Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and 
Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fis-
cal Year 2026’’. 
(b) REFERENCE.—Any reference in this or any other 
Act to the ‘‘National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2026’’ shall be deemed to be a reference to the 
‘‘Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and 
Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fis-
cal Year 2026’’. 
SEC. 2. ORGANIZATION OF ACT INTO DIVISIONS; TABLE OF 
CONTENTS. 
(a) DIVISIONS.—This Act is organized into six divi-
sions as follows: 
(1) Division A—Department of Defense Au-
thorizations. 
(2) Division B—Military Construction Author-
izations. 
(3) Division C—Department of Energy Na-
tional Security Authorizations and Other Authoriza-
tions. 
(4) Division D—Funding Tables.
(5) Division E—Other Matters. 
(6) Division F—Coast Guard Authorization Act 
of 2025. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title. 
Sec. 2. Organization of Act into divisions; table of contents. 
Sec. 3. Congressional defense committees. 
DIVISION A—DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATIONS 
TITLE I—PROCUREMENT 
Subtitle A—Authorization of Appropriations 
Sec. 101. Authorization of appropriations. 
Subtitle B—Army Programs 
Sec. 111. Multiyear procurement authority for UH–60 Blackhawk aircraft. 
Sec. 112. Authorization to initiate early production of future long-range assault 
aircraft. 
Sec. 113. Limitation on reductions to Army Prepositioned Stocks—Afloat pro-
gram sealift capability. 
Sec. 114. Limitation on availability of funds for the Next Generation Command 
and Control (NGC2) of the Army. 
Sec. 115. Report on fielding of Link 16 military tactical data network. 
Subtitle C—Navy Programs 
Sec. 121. Contract authority for Ford class aircraft carrier program. 
Sec. 122. Contract authority for Columbia class submarine program. 
Sec. 123. Authority for advance procurement of certain components to support 
continuous production of Virginia class submarines. 
Sec. 124. Authority to use incremental funding to enter into a contract for the 
construction of a Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG). 
Sec. 125. Multiyear procurement authority for Yard, Repair, Berthing, and 
Messing Barges. 
Sec. 126. Vessel construction manager for follow-on ships of the Landing Ship 
Medium program. 
Sec. 127. Limitation on construction of Modular Attack Surface Craft. 
Sec. 128. Inclusion of amphibious warfare ship spares and repair parts as a 
separate line item in Navy budget justification materials. 
Sec. 129. Strategy for Navy investment in and support for the maritime indus-
trial base. 
Sec. 130. Modification to requirements for recapitalization of tactical fighter 
aircraft of the Navy Reserve. 
Sec. 131. Report on procurement strategy for submarine cable laying and re-
pair ships. 
Subtitle D—Air Force Programs
Sec. 141. Modification of minimum inventory requirements for air refueling 
tanker aircraft. 
Sec. 142. Extension of requirements relating to C–130 aircraft. 
Sec. 143. Modification to minimum inventory requirement for A–10 aircraft. 
Sec. 144. Preservation of certain retired KC–10 aircraft. 
Sec. 145. Prohibition on availability of funds for contract termination or pro-
duction line shutdown for E–7A Wedgetail aircraft. 
Sec. 146. Limitation on procurement of KC–46 aircraft pending certification on 
correction of deficiencies. 
Sec. 147. Requirements relating to executive airlift aircraft. 
Sec. 148. Report on the F–47 advanced fighter aircraft program. 
Sec. 149. Extension of prohibition on certain reductions to B–1 bomber aircraft 
squadrons. 
Sec. 150. Plan for recapitalization and modernization of the fighter fleet of the 
Air National Guard. 
Subtitle E—Defense-wide, Joint, and Multiservice Matters 
Sec. 151. Amendments to prohibition on operation, procurement, and con-
tracting related to foreign-made light detection and ranging. 
Sec. 152. Annual GAO reviews of the F–35 aircraft program. 
Sec. 153. Sense of Congress on domestic procurement of defense articles for 
AUKUS partnership. 
Sec. 154. Prohibition on availability of funds for non-tactical electric vehicles or 
components produced by child and slave labor. 
Sec. 155. Report on next generation fuel cells. 
TITLE II—RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, TEST, AND EVALUATION 
Subtitle A—Authorization of Appropriations 
Sec. 201. Authorization of appropriations. 
Sec. 202. Funding for virtual engineering for Army readiness and sustainment. 
Sec. 203. Funding for humanitarian airborne mobile infrastructure capability. 
Sec. 204. Funding for fuel cell multi-modular use utilizing hydrogen. 
Sec. 205. Funding for advanced group 1 small unmanned aerial systems for 
special operations forces. 
Sec. 206. Funding for National Defense Education Program. 
Sec. 207. Funding for the development, test, and integration of adaptable radar 
capabilities. 
Sec. 208. Funding for advanced drone development for special operations and 
low-intensity conflict. 
Sec. 209. Funding for quantum communications corridor for Navy research, de-
velopment, test, and evaluation. 
Sec. 210. Funding for smart susceptor technology. 
Subtitle B—Program Requirements, Restrictions, and Limitations 
Sec. 211. Modification to authority to award prizes for advanced technology 
achievements. 
Sec. 212. Modification to mechanisms to provide funds to defense laboratories 
and other entities for research and development of technologies 
for military missions. 
Sec. 213. Modification to authority for acquisition, construction, or furnishing 
of test facilities and equipment. 
Sec. 214. Extension of limitation on availability of funds for fundamental re-
search collaboration with certain academic institutions.
Sec. 215. Modification to policies for management and certification of Link 16 
military tactical data link network. 
Sec. 216. Support for research and development of bioindustrial manufacturing 
processes. 
Sec. 217. Extension of authority for assignment to Defense Advanced Research 
Projects Agency of private sector personnel with critical re-
search and development expertise. 
Sec. 218. Post-employment restrictions for participants in certain defense re-
search. 
Sec. 219. National Security and Defense Artificial Intelligence Institute. 
Sec. 220. Responsible development and deployment of biotechnology within the 
Department of Defense. 
Sec. 221. Department of Defense biotechnology workforce training. 
Sec. 222. Biotechnology supply chain resiliency program. 
Sec. 223. Review and alignment of standards, guidance, and policies relating to 
digital engineering. 
Sec. 224. Application of software innovation and data management plans to 
modernize test and evaluation infrastructure. 
Sec. 225. Demonstration of near real-time monitoring capabilities to enhance 
weapon system platforms. 
Sec. 226. Western regional range complex demonstration. 
Sec. 227. Reimbursement of National Guard for research, development, test, 
and evaluation expenses. 
Sec. 228. Prohibition on availability of funds for animal research in collabora-
tion with foreign countries of concern. 
Sec. 229. Prohibition on availability of funds for gain of function research. 
Sec. 230. Limitation on availability of funds pending compliance with require-
ments relating to the Joint Energetics Transition Office. 
Sec. 231. Prioritization of partnerships with institutions of higher education in 
certain research areas. 
Sec. 232. Research, development, and implementation of unattended robotic 
process automation. 
Sec. 233. Pilot program on modernized health and usage monitoring systems to 
address obsolescence in Marine Corps rotary-wing and tiltrotor 
aircraft. 
Sec. 234. Pilot program on modernized health and usage monitoring systems to 
address obsolescence in army rotary-wing aircraft. 
Sec. 235. Initiative on studying advanced artificial intelligence, national secu-
rity, and strategic competition. 
Sec. 236. Joint Reserve Detachment of the Defense Innovation Unit. 
Sec. 237. Development of internet access technologies by the Defense Innova-
tion Unit. 
Sec. 238. Limitation on availability of funds for realignment of the research, 
development, test, and evaluation function for Army ammuni-
tion. 
Subtitle C—Plans, Reports, and Other Matters 
Sec. 241. Feasibility study on incorporating militarily-relevant applications of 
emerging biotechnology into wargaming exercises. 
Sec. 242. Feasibility study on use of cloud laboratories. 
Sec. 243. Quarterly reports on termination of critical technology research 
awards. 
Sec. 244. Report on Department of Defense market research of critical tech-
nology and capabilities.
Sec. 245. Report on low-cost undersea effectors. 
Sec. 246. Report on electronic warfare capability for unmanned surface vessels. 
Sec. 247. Department of Defense biotechnology strategy. 
Sec. 248. Plan to support advanced manufacturing and materials for 
hypersonics research and development. 
Sec. 249. Strategy for the development of friction stir additive manufacturing 
technologies. 
Sec. 250. Report on research relating to the upper atmosphere and near-space 
environment. 
TITLE III—OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE 
Subtitle A—Authorization of Appropriations 
Sec. 301. Authorization of appropriations. 
Subtitle B—Energy and Environment 
Sec. 311. Inclusion of nuclear energy and nuclear technologies in eligible invest-
ments made by Office of Strategic Capital. 
Sec. 312. Inclusion of information about PFAS investigation and remediation 
in annual report on defense environmental programs. 
Sec. 313. Modification of requirements relating to replacement of fluorinated 
aqueous film-forming foam. 
Sec. 314. Provision of alternative drinking water to certain communities with 
private drinking water wells contaminated with perfluoroalkyl 
substances or polyfluoroalkyl substances. 
Sec. 315. Responsibilities of executive agent for installation and operational nu-
clear energy. 
Sec. 316. Establishment of Advanced Nuclear Technologies Transition Working 
Group. 
Sec. 317. Department of Air Force program of record for commercial weather 
data. 
Sec. 318. Pilot program on Navy installation nuclear energy. 
Sec. 319. Pilot program to install propane-powered generators at a domestic 
defense industrial base facility. 
Sec. 320. Strategy 
to 
accelerate 
remediation 
of 
contamination 
from 
perfluoroalkyl substances and polyfluoroalkyl substances. 
Sec. 321. Study on small modular nuclear reactors. 
Sec. 322. Coordinator for engagement with defense communities affected by 
PFAS. 
Sec. 323. Revising the prohibition on contracts for performance of firefighting 
or security-guard functions. 
Sec. 324. Elimination of preference for motor vehicles using electric or hybrid 
propulsion systems and related requirements of the Depart-
ment of Defense. 
Subtitle C—Logistics and Sustainment 
Sec. 331. Extension of authorization of depot working capital funds for unspec-
ified minor military construction. 
Sec. 332. Designation of senior officials responsible for integration of global 
contested logistics posture management. 
Sec. 333. Modification of minimum capital investment for certain depots of De-
partment of Defense. 
Sec. 335. Modification to annual report on Navy Shipyard Infrastructure Opti-
mization Program.
Sec. 336. Strategy to improve infrastructure of certain depots of the Depart-
ment of Defense. 
Sec. 337. Pilot program for arsenal workload sustainment. 
Sec. 338. Depot-level maintenance coordination in multinational exercises. 
Sec. 339. Maintenance inspection capabilities and requirements. 
Sec. 340. Joint Strike Fighter sustainment. 
Sec. 341. Modernization of Army arsenals. 
Sec. 342. Limitation on use of funds to reduce the number of civilian personnel 
employed at Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas, Blue Grass Army 
Depot, Kentucky, and Red River Army Depot, Texas. 
Sec. 343. Capital expenditure write-offs for Department of Defense depots and 
arsenals. 
Sec. 344. Authority to establish Advanced Technology Centers to enhance work-
force training in certain critical skills. 
Subtitle D—Organizational Matters 
Sec. 351. Establishment of Army museum system. 
Sec. 352. Authorization to maintain a library in the Department of the Navy. 
Sec. 353. Authorization to maintain a Navy art gallery. 
Sec. 354. Establishment of United States Navy Museum System. 
Sec. 355. Establishment of Center for the Study of the National Guard. 
Sec. 356. Recognition of certain aspects of the National Navy UDT–SEAL Mu-
seum in Fort Pierce, Florida, as a national memorial, national 
memorial garden, and national K9 memorial. 
Subtitle E—Studies, Reports, and Briefings 
Sec. 361. Assessments and plan for increasing access to nutritious food on mili-
tary installations. 
Sec. 362. Quarterly reports on munitions response projects at sites formerly 
used by the Department of Defense. 
Sec. 363. Report on causes and effects of declining aircraft readiness rates. 
Sec. 364. Driver simulators in military vehicles. 
Sec. 365. Department of Defense report on creatine supplements in Meals 
Ready-to-Eat. 
Sec. 366. Study and report on effects of Defense Logistics Agency class IX re-
covery rates on military depots and arsenals. 
Sec. 367. Briefing on sustainment and funding of Department of the Army di-
rected energy programs of record. 
Sec. 368. Report on reducing frequency of permanent changes of station and 
naval vessel to onshore rotations. 
Sec. 369. Report on encroachment management related to the Nevada Test and 
Training Range. 
Sec. 370. Report on local coordination efforts to address contamination caused 
by activities at former George Air Force Base. 
Sec. 370A. Reserve mobilization exercise. 
Sec. 370B. Report on use of ultra-short takeoff and landing aircraft for last 
mile logistics and disaster response operations. 
Subtitle F—Other Matters 
Sec. 371. Authority to evacuate family pets and contract working dogs during 
noncombatant evacuations of foreign countries. 
Sec. 372. Manned rotary wing aircraft safety.
Sec. 373. Inclusion of territories in certain intergovernmental support agree-
ments for installation-support services. 
Sec. 374. Transportation of domestic animals by foreign air carrier. 
Sec. 375. Adjustment and diversification assistance for State and local govern-
ments affected by Army Transformation Initiative. 
Sec. 376. Availability of milk at dining facilities on military installations. 
Sec. 377. Minimum standards for military working dog kennels and facilities. 
Sec. 378. Restroom access at military installations for certain transportation 
service providers. 
Sec. 379. Regulations applicable to wearing optional combat boots. 
Sec. 380. Initiative to control spread of greater banded hornet in Guam. 
Sec. 381. Limitation on use of funds for Army initial entry rotary wing train-
ing. 
Sec. 382. Prohibition on Department of Defense ban of clean agent fire sup-
pression products. 
Sec. 383. Inapplicability of recommendations, procedures, and plans of commis-
sion relating to assigning, modifying, or removing of names, 
symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia to assets of 
the Department of Defense that commemorate the Confederate 
States of America to civil works projects of Department of De-
fense. 
Sec. 384. Availability of funds for procurement of certain supplies and mate-
rials under Innovative Readiness Training program. 
Sec. 385. Funding for flight hours for expeditionary combat aviation brigades. 
TITLE IV—MILITARY PERSONNEL AUTHORIZATIONS 
Subtitle A—Active Forces 
Sec. 401. End strengths for active forces. 
Subtitle B—Reserve Forces 
Sec. 411. End strengths for Selected Reserve. 
Sec. 412. End strengths for Reserves on active duty in support of the Reserves. 
Sec. 413. End strengths for military technicians (dual status). 
Sec. 414. Maximum number of reserve personnel authorized to be on active 
duty for operational support. 
Sec. 415. Excluding members of the National Guard performing certain duty 
from counting for active-duty end strengths. 
Subtitle C—Authorization of Appropriations; Reports 
Sec. 421. Military personnel. 
Sec. 422. Streamlining of total force reporting requirements. 
TITLE V—MILITARY PERSONNEL POLICY 
Subtitle A—Officer Policy 
Sec. 501. Treatment of Space Force officers for purposes of laws relating to 
authorized number and distribution of officers in general offi-
cer grades. 
Sec. 502. Redistribution of general officers on active duty from the Air Force 
to the Space Force.
Sec. 503. Authority to waive prohibition on officers serving on successive selec-
tion boards for boards to consider officers for promotion to 
major general or rear admiral. 
Sec. 504. Chaplains: career flexibility; detail as students at schools for edu-
cation required for appointment. 
Sec. 505. Ranks of Judge Advocates General. 
Sec. 506. Procedures for selection of Space Force officers for promotion to 
major general. 
Sec. 507. Establishment of blast safety officer positions. 
Sec. 508. Designation of at least one general officer of the Marine Corps Re-
serve as a joint qualified officer. 
Sec. 509. Modification to grade and allowances available to Attending Physician 
to the Congress. 
Subtitle B—Reserve Component Management 
Sec. 511. Grades of certain chiefs of reserve components. 
Sec. 512. Pilot authority for extended length of orders to active duty for 
preplanned missions in support of the combatant commands. 
Sec. 513. Prohibition on consideration of amount of time of service in activa-
tion of reserve members. 
Sec. 514. Active and inactive transfers of officers of the Army National Guard 
and Air Force National Guard. 
Sec. 515. National Guard: Active Guard and Reserve duty in response to a 
State disaster. 
Sec. 516. FireGuard Program: program of record; authorization. 
Sec. 517. Study and report on National Guard capabilities in cyber incident re-
sponse. 
Sec. 518. Report on effect of equipment shortfalls on National Guard ability to 
assist in disaster response. 
Sec. 519. Assistance for certain youth and charitable organizations. 
Sec. 520. Feasibility study regarding funeral honors duty. 
Subtitle C—General Service Authorities and Military Records 
Sec. 521. Women’s initiative teams. 
Sec. 522. Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record: codification; expansion. 
Sec. 523. Codification of additional basic branches of the Army. 
Sec. 524. Requirement of equal opportunity, racial neutrality, and exclusive use 
of merit in military personnel actions. 
Sec. 525. Prohibition on use of Federal funds for diversity, equity, and inclu-
sion. 
Sec. 526. Prohibition of new COVID–19 vaccine mandate for members of the 
Armed Forces. 
Sec. 527. Recommendation with respect to the retired rank of General John D. 
Lavelle. 
Sec. 528. Report on missing members found deceased. 
Sec. 529. Report on adequacy of reimbursement for costs of permanent change 
of station. 
Subtitle D—Recruitment and Accession 
Sec. 531. Recruitment: improvements relating to secondary schools and institu-
tions of higher education. 
Sec. 532. Alternative service in the defense industrial base by individuals denied 
enlistment.
Sec. 533. Medical accession standards for members of the Armed Forces. 
Sec. 534. Selective Service System: automatic registration. 
