Sec. 3. Office of Test and Evaluation of the Department of Homeland Security
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Title III of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 ( 6 U.S.C. 181 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following new section: There is established in the Directorate of Science and Technology of the Department an Office of Test and Evaluation (in this section referred to as the Office ). The Office shall— serve as the principal advisory office for test and evaluation support across the Department; and serve as the test and evaluation liaison with— Federal agencies and foreign, State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments; the private sector; institutions of higher education; and other relevant entities.
The Office shall be led by a Director. The Director shall oversee the duties specified in subsection
(a)and carry out the following responsibilities: Serve as a member of the Department’s Acquisition Review Board. Establish and update, as necessary, test and evaluation policies, procedures, and guidance for the Department. Ensure, in coordination with the Chief Acquisition Officer, the Joint Requirements Council, the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, and relevant component heads, that acquisition programs (as such term is defined in section 714)— complete reviews of operational requirements to ensure such requirements— are informed by threats, including physical and cybersecurity threats; are operationally relevant; and are measurable, testable, and achievable within the constraints of cost and schedule; complete independent testing and evaluation of a system or service throughout development of such system or service; complete operational testing and evaluation that includes all system components and incorporates operators into such testing and evaluation to ensure that a system or service satisfies the mission requirements in the operational environment of such system or service as intended in the acquisition program baseline; use independent verification and validation of test and evaluation implementation and results, as appropriate; and document whether such programs meet all operational requirements. Provide oversight of test and evaluation activities for major acquisition programs throughout the acquisition life cycle by— approving program test and evaluation master plans, plans for individual test and evaluation events, and other related documentation, determined appropriate by the Director; approving which independent test and evaluation agent or third-party tester is selected for each program; and providing an independent assessment to the acquisition decision authority (as such term is defined in section 714) that assesses a program’s progress in meeting operational requirements and operational effectiveness, suitability, and resilience to inform production and deployment decisions. Determine if testing of a system or service conducted by other Federal agencies, entities, or institutions of higher education are relevant and sufficient in determining whether such system or service performs as intended. Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the Director of the Office shall submit to the Secretary, the Under Secretary for Management, component heads, and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs a report relating to the test and evaluation activities of the major acquisition programs of the Department for the previous fiscal year. Each report required under paragraph
(1)shall include the following: An assessment of— test and evaluation activities conducted for each major acquisition program with respect to demonstrating operational requirements and operational effectiveness, suitability, and resilience for each such program; any waivers of, or deviations from, approved program test and evaluation master plans referred to in subsection (b)(3)(A); any concerns raised by the independent test and evaluation agent or third-party tester selected and approved under subsection (b)(3)(B) relating to such waivers or deviations; and any actions that have been taken or are planned to be taken to address such concerns. Recommendations with respect to resources, facilities, and levels of funding made available for test and evaluation activities referred to in subparagraph (A). Each report required under paragraph
(1)shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex. The Under Secretary for Management and the Under Secretary for Science and Technology shall coordinate in matters related to Department-wide acquisitions so that investments of the Directorate of Science and Technology are able to support current and future requirements of the components of the Department. Nothing in this subsection may be construed as affecting or diminishing the authority of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology. . The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 322 the following new item: Sec. 323. Office of Test and Evaluation. .
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Sec. 3
Office of Test and Evaluation of the Department of Homeland Security
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