Us Code § 4027 - Disclosure requirements for recipients of research and development funds

§ 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provided in part that chapter 139 of this title, in which chapter section 2374b of this title had been located, was repealed.]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.)."