### §7553. Armament Retooling and Manufacturing Support Initiative

(a) Authority for Initiative.—The Secretary may carry out a program to be known as the "Armament Retooling and Manufacturing Support Initiative".

(b) Purposes.—The purposes of the ARMS Initiative are as follows:

(1) To encourage commercial firms, to the maximum extent practicable, to use eligible facilities for commercial purposes.

(2) To increase the opportunities for small businesses (including socially and economically disadvantaged small business concerns and new small businesses) to use eligible facilities for those purposes.

(3) To maintain in the United States a work force having the skills necessary to meet industrial emergency planned requirements for national security purposes.

(4) To demonstrate innovative business practices, to support Department of Defense acquisition reform, and to serve as both a model and a laboratory for future defense conversion initiatives of the Department of Defense.

(5) To the maximum extent practicable, to allow the operation of eligible facilities to be rapidly responsive to the forces of free market competition.

(6) To reduce or eliminate the cost of Government ownership of eligible facilities, including the costs of operations and maintenance, the costs of environmental remediation, and other costs.

(7) To reduce the cost of products of the Department of Defense produced at eligible facilities.

(8) To leverage private investment at eligible facilities through long-term facility use contracts, property management contracts, leases, or other agreements that support and advance the policies and purposes of this chapter, for the following activities:

(A) Recapitalization of plant and equipment.

(B) Environmental remediation.

(C) Promotion of commercial business ventures.

(D) Other activities approved by the Secretary.

(9) To foster cooperation between the Department of the Army, property managers, commercial interests, and State and local agencies in the implementation of sustainable development strategies and investment in eligible facilities made available for purposes of the ARMS Initiative.

(10) To reduce or eliminate the cost of asset disposal that would be incurred if property at an eligible facility was declared excess to the needs of the Department of the Army.

(c) Availability of Facilities.—The Secretary may make any eligible facility available for the purposes of the ARMS Initiative.

(d) Consideration for Leases.—Section 1302 of title 40 shall not apply to uses of property or facilities in accordance with the ARMS Initiative.

(e) Program Support.—(1) Funds appropriated for purposes of the ARMS Initiative may be used for administrative support and management.

(2) A full annual accounting of such expenses for each fiscal year shall be provided to the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives not later than March 30 of the following fiscal year.

(Added Pub. L. 106–398, §1 [[div. A], title III, §344(a)(1)], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A–68, §4553; amended Pub. L. 108–178, §4(b)(5), Dec. 15, 2003, 117 Stat. 2641; Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title III, §323(d), Jan. 6, 2006, 119 Stat. 3194; renumbered §7553, Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, §808(d), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1839.)

#### **Editorial Notes**

#### Amendments

2018—Pub. L. 115–232 renumbered section 4553 of this title as this section.

2006—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 109–163 struck out "in manufacturing processes that are" after "having the skills".

2003—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 108–178 substituted "Section 1302 of title 40" for "Section 321 of the Act of June 30, 1932 (40 U.S.C. 303b),".

#### **Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries**

#### Effective Date of 2018 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 115–232 effective Feb. 1, 2019, with provision for the coordination of amendments and special rule for certain redesignations, see section 800 of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

#### Effective Date of 2003 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 108–178 effective Aug. 21, 2002, see section 5 of Pub. L. 108–178, set out as a note under section 5334 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.