To amend title 10, United States Code, to enhance science and technology planning and budgeting by the Air Force, and for other purposes.

Summary: Air Force Science and Technology for the 21st Century Act of 2001 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of the Air Force should: (1) continue and improve efforts to ensure the advocacy of science and technology within the Air Force budgetary decisionmaking process; (2) complete and adopt policy directives for changes in Air Force science and technology budgetary and nonbudgetary decisions; (3) review the long-term challenges and short-term objectives of Air Force science and technology programs; and (4) ensure that development and science and technology planning and investment activities are carried out for future space warfighting systems and future nonspace warfighting systems.Directs the Secretary to: (1) reinstate and implement a revised Air Force science and technology development planning process; and (2) carry out a study to determine how changes to the Air Force science and technology program implemented during the past two years affect future Air Force capabilities.Expresses the sense of Congress that the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Science, Technology, and Engineering shall be paid at the highest rate of basic pay for a member of the Senior Executive Service.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Air Force Science and Technology for 
the 21st Century Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The development of science and technology has been a 
        core mission of the Air Force since its inception as an 
        independent service.
            (2) From fiscal year 1989 to fiscal year 2001, spending on 
        Air Force science and technology programs dropped 
        significantly, from $2,720,000,000 to $1,460,000,000 when 
        measured in constant fiscal year 2001 dollars and from 2.2 
        percent to 1.7 percent when measured as a percentage of the 
        total obligational authority of the Air Force.
            (3) In recent years, the focus of Air Force science and 
        technology has shifted to include a smaller percentage of long-
        term, revolutionary projects with the promise of significant 
        payoff and a higher percentage of short-term projects with the 
        possibility only of incremental technology advances.
            (4) The steep decline over the last decade in spending on 
        Air Force science and technology programs and the absence of 
        long-term science and technology planning are the result of 
        factors including:
                    (A) The Air Force organization has not included, at 
                a sufficiently high level, a single official with clear 
                responsibility for advocating the development of 
                science and technology.
                    (B) The science and technology program has had 
                inadequate visibility at the highest levels of Air 
                Force decisionmaking.
                    (C) The Air Force does not have a planning process 
                that clearly links long-term warfighting requirements 
                with planning for science and technology development 
                within the budget planning process.
                    (D) The methodologies used to determine the overall 
                budgetary requirements for Air Force science and 
                technology programs and to prioritize among those 
                programs are ineffective.
            (5) The decline in Air Force science and technology 
        development will likely diminish national security in the 
        future, because important technologies may be unavailable to be 
        incorporated into weapon systems.
            (6) In recent years, Congress has made efforts to reverse 
        the decline in Air Force science and technology development by 
        appropriating greater amounts for such development than 
        requested in the budget submitted by the President.
            (7) The Air Force is in the process of making fundamental 
        changes in how it makes budgetary and nonbudgetary policy 
        decisions with respect to its science and technology 
        development programs and how it carries out those programs.
            (8) The Air Force has made a significant effort over the 
        past two years to increase the emphasis on science and 
        technology development by senior-level decisionmakers through 
        the use of science and technology summits, applied technology 
        councils, and a new advocacy process for science and 
        technology.
            (9) The Secretary of the Air Force has designated the 
        commander of the Air Force Materiel Command with the grade of 
        general as the budget advocate for science and technology 
        programs.
            (10) The Secretary of the Air Force has implemented a new 
        planning process for science and technology development that is 
        linked to the Air Force Strategic Plan.
            (11) The Air Force is, in a good faith effort, conducting a 
        comprehensive review of the long-term challenges and short-term 
        objectives of the Air Force science and technology programs, as 
        specified in section 252 of the Floyd D. Spence National 
        Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (as enacted by 
        Public Law 106-398; 114 Stat. 1654A-46).
            (12) Despite the recent Air Force efforts, additional 
        measures are needed to ensure that advocacy for Air Force 
        science and technology development is at its highest and that 
        planning and technology investment prioritization is at its 
        best.

