars. (A) and (B) as cl. (i) and (ii), respectively, of subpar. (A), added subpar. (B), redesignated former pars. (2) to (4) as subpars. (C) to (E), respectively, and added par. (2).

2006—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 109–163, §902(a), substituted "individuals who have substantial experience in the field of test and evaluation." for "commissioned officers of the armed forces on active duty or from among senior civilian officers and employees of the Department of Defense."

Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 109–163, §902(b), substituted "individuals" for "senior civilian officers and employees of the Department of Defense".

Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 109–163, §258(a), substituted "Secretary of Defense" for "Director of Operational Test and Evaluation".

2003—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 108–136, §212(a), substituted "on active duty or from among senior civilian officers and employees of the Department of Defense. A commissioned officer serving as the Director" for "on active duty. The Director" and inserted at end "A civilian officer or employee serving as the Director, while so serving, has a pay level equivalent in grade to lieutenant general."

Subsec. (c)(1)(B). Pub. L. 108–136, §212(b)(1), inserted ", other than budgets and expenditures for activities described in section 139(i) of this title" after "Department of Defense".

Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 108–136, §212(b)(2), struck out ", the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation," after "each military department" and substituted "or Defense Agency head's" for ", Director's, or head's".

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by section 1845(b) of Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Termination of Reporting Requirements

For termination, effective Dec. 31, 2021, of provisions in subsecs. (d)(1), (4) and (e)(3) of this section requiring submittal of report to Congress, see section 1061 of Pub. L. 114–328, set out as a note under section 111 of this title.

Protection of Major Range and Test Facility Base

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVI, §1686, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2126, provided that: "The Secretary of Defense may authorize, consistent with the authorities of the Secretary, such actions as are necessary to mitigate threats posed by space-based assets to the security or operation of the Major Range and Test Facility Base (as defined in section 196(i) of title 10, United States Code) [now 10 U.S.C. 4173(i)]."

§4174. Contracts: acquisition, construction, or furnishing of test facilities and equipment

(a) A contract of a military department for research or development, or both, may provide for the acquisition or construction by, or furnishing to, the contractor, of research, developmental, or test facilities and equipment that the Secretary of the military department concerned determines to be necessary for the performance of the contract. The acquisition or construction of these research, developmental, or test facilities shall be subject to the cost principles applicable to allowable contract expenses. The facilities and equipment, and specialized housing for them, may be acquired or constructed at the expense of the United States, and may be lent or leased to the contractor with or without reimbursement, or may be sold to him at fair value. This subsection does not authorize new construction or improvements having general utility. The Secretary of Defense and the Secretaries of the military departments shall promulgate regulations necessary to give full force and effect to this section.

(b) Facilities that would not be readily removable or separable without unreasonable expense or unreasonable loss of value may not be installed or constructed under this section on property not owned by the United States, unless the contract contains—

(1) a provision for reimbursing the United States for the fair value of the facilities at the completion or termination of the contract or within a reasonable time thereafter;

(2) an option in the United States to acquire the underlying land; or

(3) an alternative provision that the Secretary concerned considers to be adequate to protect the interests of the United States in the facilities.

(c) Proceeds of sales or reimbursements under this section shall be paid into the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts, except to the extent otherwise authorized by law with respect to property acquired by the contractor.

(Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 134, §2353; Pub. L. 115–232, div. B, title XXVIII, §2801, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2260; renumbered §4174 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1844(b)(1), 1845(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4245, 4247; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(5)(B), (6)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2154.)

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised section	Source (U.S. Code)	Source (Statutes at Large)
2353(a)	5:235e (1st sentence; and 2d sentence, less 2d and last provisos). 5:475j (1st sentence; and 2d sentence, less 2d and last provisos).	July 16, 1952, ch. 882, §4 (less 3d and last sentences), 66 Stat. 725.
	5:628e (1st sentence; and 2d sentence, less 2d and last provisos).
2353(b)	5:235e (2d proviso of 2d sentence).
	5:475j (2d proviso of 2d sentence).
	5:628e (2d proviso of 2d sentence).
2353(c)	5:235e (last proviso of 2d sentence).
	5:475j (last proviso of 2d sentence).
	5:628e (last proviso of 2d sentence).

In subsection (a), the words "furnished to" and "for the use thereof" are omitted as surplusage.

In subsections (a) and (b), the words "United States" are substituted for the word "Government".

In subsection (b), the introductory clause is substituted for 5:235e (words of 2d proviso before clause (1)), 475j, and 628e. The words "that * * * considers" are substituted for the words "as will in the opinion". The words "an alternative" are substituted for the words "such other".

In subsection (c), the words "Proceeds of" are substituted for the words "That all moneys arising from".

