Sec. 213. Activities on identification and development of enhanced personal protective equipment against blast injury
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During fiscal years 2019 and 2020, the Secretary of the Army shall carry out a set of activities to identify and develop personal equipment to provide enhanced protection against injuries caused by blasts in combat and training. The Secretary shall undertake all actions required of the Secretary under this section jointly with the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation. For purposes of the activities required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall establish a process to continuously solicit from government, industry, academia, and other appropriate entities personal protective equipment that is ready for testing and evaluation in order to identify and evaluate equipment or clothing that is more effective in protecting members of the Armed Forces from the harmful effects of blast injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, and would be suitable for expedited procurement and fielding.
The goals of the activities shall include: Development of streamlined requirements for procurement of personal protective equipment. Appropriate testing of personal protective equipment prior to procurement and fielding. Development of expedited mechanisms for deployment of effective personal protective equipment. Identification of areas of research in which increased investment has the potential to improve the quality of personal protective equipment and the capability of the industrial base to produce such equipment.
Such other goals as the Secretary considers appropriate. As part of the activities, the Secretary shall establish research partnerships with appropriate academic institutions for purposes of assessing the following: The ability of various forms of personal protective equipment to protect against common blast injuries, including traumatic brain injuries. The value of real-time data analytics to track the effectiveness of various forms of personal protective equipment to protect against common blast injuries, including traumatic brain injuries.
The availability of commercial-off the-shelf personal protective technology to protect against traumatic brain injury resulting from blasts. The extent to which the equipment determined through the assessment to be most effective to protect against common blast injuries is readily modifiable for different body types and to provide lightweight material options to enhance maneuverability. In carrying out activities under subsection (a), the Secretary may use any authority as follows:
Experimental procurement authority under section 2373 of title 10, United States Code. Other transactions authority under section 2371 and 2371b of title 10, United States Code. Authority to award technology prizes under section 2374a of title 10, United States Code. Authority under the Defense Acquisition Challenge Program under section 2359b of title 10, United States Code. Any other authority on acquisition, technology transfer, and personnel management that the Secretary considers appropriate.
Any activities under this section shall be deemed to have been through the use of competitive procedures for the purposes of section 2304 of title 10, United States Code. After the completion of activities under subsection (a), the Secretary shall, on an on-going basis, do the following: Evaluate the extent to which personal protective equipment identified through the activities would— enhance survivability of personnel from blasts in combat and training; and enhance prevention of brain damage, and reduction of any resultant chronic brain dysfunction, from blasts in combat and training.
In the case of personal protective equipment so identified that would provide enhancements as described in paragraph (1), estimate the costs that would be incurred to procure such enhanced personal protective equipment, and develop a schedule for the procurement of such equipment. Estimate the potential health care cost savings that would occur from expanded use of personal protective equipment described in paragraph (2). Not later than December 1, 2019, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the activities under subsection
(a)as of the date of the report. Not later than December 1, 2020, the Secretary shall submit to the committees of Congress referred to in paragraph
(1)a report on the activities under this section, including the following: The results of the evaluation under subsection (e)(1). The estimate of costs and schedules under subsection (e)(2). Of the amount authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2019 for the Department of Defense by section 201, up to $10,000,000 may be available to carry out this section.