Sec. 219. DESIGNATION OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SENIOR OFFICIAL WITH PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS
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## SEC. 219 DESIGNATION OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SENIOR OFFICIAL WITH PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS **[**[10 U.S.C. 2431 note](/us/usc/t10/s2431)**]** ###
(a)Designation of Senior Official ####
(1)In general The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall serve as the official with principal responsibility for the development and demonstration of directed energy weapons for the Department. ####
(2)Development of strategic plan #####
(A)In general 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. #####
(B)Roadmap 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. ####
(3)Acceleration of development and fielding of directed energy weapons capabilities #####
(A)In general 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. #####
(B)Engagement 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. ####
(4)Advice for exercises and demonstrations 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. ####
(5)Support for development of requirements 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. ####
(6)Availability of information 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. ###
(b)Joint Directed Energy Transition Office ####
(1)Redesignation 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). ####
(2)Additional functions 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. ####
(3)Funding 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, including high-powered microwaves, and transition of those systems and technologies into acquisition programs or operational use. ###
(c)Prototyping and Demonstration Program ####
(1)Establishment The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary, shall establish a program on the prototyping and demonstration of directed energy weapon systems to build and maintain the military superiority of the United States by— #####
(A)accelerating, when feasible, the fielding of directed energy weapon prototypes that would help counter technological advantages of potential adversaries of the United States; and #####
(B)supporting the military departments, the combatant commanders, and other relevant defense agencies and entities in developing prototypes and demonstrating operational utility of high energy lasers and high powered microwave weapon systems. ####
(2)Guidelines #####
(A)Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, the Under Secretary shall issue guidelines for the operation of the program established under paragraph (1), including the following: ######
(i)Criteria required for an application for funding by a military department, defense agency or entity, or a combatant command. ######
(ii)The priorities, based on validated requirements or capability gaps, for fielding prototype directed energy weapon system technologies developed by research funding of the Department or industry. ######
(iii)Criteria for evaluation of an application for funding or changes to policies or acquisition and business practices by such a department, agency, or command for purposes of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the program. #####
(B)Funding for a military department, defense agency, or combatant command under the program established under paragraph
(1)may only be available for advanced technology development, prototyping, and demonstrations in which the Department of Defense maintains management of the technical baseline and a primary emphasis on technology transition and evaluating military utility to enhance the likelihood that the particular directed energy weapon system will meet the Department end user’s need. ####
(3)Applications for funding #####
(A)Not less frequently than once each year, the Under Secretary shall solicit from the heads of the military departments, the defense agencies, and the combatant commands applications for funding under the program established under paragraph
(1)to be used to enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, or other transaction agreements entered into pursuant to section 2371b of title 10, United States Code, with appropriate entities for the prototyping or commercialization of technologies. #####
(B)Nothing in this section shall be construed to require any official of the Department of Defense to provide funding under the program to any congressional earmark as defined pursuant to clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives or any congressionally directed spending item as defined pursuant to paragraph 5 of rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the Senate. ####
(4)Under secretary defined In this subsection, the term “**Under Secretary**” means the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering in the Under Secretary's capacity as the official with principal responsibility for the development and demonstration of directed energy weapons pursuant to subsection (a)(1). ###
(d)Directed Energy Working Group ####
(1)In general Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2021, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a working group to be known as the “Directed Energy Working Group”. ####
(2)Responsibilities The Directed Energy Working Group shall— #####
(A)analyze and evaluate the current and planned directed energy programs of each of the military departments; #####
(B)make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense— ######
(i)describing how memoranda of understanding may be used to coordinate the directed energy activities conducted by the Department of Defense using amounts authorized to be appropriated for research, development, test, and evaluation; and ######
(ii)proposing the establishment of specific memoranda of understanding between individual organizations and elements of the Department of Defense to facilitate such coordination; #####
(C)identify methods of quickly fielding directed energy capabilities and programs; and #####
(D)develop a compendium on the effectiveness of directed energy weapon systems and integrate the compendium into an overall Joint Effectiveness Manual under the guidance from the Joint Technical Coordination Group for Munitions Effectiveness. ####
(3)Head of working group The head of the Directed Energy Working Group shall be the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering or the designee of the Under Secretary. ####
(4)Membership The members of the Directed Energy Working Group shall be appointed as follows: #####
(A)One member from each military department, appointed by the Secretary of the military department concerned. #####
(B)One member appointed by the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. #####
(C)One member appointed by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. #####
(D)One member appointed by the Director of the Strategic Capabilities Office of the Department of Defense. #####
(E)One member appointed by the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. #####
(F)One member appointed by the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation. #####
(G)One member appointed by the Director of the Missile Defense Agency. #####
(H)Such other members as may be appointed by the Secretary of Defense from among individuals serving in the Department of Defense. ####
(5)Deadline for appointment Members of the Directed Energy Working Group shall be appointed not later than 30 days after the date of the establishment of the working group under paragraph (1). ####
(6)Briefings to congress Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the William M.
(Mac)Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, and not less frequently than once every 180 days thereafter, the Directed Energy Working Group shall provide to the congressional defense committees a briefing on the progress of each directed energy program that is being adopted or fielded by the Department of Defense. Each such briefing shall include— #####
(A)for each organization and element of the Department carrying out work related to directed energy capabilities, cost data and associated program elements for each fiscal year across the period covered by the most recent future-years defense program submitted to Congress under section 221 of title 10, United States Code (as of the time of the briefing); and #####
(B)information on any enabling work that supports such capabilities, including— ######
(i)vehicle or software integration and testing; ######
(ii)command, control and targeting architectures; ######
(iii)supporting infrastructure requirements; and ######
(iv)workforce training. ####
(7)Termination The Directed Energy Working Group established under this subsection shall terminate 9 years after the date of the enactment of the William M.
(Mac)Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.
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Sec. 219
DESIGNATION OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SENIOR OFFICIAL WITH PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS
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