Sec. 872. Need for development and acquisition of natural rubber from domestic herbacious plant sources
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Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, in consultation with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy, shall submit to the congressional defense committees a plan for future investment by the Department of Defense in the development, testing, and evaluation of domestic natural rubber from herbaceous plants for military applications, including a timeline for acquiring critical defense components and products using natural rubber from domestic sources. The plan submitted under subsection
(a)shall include the following: An unclassified assessment of the direct and indirect influence of China on the commercial availability of natural rubber, including the effects on national security and the long-term implications for the defense supply chain, specifically for military aircraft and vehicle tires. An overview of the current investment of the Department of Defense in domestic natural rubber production and the plans of the Department for scaling and expanding such production to offset one percent of the annual importation of natural rubber into the United States. A plan to provide additional funding for the initiatives identified in paragraph
(2)to achieve fielding of products and components with natural rubber from domestic sources not later than the end of fiscal year 2027. A strategy of United States-based rubber industry partners and component manufacturers for collaboration, codevelopment, and joint interest. A detailed description of the policies, procedures, budgets, and accelerated acquisition and contracting mechanisms of the Department of Defense for near-term insertion of domestic natural rubber content to test and evaluate performance of natural rubber from domestic sources for tactical aircraft performance.