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1845(b), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(6)(B), renumbered section 2353 of this title as this section.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1844(b)(1), which directed the renumbering of section 2353 of this title as section 4141 instead of this section, was repealed by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(5)(B).

2018—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115–232 inserted after first sentence "The acquisition or construction of these research, developmental, or test facilities shall be subject to the cost principles applicable to allowable contract expenses." and at end "The Secretary of Defense and the Secretaries of the military departments shall promulgate regulations necessary to give full force and effect to this section."

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Limitations on Modifications of Certain Government-Furnished Equipment; One-Time Authority To Transfer a Certain Military Prototype

Pub. L. 111–84, div. A, title X, §1043, Oct. 28, 2009, 123 Stat. 2456, as amended by Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title X, §1075(d)(12), Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4373, provided that:

"(a) Limitation.—An article of military equipment that is an end item of a major weapon system may not be furnished or transferred to a private entity for the conduct of research, development, test and evaluation under contractual agreement with the Department of Defense, if such research, development, test, and evaluation necessitates significantly modifying the military equipment, until the senior acquisition official of a military department, or his designee, submits to the congressional defense committees certification in writing—

"(1) that the modification of such article of military equipment is necessary to execute the contractual scope of work and there is no suitable alternative to modifying such article;

"(2) that the research, development, test, and evaluation effort is of sufficient interest to the military department to warrant the modification of such article of military equipment;

"(3) that—

"(A) prior to the end of the period of performance of such a contractual agreement, the article of military equipment will be restored to its original condition; or

"(B) it is not necessary to restore the article of military equipment to its original condition because the military department intends to dispose of the equipment or operate the equipment in its modified form.

"(4) that the private entity has sufficient resources and capability to fully perform the contractual research, development, test, and evaluation; and

"(5) that the military department has—

"(A) identified the scope of future test and evaluation likely to be required prior to transition of the associated technology to a program of record; and

"(B) a plan for the conduct of such future test and evaluation, including the anticipated roles and responsibilities of government and the private entity, as applicable.

"(b) Certification.—No military equipment that is an end item of a major weapons system may be transferred or furnished to a private entity for purposes of research and development as authorized under subsection (a) unless the senior officer of the military service concerned certifies to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] that such equipment is not essential to the defense of the United States.

"(c) One-time Authority to Transfer.—The Secretary of the Navy may transfer, to Piasecki Aircraft Corporation of Essington, Pennsylvania (in this section referred to as 'transferee'), all right, title, and interest of the United States, except as otherwise provided in this subsection, in and to Navy aircraft N40VT (Bureau Number 163283), also known as the X–49A aircraft, and associated components and test equipment, previously specified as Government-furnished equipment in contract N00019–00–C–0284. The transferee shall provide consideration for the transfer of such military equipment to the transferor of an amount not to exceed fair value, as determined, on a non-delegable basis, by the Secretary.

"(d) Applicable Law.—The transfer or use of military equipment is subject to all applicable Federal and State laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the Arms Export Control Act [22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.], the Export Administration Act of 1979 [50 U.S.C. 4601 et seq.], continued under Executive Order 12924 [listed in a table under 50 U.S.C. 1701], International Traffic in Arms Regulations (22 C.F.R. 120 et seq.), Export Administration Regulations (15 C.F.R. 730 et seq.), Foreign Assets Control Regulations (31 C.F.R. 500 et seq.), and the Espionage Act [act June 15, 1917, ch. 30, 40 Stat. 217, see Tables for classification].

"(e) Condition of Equipment to Be Transferred.—

"(1) As-is condition.—The military equipment transferred under subsection (c) shall be transferred in its current 'as-is' condition. The Secretary is not required to repair or alter the condition of any military equipment before transferring any interest in such equipment under subsection (c).

"(2) Spare parts or equipment.—The Secretary of the Navy is not required to provide spare parts or equipment as a result of the transfer authorized under subsection (c).

"(f) Transfer at No Cost to the United States.—The transfer of military equipment under subsection (c) shall be made at no cost to the United States. Any costs associated with the transfer shall be borne by the transferee.

"(g) Additional Terms and Conditions.—The Secretary shall require that the transfer authorized by section (c) be carried out by means of a written agreement and shall require, at a minimum, the following conditions to the transfer:

"(1) A condition stipulating that the transfer of the X-49A aircraft is for the sole purpose of further development, test, and evaluation of vectored thrust ducted propeller (hereinafter in this section referred to as 'VTDP') technology.

"(2) A condition providing the Government the right to procure the VTDP technology demonstrated under this program at a discounted cost based on the value of the X-49A aircraft and associated equipment at the time of transfer, with such valuation and terms determined by the Secretary.

