Us Code § 4403 - Requirements relating to availability of major system interfaces and support for modular open system approach

§ 4403. Requirements relating to availability of major system interfaces and support for modular open system approach

The Secretary of each military department shall—

(1) coordinate with the other military departments, the defense agencies, defense and other private sector entities, national standards-setting organizations, and, when appropriate, with elements of the intelligence community with respect to the specification, identification, development, and maintenance of major system interfaces and standards for use in major system platforms, where practicable;

(2) ensure that major system interfaces incorporate commercial standards and other widely supported consensus-based standards that are validated, published, and maintained by recognized standards organizations to the maximum extent practicable;

(3) ensure that sufficient systems engineering and development expertise and resources are available to support the use of a modular open system approach in requirements development and acquisition program planning;

(4) ensure that necessary planning, programming, and budgeting resources are provided to specify, identify, develop, and sustain the modular open system approach, associated major system interfaces, systems integration, and any additional program activities necessary to sustain innovation and interoperability;

(5) ensure that adequate training in the use of a modular open system approach is provided to members of the requirements and acquisition workforce; and

(6) issue guidance to implement the requirements of this section.

(Added Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title VIII, §805(a)(1), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2255, §2446c; amended Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title VIII, §840(b), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1499; renumbered §4403, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1851(b)(1), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4272.)

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

Prior sections 4411 to 4414 were renumbered sections 7481 to 7484 of this title, respectively.

A prior section 4415, added Pub. L. 100–180, div. A, title III, §319(a)(1), Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1077; amended Pub. L. 100–526, title I, §106(c), Oct. 24, 1988, 102 Stat. 2625, related to United States Army School of the Americas, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 106–398, §1 [[div. A], title IX, §911(b)], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A-228.

Prior sections 4416 and 4417 were renumbered sections 7486 and 7487 of this title, respectively.

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283 renumbered section 2446c of this title as this section.

2019—Par. (6). Pub. L. 116–92 added par. (6).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

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

Section effective Jan. 1, 2017, see section 805(a)(4) of Pub. L. 114–328, set out as a note under section 4401 of this title.

SUBCHAPTER II—DEVELOPMENT, PROTOTYPING, AND DEPLOYMENT OF WEAPON SYSTEM COMPONENTS OR TECHNOLOGY

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Pilot Program on Development of Reentry Vehicles and Related Systems

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XVI, §1645, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 598, provided that:

"(a) In General.—The Secretary of the Air Force may carry out a pilot program, to be known as the 'Reentry Vehicle Flight Test Bed Program', to assess the feasibility of providing regular flight test opportunities that support the development of reentry vehicles to—

"(1) facilitate technology upgrades tested in a realistic flight environment;

"(2) provide an enduring, high-cadence test bed to mature technologies for planned reentry vehicles; and

"(3) transition technologies developed under other programs and projects relating to long-range ballistic or hypersonic strike missiles from the research and development or prototyping phases into operational use.

"(b) Grants, Contracts, and Other Agreements.—

"(1) Authority.—In carrying out a pilot program under this section, the Secretary may, subject to paragraph (2), award grants and enter into contracts or other agreements with appropriate entities for the conduct of relevant flight tests of reentry vehicles and systems.

"(2) Grant and contract requirements.—

"(A) Merit-based grants.—Any grant under paragraph (1) shall be awarded through merit-based selection procedures.

"(B) Competitive contract procedures.—Any contract or other agreement under paragraph (1) shall be awarded using competitive procedures (as defined in section 3012 of title 10, United States Code).

"(3) Use of funds.—An entity that receives a grant, or enters into a contract or other agreement, as part of a pilot program carried out under this section shall use the grant, or any amount received under the contract or other agreement, to carry out one or more of the following activities:

"(A) Conducting flight tests to develop or validate—

"(i) aeroshell design;

"(ii) thermal protective systems;

"(iii) guidance and control systems;

"(iv) sensors;

"(v) communications;

"(vi) environmental sensors; or

"(vii) other relevant technologies.

"(B) Expanding flight test opportunities through low-cost, high-cadence platforms.

"(c) Coordination.—If the Secretary of the Air Force carries out a pilot program under this section, the Secretary shall ensure that the activities under the pilot program are carried out in coordination with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy.

"(d) Termination.—The authority to carry out a pilot program under this section shall terminate on December 31, 2029."