Sec. 535. Waivers for potential enlistees into the Armed Forces to reapply for 
enlistment 
following 
a 
positive 
toxicology 
test 
for 
tetrahydrocannabinol. 
Subtitle E—Member Training and Education 
Sec. 541. Training requirements for occupational specialties with civilian 
equivalents. 
Sec. 542. Inclusion of Space Force education programs in definitions regarding 
professional military education. 
Sec. 543. Center for Strategic Deterrence and Weapons of Mass Destruction 
Studies. 
Sec. 544. Service Academies; appointments and additional appointees. 
Sec. 545. Modifications to alternative obligation for cadets and midshipmen. 
Sec. 546. Modification to the designation of Members of the House of Rep-
resentatives to the Boards of Visitors of Service Academies. 
Sec. 547. Detail of members of the Space Force as instructors at Air Force In-
stitute of Technology. 
Sec. 548. Repeal of annual certifications related to the Ready, Relevant Learn-
ing initiative of the Navy. 
Sec. 549. Pilot program for generative artificial intelligence and spatial com-
puting for performance training and proficiency assessment. 
Sec. 549A. Prohibition on use of Federal funds to endorse critical race theory. 
Sec. 549B. Prohibition on the reduction of funding for foreign language train-
ing for members of the Armed Forces. 
Sec. 549C. Limitation on authority to reorganize the Senior Reserve Officers’ 
Training Corps of the Army. 
Sec. 549D. Report on interoperability of cyber training of the Armed Forces. 
Sec. 549E. Modification to maximum years of service for eligibility detail as a 
student at a law school. 
Sec. 549F. Director of Admissions of the United States Naval Academy. 
Sec. 549G. Report on Air National Guard C-130J Formal Training Unit. 
Sec. 549H. Accreditation of National Guard Marksmanship Training Center. 
Sec. 549I. Requirements with respect to motorcycle safety training. 
Sec. 549J. Pilot program on psychological performance training at the United 
States Air Force Academy. 
Sec. 549K. Prohibition of participation by men in women’s sports at the Serv-
ice Academies. 
Subtitle F—Military Justice and Other Legal Matters 
Sec. 551. Ensuring the availability of legal advice to commanders. 
Sec. 552. Modifications to offense of wrongful broadcast or distribution of inti-
mate visual images under the Uniform Code of Military Jus-
tice. 
Sec. 553. Punitive article under the Uniform Code of Military Justice for of-
fenses relating to child pornography. 
Sec. 554. Authorization of death penalty for offense of rape of a child under 
the Uniform Code of Military Justice. 
Sec. 555. Increase in maximum sentence for the offense of voluntary man-
slaughter under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. 
Sec. 556. Analysis of the advisability of modifying the definition of abusive sex-
ual contact under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. 
Sec. 557. Revision to sexual assault prevention and response training guidance.
Sec. 558. Reports and briefings on efforts to prevent and respond to sexual as-
sault, sexual harassment, and intimate-partner violence within 
the Department of Defense. 
Sec. 559. Study and recommendations regarding misconduct prevention in Oki-
nawa, Japan. 
Sec. 560. Automatic expungement of certain titling and indexing records. 
Subtitle G—Career Transition 
Sec. 561. Establishment of separation oath for members of the Armed Forces. 
Sec. 562. Presentation by a veterans service organization in TAP preseparation 
counseling. 
Sec. 563. Expansion of eligibility of veterans for certain military adaptive 
sports program. 
Sec. 564. Transition Assistance Program: Department of Labor Employment 
Navigator and Partnership Pilot Program. 
Sec. 565. Skillbridge: apprenticeship programs. 
Sec. 566. Female members of certain Armed Forces and civilian employees of 
the Department of Defense in STEM. 
Sec. 567. Transition Assistance Program: amendments; pilot program; reports. 
Sec. 568. Assistance to members with special operations medical training in ob-
taining credit towards a degree in a medical field. 
Sec. 569. Improvement of transition of air traffic controllers in the Armed 
Forces to the civilian workforce in air traffic control occupa-
tions. 
Sec. 570. Extension of period of availability of Military OneSource program for 
retired and discharged members of the Armed Forces and their 
immediate families. 
Sec. 570A. Amendments to pathways for counseling in Transition Assistance 
Program. 
Subtitle H—Family Programs and Child Care 
Sec. 571. Notification of suspected child abuse at providers of child care serv-
ices or youth programs. 
Sec. 572. Pilot program to increase payments for child care services in high- 
cost areas. 
Sec. 573. Pilot program to increase payments for child care services in high- 
cost areas. 
Sec. 574. Extension of pilot program to provide financial assistance to members 
of the Armed Forces for in-home child care. 
Sec. 575. Military OneSource: information regarding maternal health care. 
Sec. 576. Prohibition on availability of funds for termination of DODEA and 
child care workers. 
Sec. 577. Report on military child development center staffing and access 
across the Armed Forces. 
Sec. 578. Prohibitions on provision of gender transition services through an Ex-
ceptional Family Member Program of the Armed Forces. 
Subtitle I—Dependent Education 
Sec. 581. Ensuring access to DODEA schools for certain members of the re-
serve components. 
Sec. 582. Certain assistance to local educational agencies that benefit depend-
ents of military and civilian personnel.
Sec. 583. Verification of reporting of eligible federally connected children for 
purposes of Federal impact aid programs. 
Sec. 584. Authorization of dual or concurrent enrollment programs for students 
of Defense Dependent Schools. 
Subtitle J—Decorations and Awards, Reports, and Other Matters 
Sec. 591. Authorization for award of Medal of Honor to James Capers, Jr., for 
acts of valor as a member of the Marine Corps during the Viet-
nam War. 
Sec. 592. Authorization to award the Medal of Honor to retired Colonel Philip 
J. Conran for acts of valor in Laos during the Vietnam war. 
Sec. 593. Authorization of award of medal of honor to Gregory McManus for 
acts of valor. 
Sec. 594. Briefing on support needed for Joint Task Force-Southern Border. 
Sec. 595. Report on adequacy of commissaries and dining facilities on military 
installations that support certain missions. 
Sec. 596. Operation Midnight Hammer Medal. 
Sec. 597. Authorization for award of Medal of Honor to E. Royce Williams for 
acts of valor during the Korean War. 
Sec. 598. Extension and modification of program to commemorate 50th anni-
versary of Vietnam War. 
Sec. 599. Authorization of award of medal of honor to Thomas Helmut Griffin 
for acts of valor as a member of the Army during the Vietnam 
War. 
Sec. 599A. Prohibitions relating to questions and answers about sex, gender, 
and gender identity in forms and surveys of the Department 
of Defense. 
TITLE VI—COMPENSATION AND OTHER PERSONNEL BENEFITS 
Subtitle A—Basic Pay and Retired Pay 
Sec. 601. Codification of applicability to Space Force of certain pay and allow-
ance authorities. 
Subtitle B—Bonus and Incentive Pays 
Sec. 611. One-year extension of certain expiring bonus and special pay authori-
ties. 
Sec. 612. Incentive pay: explosive ordnance disposal duty. 
Sec. 613. Standardization of cyber assignment incentive pay for members of the 
Armed Forces. 
Sec. 614. Extending certain travel allowance for members of the Armed Forces 
assigned to Alaska. 
Sec. 615. Pilot program on improving retention of members with degrees in 
their fields of specialty. 
Subtitle C—Allowances 
Sec. 621. Basic needs allowance: exclusion of basic allowance for housing from 
the calculation of gross household income of an eligible member 
of the Armed Forces. 
Sec. 622. Family separation allowance: increase. 
Sec. 623. Report regarding the basic allowance for subsistence and military 
food programs.
Sec. 624. Basic allowance for housing: study to evaluate alternative rate cal-
culation. 
Sec. 625. Study on adjustments to basic allowance for housing calculation. 
Sec. 626. Temporary adjustment to a rate of the basic allowance for housing 
for members of the uniformed services: lower threshold; perma-
nent authority. 
Subtitle D—Leave 
Sec. 631. Bereavement leave for a member of the Armed Forces in the case of 
a loss of pregnancy or stillbirth. 
Sec. 632. Convalescent leave for cadets and midshipmen. 
Sec. 633. Improved parental leave for members of the armed forces. 
Subtitle E—Family and Survivor Benefits 
Sec. 641. Annual review of financial assistance limits for child care and youth 
program services providers. 
Sec. 642. Waiver of requirements for air transportation of deceased members 
of the Armed Forces when necessary to meet mission require-
ments. 
Subtitle F—Defense Resale Matters 
Sec. 651. Use of commissary stores: civilian employees of Military Sealift Com-
mand. 
Sec. 652. MWR retail facilities: use by civilian employees of the Armed Forces. 
Sec. 653. Single-use shopping bags in commissary stores. 
Sec. 654. Pilot program on nutrition ratings for food sold in commissaries. 
Subtitle G—Other Benefits, Reports, and Briefings 
Sec. 661. Provision of information regarding relocation assistance programs for 
members receiving orders for a change of permanent station. 
Sec. 662. Expansion of pilot program to increase access to food on military in-
stallations. 
Sec. 663. Casualty assistance program: review; implementation plan. 
Sec. 664. Report on military camping and recreational park program. 
TITLE VII—HEALTH CARE PROVISIONS 
Subtitle A—TRICARE and Other Health Benefits 
Sec. 701. Dental readiness. 
Sec. 702. Inclusion of certain tests as part of the periodic health assessment 
provided to members of the Armed Forces. 
Sec. 703. Fertility treatment for certain members of the Armed Forces and de-
pendents. 
Sec. 704. TRICARE coverage for increased supply for contraception. 
Sec. 705. Pilot program on access to obstetrical and gynecological care under 
TRICARE Prime program. 
Sec. 706. Pilot program to make midwife services available through TRICARE 
to certain individuals. 
Sec. 707. Pilot program to treat pregnancy as a qualifying event for enrollment 
in TRICARE Select. 
Sec. 708. Pilot program to assist certain members of the Armed Forces and de-
pendents with additional supplemental coverage relating to can-
cer.
Sec. 709. Medical testing and related services for firefighters of Department of 
Defense. 
Sec. 710. Continuous glucose monitoring pilot program. 
Sec. 711. Tricare coverage for anesthesia for in-office dental procedures for pe-
diatric dentistry. 
Sec. 712. Notification to TRICARE beneficiaries of coverage transition require-
ments. 
Sec. 713. Prohibition on coverage of gender-related medical treatment under 
TRICARE. 
Subtitle B—Health Care Administration 
Sec. 721. Military-civilian medical surge program. 
Sec. 722. Reimbursement for travel expenses relating to specialty care for cer-
tain members of the Armed Forces and dependents. 
Sec. 723. Payment adjustments for outpatient services for certain children’s 
hospitals. 
Sec. 724. Verification of licensure of health-care professionals of the military 
departments. 
Sec. 725. Expansion of health care license portability for members of the Na-
tional Guard performing training or duty. 
Sec. 726. Licensure requirement for health-care professionals of partner coun-
tries. 
Sec. 727. Modification of limitation on reduction of military medical manning 
end strength. 
Sec. 728. Prohibition on painful research on domestic cats and dogs. 
Sec. 729. Pilot program to test standalone technology to improve efficiencies in 
supply-chain management, medical readiness, and medical 
processes. 
Sec. 730. Availability of sexual assault nurse examiner services at military med-
ical treatment facilities. 
Sec. 731. Uniform protocols on screening for unwanted sexual behavior. 
Sec. 732. Access to sexual assault forensic examinations for civilian employees 
and contractors. 
Sec. 733. Mandatory 
training 
on 
health 
effects 
of 
perfluoroalkyl 
or 
polyfluoroalkyl substances. 
Sec. 734. Requirements relating to wellness checks for health and welfare of 
certain members of the Armed Forces. 
Sec. 735. Extension of notice and wait period for proposed restructuring, re-
alignment, or modification to military medical treatment facili-
ties. 
Sec. 736. Annual publication of information relating to the treatment of civil-
ians in military medical treatment facilities. 
Sec. 737. Availability of Defense Health Program and other funds for certain 
medical countermeasures. 
Subtitle C—Studies, Briefings, Reports, and Other Matters 
Sec. 741. Military medical cooperation arrangements among Five Eyes coun-
tries. 
Sec. 742. Strategy for treating traumatic brain injuries through digital health 
technologies. 
Sec. 743. Report on traumatic brain injuries among certain pilots serving on 
active duty. 
Sec. 744. Study on prevalence and mortality of cancer among military rotary- 
wing pilots and aviation support personnel.
Sec. 745. Study on effects of service in the special operations forces to health 
of members of the Armed Forces. 
Sec. 746. Pilot program on use of fish skin regeneration products in treating 
burn and blast injuries. 
Sec. 747. Pilot program on remote blood pressure monitoring for certain preg-
nant and post-partum TRICARE beneficiaries. 
Sec. 748. Pilot program to help certain members of the Armed Forces stop 
smoking. 
Sec. 749. Pilot program on secure, mobile personal health record for members 
of the Armed Forces participating in the Transition Assistance 
Program. 
Sec. 750. Report on transitioning of mail-order pharmacy program of 
TRICARE program to an in-house mail order service. 
Sec. 751. Strategic plan to address mental health of members of the Armed 
Forces. 
Sec. 752. Study on implementation of accreditation requirements for military 
dental treatment facilities. 
Sec. 753. Assessment and program on use of radiation-shielding personal pro-
tective equipment to prevent or reduce the severity of acute ra-
diation syndrome and associated mortality. 
Sec. 754. Prescription drop boxes. 
Sec. 755. Department of Defense medical supply chain risk identification and 
transparency enhancement. 
Sec. 756. Assessment and report on health care services available to civilian 
and military personnel at Naval Air Weapons Station China 
Lake. 
Sec. 757. Review and Update of Online Information Relating to Suicide Pre-
vention and Behavioral Health. 
Sec. 758. Study on psychological effects of and mental health impacts of com-
bat remotely piloted aircraft operations. 
Sec. 759. Pilot program on pre-programming of suicide prevention resources 
into smart devices issued to members of the Armed Forces. 
Sec. 760. Study on opioid prescribing practices. 
Sec. 761. Timeliness of electronic medical records during transition from the 
Armed Forces. 
Sec. 762. Study on TRICARE program contract transition. 
Sec. 763. Report on use of oculometric brain health assessment systems for De-
partment of Defense. 
Sec. 764. Plan and report by Defense Health Agency relating to chiropractic 
clinics at military installations. 
TITLE VIII—ACQUISITION POLICY, ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT, 
AND RELATED MATTERS 
Subtitle A—Acquisition Policy and Management 
Sec. 801. Multiyear procurement authority for covered weapon systems. 
Sec. 802. Elimination of late cost and pricing data submission defense. 
Sec. 803. Reporting of price increases. 
Sec. 804. Assumption of uninsurable risk on certain contracts. 
Sec. 805. Changes to reference documents. 
Sec. 806. Major system cost growth oversight. 
Sec. 807. Contested logistics exercise requirement. 
Sec. 808. Financing for programs with priority ratings under the defense prior-
ities and allocation system. 
Sec. 809. Prioritization of domestic boron.
Sec. 810. Establishment of Schedule V for veteran employment and philan-
thropy reporting by defense contractors and grantees. 
Subtitle B—Amendments to General Contracting Authorities, Procedures, and 
Limitations 
Sec. 811. Additional amendments related to undefinitized contractual actions. 
Sec. 812. Modification to award amount for program to accelerate the procure-
ment and fielding of innovative technologies. 
Sec. 813. Other transaction authority reporting. 
Sec. 814. Amendment to procurement of services data analysis and require-
ments validation. 
Sec. 815. Acquisition thresholds for certain materials. 
Sec. 816. Additional materials prohibited from non-allied foreign nations. 
Sec. 817. Extension of authority for pilot program for development of tech-
nology-enhanced capabilities with partnership intermediaries. 
Sec. 818. Government Accountability Office bid protest process enhancement. 
Sec. 819. Report on the use of other transaction authority. 
Sec. 820. Application of certain documentation and oversight requirements to 
certain projects performed through other transaction authority. 
Sec. 821. Prohibition on acquisition of information or communication tech-
nology from Chinese entities. 
Sec. 822. Amendment to definition of conventional ammunition. 
Sec. 823. Prohibitions relating to covered distributed ledger technology and 
blockchain equipment or services. 
Sec. 824. Amendment to requirement for domestic stainless steel flatware and 
dinnerware. 
Subtitle C—Provisions Relating to Workforce Development 
Sec. 831. Improvements to public-private talent exchange. 
Sec. 832. Modification to assignment period for critical acquisition positions. 
Sec. 833. Development of the advanced manufacturing workforce. 
Sec. 834. Competitive acquisition leadership appointments. 
Sec. 835. Development and employment of members of the Defense Civilian 
Training Corps. 
Sec. 836. Reform of contractor performance information requirements. 
Sec. 837. Restructuring of performance evaluation metrics for the acquisition 
workforce. 
Sec. 838. Ensuring Department of Defense contractor compliance with dis-
ability hiring goals. 
Sec. 839. Comptroller General review of matters relating to individuals assigned 
to a critical acquisition position. 
Sec. 840. Comptroller General review of the management, training, and devel-
opment of the acquisition workforce. 
Sec. 841. Report on strengthening the Defense Acquisition University. 
Subtitle D—Provisions Relating to Supply Chains and Domestic Sourcing 
Sec. 851. Repeal of exception for small purchases under the Berry Amendment. 
Sec. 852. Supply chain illumination incentives. 
Sec. 853. Modification to enhanced domestic content requirement for major de-
fense acquisition programs. 
Sec. 854. Strategy to eliminate sourcing of optical glass from certain nations. 
Sec. 855. Voluntary registration of compliance with covered sourcing require-
ments for covered products.
Sec. 856. Acceleration of qualification of compliant sources. 
Sec. 857. Enhanced security strategy for private fifth generation information 
and communications capabilities. 
Sec. 858. Preference for domestic procurement of professional services. 