"(3) A condition that the transferee not transfer any interest in, or transfer possession of, the military equipment transferred under subsection (b) to any other party without the prior written approval of the Secretary.

"(4) A condition that if the Secretary determines at any time that the transferee has failed to comply with a condition set forth in paragraphs (1) through (3), all items referred to in subsection (b) shall be transferred back to the Navy, at no cost to the United States.

"(5) A condition that the transferee acknowledges sole responsibility of the X-49A aircraft and associated equipment and assumes all liability for operation of the X-49A aircraft and associated equipment.

"(h) No Liability for the United States.—Upon the transfer of military equipment under subsection (b), the United States shall not be liable for any death, injury, loss, or damage that results from the use of such military equipment by any person other than the United States.

"(i) Additional Terms and Conditions.—The Secretary may require such additional terms and conditions in connection with a transfer under subsection (b) as the Secretary considers appropriate to protect the interests of the United States.

"(j) Definitions.—In this subsection:

"(1) The term 'major system' has the meaning provided in section 2302 of title 10, United States Code [see 10 U.S.C. 3041(a), (b)].

"(2) The term 'contractual agreement' includes contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and other transactions."

§4175. Use of test and evaluation installations by commercial entities

(a) Contract Authority.—The Secretary of Defense may enter into contracts with commercial entities that desire to conduct commercial test and evaluation activities at a Major Range and Test Facility Installation.

(b) Termination or Limitation of Contract Under Certain Circumstances.—A contract entered into under subsection (a) shall contain a provision that the Secretary of Defense may terminate, prohibit, or suspend immediately any commercial test or evaluation activity to be conducted at the Major Range and Test Facility Installation under the contract if the Secretary of Defense certifies in writing that the test or evaluation activity is or would be detrimental—

(1) to the public health and safety;

(2) to property (either public or private); or

(3) to any national security interest or foreign policy interest of the United States.

(c) Contract Price.—A contract entered into under subsection (a) shall include a provision that requires a commercial entity using a Major Range and Test Facility Installation under the contract to reimburse the Department of Defense for all direct costs to the United States that are associated with the test and evaluation activities conducted by the commercial entity under the contract. In addition, the contract may include a provision that requires the commercial entity to reimburse the Department of Defense for such indirect costs related to the use of the installation as the Secretary of Defense considers to be appropriate. The Secretary may delegate to the commander of the Major Range and Test Facility Installation the authority to determine the appropriateness of the amount of indirect costs included in such a contract provision.

(d) Retention of Funds Collected From Commercial Users.—Amounts collected under subsection (c) from a commercial entity conducting test and evaluation activities at a Major Range and Test Facility Installation shall be credited to the appropriation accounts under which the costs associated with the test and evaluation activities of the commercial entity were incurred.

(e) Regulations and Limitations.—The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section.

(f) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) The term "Major Range and Test Facility Installation" means a test and evaluation installation under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense and designated as a Major Range and Test Facility Installation by the Secretary.

(2) The term "direct costs" includes the cost of—

(A) labor, material, facilities, utilities, equipment, supplies, and any other resources damaged or consumed during test or evaluation activities or maintained for a particular commercial entity; and

(B) construction specifically performed for a commercial entity to conduct test and evaluation activities.

(Added Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title VIII, §846(a), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1722, §2681; amended Pub. L. 105–85, div. A, title VIII, §842, Nov. 18, 1997, 111 Stat. 1844; Pub. L. 105–261, div. A, title VIII, §820, Oct. 17, 1998, 112 Stat. 2090; renumbered §4175 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§1844(b)(1), 1845(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4245, 4247; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, §1701(u)(5)(B), (6)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2154.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, §1845(b), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(6)(B), renumbered section 2681 of this title as this section.

Pub. L. 116–283, §1844(b)(1), which directed the renumbering of section 2681 of this title as section 4144 of this title instead of this section, was repealed by Pub. L. 117–81, §1701(u)(5)(B).

1998—Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 105–261, §820(a), struck out heading and text of subsec. (g). Text read as follows: "The authority provided to the Secretary of Defense by subsection (a) shall terminate on September 30, 2002."

Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 105–261, §820(b), struck out heading and text of subsec. (h). Text read as follows: "Not later than March 1, 1998, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on National Security of the House of Representatives a report identifying existing and proposed procedures to ensure that the use of Major Range and Test Facility Installations by commercial entities does not compete with private sector test and evaluation services."

1997—Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 105–85, §842(a), substituted "2002" for "1998".

Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 105–85, §842(b), amended subsec. (h) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (h) read as follows:

"(h) Report.—Not later than January 1, 1998, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report describing the number and purposes of contracts entered into under subsection (a) and evaluating the extent to which the authority under this section is exercised to open Major Range and Test Facility Installations to commercial test and evaluation activities."

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.