SEC. 3. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Secretary of the Air Force should carry out each of the following:
            (1) Continue and improve efforts to ensure that--
                    (A) the Air Force science and technology community 
                is represented, and the recommendations of that 
                community are considered, at all levels of program 
                planning and budgetary decisionmaking within the Air 
                Force;
                    (B) advocacy for science and technology development 
                is institutionalized across all levels of Air Force 
                management in a manner that is not dependent on 
                individuals; and
                    (C) the value of Air Force science and technology 
                development is made increasingly apparent to the 
                warfighters, by linking the needs of those warfighters 
                with decisions on science and technology development.
            (2) Complete and adopt the policy directive that provides 
        for changes in how the Air Force makes budgetary and 
        nonbudgetary decisions with respect to its science and 
        technology development programs and how it carries out those 
        programs.
            (3) At least once every five years, conduct a review of the 
        long-term challenges and short-term objectives of the Air Force 
        science and technology programs that is consistent with the 
        review specified in section 252 of the Floyd D. Spence National 
        Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (as enacted by 
        Public Law 106-398; 114 Stat. 1654A-46).
            (4) Ensure that development and science and technology 
        planning and investment activities are carried out for future 
        space warfighting systems and for future nonspace warfighting 
        systems in an integrated manner.
    (b) Reinstatement of Development Planning.--(1) The Secretary of 
the Air Force shall reinstate and implement a revised development 
planning process that provides for each of the following:
            (A) Coordinating the needs of Air Force warfighters with 
        decisions on science and technology development.
            (B) Giving input into the establishment of priorities among 
        science and technology programs.
            (C) Analyzing Air Force capability options for the 
        allocation of Air Force resources.
            (D) Developing concepts for technology, warfighting 
        systems, and operations with which the Air Force can achieve 
        its critical future goals.
            (E) Evaluating concepts for systems and operations that 
        leverage technology across Air Force organizational boundaries.
            (F) Ensuring that a ``system-of-systems'' approach is used 
        in carrying out the various Air Force capability planning 
        exercises.
            (G) Utilizing existing analysis capabilities within the Air 
        Force product centers in a collaborative and integrated manner.
    (2) Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of the Air Force shall submit to Congress a report 
on the implementation of the planning process required by paragraph 
(1).
    (3) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out paragraph 
(1) $20,000,000 for each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2002.

SEC. 4. STUDY AND REPORT ON EFFECTIVENESS OF AIR FORCE SCIENCE AND 
              TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM CHANGES.

    (a) Requirement.--The Secretary of the Air Force, in cooperation 
with the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, 
shall carry out a study to determine how the changes to the Air Force 
science and technology program implemented during the past two years 
affect the future capabilities of the Air Force.
    (b) Matters Studied.--(1) The study shall independently review and 
assess whether such changes as a whole are sufficient to ensure the 
following:
            (A) The concerns about the management of the science and 
        technology program that have been raised by the Congress, the 
        Defense Science Board, the Air Force Science Advisory Board, 
        and the Air Force Association have been adequately addressed.
            (B) Appropriate and sufficient technology is available to 
        ensure the military superiority of the United States and 
        counter future high-risk threats.
            (C) The science and technology investments are balanced to 
        meet the near-, mid-, and long-term needs of the Air Force.
            (D) Technologies are made available that can be used to 
        respond flexibly and quickly to a wide range of future threats.
            (E) The Air Force organizational structure provides for a 
        sufficiently senior level, effective advocate of science and 
        technology to ensure an on-going presence of the science and 
        technology community during the budget and planning process.
    (2) In addition, the study shall independently assess the specific 
changes as follows:
            (A) Whether the biannual science and technology summits 
        provide sufficient visibility into, and understanding and 
        appreciation of, the value of the science and technology 
        program to the senior level of Air Force budget and policy 
        decisionmakers.
            (B) Whether the Applied Technology Councils are effective 
        in contributing the input of all levels beneath the senior 
        leadership into the coordination, focus, and content of the 
        science and technology program.
            (C) Whether the designation of the Commander of the Air 
        Force Materiel Command as the science and technology budget 
        advocate is effective to assure that an adequate budget top 
        line is set.
            (D) Whether the revised development planning process is 
        effective to aid in the coordination of the needs of the Air 
        Force warfighters with decisions on science and technology 
        investments and the establishment of priorities among different 
        science and technology programs.
            (E) Whether the implementation of section 252 of the Floyd 
        D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
        2001 (as enacted into law by Public Law 106-398; 114 Stat. 
        1654A-46) is effective to identify the basis for the 
        appropriate science and technology program top line and 
        investment portfolio.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 60 days after the date on which the 
study required by subsection (a) is completed, the Secretary of the Air 
Force shall submit to Congress the results of the study.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $950,000.

SEC. 5. GRADE OF DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

    It is the sense of Congress that the Deputy Assistant Secretary of 
the Air Force, Science, Technology, and Engineering, shall be paid at 
the highest rate of basic pay payable for a member of the Senior 
Executive Service.