Sec. 859. Shipping container supply chain. 
Sec. 860. Assessment of critical defense mineral supply chain vulnerabilities. 
Sec. 860A. Assessment of military medical supply chains. 
Sec. 860B. Permanent magnet traceability pilot program. 
Sec. 860C. Applicability of Berry Amendment exceptions to certain seafood 
purchases. 
Sec. 860D. Assessment of critical infrastructure owned by the Department of 
Defense dependent on foreign materials or components. 
Sec. 860E. Strategy to eliminate sourcing of computer displays from certain 
nations. 
Sec. 860F. Critical and rare earth mineral supply chain study. 
Subtitle E—Prohibitions and Limitations on Procurement 
Sec. 861. Requirements relating to long-term concessions agreements with cer-
tain retailers. 
Sec. 862. Prohibition on contracting with entities with segregated facilities. 
Sec. 863. Requirement for contractors to provide reasonable access to repair 
materials. 
Sec. 864. Prohibition on acquisition of advanced batteries from certain foreign 
sources. 
Sec. 865. Prohibition on acquisition of molybdenum from non-allied foreign na-
tions. 
Sec. 866. Requirement to buy disposable food service products from American 
sources; exceptions. 
Sec. 867. Prohibition on Department of Defense contracts with certain foreign- 
owned online tutoring services. 
Sec. 868. Modifications to certain procurements from certain Chinese entities. 
Sec. 869. Prohibition on the purchase of photovoltaic modules from foreign en-
tities of concern. 
Sec. 870. Prohibition on computers or printers acquisitions involving entities 
owned or controlled by China. 
Sec. 870A. Prohibition on entering into contracts with a person engaged in a 
boycott of the State of Israel. 
Sec. 870B. Requirements for prime contractors of certain telecommunications 
contracts. 
Sec. 870C. Report on compliance progress with sensitive material acquisition 
prohibition. 
Sec. 870D. Prohibition on procurement of certain organic light emitting diode 
display technologies. 
Subtitle F—Industrial Base Matters 
Sec. 871. Modification to demonstration and prototyping program to advance 
international product support capabilities in a contested logis-
tics environment. 
Sec. 872. Modification to procurement requirements relating to rare earth ele-
ments and strategic and critical materials. 
Sec. 873. Applicability of the prohibition on acquiring certain metal products. 
Sec. 874. Recycling critical mineral. 
Sec. 875. Organic small unmanned aircraft system manufacturing capacity. 
Sec. 876. Protecting AI and cloud competition in defense contracts.
Sec. 877. Bioindustrial commercialization program. 
Sec. 878. Common repository for supplier information. 
Sec. 879. Civil Reserve Manufacturing Network. 
Sec. 880. Review and assessment of non-domestic additive manufacturing 
equipment and associated software supplying the defense in-
dustrial base. 
Sec. 880A. Assessment of industrial base for turbojet pyrotechnic devices. 
Sec. 880B. Modifications to Defense Industrial Base Fund. 
Subtitle G—Small Business Matters 
Sec. 881. Department of Defense contracting goals for small business concerns 
owned and controlled by veterans. 
Sec. 882. Permanent extension of phase flexibility and inclusion of small busi-
ness technology transfer program. 
Sec. 883. Authority to make additional sequential Phase II awards under the 
Small Business Innovation Research program or Small Busi-
ness Technology Transfer program. 
Sec. 884. Congressional notification requirements for small business concerns 
for any significant contract termination. 
Sec. 885. Authorization of use of APEX Accelerators. 
Sec. 886. CMMC Certification Assessment support. 
Sec. 887. Study on certain contracts and awards to small business concerns. 
Subtitle H—Other Matters 
Sec. 891. Special Operations Command Urgent Innovative Technologies and 
Capabilities Pilot Program. 
Sec. 892. Inventory of technical data rights for weapon system sustainment. 
Sec. 893. Establishing biobased product merit guidance. 
Sec. 894. Comptroller General assessment of competitive effects of mergers and 
acquisitions of defense contractors. 
Sec. 895. Report on limitations relating to the production of clothing and tex-
tiles for procurement by the Department of Defense. 
Sec. 896. Report by Secretary of Defense on foreign acquisition of dual-use 
technologies. 
Sec. 897. Inspector General of the Department of Defense annual report on 
oversight of fraud, waste, and abuse. 
Sec. 898. Report on supply of rare earth materials and elements. 
Sec. 898A. Requirements management tools in Department of Defense acquisi-
tion programs. 
Sec. 898B. Report on Defense Department’s lithium supply chain and applica-
tions for future advanced military capabilities. 
Sec. 898C. Cybersecurity regulatory plan. 
Sec. 898D. Report on waivers of security requirements for certain software con-
tracts. 
Subtitle I—Robot Security 
Sec. 899. Definitions. 
Sec. 899A. Prohibition on procurement of covered unmanned ground vehicle 
systems from covered foreign entities. 
Sec. 899B. Prohibition on operation of covered unmanned ground vehicle sys-
tems from covered foreign entities.
Sec. 899C. Prohibition on use of Federal funds for procurement and operation 
of covered unmanned ground vehicle systems manufactured by 
certain foreign entities. 
TITLE IX—DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ORGANIZATION AND 
MANAGEMENT 
Subtitle A—Office of the Secretary of Defense and Related Matters 
Sec. 901. Prohibition of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs of the De-
partment of Defense. 
Sec. 902. Modification to authorities of the Under Secretary of Defense for Re-
search and Engineering. 
Sec. 903. Modification to authorities of the Director of Operational Test and 
Evaluation. 
Sec. 904. Additional authorities for the Office of Strategic Capital. 
Sec. 905. Further modifications to capital assistance program of the Office of 
Strategic Capital. 
Subtitle B—Other Department of Defense Organization and Management 
Matters 
Sec. 911. Membership of Commandant of the Coast Guard on the Joint Chiefs 
of Staff. 
Sec. 912. Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office. 
Sec. 913. Authority to establish regional outreach centers for the Defense Inno-
vation Unit. 
Sec. 914. Oversight of the United States Africa Command. 
Sec. 915. Limitation on availability of funds for the Army pending submittal 
of plan on the proposed integration of the Joint Munitions 
Command and the Army Sustainment Command. 
Sec. 916. Limitation on authority to reduce in rank the billets of the com-
manding officers of certain military installations of the Air 
Force. 
Sec. 917. Determination of lead organization responsible for approval and vali-
dation of certain unmanned aircraft systems and components. 
Sec. 918. Department of Defense advisory subcommittee to review technologies, 
processes, and investment related to combined joint all-domain 
command and control. 
Sec. 919. Eligibility of Chief of the National Guard Bureau for appointment as 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 
TITLE X—GENERAL PROVISIONS 
Subtitle A—Financial Matters 
Sec. 1001. General transfer authority. 
Sec. 1002. Responsibilities of Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). 
Sec. 1003. Additional elements for Department of Defense Financial Improve-
ment and Audit Remediation Plan and report. 
Sec. 1004. Consolidation of reporting requirements relating to Department of 
Defense financial improvement and audit remediation plan. 
Sec. 1005. Concurrent reporting date for annual update to Defense Business 
Systems Audit Remediation Plan and Department of Defense 
annual financial statements.
Sec. 1006. Limitation on availability of funds for travel expenses of Office of 
Secretary of Defense until completion of certain audit require-
ments. 
Sec. 1007. Reporting requirements for amounts made available pursuant to 
title II of Public Law 119–21. 
Sec. 1008. Department of Defense spending reductions in absence of submitted 
financial statements or failure to achieve unqualified or quali-
fied independent audit opinion. 
Sec. 1009. Clean audit for the Department of Defense. 
Sec. 1010. Use of technology using artificial intelligence to facilitate audit of 
the financial statements of the Department of Defense for fis-
cal year 2026. 
Subtitle B—Naval Vessels 
Sec. 1011. Inclusion of certain design information in annual naval vessel con-
struction plans. 
Sec. 1012. Limitation on use of funds in the National Defense Sealift Fund to 
purchase certain used foreign constructed vessels. 
Sec. 1013. Requirements for amphibious warfare ship force structure. 
Sec. 1014. Definition of short-term work for purposes of Navy construction of 
combatant and escort vessels and assignment of vessel projects. 
Sec. 1015. Navy Senior Technical Authority. 
Sec. 1016. Alternative contracting authority for United States Naval Ships. 
Sec. 1017. Inclusion of Navy amphibious ship maintenance as a separate line 
item in operation and maintenance budget. 
Sec. 1018. Metrics for basic and functional design for ship construction. 
Sec. 1019. Authority for single award indefinite delivery indefinite quantity 
contract for destroyer maintenance. 
Sec. 1020. Evaluation of sites for shipbuilding and ship repair. 
Sec. 1021. Limitation on use of funds to retire or decommission Navy oceano-
graphic research vessels. 
Sec. 1022. Sense of Congress regarding naming of vessel for Battle of Dai Do. 
Sec. 1023. Overhaul, repair, and maintenance of vessels in the Commonwealth 
of the Northern Mariana Islands. 
Sec. 1024. Maritime redundant and resilient communications. 
Sec. 1025. Report on Navy ship repair capabilities in Guam. 
Sec. 1026. Sense of Congress regarding naming an aircraft carrier after the 
United States. 
Subtitle C—Counterterrorism 
Sec. 1031. Revisions to Department of Defense authority for joint task forces 
to support law enforcement agencies or Federal agencies con-
ducting counterterrorism and counter transnational organized 
crime activities. 
Sec. 1032. Extension of prohibition on use of funds for transfer or release of 
individuals detained at United States Naval Station, Guanta-
namo Bay, Cuba, to the United States. 
Sec. 1033. Extension of prohibition on use of funds to construct or modify fa-
cilities in the United States to house detainees transferred 
from United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. 
Sec. 1034. Extension of prohibition on use of funds for transfer or release of 
individuals detained at United States Naval Station, Guanta-
namo Bay, Cuba, to certain countries.
Sec. 1035. Extension of prohibition on use of funds to close or relinquish con-
trol of United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. 
Sec. 1036. Limitation on authority of Armed Forces to detain citizens of the 
United States. 
Subtitle D—Miscellaneous Authorities and Limitations 
Sec. 1041. Modification of authority to provide assistance in support of Depart-
ment of Defense accounting for missing United States Govern-
ment personnel. 
Sec. 1042. Expedited access to certain military installations of the Department 
of Defense for Members of Congress and certain Congressional 
employees. 
Sec. 1043. Authority of Secretary of Defense to enter into contracts to provide 
certain assistance to secure the southern land border of the 
United States. 
Sec. 1044. Limitation on use of funds to relocate or otherwise remove the Mari-
time Industrial Base Program. 
Sec. 1045. Limitation on retirement of Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft systems. 
Sec. 1046. Oversight of the United States Southern Command. 
Sec. 1047. Authority to transfer T–37 aircraft to Arizona Aviation Historical 
Group. 
Sec. 1048. Authorization of Eastern Regional Range Complex for multi-domain 
operations and robotic autonomous systems training, testing, 
and experimentation. 
Sec. 1049. Prohibition on availability of funds for institutions of higher edu-
cation that allow antisemitic demonstrations. 
Sec. 1050. Limitation on use of funds pending certification of compliance with 
certain congressional notice requirements. 
Sec. 1051. Prohibition on the use of funds from carrying out a hiring freeze, 
reduction in force, or hiring delay without cause at a public 
shipyard. 
Sec. 1052. Limitation on use of funds for deactivation of Expeditionary Combat 
Aviation Brigades. 
Sec. 1053. Use of nonelectric vehicles by employees at Yuma Proving Ground. 
Sec. 1054. Process to furnish certain demographic data regarding members of 
the Armed Forces to State educational agencies. 
Sec. 1055. Revocation of Security Clearances for Certain Persons. 
Sec. 1056. Ceremonial horses adoption program of the Army. 
Sec. 1057. Elimination of discretion of military chain of command and senior 
civilian leadership with respect to display of flags. 
Subtitle E—Reports 
Sec. 1061. Mobility capability requirements study. 
Sec. 1062. Extension of briefing requirement regarding civil authorities at the 
Southwest border. 
Sec. 1063. Prohibition on lobbying activities with respect to the Department of 
Defense by certain officers of the Armed Forces and civilian 
employees of the department following separation from military 
service or employment with the Department. 
Sec. 1064. Annual report on requests of combatant commands for remote sens-
ing data. 
Sec. 1065. Notification of waivers under Department of Defense Directive 
3000.09. 
Sec. 1066. Annual report on Guam civilian-military projects.
Sec. 1067. Annual report on military power and illicit activities of certain drug 
cartels. 
Sec. 1068. Department of Defense briefing on pulsed lasers. 
Sec. 1069. Reports on installation of certain collision avoidance systems in mili-
tary rotary-wing aircraft. 
Sec. 1070. Cybersecurity and Resilience Annex in Strategic Rail Corridor Net-
work Assessments. 
Sec. 1070A. Report on DOD-funded institutions of higher education hosting 
Confucius Institutes. 
Sec. 1070B. Report on aviation fleet maintenance, aircraft availability rates, 
and plans to reduce downtime. 
Sec. 1070C. Study on improvement of Army contracted sealift assets. 
Sec. 1070D. Study on public, private, and allied shipyard capabilities for Indo- 
Pacific region conflicts. 
Sec. 1070E. Utilization of office space by the Department of Defense. 
Sec. 1070F. Biennial assessment of the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Di-
vision. 
Sec. 1070G. Extension of biennial assessments of Air Force Test Center. 
Sec. 1070H. Report on proposed Western Hemisphere Command. 
Sec. 1070I. Report on modernization requirements for the Thunderbirds dem-
onstration team. 
Sec. 1070J. Report on proliferation of Chinese medical device technology in the 
United States. 
Sec. 1070K. Report on establishing communication enclaves between the De-
partment of Defense and Congress. 
Sec. 1070L. Report on cost of living adjustment. 
Sec. 1070M. Responsible use of artificial intelligence for logistics, intelligence, 
maintenance, cyber defense, and other mission areas. 
Sec. 1070N. GAO review and report on biological weapons experiments on and 
in relation to ticks, tick-borne disease. 
Sec. 1070O. Assessment of integration of Joint Combatant Commander Exer-
cise Team into large scale exercises of United States Indo-Pa-
cific Command. 
Sec. 1070P. Report on development and deployment of the Naval Autonomous 
Data Collection System. 
Sec. 1070Q. Report on options for establishing a digital engagement framework 
for addressing recruitment, retention, and readiness challenges. 
Sec. 1070R. Report on red flags missed in fraud scheme perpetrated by Janet 
Yamanaka Mello. 
Subtitle F—Other Matters 
Sec. 1071. Air Force Technical Training Center of Excellence. 
Sec. 1072. National Commission on the Future of the Navy study of maritime 
industrial base. 
Sec. 1073. Extension of the National Commission on the Future of the Navy. 
Sec. 1074. Reauthorization of the Servicewomen’s Commemorative Partnership. 
Sec. 1075. Federal agency support for Afghanistan War Commission. 
Sec. 1076. Provision of contract authority to Afghanistan War Commission. 
Sec. 1077. Framework for technology transfer and foreign disclosure policies. 
Sec. 1078. Budgeting and funding requirements for Northern Strike Exercise. 
Sec. 1079. Procurement and distribution of sports foods and dietary supple-
ments to members of the Armed Forces assigned to the United 
States Special Operations Command.
Sec. 1080. Pilot program on enhanced use of advanced sensor networks to im-
prove Air Force counter-unmanned aircraft system capabilities 
for base defense. 
Sec. 1081. Pilot program and other requirements for accelerating protection of 
certain facilities and assets from unmanned aircraft. 
Sec. 1082. Counter-unmanned aircraft system readiness. 
Sec. 1083. Pilot program on digital force protection for Special Operations 
Forces. 
Sec. 1084. Pilot program for blockchain-enabled inventory management. 
Sec. 1085. Acceleration of accreditation and access to sensitive compartmented 
information facilities for industry. 
Sec. 1086. Standardization of data analysis and visualization across the De-
partment of Defense. 
Sec. 1087. Process for complaints and investigations of transportation service 
providers and transportation officers. 
Sec. 1088. Construction of 9/11 Pentagon Memorial Visitor Education Center. 
Sec. 1089.
Prohibition on use of live animals in trauma training. 
Sec. 1090. Virtual reality technology pilot program. 
Sec. 1091. Expeditious disclosure of records relating to Tower 22 attack. 
Sec. 1092. Updates and preservation of memorials to chaplains at Arlington 
National Cemetery. 
Sec. 1093. Critical infrastructure compatibility tabletop exercise. 
Sec. 1094. Defense critical infrastructure protection interagency review. 
TITLE XI—CIVILIAN PERSONNEL 
Subtitle A—General Provisions 
Sec. 1101. Living quarter allowance for Department of Defense civilian employ-
ees with permanent duty station in Guam. 
Sec. 1102. Appointment of retired members of the armed forces to competitive 
service and excepted service positions in the Department of De-
fense. 
Sec. 1103. Pay for crews of vessels. 
Sec. 1104. Exception to limitation on rate of basic pay for crews of vessels. 
Sec. 1105. One-year extension of authority to waive annual limitation on pre-
mium pay and aggregate limitation on pay for Federal civilian 
employees working overseas. 
Sec. 1106. One-year extension of temporary authority to grant allowances, ben-
efits, and gratuities to civilian personnel on official duty in a 
combat zone. 
Sec. 1107. Defense workforce integration. 
Sec. 1108. Modifications to total force management requirements. 
Sec. 1109. Exemption from civilian hiring freeze for delayed DOD appoint-
ments due to active duty. 
Sec. 1110. Limitation on use of funds to limit collective bargaining. 
Sec. 1111. Personnel actions against DOD SES career appointees. 
Sec. 1112. Study on locality pay Department of Defense employees. 
Sec. 1113. Feasibility study on Department of Defense civilians forward de-
ployed into combat zones and toxic exposure. 
