Sec. 241. Establishment of Joint Energetics Transition Office
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Subchapter I of chapter 301 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section: The Secretary of Defense shall establish a Joint Energetics Transition Office (referred to in this section as the Office ) within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The Office shall carry out the activities described in subsection
(c)and shall have such other responsibilities relating to energetics as the Secretary may specify. The Joint Program Executive Officer for Armaments and Ammunition, as the Single Manager for Conventional Ammunition designated by the Secretary of the Army, shall act as executive agent for conventional energetics development and shall report directly to the head of the Office on matters relating to energetics for conventional ammunition. The Secretary of Defense shall designate an individual to serve as the head of the Office. The head of the Office shall report directly to the Deputy Secretary of Defense without intervening authority. The Office shall do the following: Manage the development of energetics systems, which shall include— establishing a dedicated program under budget activity 3 (advanced technology development) or budget activity 4 (advanced component development and prototypes) (as such budget activity classifications are set forth in volume 2B, chapter 5 of the Department of Defense Financial Management Regulation (DOD 7000.14-R))— to mature, prototype, demonstrate, and test novel energetic materials and technologies, including new energetics manufacturing technologies; and to integrate novel energetic materials and technologies into weapon systems; administering a joint service qualification and certification group to— identify, review, and assess all laws, regulations, policies, and directives affecting the development and availability of energetic materials for defense purposes, including any applicable waiver authorities; based on such review and assessment, make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense regarding potential changes to laws, regulations, policies, and directives that may affect the development and availability of energetic materials for defense purposes; and to the extent practicable, establish uniform safety requirements for the qualification process for energetic materials applicable from the stage at which such materials are discovered through the stage at which such materials are integrated into weapon systems; and establishing and operating a public-private partnership— to serve as a liaison to the Department of State for information on the applicability of International Traffic in Arms Regulations (subchapter M of chapter I of title 22, Code of Federal Regulations) or successor regulations across the energetics enterprise of the United States (including Government, industry, and academia); and to facilitate the efficient and effective exchange of information, collaboration, and sharing of resources among entities in such enterprise. Establish prototyping demonstration programs for advanced technologies to speed the maturation of new energetic materials and the integration of such materials into weapon systems. Establish energetics cross-functional teams that include representatives of the research and development community, acquisition program offices, acquisition requirements offices, and industry to speed the transition of energetic materials and technologies from the research and development phase to integration into weapon systems. Reassess the effectiveness and goals of insensitive munitions regulations and conduct a Mil-Standard/Mil-Spec Review to update munitions regulations to be more specific and measurable and to reduce or eliminate unnecessary standards. Use technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify, assess, and synthesize novel energetic compounds. Develop strategies and roadmaps, applicable across the Future Years Development Program and Program Objective Memorandum process, for energetic materials and technologies to enable the transition of such technologies to future operational capabilities for the warfighter. Coordinate with relevant stakeholders to support the advantage of the United States in developing energetic materials. The head of the Office shall provide a monthly written report to the Secretary of Defense, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, and the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering on the activities of the Office. Such report shall include— a detailed update on progress and status for each of the responsibilities described in subsection (c); any shortfalls in resources related to prototyping demonstration programs, emerging technical opportunities, or that result in increased costs or delayed performance in fulfilling the responsibilities described in subsection (c); and any other issues as determined by the Secretary of Defense. In this section: The term energetic materials means critical chemicals that— release large amounts of energy in a short amount of time; and are capable of being used in explosives that create lethal effects in warheads. The term insensitive munitions means munitions that are designed to remain unexploded when exposed to stimuli representative of severe but credible accidents. . Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate an initial report on the status of the establishment of the Joint Energetics Transition Office under section 4015 of title 10, United States Code (as added by subsection (a)), including a description of any actions taken to staff and resource the Office as of the date of the report. Not later than one year after the submission of the initial report under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a final report on the status of the establishment of the Joint Energetics Transition Office, including a description of any actions taken to staff and resource the Office since the date of the initial report.