Sec. 219. Designation of Department of Defense senior official with principal responsibility for directed energy weapons
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Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall designate a senior official already serving within the Department of Defense as the official with principal responsibility for the development and demonstration of directed energy weapons for the Department. The senior official designated under paragraph
(1)shall develop a detailed strategic plan to develop, mature, and transition directed energy technologies to acquisition programs of record. Such strategic plan shall include a strategic roadmap for the development and fielding of directed energy weapons and key enabling capabilities for the Department, identifying and coordinating efforts across military departments to achieve overall joint mission effectiveness. To the degree practicable, the senior official designated under paragraph
(1)shall use the flexibility of the policies of the Department in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act, or any successor policies, to accelerate the development and fielding of directed energy capabilities. The Secretary shall use the flexibility of the policies of the Department in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act, or any successor policies, to ensure engagement with defense and private industries, research universities, and unaffiliated, nonprofit research institutions. The senior official designated under paragraph
(1)shall, to the degree practicable, provide technical advice and support to entities in the Department of Defense and the military departments conducting exercises or demonstrations with the purpose of improving the capabilities of or operational viability of technical capabilities supporting directed energy weapons, including supporting military utility assessments of the relevant cost and benefits of directed energy weapon systems. The senior official designated under paragraph
(1)shall coordinate with the military departments, Defense Agencies, and the Joint Directed Energy Transition Office to define requirements for directed energy capabilities that address the highest priority warfighting capability gaps of the Department. The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that the senior official designated under paragraph
(1)has access to such information on programs and activities of the military departments and other defense agencies as the Secretary considers appropriate to coordinate departmental directed energy efforts. The High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office of the Department of Defense is hereby redesignated as the Joint Directed Energy Transition Office (in this subsection referred to as the Office ), and shall report to the official designated under subsection (a)(1). In addition to the functions and duties of the Office in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act, the Office shall assist the senior official designated under paragraph
(1)of subsection
(a)in carrying out paragraphs
(2)through
(5)of such subsection. The Secretary may make available such funds to the Office for basic research, applied research, advanced technology development, prototyping, studies and analyses, and organizational support as the Secretary considers appropriate to support the efficient and effective development of directed energy systems and technologies and transition of those systems and technologies into acquisition programs or operational use.