Sec. 1114. Definition of defense industrial base facility for purposes of direct 
hire authority. 
Sec. 1115. Payment of retention bonuses to DOD civilian employees in Guam. 
Sec. 1116. DOD prevailing rate employee pay increase. 
Subtitle B—Defense Hiring Modernization Act of 2025
Sec. 1121. Short title. 
Sec. 1122. Amendments to title 5, United States Code. 
TITLE XII—MATTERS RELATING TO FOREIGN NATIONS 
Subtitle A—Assistance and Training 
Sec. 1201. Authority to build capacity for space domain awareness. 
Sec. 1202. Modification of authority to build capacity of foreign security forces. 
Sec. 1203. Modifications to Irregular Warfare Center and Regional Defense 
Fellowship Program. 
Sec. 1204. Modification of public reporting of Chinese military companies oper-
ating in the United States. 
Sec. 1205. Research, development, test, and evaluation of emerging tech-
nologies to further the warfighting capabilities of the United 
States and certain partner countries. 
Sec. 1206. Cybersecurity integration. 
Sec. 1207. Modification of Department of Defense State Partnership Program. 
Subtitle B—Matters Relating to Israel 
Sec. 1211. War Reserve Stockpile authority for Israel. 
Sec. 1212. Modification and extension of United States-Israel anti-tunnel co-
operation. 
Sec. 1213. Extension and modification of United States-Israel cooperation to 
counter unmanned systems in all warfighting domains. 
Sec. 1214. Sense of congress on international defense exhibitions. 
Sec. 1215. Study and report on international security measures on the border 
between Gaza and Egypt. 
Sec. 1216. Establishment of defense innovation unit office in Israel. 
Sec. 1217. U.S.-Israel defense industrial base harmonization. 
Sec. 1218. Report on U.S.-Israel military exercises. 
Subtitle C—Matters Relating to the Near and Middle East 
Sec. 1231. Repeal of war-related reporting requirements for concluded oper-
ations. 
Sec. 1232. Extension of authority for reimbursement of certain coalition na-
tions for support provided to United States military operations. 
Sec. 1233. Extension and modification of authority to provide assistance to vet-
ted Syrian groups and individuals. 
Sec. 1234. Extension and modification of authority to provide assistance to 
counter the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. 
Sec. 1235. Counter-terrorism support. 
Sec. 1236. Prohibition on funding to Badr Organization. 
Sec. 1237. Intelligence sharing with resistance units in Afghanistan. 
Sec. 1238. Extension and modification of annual report on military power of 
Iran. 
Subtitle D—Reports and Strategies 
Sec. 1241. Modification and extension of annual report on military and security 
developments involving the Russian Federation. 
Sec. 1242. Report on United States deterrence and defense posture in the Eu-
ropean region. 
Sec. 1243. Extension and modification of annual report on military and secu-
rity developments involving the People’s Republic of China.
Sec. 1244. Report relating to AUKUS Pillar 1. 
Sec. 1245. Report on strategy for increasing membership in the comprehensive 
security integration and prosperity agreement. 
Sec. 1246. Inclusion of special operations forces in planning and strategy relat-
ing to the Arctic region. 
Sec. 1247. Strategy. 
TITLE XIII—OTHER MATTERS RELATING TO FOREIGN NATIONS 
Subtitle A—Matters Relating to Europe 
Sec. 1301. Allied contributions to United States force posture on NATO’s east-
ern flank. 
Sec. 1302. Extension and modification of Ukraine Security Assistance Initia-
tive. 
Sec. 1303. Extension of report relating to allied and partner support to 
Ukraine. 
Sec. 1304. Oversight of United States force posture in Europe. 
Sec. 1305. Sense of Congress on NATO military readiness. 
Sec. 1306. Baltic Security Initiative. 
Subtitle B—Matters Relating to the Indo-Pacific Region 
Sec. 1311. Extension and modification of Pacific Deterrence Initiative. 
Sec. 1312. Extension of authority to transfer funds for Bien Hoa dioxin clean-
up. 
Sec. 1313. Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. 
Sec. 1314. Extension of deterrence pilot program. 
Sec. 1315. Strategy to strengthen multilateral deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. 
Sec. 1316. Sense of Congress on defense alliance and partnership with South 
Korea. 
Sec. 1317. Report on civilian-military relations in the Freely Associated States. 
Sec. 1318. Annual report on presence and activities of European Union and 
NATO militaries in the Indo-Pacific Region. 
Sec. 1319. Strategy to enhance Indo-Pacific defense industrial cooperation. 
Sec. 1320. Annual report on Taiwan capabilities and intelligence support. 
Sec. 1321. Strategic partnership on defense industrial priorities between the 
United States and Taiwan. 
Sec. 1322. Reporting Requirement on Obstacles to Taiwanese Procurement. 
Sec. 1323. Invitation to Taiwan to the rim of the Pacific exercise. 
Sec. 1324. Support for Taiwan to improve the resilience and security of its en-
ergy infrastructure. 
TITLE XIV—OTHER AUTHORIZATIONS 
Subtitle A—Military Programs 
Sec. 1401. Working capital funds. 
Sec. 1402. Chemical agents and munitions destruction, defense. 
Sec. 1403. Drug interdiction and counter-drug activities, defense-wide. 
Sec. 1404. Defense Inspector General. 
Sec. 1405. Defense Health Program. 
Subtitle B—Other Matters
Sec. 1411. Extension of authorities for funding and management of joint De-
partment of Defense-Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 
Facility Demonstration Fund for Captain James A. Lovell 
Health Care Center, Illinois. 
Sec. 1412. Amendment to National Defense Stockpile shortfall briefings. 
Sec. 1413. Beginning balances of the Defense Logistics Agency Working Cap-
ital Fund for audit purposes. 
Sec. 1414. Authorization of appropriations for Armed Forces Retirement 
Home. 
Sec. 1415. Report on prioritization of recovery of rare earth elements from end- 
of-life equipment. 
TITLE XV—CYBERSPACE-RELATED MATTERS 
Subtitle A—Cyber Operations 
Sec. 1501. Accountability of the Authorization to Operate processes. 
Sec. 1502. Codification of the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cy-
bersecurity. 
Sec. 1503. Assessment of Cyber Operational Support to geographic combatant 
commands. 
Sec. 1504. Limitation on the divestment, consolidation, and curtailment of cer-
tain electronic warfare test and evaluation activities. 
Sec. 1505. Incentivization plan for critical skills for members of the Armed 
Forces to carry out Department of Defense cyber operations. 
Sec. 1506. Evaluation of Joint Task Force-Cyber for the Indo-Pacific Area of 
responsibility. 
Subtitle B—Cybersecurity 
Sec. 1511. Annual report on weapon systems data accessibility and security. 
Sec. 1512. Incorporation of artificial intelligence considerations into annual cy-
bersecurity training. 
Sec. 1513. Update to cyber security requirements for telecommunications con-
tracts. 
Sec. 1514. Federal contractor vulnerability disclosure policy. 
Sec. 1515. Strategy to defend against risks posed by the use of artificial intel-
ligence. 
Subtitle C—Information Technology and Data Management 
Sec. 1521. Biological data for artificial intelligence. 
Sec. 1522. Procurement of best-in-class cyber data products and services. 
Subtitle D—Artificial Intelligence 
Sec. 1531. Artificial intelligence and machine learning security in the Depart-
ment of Defense. 
Sec. 1532. Pilot program for data-enabled fleet maintenance. 
Sec. 1533. Generative artificial intelligence for national defense. 
Sec. 1534. Reports on AI use for business processes. 
Subtitle E—Reports and Other Matters 
Sec. 1541. Modification to certification requirement regarding contracting for 
military recruiting. 
Sec. 1542. Occupational resiliency of the Cyber Mission Force.
Sec. 1543. Assessment of cyber-phyiscal ranges as potential National Cyber 
Range complexes. 
Sec. 1544. Report on replacement of Time Division Multiplexing lines at armor-
ies of the Air National Guard and the Army National Guard. 
TITLE XVI—SPACE ACTIVITIES, STRATEGIC PROGRAMS, AND 
INTELLIGENCE MATTERS 
Subtitle A—Space Activities 
Sec. 1601. Acquisition career path in the Space Force. 
Sec. 1602. Advance payments for commercial satellite communication services. 
Sec. 1603. Noise mitigation regarding space launches. 
Sec. 1604. Tactical surveillance, reconnaissance and tracking program. 
Sec. 1605. Reports on Spaceport of the Future initiative. 
Sec. 1606. Use of middle tier acquisition program for proliferated warfighter 
space architecture of Space Development Agency. 
Sec. 1607. Auxiliary payload for Next Generation Polar Overhead Persistent 
Infrared satellites. 
Sec. 1608. Assistance by United States Space Command to track fentanyl traf-
ficking. 
Subtitle B—Defense Intelligence and Intelligence-Related Activities 
Sec. 1611. Clandestine activities vendor database. 
Sec. 1612. Modification of authority of Army counterintelligence agents to exe-
cute warrants and make arrests. 
Sec. 1613. Modifications to and codification of the Department of Defense in-
sider threat program. 
Sec. 1614. Facility clearance acceleration for members of defense industrial 
consortiums. 
Sec. 1615. Requirement to authorize additional security clearances for certain 
contractors. 
Sec. 1616. Prohibition on access to Department of Defense cloud-based re-
sources by individuals who are not citizens of the United States 
or allied countries. 
Sec. 1617. National Security Agency support for defense industrial base and 
critical infrastructure cybersecurity operations. 
Sec. 1618. Report on Russian active measures in NATO territory. 
Sec. 1619. Report on delays in accreditation of sensitive compartmented infor-
mation facilities. 
Subtitle C—Nuclear Forces 
Sec. 1621. Establishment of Air Force Global Strike Command. 
Sec. 1622. Matters relating to the nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missile. 
Sec. 1623. Prohibition on reduction of intercontinental ballistic missiles of the 
United States. 
Sec. 1624. Strategy to sustain Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile 
and maximize end-of-life margin. 
Sec. 1625. Report on Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Deterrence, 
Chemical, and Biological Defense Policy and Programs. 
Sec. 1626. Improvements to certain Department of Defense indemnification 
procedures to enable procurement of commercial advanced nu-
clear technologies.
Sec. 1627. Review of the occupational health and safety conditions of oper-
ational facilities associated with the LGM–30G Minuteman III 
intercontinental ballistic missile system. 
Sec. 1628. Report on dismantlement of legacy nuclear weapons. 
Subtitle D—Missile Defense Programs 
Sec. 1641. Modification to national missile defense policy to reflect Golden 
Dome for America policy. 
Sec. 1642. Golden Dome for America. 
Sec. 1643. Prohibition privatized or subscription-based missile defense intercept 
capabilities. 
Sec. 1644. Funding for sea-based launch for missile defense targets. 
Sec. 1645. Submission of summary of certain Guam missile defense report. 
Sec. 1646. Middle East integrated air and missile defense. 
Subtitle E—Other Matters 
Sec. 1651. Cooperative threat reduction funds. 
Sec. 1652. Limitation on authority to reduce sustainment for or halt operation 
of the AN/FPS–108 COBRA DANE radar. 
Sec. 1653. Sense of Congress with respect to arrow interceptor production ca-
pacity and inventory. 
TITLE XVII—OTHER DEFENSE MATTERS 
Subtitle A—Miscellaneous Authorities and Limitations 
Sec. 1701. Copyright to a literary work produced by a civilian faculty member 
of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in the 
course of such employment: free use by the Federal Govern-
ment. 
Sec. 1702. Combating illicit tobacco products. 
Sec. 1703. Made-in-America defense articles and services expedited through di-
rect commercial sales. 
Sec. 1704. Modifications to authority for transfer and sale of certain surplus 
firearms, ammunition, and parts. 
Sec. 1705. Mapping and report on strategic ports. 
Sec. 1706. Continuous assessment of impact of international state arms embar-
goes on Israel and actions to address defense capability gaps. 
Subtitle B—Other Matters 
Sec. 1721. Technical and conforming amendments. 
Sec. 1722. Transfer or possession of defense items for national defense pur-
poses. 
Sec. 1723. Evaluation of risks posed by communications equipment and serv-
ices produced by foreign adversary entities. 
Sec. 1724. Sense of Congress with respect to execution of warrants of the 
International Criminal Court. 
Sec. 1725. Briefing on expediting arms transfers to Israel. 
Sec. 1726. Feasibility study on extending critical minerals procurement authori-
ties to other Federal agencies. 
Sec. 1727. Report on plan to increase exportation of defense-related compo-
nents and materials. 
Sec. 1728. GAO study on Department of Defense reliance on Chinese-sourced 
materials.
Sec. 1729. Report on interagency coordination targeting fentanyl and precursor 
chemicals. 
Sec. 1730. Government Accountability Office audit of national security foreign 
exchange programs. 
Sec. 1731. Authorizing United States Coast Guard rotary aircraft work at De-
partment of Defense depots. 
Sec. 1732. Briefing on supply chain exposure. 
Sec. 1733. Recognition and honoring of service of individuals who served in the 
United States Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II. 
Sec. 1733A. Interest on funds provided to Federal Communications Commis-
sion. 
Sec. 1733B. Report on Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix. 
Sec. 1733C. Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. 
Sec. 1733D. Strategy to counter Iranian and Hezbollah influence operations in 
Latin America. 
Sec. 1733E. Strategy to encourage defections from the Government of Iran. 
Sec. 1733F. Repeal of Authorizations for Use of Military Force relating to 
Iraq. 
Sec. 1733G. Penalties for unlawful entry and violation of security regulations. 
Subtitle C—Tracking Hostile Industry Networks and Kit While Thwarting 
Weapons Imports From Chinese Entities Act of 2025 
Sec. 1734. Report on arms sales of the People’s Republic of China. 
Sec. 1735. Strategy to combat arms sales of the People’s Republic of China. 
Subtitle D—SAFE Research Act 
Sec. 1736. Short title. 
Sec. 1737. Prohibition on certain federal awards. 
Sec. 1738. Disclosures. 
Sec. 1739. Concurrent and post-award restrictions. 
Sec. 1740. Definitions. 
TITLE XVIII—STREAMLINING PROCUREMENT FOR EFFECTIVE 
EXECUTION AND DELIVERY 
Subtitle A—Alignment of the Defense Acquisition System 
Sec. 1801. Alignment of the defense acquisition system with the needs of mem-
bers of the Armed Forces. 
Sec. 1802. Program executive officer responsibilities. 
Sec. 1803. Product support manager responsibilities and requirements. 
Sec. 1804. Amendments to life-cycle management and product support. 
Sec. 1805. Modifications relating to life-cycle and sustainment provisions. 
Sec. 1806. Major capability activity areas and pathfinder programs. 
Sec. 1807. Project Spectrum. 
Subtitle B—Requirements Process Reform 
Sec. 1811. Joint Requirements Council. 
Sec. 1812. Establishment of the Requirements, Acquisition, and Programming 
Integration Directorate. 
Sec. 1813. Establishment of the Mission Engineering and Integration Activity. 
Subtitle C—Streamlining Acquisition Processes 
Sec. 1821. Adjustments to certain acquisition thresholds.
Sec. 1822. Clarification of conditions for payments for commercial products 
and commercial services. 
Sec. 1823. Alternative capability-based pricing. 
Sec. 1824. Matters related to cost accounting standards. 
Sec. 1825. Review of commercial buying practices. 
Subtitle D—Matters Relating to Commercial Innovation 
Sec. 1831. Amendment to other transaction authority. 
Sec. 1832. Data-as-a-service solutions for weapon system contracts. 
Sec. 1833. Requirements for modular open system approach and modifications 
to rights in technical data. 
Sec. 1834. Bridging Operational Objectives and Support for Transition pro-
gram. 
Sec. 1835. Transition to advanced manufacturing for certain critical items. 
Subtitle E—Modifications to Strengthen the Industrial Base 
Sec. 1841. Amendments to the procurement technical assistance program. 
Sec. 1842. Defense Industrial Resilience Consortium. 
Sec. 1843. Qualification, acceptance, and supply chain management of products 
manufactured using advanced manufacturing. 
Sec. 1844. Report on surge capacity in the defense industrial base. 
DIVISION B—MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AUTHORIZATIONS 
Sec. 2001. Short title. 
Sec. 2002. Expiration of authorizations and amounts required to be specified 
by law. 
Sec. 2003. Effective date. 
TITLE XXI—ARMY MILITARY CONSTRUCTION 
Sec. 2101. Authorized Army construction and land acquisition projects. 
Sec. 2102. Family Housing. 
Sec. 2103. Authorization of appropriations, Army. 
Sec. 2104. Extension of authority to carry out fiscal year 2021 project at Fort 
Gillem, Georgia. 
Sec. 2105. Extension of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2022 projects. 
Sec. 2106. Extension of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2023 projects. 
Sec. 2107. Modification of authority to carry out fiscal year 2025 project at 
Smith Barracks, Germany. 
TITLE XXII—NAVY MILITARY CONSTRUCTION 
Sec. 2201. Authorized Navy construction and land acquisition projects. 
Sec. 2202. Family Housing. 
Sec. 2203. Authorization of appropriations, Navy. 
Sec. 2204. Extension of authority to carry out fiscal year 2022 project at Ma-
rine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. 
Sec. 2205. 
Extension of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2022 
projects. 
Sec. 2206. 
Extension of authority to carry out certain fiscal year 2023 
projects. 
TITLE XXIII—AIR FORCE MILITARY CONSTRUCTION 
Sec. 2301. Authorized Air Force construction and land acquisition projects.
Sec. 2608. Modification of authority to carry out fiscal year 2023 project at 
Tucson International Airport, Arizona. 
Sec. 2609. Authority to carry out fiscal year 2026 project at Army Reserve 
Center Conroe, Texas. 
TITLE XXVII—BASE REALIGNMENT AND CLOSURE ACTIVITIES 
Sec. 2701. Authorization of appropriations for base realignment and closure ac-
tivities funded through Department of Defense base closure ac-
count. 
TITLE XXVIII—MILITARY CONSTRUCTION GENERAL PROVISIONS 
Subtitle A—Military Construction Programs 
Sec. 2801. Facility construction or repair: transactions other than contracts 
and grants. 
Sec. 2802. Supervision of military construction projects. 
Sec. 2803. Improvements to water management and security on military instal-
lations. 
Sec. 2804. Authority to use progressive design-build procedures for military 
construction projects. 
Sec. 2805. Pilot program on use of additive construction technologies at Army 
installations. 
Sec. 2806. Consideration of modular construction methods for military con-
struction projects with protective design elements. 
Sec. 2807. Multiyear contracting authority for certain military construction 
projects. 
Sec. 2808. Guidance for military construction projects for innovation, research, 
development, test, and evaluation. 
Sec. 2809. Authorize cost-plus incentive fee contracting for SIOP infrastruc-
ture. 
Subtitle B—Military Housing Reforms 
Sec. 2811. Improvements to Department of Defense Housing Requirements and 
Market Analysis. 
Sec. 2812. Use of imitative substitute building materials for preservation of 
certain units of military housing under jurisdiction of the De-
partment of Defense. 
Sec. 2813. Modification of certain requirements with respect to closure of main-
tenance work orders for privatized military housing. 
Sec. 2814. Inclusion of additional landlord financial information in certain an-
nual report on privatized military housing. 
Sec. 2815. Continuation of certain reporting requirements with respect to 
privatized military housing. 
Sec. 2816. Pilot program for emerging mold remediation technologies. 
Sec. 2817. Standardization of mold remediation guidelines across military de-
partments. 
Sec. 2818. Inspections by qualified home inspector of privatized military hous-
ing. 
Sec. 2819. Plan to improve accuracy, integration, and interoperability of De-
partment of Defense data with respect to real property, infra-
structure, military unaccompanied housing. 
Sec. 2820. Radon testing of military housing owned or controlled by the Fed-
eral Government. 
Sec. 2820A. Annual report on military families on housing waitlists.
Sec. 2820B. Implementation of Comptroller General recommendations relating 
to critical military housing supply and affordability. 
Subtitle C—Real Property and Facilities Administration 
Sec. 2821. Modification to assistance for public infrastructure projects and 
services. 
Sec. 2822. Modification of requirement with respect to minimum capital invest-
ment for facilities sustainment, restoration, and modernization 
for military departments. 
Sec. 2823. Extension of authority to carry out Department of Defense pilot 
program for use of cost savings realized. 
Sec. 2824. Department of Defense intergovernmental support agreements for 
ordnance disposal. 
Sec. 2825. Authorities available for Energy Resilience and Conservation Invest-
ment program projects on privatized utility systems. 
Sec. 2826. Repeal of construction requirements related to antiterrorism and 
force protection or urban-training operations. 
Sec. 2827. Repeal of pilot program authorizing overhead cost reimbursements 
from major range and test facility base users at certain De-
partment of the Air Force installations. 
Sec. 2828. Department of Defense procedures with respect to planning coordi-
nation for grid resiliency on military installations. 
Sec. 2829. Master plans for Service Academies. 
Sec. 2830. Review of Unified Facilities Criteria applicable to military construc-
tion projects; report. 
Sec. 2831. Annual report on cost premium for construction of certain facilities. 
Sec. 2832. Historical marker commemorating effects of radiation exposure at 
Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range. 
Sec. 2833. Name of Department of the Army military installation, Augusta, 
Georgia. 
Sec. 2834. Name of the Department of the Army military installation located 
in Muscogee County and Chattahoochee County, Georgia. 
Sec. 2835. Access to Military Installations for Certain Surviving Gold Star 
Family Members of the Armed Forces. 
Sec. 2836. Department of Defense report on housing policy in Guam. 
Sec. 2837. Clarification of land conveyance, Fort Hood, Texas. 
Sec. 2838. Report on improving Tribal access to defense infrastructure pro-
grams. 
Sec. 2839. Prohibition on the use of single-sex facilities on military installations 
that do not correspond to the sex of an individual. 
Subtitle D—Land Conveyances 
Sec. 2841. Extension of sunset for land conveyance, Sharpe Army Depot, 
Lathrop, California. 
Sec. 2842. Land conveyance, Former Curtis Bay Depot, Maryland. 
Sec. 2843. Land conveyance, Sigsbee Park Annex, Naval Air Station, Key 
West, Florida. 
Subtitle E—Modifications to Unspecified Minor Military Construction 
Sec. 2851. Deadline for congressional notification of decisions to carry out cer-
tain unspecified minor military construction projects. 
Sec. 2852. Modification to unspecified minor military construction authority for 
laboratory revitalization projects.
Sec. 2853. Modification of authority for Indo-Pacific posture unspecified minor 
military construction projects. 
Sec. 2854. Amendments to defense laboratory modernization program. 
Sec. 2855. Transfer of defense laboratory modernization program authority to 
provision of law with respect to military construction projects 
for research, test, development, and evaluation. 
Sec. 2856. Authority of a Secretary concerned to carry out certain unspecified 
minor military construction projects. 
Sec. 2857. Department of Defense pilot program for additive manufacturing 
technologies in military construction projects. 
Sec. 2858. Establishment of strategic spaceport program. 
Subtitle F—Limitations and Other Matters 
Sec. 2861. Modification to definition of military installation resilience. 
Sec. 2862. Requirements relating to funds for construction and improvement of 
commissary store facilities. 
Sec. 2863. Expansion of exceptions to restriction on development of public in-
frastructure in connection with realignment of marine corps 
forces in Asia Pacific region. 
Sec. 2864. Cooperative agreements with respect to management of land and 
cultural resources located on military installations. 
Sec. 2865. Limitation on the use of funds for implementing certain energy effi-
ciency building codes. 
Sec. 2866. Limitation on use of funds for contravention or reversal of imple-
mentation of recommendations of commission on the naming of 
certain items of the Department of Defense. 
Sec. 2867. Limitation on use of funds to reduce capabilities or staffing of De-
partment of Defense military treatment facilities located inside 
the United States. 
Sec. 2868. Notice relating to contracts or other agreements to establish an en-
during location in a foreign country. 
Sec. 2869. Designation of official responsible for coordination of defense sites 
within area of responsibility of Joint Region Marianas. 
Sec. 2870. Report on threat of fiber optic-controlled drones. 
Sec. 2871. Prohibition of use on military installations of social media controlled 
by foreign adversaries. 
Sec. 2872. Study and report on certain investments in critical infrastructure in 
Hawaii. 
Sec. 2873. Survey of certain counties for placement of facilities. 
Sec. 2874. Study and report on defense access roads program of the Depart-
ment of Defense in the Indo-Pacific region. 
Sec. 2875. Designation of Creech Air Force Base as a remote or isolated instal-
lation. 
Sec. 2876. Sense of Congress relating the defense community infrastructure 
program. 
Sec. 2877. Report on Interagency Regional Coordinator for Resilience pilot 
project. 
Sec. 2878. Establishment of Air Force and Space Force Museum System. 
Sec. 2879. Extension of Department of the Army Pilot Program for Develop-
ment and Use of Online Real Estate Inventory Tool. 
DIVISION C—DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY NATIONAL SECURITY 
AUTHORIZATIONS AND OTHER AUTHORIZATIONS
TITLE XXXI—DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY NATIONAL SECURITY 
PROGRAMS 
Subtitle A—National Security Programs and Authorizations 
Sec. 3101. National Nuclear Security Administration. 
Sec. 3102. Defense environmental cleanup. 
Sec. 3103. Other defense activities. 
Sec. 3104. Nuclear energy. 
Subtitle B—Program Authorizations 
Sec. 3111. Plutonium pit production capacity. 
Sec. 3112. Stockpile responsiveness and rapid capabilities programs of the Na-
tional Nuclear Security Administration. 
Subtitle C—Reports and Other Matters 
Sec. 3121. Modification to reporting requirements with respect to nuclear weap-
ons stockpile stewardship, management, and responsiveness 
plan. 
Sec. 3122. Assessment of the National Nuclear Security Administration Spent 
Fuel Handling Recapitalization Project. 
Sec. 3123. Limitation relating to reclassification of high-level waste. 
Sec. 3124. Notification requirement with respect to nuclear power in Guam. 
Sec. 3125. Plan to modernize nuclear security enterprise. 
Sec. 3126. Expansion of other transaction authority for National Nuclear Safe-
ty Administration. 
TITLE XXXII—DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD 
Sec. 3201. Authorization. 
TITLE XXXIV—NAVAL PETROLEUM RESERVES 
Sec. 3401. Authorization of appropriations. 
TITLE XXXV—MARITIME ADMINISTRATION 
Subtitle A—Maritime Administration 
Sec. 3501. Authorization of appropriations for Maritime Administration. 
Subtitle B—Maritime Infrastructure 
Sec. 3511. Clarification regarding use of port infrastructure development pro-
gram funds to replace Chinese port crane hardware or soft-
ware. 
Sec. 3512. Clarification of certain authorities relating to deepwater ports. 
Sec. 3513. Eligibility of shore power projects under port infrastructure develop-
ment program. 
Subtitle C—Reports 
Sec. 3521. Report on use of commercial contracting agent for crewing and op-
eration of military sealift command vessels. 
Subtitle D—Other Matters
Sec. 3531. United States Merchant Marine Academy campus modernization 
plan. 
Sec. 3532. Cargoes procured, furnished, or financed by United States Govern-
ment. 
Sec. 3533. Treatment of the University of Louisiana Maritime Academy as a 
State maritime academy. 
Sec. 3534. Design and construction of missile instrumentation range safety ves-
sels. 
DIVISION D—FUNDING TABLES 
Sec. 4001. Authorization of amounts in funding tables. 
TITLE XLI—PROCUREMENT 
Sec. 4101. Procurement. 
TITLE XLII—RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, TEST, AND 
EVALUATION 
Sec. 4201. Research, development, test, and evaluation. 
TITLE XLIII—OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE 
Sec. 4301. Operation and maintenance. 
TITLE XLIV—MILITARY PERSONNEL 
Sec. 4401. Military personnel. 
TITLE XLV—OTHER AUTHORIZATIONS 
Sec. 4501. Other authorizations. 
TITLE XLVI—MILITARY CONSTRUCTION 
Sec. 4601. Military construction. 
TITLE XLVII—DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY NATIONAL SECURITY 
PROGRAMS 
Sec. 4701. Department of Energy national security programs. 
DIVISION E—OTHER MATTERS 
TITLE LI—PROHIBITIONS RELATING TO CENTRAL BANK DIGITAL 
CURRENCY 
Sec. 5101. Short title. 
Sec. 5102. Prohibition on Federal reserve banks relating to certain products or 
services for individuals and prohibition on directly issuing a 
central bank digital currency. 
Sec. 5103. Prohibition on Federal reserve banks indirectly issuing a central 
bank digital currency. 
Sec. 5104. Prohibition with respect to central bank digital currency. 
Sec. 5105. Sense of Congress. 
DIVISION F—COAST GUARD AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2025
Sec. 6101. Short title. 
Sec. 6102. Authorization of appropriations. 
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL DEFENSE COMMITTEES. 
In this Act, the term ‘‘congressional defense commit-
tees’’ has the meaning given that term in section 
101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code. 
DIVISION A—DEPARTMENT OF 
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATIONS 
TITLE I—PROCUREMENT 
Subtitle A—Authorization of 
Appropriations 
SEC. 101. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated for 
fiscal year 2026 for procurement for the Army, the Navy 
and the Marine Corps, the Air Force and the Space Force, 
and Defense-wide activities, as specified in the funding 
table in section 4101. 
Subtitle B—Army Programs 
SEC. 111. MULTIYEAR PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY FOR UH– 
60 BLACKHAWK AIRCRAFT. 
(a) AUTHORITY FOR MULTIYEAR PROCUREMENT.— 
Subject to section 3501 of title 10, United States Code, 
the Secretary of the Army may enter into one or more 
multiyear contracts, beginning with the fiscal year 2027 
program year, for the procurement of UH–60 Blackhawk 
aircraft.
(b) CONDITION
FOR OUT-YEAR CONTRACT PAY-
MENTS.—A contract entered into under subsection (a) 
shall provide that any obligation of the United States to 
make a payment under the contract for a fiscal year after 
fiscal year 2027 is subject to the availability of appropria-
tions or funds for that purpose for such later fiscal year. 
(c) AUTHORITY FOR ADVANCE PROCUREMENT.—The 
Secretary of the Army may enter into one or more con-
tracts, beginning in fiscal year 2026, for advance procure-
ment associated with the aircraft for which authorization 
to enter into a multiyear procurement contract is provided 
under subsection (a), which may include procurement of 
economic order quantities of material and equipment for 
such aircraft when cost savings are achievable. 
SEC. 112. AUTHORIZATION TO INITIATE EARLY PRODUC-
TION OF FUTURE LONG-RANGE ASSAULT AIR-
CRAFT. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary of the Army 
may enter into contracts, in advance of full-rate produc-
tion, for the procurement of future long-range assault air-
craft as part of an accelerated low-rate early production 
effort. 
(b) OBJECTIVES.—In carrying out the early produc-
tion effort described in subsection (a), the Secretary of 
the Army shall pursue the following objectives:
(1) To expedite delivery of future long-range as-
sault 
aircraft 
operational 
capability 
to 
the 
warfighter. 
(2) To maintain momentum and learning con-
tinuity between test article completion and full pro-
duction ramp-up. 
(3) To stabilize and retain the specialized work-
force and industrial base supporting future long- 
range assault aircraft, including critical suppliers 
and production facilities in Texas, Kansas, and other 
States. 
(4) To mitigate cost escalation risks and im-
prove program affordability across the life cycle. 
(c) CONSIDERATIONS.—In executing the authority 
provided by subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 
(1) prioritize program continuity, cost-effi-
ciency, and workforce retention across the supply 
chain for tiltrotor aircraft; 
(2) ensure that aircraft procured as part of the 
early production effort described in subsection (a) 
incorporate lessons learned from test article evalua-
tions; and 
(3) maintain flexibility in design to accommo-
date future upgrades through the modular open sys-
tems architecture and digital backbone.
(d) BRIEFING TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of the Army shall provide to the congressional de-
fense committees a briefing detailing— 
(1) the implementation plan and timeline for 
the procurement and early production effort de-
scribed in subsection (a); 
(2) the status of industrial base readiness and 
supply chain coordination; and 
(3) estimated long-term cost savings and oper-
ational benefits derived from such early production 
effort. 
SEC. 
113. 
LIMITATION 
ON 
REDUCTIONS 
TO 
ARMY 
PREPOSITIONED STOCKS—AFLOAT PROGRAM 
SEALIFT CAPABILITY. 
(a) LIMITATION.—The Secretary of the Army may 
not reduce, withdraw, or otherwise degrade the sealift ca-
pability of the Army Prepositioned Stocks—Afloat pro-
gram (referred to in this section as ‘‘APS–3’’) until the 
date on which the Secretary submits to the Committees 
on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Rep-
resentatives a report that includes— 
(1) a comprehensive plan for the Army 
Prepositioned Stocks program through fiscal year 
2030, addressing modernization, sustainment, and
capacity objectives for all subprograms and capabili-
ties, including APS–3; 
(2) estimated costs, schedule projections, and 
risk assessments for executing the plan under para-
graph (1); 
(3) a detailed description of any alternative so-
lution or capability that the Army envisions would 
succeed or supplement APS–3, including operational 
employment concepts, an acquisition strategy, and a 
strategy for integration with joint and coalition lo-
gistics forces; 
(4) an assessment of the risks, costs, and bene-
fits associated with a potential deactivation or reduc-
tion in APS–3 capabilities; and 
(5) any legislative or regulatory authorities re-
quired to implement— 
(A) the plan under paragraph (1); and 
(B) any alternative solution or capability 
identified under paragraph (3). 
(b) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘sealift 
capability’’ means the vessels, associated equipment, and 
any port-of-embarkation and port-of-debarkation infra-
structure dedicated to APS–3.
SEC. 114. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 
THE NEXT GENERATION COMMAND AND CON-
TROL (NGC2) OF THE ARMY. 
Of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this 
Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for 
the Department of the Army for the Army’s Next Genera-
tion Command and Control (NGC2) strategy, not more 
than 50 percent may be obligated or expended until the 
Secretary of the Army submits to the congressional de-
fense committees a report that includes the following: 
(1) The Army’s detailed funding plans for cur-
rent and new procurements for its tactical network, 
and a cost and capability assessment of current and 
proposed solutions. 
(2) Testing and fielding plans for any new pro-
curements for such network, including an expla-
nation of— 
(A) how any new programs meet the resil-
iency requirements specified in section 168 of 
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fis-
cal Year 2020 (Public Law 116–92; 133 Stat. 
1251); and 
(B) how any new programs will utilize 
NSA High Assurance certified encryption and 
decryption.
(3) Plans to integrate existing programs of 
record with new programs of record and plans to en-
sure systems are interoperable with both fielded sys-
tems the systems of foreign partners. 
SEC. 115. REPORT ON FIELDING OF LINK 16 MILITARY TAC-
TICAL DATA NETWORK. 
Not later than December 1, 2025, the Secretary of 
the Army shall submit to the congressional defense com-
mittees a report on the plan of the Army to require and 
accelerate the fielding of Link 16 military tactical data 
networking capabilities throughout the Army, including on 
UH–60M and CH–47F aircraft— 
(1) for command and control and fires; 
(2) 
to 
ensure 
maximum 
interoperability, 
lethality, and survivability of combat and combat 
support elements supporting the Joint Force within 
highly contested airborne combat environments in 
the area of responsibility of the United States Indo- 
Pacific Command; and 
(3) to meet joint all-domain command and con-
trol goals worldwide.
Subtitle C—Navy Programs 
SEC. 121. CONTRACT AUTHORITY FOR FORD CLASS AIR-
CRAFT CARRIER PROGRAM. 
(a) CONTRACT AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of the 
Navy may enter into one or more contracts for the pro-
curement of not more than two Ford class aircraft car-
riers. 
(b) AUTHORITY FOR ADVANCE PROCUREMENT AND 
ECONOMIC ORDER QUANTITY.—The Secretary of the 
Navy may enter into one or more contracts for advance 
procurement, advance construction, and material and 
equipment in economic order quantities associated with 
the procurement of the Ford class aircraft carriers for 
which contracts are authorized under subsection (a). 
(c) USE OF INCREMENTAL FUNDING.—With respect 
to a contract entered into under subsection (a) or (b), the 
Secretary of the Navy may use incremental funding to 
make payments under the contract. 
(d) LIABILITY.—Any contract entered into under 
subsection (a) or (b) shall provide that— 
(1) any obligation of the United States to make 
a payment under the contract is subject to the avail-
ability of appropriations for that purpose; and 
(2) the total liability of the Federal Government 
for termination of any contract entered into shall be
limited to the total amount of funding obligated to 
the contract at time of termination. 
SEC. 122. CONTRACT AUTHORITY FOR COLUMBIA CLASS 
SUBMARINE PROGRAM. 
(a) CONTRACT AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of the 
Navy may enter into a contract, beginning with fiscal year 
2026, for the procurement of up to five Columbia class 
submarines. 
(b) INCREMENTAL FUNDING.—With respect to a con-
tract entered into under subsection (a), the Secretary of 
the Navy may use incremental funding to make payments 
under the contract. 
(c) FUNDING AND LIABILITY.—Any contract entered 
into under subsection (a) shall provide that— 
(1) any obligation of the United States to make 
a payment under the contract is subject to the avail-
ability of appropriations for that purpose; and 
(2) the total liability of the Federal Government 
for termination of any contract entered into shall be 
limited to the total amount of funding obligated to 
the contract at time of termination.
SEC. 123. AUTHORITY FOR ADVANCE PROCUREMENT OF 
CERTAIN COMPONENTS TO SUPPORT CON-
TINUOUS PRODUCTION OF VIRGINIA CLASS 
SUBMARINES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— The Secretary of the Navy may 
enter into one or more contracts, prior to ship authoriza-
tion, for the advance procurement of covered components 
for Virginia class submarines, including procurement of 
such components in economic order quantities when cost 
savings are achievable. 
(b) FUNDING AND LIABILITY.—Any contract entered 
into under subsection (a) shall provide that— 
(1) any obligation of the United States to make 
a payment under the contract is subject to the avail-
ability of appropriations for that purpose; and 
(2) the total liability to the Federal Government 
for termination of the contract shall be limited to 
the total amount of funding obligated for the con-
tract at the time of termination. 
(c) BUDGET REQUESTS.—In the budget justification 
materials submitted in support of the budget of the De-
partment of Defense (as submitted with the budget of the 
President under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States 
Code) for fiscal year 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter, 
the Secretary of the Navy shall include a separate budget 
display identifying the amounts requested pursuant to this
section set forth by the specific program, project, or activ-
ity under the Virginia class submarine program for which 
such funds are requested. 
(d) COVERED COMPONENTS DEFINED.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘‘covered components’’ means the following 
components for Virginia class submarines: 
(1) Propulsion plant equipment. 
(2) Diesel Systems and associated components. 
(3) Castings, forgings, and tank structures. 
(4) Air flasks. 
(5) Payload tubes. 
(6) Major Valves And Associated Components. 
(7) Hatches. 
(8) Steering and drive components. 
(9) Major Pumps And Motors. 
(10) Snorkel mast and components. 
(11) Torpedo tubes. 
(12) Atmosphere control equipment. 
SEC. 124. AUTHORITY TO USE INCREMENTAL FUNDING TO 
ENTER INTO A CONTRACT FOR THE CON-
STRUCTION 
OF 
A 
GUIDED 
MISSILE 
DE-
STROYER (DDG). 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Amounts authorized to be appro-
priated by this Act or otherwise made available for the 
Navy for Shipbuilding and Conversion for fiscal year 2026
may be used by the Secretary of the Navy to enter into 
an incrementally funded contract for the construction of 
one Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG). 
(b) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—A contract entered 
into under subsection (a) shall provide that any obligation 
of the United States to make a payment under the con-
tract is subject to the availability of appropriations for 
that purpose, and that total liability to the Government 
for the termination of the contract shall be limited to the 
total amount of funding obligated at time of termination. 
SEC. 125. MULTIYEAR PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY FOR 
YARD, REPAIR, BERTHING, AND MESSING 
BARGES. 
(a) AUTHORITY FOR MULTIYEAR PROCUREMENT.— 
Subject to section 3501 of title 10, United States Code, 
the Secretary of the Navy may enter into one or more 
multiyear contracts, beginning with the fiscal year 2026 
program year, for the procurement of Yard, Repair, 
Berthing, and Messing Barges and associated material. 
(b) AUTHORITY FOR ADVANCE PROCUREMENT.—The 
Secretary of the Navy may enter into one or more con-
tracts, beginning in fiscal year 2026, for advance procure-
ment associated with the barges for which authorization 
to enter into a multiyear procurement contract is provided 
under subsection (a), which may include procurement of
economic order quantities of material and equipment for 
such barges when cost savings are achievable. 
(b) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS AND TERMINATION LI-
ABILITY.—Any contract entered into under subsection (a) 
shall provide that— 
(1) any obligation of the United States to make 
a payment under the contract is subject to the avail-
ability of appropriations for that purpose; and 
(2) the total liability of the Federal Government 
for termination of the contract shall be limited to 
the total amount of funding obligated to the contract 
at the time of termination. 
SEC. 126. VESSEL CONSTRUCTION MANAGER FOR FOLLOW- 
ON SHIPS OF THE LANDING SHIP MEDIUM 
PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—After the construction of the lead 
ship of the Landing Ship Medium program has com-
menced, the Secretary of the Navy shall seek to enter into 
an agreement with an appropriate vessel construction 
manager pursuant to which the vessel construction man-
ager shall seek to enter into one or more contracts for 
the construction of not more than 8 additional landing 
ships under the program. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL SHIPS.—The 
additional landing ships authorized to be constructed
under subsection (a), shall be nondevelopmental items con-
structed using a design that is— 
(1) the same as the design of the lead ship; or 
(2) derived from such design. 
(c) LEAD SHIP DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘‘lead ship’’ means the first landing ship procured as a 
commercial or nondevelopmental item as authorized under 
section 128(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act 
for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159). 
SEC. 127. LIMITATION ON CONSTRUCTION OF MODULAR AT-
TACK SURFACE CRAFT. 
The Secretary of the Navy may not enter into a con-
tract or other agreement that includes a scope of work, 
including priced or unpriced options, for the construction, 
advance procurement, or long-lead material of the lead 
ship of the Modular Attack Surface Craft program until 
the Secretary certifies to the congressional defense com-
mittees that such ship will be designed and constructed 
for the primary purpose of operating autonomously. 
SEC. 128. INCLUSION OF AMPHIBIOUS WARFARE SHIP 
SPARES AND REPAIR PARTS AS A SEPARATE 
LINE ITEM IN NAVY BUDGET JUSTIFICATION 
MATERIALS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In the budget justification mate-
rials submitted to Congress in support of the Department
of the Defense budget for fiscal year 2027 and each fiscal 
year thereafter (as submitted with the budget of the Presi-
dent under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States 
Code), the Secretary of the Navy shall include one or more 
dedicated line items for spare parts and repair parts for 
amphibious warfare ships in the budget display for other 
procurement, Navy. 
(b) AMPHIBIOUS WARFARE SHIP DEFINED.—In this 
section, the term ‘‘amphibious warfare ship’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 8062(h) of title 10, 
United States Code. 
SEC. 129. STRATEGY FOR NAVY INVESTMENT IN AND SUP-
PORT FOR THE MARITIME INDUSTRIAL BASE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 
Navy shall develop and implement a strategy for investing 
in and supporting the maritime industrial base to address 
cost and schedule challenges for surface and submarine 
shipbuilding programs. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The strategy under subsection (a) 
shall— 
(1) focus on ensuring reliable supplies of se-
quence critical components for submarine and sur-
face shipbuilding programs; and 
(2) include measures—
(A) to identify key performance indicators 
to measure return on investment; 
(B) to centralize data collection to support 
further analysis of maritime industrial base per-
formance; and 
(C) to apply artificial intelligence to mon-
itor and predict potential supply chain chal-
lenges, including potential disruptions, material 
shortages, delivery delays, and other such fac-
tors. 
(c) REPORT.—Following completion of the strategy 
required under subsection (a), but not later than 210 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
of the Navy shall submit to the congressional defense com-
mittees a report on the strategy. The report shall in-
clude— 
(1) a summary of the strategy; 
(2) timelines for implementation of the strat-
egy; and 
(3) an explanation of how the strategy is ex-
pected to address cost and schedule challenges for 
surface and submarine shipbuilding programs.
SEC. 130. MODIFICATION TO REQUIREMENTS FOR RECAPI-
TALIZATION 
OF 
TACTICAL 
FIGHTER 
AIR-
CRAFT OF THE NAVY RESERVE. 
Section 127 of the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159) is amend-
ed by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(c) COVERED F–18 AIRCRAFT DEFINED.—In this 
section, the term ‘covered F–18 aircraft’ means— 
‘‘(1) the eight F/A–18E/F Super Hornet air-
craft procured using funds authorized and appro-
priated for the Navy during fiscal year 2023; or 
‘‘(2) in lieu of an aircraft described in para-
graph (1), any Block II or newer F/A–18E/F tac-
tical fighter aircraft that— 
‘‘(A) has a minimum of 2,000 flight hours 
of service-life remaining airframe flight time 
prior to the need for a required high flight-hour 
inspection and Service Life Modification proc-
ess; and 
‘‘(B) is included in the Naval Aviation 
Master Aviation Plan and designated for the 
Navy Reserve. 
‘‘(d) MASTER AVIATION PLAN.—In conjunction with 
the activities required under this section, the Secretary of 
the Navy shall ensure that the Naval Aviation Master
Aviation Plan remains up-to-date and relevant with re-
spect to aviation units of the Navy Reserve.’’. 
SEC. 131. REPORT ON PROCUREMENT STRATEGY FOR SUB-
MARINE CABLE LAYING AND REPAIR SHIPS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 
Navy shall submit to the congressional defense committees 
a report on the strategy of the Navy for procuring at least 
two cable laying and repair ships to replace the USNS 
Zeus as it nears the end of its expected service life. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The report under subsection (a) 
shall include— 
(1) a description of the full scope of the 
planned capabilities for the next generation of cable 
laying and repair ships to meet anticipated Navy re-
quirements, including the feasibility of establishing 
organic capabilities; 
(2) a projected timeline for the procurement of 
such ships, including the expected time until such 
ships will be operational; 
(3) an explanation of how the Navy plans to 
meet Service requirements for submarine cable lay-
ing and repair during the period before which the 
Navy is able to field new capabilities.
(c) FORM OF REPORT.—The report required under 
subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but 
may contain a classified annex. 
Subtitle D—Air Force Programs 
SEC. 141. MODIFICATION OF MINIMUM INVENTORY RE-
QUIREMENTS FOR AIR REFUELING TANKER 
AIRCRAFT. 
(a) MINIMUM INVENTORY REQUIREMENT.—Section 
9062(j) of title 10, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘a total air-
craft inventory of air refueling tanker aircraft of not 
less than 466 aircraft’’ and inserting ‘‘a total air-
craft inventory of air refueling tanker aircraft— 
‘‘(A) of not less than 466 aircraft during 
the period ending on September 30, 2026; 
‘‘(B) of not less than 485 aircraft during 
the period beginning on October 1, 2026, and 
ending on September 30, 2027; and 
‘‘(C) of not less than 504 aircraft begin-
ning on October 1, 2027.’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘below 466’’ 
and inserting ‘‘below the applicable level specified in 
paragraph (1)’’. 
(b) PROHIBITION ON REDUCTION OF KC–135 AIR-
CRAFT IN PMAI OF THE RESERVE COMPONENTS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—None of the funds author-
ized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise 
made available for fiscal year 2026 for the Air Force 
may be obligated or expended to reduce the number 
of KC–135 aircraft designated as primary mission 
aircraft inventory within the reserve components of 
the Air Force. 
(2) PRIMARY
MISSION
AIRCRAFT
INVENTORY 
DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘primary 
mission aircraft inventory’’ has the meaning given 
that term in section 9062(i)(2)(B) of title 10, 
United States Code. 
SEC. 142. EXTENSION OF REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO C– 
130 AIRCRAFT. 
(a) EXTENSION OF MINIMUM INVENTORY REQUIRE-
MENT.—Section 146(a)(3)(B) of the James M. Inhofe Na-
tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 
(Public Law 117–263; 136 Stat. 2455), as amended by 
section 145(a) of the National Defense Authorization Act 
for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159), is amended 
by striking ‘‘2025’’ and inserting ‘‘2026’’. 
(b) EXTENSION OF PROHIBITION ON REDUCTION OF 
C-130 AIRCRAFT ASSIGNED TO NATIONAL GUARD.—Sec-
tion 146(b)(1) of the James M. Inhofe National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–
263; 136 Stat. 2455), as amended by section 145(b) of 
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2025 (Public Law 118–159), is amended by striking 
‘‘2025’’ and inserting ‘‘2026’’. 
SEC. 143. MODIFICATION TO MINIMUM INVENTORY RE-
QUIREMENT FOR A–10 AIRCRAFT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 134(d) of the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public 
Law 114–328; 130 Stat. 2038) is amended by striking 
‘‘96 A–10 aircraft designated as primary mission aircraft 
inventory until a period of 90 days has elapsed following 
the date on which the Secretary submits to the congres-
sional defense committees the report under subsection 
(e)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘96 A–10 aircraft designated as pri-
mary mission aircraft inventory until October 1, 2026’’. 
(b) PROHIBITION ON RETIREMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—During the period beginning 
on October 1, 2025 and ending on September 30, 
2026, the Secretary of the Air Force may not— 
(A) retire an A–10 aircraft; 
(B) reduce funding for unit personnel or 
weapon system sustainment activities for A–10 
aircraft in a manner that presumes future con-
gressional authority to divest such aircraft;
(C) keep an A–10 aircraft in a status con-
sidered excess to the requirements of the pos-
sessing command and awaiting disposition in-
structions (commonly referred to as ‘‘XJ’’ sta-
tus); or 
(D) decrease the total aircraft inventory of 
A–10 aircraft below 162 aircraft. 
(2) EXCEPTION.—The prohibition under para-
graph (1) shall not apply to individual A–10 aircraft 
that the Secretary of the Air Force determines, on 
a case-by-case basis, to be no longer mission capable 
and uneconomical to repair because of aircraft acci-
dents, mishaps, or excessive material degradation 
and non-airworthiness status of certain aircraft. 
(c) BRIEFING REQUIRED.—Not later than March 31, 
2026, the Secretary of the Air Force shall provide to the 
Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 
House of Representatives a briefing on the status of A– 
10 aircraft inventory and the proposed plan for divesting 
all A–10 aircraft prior to fiscal year 2029. The briefing 
shall cover, at a minimum, the following: 
(1) The number of A–10 Total Aircraft Inven-
tory aircraft disaggregated by Combat Coded Air-
craft, Primary Mission Aircraft Inventory, Backup
Aircraft Assigned, Attrition Reserve, tail number, 
and location. 
(2) The planned divestment date of each such 
aircraft. 
(3) The detailed plan for how and when the 
Secretary proposes to proceed with divestment of 
aircraft for each A–10 unit prior to fiscal year 2029. 
(4) The aircraft transition plan for replacing 
A–10 aircraft with new or existing replacement air-
craft in each unit that is divesting of the A–10 air-
craft, which shall include an explanation of— 
(A) how the Secretary plans to minimize 
adverse personnel impacts within such units, in-
cluding adverse impacts with respect to reten-
tion, currency, proficiency, qualifications, cer-
tifications, and training; and 
(B) how the Secretary plans to minimize 
or eliminate any scheduling gap that may occur 
with respect to a unit divesting from the A–10 
aircraft and transitioning to a new or existing 
replacement aircraft. 
(5) The information and content format that 
was provided in the briefing to the Committees on 
Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Rep-
resentatives by the Headquarters Air Force, Deputy
Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs (HAF/A8), 
on February 13, 2023, titled ‘‘A–10 Divestment 
Placemats’’. 
(6) Any other information the Secretary deter-
mines releveant. 
SEC. 144. PRESERVATION OF CERTAIN RETIRED KC–10 AIR-
CRAFT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsections (b) and (c), 
the Secretary of the Air Force shall preserve each KC– 
10 aircraft that is retired by the Secretary during a period 
in which the total inventory of air refueling aircraft of the 
Air Force is less than 504. 
(b) MANNER OF PRESERVATION.—The retired KC– 
10 aircraft preserved under subsection (a) shall be pre-
served such that each aircraft— 
(1) is stored in flyable condition; 
(2) can be returned to service as an air refuel-
ing aircraft (which shall include retaining the air re-
fueling boom on the aircraft); and 
(3) is not used to supply parts to other aircraft 
unless specifically authorized by the Secretary of De-
fense upon a request by the Secretary of the Air 
Force. 
(c) AUTHORITY TO DISPOSE OF PRESERVED AIR-
CRAFT.—A KC–10 aircraft preserved under subsection (a)
may be disposed of in accordance with chapter 5 of title 
40, United States Code. 
SEC. 145. PROHIBITION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 
CONTRACT TERMINATION OR PRODUCTION 
LINE SHUTDOWN FOR E–7A WEDGETAIL AIR-
CRAFT. 
None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by 
this Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 
for the Department of Defense may be obligated or ex-
pended— 
(1) to terminate the mid-tier acquisition rapid 
prototype contract for the E–7A aircraft; or 
(2) to terminate the operations of, or to prepare 
to terminate the operations of, a production line for 
the E–7A aircraft. 
SEC. 146. LIMITATION ON PROCUREMENT OF KC–46 AIR-
CRAFT PENDING CERTIFICATION ON COR-
RECTION OF DEFICIENCIES. 
(a) LIMITATION.—The Secretary of Defense may not 
accept or take delivery of covered KC–46 aircraft in excess 
of the maximum quantity specified in subsection (c) until 
the Secretary— 
(1) certifies to the congressional defense com-
mittees that the Secretary has developed and is im-
plementing a plan of corrective actions and mile-
stones to resolve all Category 1 deficiencies identi-
fied with respect to KC–46 aircraft; and 
(2) submits such plan to such committees, 
which shall include— 
(A) an estimate of the total amount of 
funds required to complete implementation of 
the plan; 
(B) realistic event-driven schedules to 
achieve the objectives of the plan; and 
(C) a schedule risk assessment to a min-
imum of 80 percent confidence level. 
(b) FORM.—The plan described in subsection (a)(2) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may contain 
a classified annex. 
(c) MAXIMUM QUANTITY.—The maximum quantity 
of covered KC–46 aircraft specified in this subsection is 
183 aircraft. 
(d) COVERED KC–46 AIRCRAFT DEFINED.—In this 
section, the term ‘‘covered KC–46 aircraft’’ means new 
production KC–46 aircraft the procurement of which is 
fully funded by the United States. 
SEC. 147. REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO EXECUTIVE AIR-
LIFT AIRCRAFT. 
(a) ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Air 
Force shall conduct an analysis of alternatives to 
identify potential solutions for the recapitalization of 
the executive airlift aircraft fleet of the Air Force. 
In conducting such analysis, the Secretary shall seek 
to identify aircraft solutions that have capabilities 
comparable to the capabilities of commercial pas-
senger aircraft in terms of range. 
(2) TIMELINE.—The Secretary of the Air Force 
shall— 
(A) initiate the analysis of alternatives re-
quired under paragraph (1) not later than 30 
days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act; and 
(B) complete such analysis not later than 
April 1, 2026. 
(3) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after 
completing the analysis of alternatives required 
under paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Air Force 
shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services 
of the Senate and the House of Representatives a 
report on the results of the analysis. 
(b) PRIORITIZATION STANDARDS.—Not later than 
December 1, 2025, the Secretary of the Air Force shall 
establish standards for prioritizing access to executive air-
lift aircraft among authorized users of such aircraft within 
the Federal Government. 
(c) PERSONNEL.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 1, 
2026, the Secretary of Defense shall assign a career 
appointee (as that term is defined in section 3132(a) 
of title 5, United States Code) in the Senior Execu-
tive Service at the Department of Defense to coordi-
nate— 
(A) the efficient tasking of executive airlift 
aircraft; and 
(B) compliance with rules, regulations, 
policies and guidance relating to such aircraft, 
including the prioritization standards developed 
under subsection (b). 
(2) QUALIFICATIONS.—The career appointee 
assigned under paragraph (1) shall, as determined 
by the Secretary, have knowledge and experience re-
lating to executive airlift aircraft, including famili-
arity with the executive airlift fleets of the Armed 
Forces and knowledge of policies and procedures for 
the prioritization of executive airlift users.
SEC. 148. REPORT ON THE F–47 ADVANCED FIGHTER AIR-
CRAFT PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than March 1, 2027, the 
Secretary of the Air Force shall submit to the congres-
sional defense committees a report on the F–47 advanced 
fighter aircraft program. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The report required under sub-
section (a) shall include following: 
(1) A description of the F–47 aircraft program, 
including system requirements, employment con-
cepts, and projected costs, schedule, and funding re-
quirements over the period covered by the program 
objective memorandum process for fiscal years 2028 
through 2034. 
(2) The acquisition strategy for the F–47 pro-
gram of record, including consideration of imple-
menting a middle tier acquisition pathway or major 
capability acquisition pathway (as such terms are 
defined in Department of Defense Instruction 
5000.85, titled ‘‘Major Capability Acquisition’’ and 
issued on August 6, 2020 (or a successor instruc-
tion)). 
(3) A proposed fielding strategy for the F–47 
aircraft, including— 
(A) estimated force structure require-
ments;
(B) strategic basing considerations; 
(C) an estimate of military construction re-
quirements; 
(D) an estimate of personnel training re-
quirements; and 
(E) an integrated total force fielding con-
cept, including an analysis of Air National 
Guard and Air Force Reserve operational inte-
gration and associations. 
(c) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain 
a classified annex. 
SEC. 149. EXTENSION OF PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN RE-
DUCTIONS 
TO 
B–1 
BOMBER 
AIRCRAFT 
SQUADRONS. 
Subsection (d)(1) of section 133 of the National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 
117–81; 135 Stat. 1574), as most recently amended by 
section 146 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 1810), 
is further amended by striking ‘‘September 30, 2026’’ and 
inserting ‘‘September 30, 2030’’.
SEC. 150. PLAN FOR RECAPITALIZATION AND MODERNIZA-
TION OF THE FIGHTER FLEET OF THE AIR 
NATIONAL GUARD. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Air Force, 
in consultation with the Director of the Air National 
Guard, shall develop a plan for the recapitalization and 
modernization of the fighter fleet of the Air National 
Guard. 
(b) ELEMENT.—The plan required under subsection 
(a) shall include— 
(1) measures to sustain and recapitalize the 
fighter fleet of the Air National Guard, including 
each of the 25 Air National Guard fighter aircraft 
squadrons; 
(2) a timeline for the recapitalization of such 
fighter fleet, disaggregated by fighter aircraft squad-
ron and fiscal year; 
(3) the estimated costs of the proposed recapi-
talization plan; and 
(4) an explanation of the expected impact of the 
plan on operational and personnel readiness. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than July 1, 2026, the Sec-
retary of the Air Force shall submit to the Committee on 
Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report 
on the plan developed under subsection (a).
Subtitle E—Defense-wide, Joint, 
and Multiservice Matters 
SEC. 151. AMENDMENTS TO PROHIBITION ON OPERATION, 
PROCUREMENT, 
AND 
CONTRACTING 
RE-
LATED TO FOREIGN-MADE LIGHT DETECTION 
AND RANGING. 
Section 164(a) of the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159) is amend-
ed to read as follows: 
‘‘(a) PROHIBITIONS.—The Secretary of Defense may 
not— 
‘‘(1) operate, enter into or renew a contract for, 
the procurement of— 
‘‘(A) a covered light detection and ranging 
technology (referred to in this section as 
‘LiDAR technology’) that— 
‘‘(i) is manufactured in a covered for-
eign country or by an entity domiciled in 
a covered foreign country; 
‘‘(ii) uses operating software devel-
oped in a covered foreign country or by an 
entity domiciled in a covered foreign coun-
try; or 
‘‘(iii) uses network connectivity or 
data storage located in or administered by
an entity domiciled in a covered foreign 
country; or 
‘‘(B) a system or systems that incor-
porates, interfaces with, or otherwise uses 
LiDAR technology as described in subpara-
graph (A); or 
‘‘(2) enter into or renew a contract with an en-
tity that operates a covered LiDAR technology to 
perform a Department of Defense contract.’’. 
SEC. 152. ANNUAL GAO REVIEWS OF THE F–35 AIRCRAFT 
PROGRAM. 
(a) ANNUAL REVIEWS
AND REPORTS.—Not later 
than March 1, 2026, and on an annual basis thereafter 
until the termination date specified in subsection (c), the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall— 
(1) complete a review of the F–35 aircraft pro-
gram; and 
(2) submit to the congressional defense commit-
tees a report on the results of the review. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—Each review and report under sub-
section (a) shall include an assessment of— 
(1) the cost, scope, and schedule of the F–35 
aircraft program and its subprograms; 
(2) the status of the efforts of the Department 
of Defense to modernize the F–35 aircraft; and
(3) such other matters relating to the F–35 air-
craft program as the Comptroller General deter-
mines appropriate. 
(c) TERMINATION DATE.—The requirements of this 
section shall terminate on the date on which all develop-
ment, production, and fielding activities under the F–35 
aircraft acquisition program have ceased. 
SEC. 153. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON DOMESTIC PROCURE-
MENT OF DEFENSE ARTICLES FOR AUKUS 
PARTNERSHIP. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) researching, producing, and procuring de-
fense articles for the AUKUS partnership from 
within the United States boosts local economies and 
improves national security by enhancing domestic 
defense article production capabilities; and 
(2) the Secretary of Defense should promote 
and 
prioritize 
domestic 
manufacturing, 
supply 
chains, and research for defense articles intended for 
use by members of the AUKUS partnership. 
(b) AUKUS PARTNERSHIP DEFINED.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘‘AUKUS partnership’’ means the enhanced 
trilateral security partnership between Australia, the 
United Kingdom, and the United States announced in 
September 2021.
SEC. 154. PROHIBITION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 
NON-TACTICAL ELECTRIC VEHICLES OR COM-
PONENTS PRODUCED BY CHILD AND SLAVE 
LABOR. 
None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by 
this Act or otherwise made available for the Department 
of Defense may be obligated or expended for the procure-
ment of non-tactical electric vehicles, advanced-biofuel- 
powered vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, or any com-
ponents or spare parts associated with such vehicles that 
are not in compliance with the prohibition on the acquisi-
tion of products produced by forced or indentured child 
labor under subpart 22.15 of the Federal Acquisition Reg-
ulation (or any successor regulations). 
SEC. 155. REPORT ON NEXT GENERATION FUEL CELLS. 
Not later than March 15, 2026, the Secretary of De-
fense shall submit to the congressional defense committees 
a report on the development and integration of next-gen-
eration self-sealing fuel cells (referred to in this section 
as ‘‘NexGen fuel cells’’) into the rotorcraft fleets of the 
Army, Navy, and Air Force). The report shall include each 
of the following: 
(1) An assessment of any negative effects on 
readiness associated with using the fuel cells in use 
as of the date on the enactment of this Act that are
based on World War II-era technology and manufac-
turing processes. 
(2) An identification of any readiness, fiscal, 
and other benefits of incorporating NexGen fuel cells 
into the rotorcraft fleets the Army, Navy, and Air 
Force. 
(3) Plans or concepts for developing and incor-
porating NexGen fuel cells into the H-60 fleets of 
the Army, Navy, and Air Force. 
(4) Such other matters the Secretary deter-
mines relevant. 
TITLE II—RESEARCH, DEVELOP-
MENT, TEST, AND EVALUA-
TION 
Subtitle A—Authorization of 
Appropriations 
SEC. 201. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated for 
fiscal year 2026 for the use of the Department of Defense 
for research, development, test, and evaluation, as speci-
fied in the funding table in section 4201. 
SEC. 202. FUNDING FOR VIRTUAL ENGINEERING FOR ARMY 
READINESS AND SUSTAINMENT. 
(a) INCREASE.—Notwithstanding the amounts set 
forth in the funding tables in division D, the amount au-
thorized to be appropriated in section 201 for Research, 
Development, Test and Evaluation, Next-Generation Com-
bat Vehicle Advanced Technology, line 052, as specified 
in the corresponding funding table in section 4201, for 
Virtual 
Engineering 
for 
Army 
Readiness 
and 
Sustainment, is hereby increased by $7,000,000. 
(b) OFFSET.—Notwithstanding the amounts set forth 
in the funding tables in division D, the amount authorized 
to be appropriated in section 301 for Operation and Main-
tenance, Army, for Land Forces Systems Readiness, line 
080, as specified in the corresponding funding table in sec-
tion 4301, is hereby reduced by $7,000,000. 
SEC. 203. FUNDING FOR HUMANITARIAN AIRBORNE MO-
BILE INFRASTRUCTURE CAPABILITY. 
(a) INCREASE.—Notwithstanding the amounts set 
forth in the funding tables in division D, the amount au-
thorized to be appropriated in section 201 for Research, 
Development, Test and Evaluation, Army for Ground Ad-
vanced Technology, line 043, as specified in the cor-
responding funding table in section 4201, for Humani-
tarian Airborne Mobile Infrastructure Capability, is here-
by increased by $4,200,000. 
(b) OFFSET.—Notwithstanding the amounts set forth 
in the funding tables in division D, the amount authorized 
to be appropriated in section 301 for Operation and Main-
tenance, Army, for Land Forces Systems Readiness, line 
080, as specified in the corresponding funding table in sec-
tion 4301, is hereby reduced by $4,200,000. 
SEC. 204. FUNDING FOR FUEL CELL MULTI-MODULAR USE 
UTILIZING HYDROGEN. 
(a) INCREASE.—Notwithstanding the amounts set 
forth in the funding tables in division D, the amount au-
thorized to be appropriated in section 201 for Research, 
Development, Test and Evaluation, Army for Ground Ad-
vanced Technology, line 043, as specified in the cor-
responding funding table in section 4201, for Fuel Cell 
Multi-Modular Use (FC-MMU) Utilizing Hydrogen, is 
hereby increased by $10,000,000. 
(b) OFFSET.—Notwithstanding the amounts set forth 
in the funding tables in division D, the amount authorized 
to be appropriated in section 301 for Operation and Main-
tenance, Army, for Land Forces Systems Readiness, line 
080, as specified in the corresponding funding table in sec-
tion 4301, is hereby reduced by $10,000,000. 
SEC. 205. FUNDING FOR ADVANCED GROUP 1 SMALL UN-
MANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS FOR SPECIAL OP-
ERATIONS FORCES. 
(a) INCREASE.—Notwithstanding the amounts set 
forth in the funding tables in division D, the amount au-
thorized to be appropriated in section 201 for research,
development, test, and evaluation, Defense-wide, as speci-
fied in the corresponding funding table in section 4201, 
Special Operations Command, intelligence systems devel-
opment, line 290 (program element 1160405BB), is here-
by increased by $3,000,000 (with the amount of such in-
crease to be made available for ultra-lightweight Group 1 
small unmanned aerial systems—advanced Group 1 small 
unmanned aerial systems). 
(b) OFFSET.—Notwithstanding the amounts set forth 
in the funding tables in division D, the amount authorized 
to be appropriated in section 301 for operation and main-
tenance, Army, as specified in the corresponding funding 
table in section 4301, for maneuver units, line 010, is 
hereby reduced by $3,000,000. 
SEC. 206. FUNDING FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE EDUCATION 
PROGRAM. 
(a) INCREASE.—Notwithstanding the amounts set 
forth in the funding tables in division D, the amount au-
thorized to be appropriated in section 201 for research, 
development, test, and evaluation, Defense-wide, as speci-
fied in the corresponding funding table in section 4201, 
for basic research, National Defense Education Program, 
line 6, is hereby increased by $5,000,000 (with the amount 
of such increase to be used to strengthen and expand
Subtitle 
B—Program 
Require-
ments, Restrictions, and Limita-
tions 
SEC. 211. MODIFICATION TO AUTHORITY TO AWARD PRIZES 
FOR 
ADVANCED 
TECHNOLOGY 
ACHIEVE-
MENTS. 
(a) SECRETARIAL AUTHORITY.—Subsection (a) of 
section 4025 of title 10, United States Code, is amended 
by striking ‘‘, acting through the Under Secretary of De-
fense for Research and Engineering, the Under Secretary 
of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, and the serv-
ice acquisition executive for each military department,’’. 
(b) MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF AWARD PRIZES.—Sub-
section (c) of such section is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(c) LIMITATION.—No prize competition may result 
in the award of a prize with a fair market value of more 
than $20,000,000 without the approval of the Secretary 
of Defense.’’. 
(c) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION THRESHOLD.— 
Subsection (g)(1) of such section is amended by striking 
‘‘$10,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘the amount specified in 
subsection (c)’’.
SEC. 212. MODIFICATION TO MECHANISMS TO PROVIDE 
FUNDS TO DEFENSE LABORATORIES AND 
OTHER ENTITIES FOR RESEARCH AND DE-
VELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES FOR MILI-
TARY MISSIONS. 
Section 4123 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘and 
test organizations’’ after ‘‘defense labora-
tories’’; 
(2) by inserting ‘‘or test organization’’ after 
‘‘laboratory’’ each place it appears; and 
(3) in subsection (a)(3), by inserting ‘‘or test 
organizations’’ after ‘‘laboratories’’. 
SEC. 213. MODIFICATION TO AUTHORITY FOR ACQUISITION, 
CONSTRUCTION, OR FURNISHING OF TEST 
FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT. 
(a) JOINTLY FUNDED PROJECTS.—Section 4174 of 
title 10, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘A contract of 
a military department’’ and inserting ‘‘A covered 
contract’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
sections: 
‘‘(d)(1) In a case in which research, developmental, 
or test facilities and equipment described in this section
are used to support multiple contracts or programs across 
different military departments, other Federal agencies 
outside the Department of Defense, or eligible non-Fed-
eral entities, a jointly funded project may be established. 
‘‘(2) Under a jointly funded project, the Secretary of 
Defense (or the Secretary’s designee) shall enter into a 
written agreement with each entity participating in the 
project. Each such agreement shall, at a minimum, ad-
dress the following: 
‘‘(A) Cost sharing arrangements, including the 
proportion of total project costs to be borne by each 
entity. 
‘‘(B) Allocation of access to the facilities and 
equipment, including prioritization procedures in 
cases of competing demands. 
‘‘(C) Management and oversight responsibil-
ities, including the designation of a lead agency. 
‘‘(D) Ownership and intellectual property rights 
related to the facilities, equipment, and any resulting 
data or inventions. 
‘‘(E) Dispute resolution mechanisms. 
‘‘(3) A non-Federal entity, including a private com-
pany, academic institution, or non-profit organization, 
may participate in a jointly funded project under this sub-
section only if the Secretary of Defense determines such
participation is in the national security interest and con-
sistent with applicable laws and regulations. 
‘‘(4) The Secretary of Defense shall issue regulations 
to implement this subsection. Such regulations shall in-
clude specific criteria for evaluating proposed jointly fund-
ed projects, standardized agreement templates, and proce-
dures for ensuring the transparency and accountability of 
such projects. 
‘‘(e) In this section, the term ‘covered contract’ 
means— 
‘‘(1) a contract of a military department; or 
‘‘(2) a contract for a jointly funded project as 
described subsection (c).’’. 
(b) REGULATIONS REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall issue or revise regulations (as nec-
essary) to clarify that the authority for acquisition, con-
struction, or furnishing of test facilities and equipment 
under section 4174 of title 10, United States Code, applies 
to contracts funded using funds appropriated or otherwise 
made available for— 
(1) research, development, test, and evaluation, 
including science and technology funds designated as 
budget activity 1 (basic research), budget activity 2 
(applied research), and budget activity 3 (advanced
technology development) (as those budget activity 
classifications are set forth in volume 2B, chapter 5 
of the Department of Defense Financial Manage-
ment Regulation (DOD 7000.14–R)); and 
(2) operation and maintenance, to the extent 
that such funds are used to support activities au-
thorized under such section. 
SEC. 214. EXTENSION OF LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF 
FUNDS FOR FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH COL-
LABORATION WITH CERTAIN ACADEMIC IN-
STITUTIONS. 
Section 238(a) of the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159; 138 Stat. 
1842) is amended by inserting ‘‘or fiscal year 2026’’ after 
‘‘fiscal year 2025’’. 
SEC. 215. MODIFICATION TO POLICIES FOR MANAGEMENT 
AND CERTIFICATION OF LINK 16 MILITARY 
TACTICAL DATA LINK NETWORK. 
Section 228(b) of the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 10 U.S.C. 
4571 note) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘the Ne-
vada Test and Training Range, Restricted Area 
2508, Warning Area 151/470, Warning Area 386, 
and the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex’’ and
inserting ‘‘military special use airspace including all 
prohibited areas, restricted areas, warning areas, 
and military operational areas’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2), in the matter before sub-
paragraph (A), by striking ‘‘training, and large-scale 
exercises.’’ and inserting ‘‘regular training, and 
large-scale exercises. Under such processes, approval 
of Link 16 operations shall be presumed and denial 
of Link 16 operations shall be accompanied with 
substantiated evidence demonstrating compromise of 
safety due to electromagnetic interference.’’; and 
(3) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘regular’’ be-
fore ‘‘training’’. 
SEC. 216. SUPPORT FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF 
BIOINDUSTRIAL 
MANUFACTURING 
PROC-
ESSES. 
Section 215 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117– 
263; 10 U.S.C. 4841 note) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (d) through (f) 
as subsections (e) through (g), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(d) APPLICABILITY OF FUNDING.—The activities 
described in subsection (c), including the design and con-
struction of facilities, are applicable to funds authorized 
to be appropriated for the Department of Defense for re-
search, development, test, and evaluation.’’. 
SEC. 217. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR ASSIGNMENT TO 
DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS 
AGENCY OF PRIVATE SECTOR PERSONNEL 
WITH CRITICAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOP-
MENT EXPERTISE. 
(a) EXTENSION.—Subsection (e) of section 232 of 
the Carl Levin and Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (Public 
Law 113–291; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4091) is amended by 
striking ‘‘September 30, 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘September 
30, 2030’’. 
(b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Subsection (f)(2) of 
such section is amended by striking ‘‘section 2302’’ and 
inserting ‘‘section 3014’’. 
SEC. 218. POST-EMPLOYMENT RESTRICTIONS FOR PARTICI-
PANTS IN CERTAIN DEFENSE RESEARCH. 
(a) PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS
IN COVERED DE-
FENSE RESEARCH PROJECTS.—Except as provided under 
subsection (c), as a condition of becoming or remaining 
a principal investigator of a covered defense research 
project, a person shall agree that during the 3-year period 
beginning on the last day the person is a principal investi-
gator of such research, such person may not seek or accept 
employment, or conduct any activity, for which a foreign 
entity of concern provides financial compensation or in- 
kind benefits. 
(b) EMPLOYEES OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE LAB-
ORATORIES.—Except as provided under subsection (c), as 
a condition of becoming or remaining an employee at a 
laboratory of the Department of Defense, a person shall 
agree that during the 3-year period beginning on the last 
day the person is an employee at such laboratory, such 
person may not seek or accept employment, or conduct 
any activity, for which a foreign entity of concern provides 
financial compensation or in-kind benefits. 
(c) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Defense 
may waive the restrictions under subsections (a) and (b) 
with respect to a United States person if, not later than 
30 days before issuing the waiver, the Secretary submits 
to the congressional defense committees a notice of the 
waiver that includes— 
(1) an unclassified justification for the waiver; 
and 
(2) a description of any Department of Defense 
funds provided to the person for which the waiver is 
issued or to the research in which the person partici-
pated.
(d) CERTIFICATION.—Not later than 270 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Defense shall establish a process, under the initiative es-
tablished in section 1286 of the John S. McCain National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public 
Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note), to ensure that, when 
a person who previously made an agreement in subsection 
(a) or (b) applies for funding to conduct a covered defense 
research project in the future— 
(1) the employer of such person can certify that 
the person complied with the requirements in sub-
sections (a) and (b); and 
(2) that a person whose employer cannot make 
the certification in paragraph (1) is ineligible to par-
ticipate in the covered defense research project. 
(e) DETERMINATION OF CRITICAL AND EMERGING 
TECHNOLOGY.—Not later than 270 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 
Secretary of Defense shall— 
(1) determine which technologies are critical or 
emerging from among the technologies for which the 
Department funds research; and 
(2) shall make the results of such determination 
publicly available.
(f) APPLICABILITY.—This section shall apply with re-
spect to research that begins on or after the date that 
is one year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘foreign entity of concern’’ has 
the meaning given that term in section 10612(a) of 
the Research and Development, Competition, and 
Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 19221(a)) and includes a 
foreign entity that is identified on the list published 
under section 1286(c)(9)(A) of the John S. McCain 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note). 
(2) The term ‘‘covered defense research 
project’’ means a research project that— 
(A) is operated by an institution of higher 
education or a subsidiary of an institution of 
higher education; 
(B) is funded, in whole or in part, by the 
Department of Defense; and 
(C) involves a critical or emerging tech-
nology. 
(3) The term ‘‘critical or emerging technology’’ 
means a technology that the Secretary determines to 
be critical or emerging in accordance with subsection 
(e).
(4) The term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ 
has the meaning given that term in section 102 of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1002). 
SEC. 219. NATIONAL SECURITY AND DEFENSE ARTIFICIAL 
INTELLIGENCE INSTITUTE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense may es-
tablish at least one National Security and Defense Artifi-
cial Intelligence Institute (referred to in this section as 
an ‘‘Institute’’) at an eligible host institution. 
(b) INSTITUTE DESCRIBED.—A National Security 
and Defense Artificial Intelligence Institute referred to in 
subsection (a) is an artificial intelligence research institute 
that— 
(1) is focused on a cross-cutting challenge or 
foundational science for artificial intelligence sys-
tems in the national security and defense sector; 
(2) establishes partnerships among public and 
private organizations, including, as appropriate, 
Federal agencies, institutions of higher education, 
including community colleges, nonprofit research or-
ganizations, Federal laboratories, State, local, and 
Tribal governments, and industry, including the De-
fense Industrial Base and startup companies;
(3) has the potential to create an innovation 
ecosystem, or enhance existing ecosystems, to trans-
late Institute research into applications and products 
used to enhance national security and defense capa-
bilities; 
(4) supports interdisciplinary research and de-
velopment across multiple institutions of higher edu-
cation and organizations; and 
(5) supports workforce development in artificial 
intelligence related disciplines in the United States. 
(c) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 
may award financial assistance to an eligible host in-
stitution, or consortia thereof, to establish and sup-
port one or more Institutes. 
(2) USE
OF
FUNDS.—Financial assistance 
awarded under paragraph (1) may be used by an In-
stitute for— 
(A) managing and making available to re-
searchers accessible, curated, standardized, se-
cure, and privacy protected data sets from the 
public and private sectors for the purposes of 
training and testing artificial intelligence sys-
tems and for research using artificial intel-
(3) DURATION.—Financial assistance under 
paragraph (1) shall be awarded for a five-year pe-
riod, and may be renewed for not more than one ad-
ditional five-year period. 
(4) APPLICATION
FOR
FINANCIAL
ASSIST-
ANCE.—A eligible host institution or consortia there-
of seeking financial assistance under paragraph (1) 
shall submit to the Secretary of Defense an applica-
tion at such time, in such manner, and containing 
such information as the Secretary may require. 
(5) COMPETITIVE, MERIT REVIEW.—In award-
ing financial assistance under paragraph (1), the 
Secretary of Defense shall use a competitive, merit- 
based review process. 
(6) COLLABORATION.—In awarding financial 
assistance under paragraph (1), the Secretary of De-
fense may collaborate other departments and agen-
cies of the Federal Government with missions that 
relate to or have the potential to be affected by the 
national security implications of artificial intelligence 
systems. 
(7) LIMITATION.—No financial assistance au-
thorized in this section shall be awarded to an entity 
outside of the United States. All recipients of finan-
cial assistance under this section, including sub-
grantees, shall be based in the United States and 
shall meet such other eligibility criteria as may be 
established by the Secretary of Defense. 
(d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘eligible 
host institution’’ means an institution of higher education 
in the United States that conducts research sponsored by 
the Department of Defense. 
SEC. 220. RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT 
OF BIOTECHNOLOGY WITHIN THE DEPART-
MENT OF DEFENSE. 
(a) REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) POLICIES AND GUIDELINES.—The Secretary 
of Defense shall issue policies and guidelines on the 
responsible development and deployment of bio-
technology within the Department of Defense. 
(2) EXECUTIVE
AGENT.—The Secretary shall 
designate a senior civilian official within the Office 
of the Secretary of Defense to serve as the executive 
agent to develop the policies and guidelines under 
paragraph (1). 
(3) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall en-
sure that the policies and guidelines under para-
graph (1) are developed in consultation with— 
(A) the Under Secretary of Defense for 
Research and Engineering;
(B) the Under Secretary of Defense for 
Policy; and 
(C) individuals representing industry, aca-
demia, and civil society. 
(4) 
PUBLIC
AVAILABILITY.—The 
Secretary 
shall make the policies and guidelines under para-
graph (1) publicly available. 
(b) MATTERS INCLUDED.—The policies and guide-
lines under subsection (a)(1) shall include the following: 
(1) Definitions related to the responsible devel-
opment and use of biotechnology. 
(2) An assessment of whether, and to what ex-
tent, existing statutes, regulations, directives, manu-
als, or instructions limit the ability of the Depart-
ment of Defense to provide guidelines for the re-
sponsible development of emerging biotechnology. 
(3) Guidelines encouraging the safe use of bio-
technology products under appropriate regulatory 
and other oversight processes. 
(4) Policies relating to informed consent of 
members of the Armed Forces participating in the 
development of biotechnology products that have not 
received regulatory approval. 
(5) Policies relating to whether, and under 
which conditions, irreversible or heritable treatments
of potential biotechnology applications are accept-
able. 
(6) Policies relating to the potential effects of 
biotechnologies on the environment. 
(7) Policies relating to the compliance by and 
obligations of the Department of Defense with re-
spect to the Convention on the Prohibition of the 
Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bac-
teriological and Toxin Weapons and on their De-
struction (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Biological 
Weapons Convention’’). 
(8) Such other matters as the Secretary of De-
fense determines relevant. 
(c) REPORT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall submit to the congressional 
defense committees a report on the policies and 
guidelines under subsection (a)(1), including the 
methodologies used to develop the policies and guide-
lines. 
(2) FORM.—The report required under para-
graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form but 
may include a classified annex.
(3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary of 
Defense shall make report required under paragraph 
(1) publicly available, except such publicly available 
version of the report may not include any classified 
annex provided under paragraph (2). 
(d) BRIEFING.—During the two-year period begin-
ning on the date that is one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall pro-
vide to the congressional defense committees an annual 
briefing on the implementation of the policies and guide-
lines under subsection (a)(1), including a description of 
any needed resources for such implementation. 
SEC. 221. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE BIOTECHNOLOGY 
WORKFORCE TRAINING. 
(a) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than one year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Defense shall establish and carry out a training pro-
gram— 
(1) for members of the covered Armed Forces, 
civilian employees of the Department of Defense, 
and contractors of such Department whose duties 
the Secretary determines include— 
(A) creating or deploying novel biotech-
nologies;
(B) analyzing, preparing for, or responding 
to biological threats; or 
(C) planning, research and development, 
engineering, or testing and evaluation of sys-
tems (including quality control and assurance, 
procurement and contracting, logistics, and cost 
estimating) regarding biotechnology; and 
(2) on biotechnology and other relevant critical 
and emerging technologies. 
(b) CONSULTATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall consult 
with leadership and workforce training managers in 
the Department to develop and implement such 
training program and identify the individuals de-
scribed in subsection (a) based on— 
(A) the needs and priorities of the Depart-
ment; and 
(B) the relevance of the training to the in-
dividuals’ positions. 
(2) MATERIAL.—The material covered in the 
training programs shall be customized by Depart-
ment leadership to align with specific needs and mis-
sion requirements. 
(3) SKILLS.—The Secretary shall define the es-
sential skills for biotechnology personnel to better
understand what Federal personnel should undergo 
training and how to customize training for groups. 
(c) REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The training program estab-
lished under this section shall, at a minimum, in-
clude information on— 
(A) the fundamental science underlying 
biotechnology, artificial intelligence and other 
relevant critical and emerging technologies; 
(B) concepts relating to the technological 
features of biotechnology systems; 
(C) applications of biotechnology in de-
fense, health, agriculture, energy, environment, 
and other relevant areas; 
(D) the ways in which artificial intel-
ligence, quantum computing, and other tech-
nologies are leveraged to advance biotechnology; 
(E) mechanisms by which the Federal Gov-
ernment supports, funds, purchases, and de-
ploys biotechnology and its applications; 
(F) ways in which the Federal Government 
can benefit from biotechnology; 
(G) ethical, social, and legal aspects of bio-
technology including ways of incorporating a
wide range of stakeholder perspectives through-
out research and innovation cycles; 
(H) ways to mitigate the risks described in 
previous subparagraphs, including efforts to 
create and identify biotechnologies that are reli-
able, safe, and trustworthy; and 
(I) future trends in biotechnology, includ-
ing intersections with artificial intelligence, 
quantum computing, autonomous systems, ro-
botics, advanced manufacturing, and other rel-
evant technologies, as well as trends for eco-
nomic and national security, and innovation. 
(2) PARTICIPATION.—Any individual described 
under subsection (b)(1) shall complete training 
under this section annually. 
(3) INTERACTIVE.—The Secretary shall ensure 
interactive learning with scholars and experts from 
private, public and nonprofit sectors is included 
under the training programs. The Secretary shall 
provide access to courses through institutions of pro-
fessional military education, such as the National 
Defense University. 
(4) UPDATES.—The training programs estab-
lished under this section shall be updated each year 
to review and cover advances in biotechnology and
100 
its convergence with other critical and emerging 
technologies. 
(5) CONTINUING
EDUCATION.—The Secretary 
shall update the training programs established under 
this section to provide continuing technology edu-
cation for individuals described in subsection (a) and 
include requirements for refresher training on the 
latest advances in biotechnology science, laboratory 
work, equipment and software. 
(d) PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENTS.—The Secretary 
shall establish mechanisms to measure participation in 
training programs required under this section, and to re-
ceive and consider feedback from program participants to 
improve training. 
(e) REPORT.—Not later than six months after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall sub-
mit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate 
and House of Representatives a report that includes a 
plan to establish and implement the training programs re-
quired under this section. 
(f) SUNSET.—This section and the training programs 
required to be carried out by this section shall terminate 
on the date that is five years after such programs are es-
tablished under subsection (a). 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
101 
(1) The term ‘‘artificial intelligence’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 5002 of the Na-
tional Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 
(division E of Public Law 116–283). 
(2) The term ‘‘covered Armed Force’’ means 
the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Space 
Force. 
SEC. 222. BIOTECHNOLOGY SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCY 
PROGRAM. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, in 
coordination with the Secretaries of the military de-
partments and the heads of relevant Defense Agen-
cies, may establish and implement a program (re-
ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Program’’) to de-
velop, scale, and transition biotechnology research 
from the military service laboratories, including bio-
technology-based chemicals, materials, fuels, and 
other products relevant to the mission of the Depart-
ment of Defense that support the resilience, sustain-
ability, and responsiveness of the defense supply 
chain. 
(2) ACTIVITIES.—Under the Program, the Sec-
retary of Defense may carry out the following activi-
ties:
102 
(A) Conduct an assessment of supply chain 
vulnerabilities in the Department of Defense. 
(B) Direct the military service laboratories 
to establish mechanisms to collaboratively— 
(i) conduct applied research, including 
experimentation, 
advanced 
technological 
development, advanced component develop-
ment, 
and 
rapid 
prototyping 
in 
bioindustrials, biomanufacturing, and re-
lated disciplines to support defense mis-
sions; 
(ii) develop, prototype, test, and tran-
sition biologically derived materials and 
products to reduce reliance on foreign sup-
ply chains and vulnerable supply chains; 
(iii) upgrade, expand, or construct 
physical and digital infrastructure, includ-
ing laboratory facilities, of the Department 
and its partners to support bioindustrial 
research, 
development, 
testing, 
proto-
typing, and production; 
(iv) as needed, enter into contracts, 
cooperative agreements, grants, or other 
transactions with relevant Federal entities 
and non-Federal entities such as commer-
103 
cial entities, research institutions, and aca-
demic organizations to execute the activi-
ties under this paragraph; and 
(v) support education, training, and 
workforce development initiatives to build 
and sustain a skilled bioindustrial and bio-
manufacturing workforce. 
(C) Collaborate across the military depart-
ments, Defense Agencies, and other Federal en-
tities to ensure alignment with national bio-
industrial and supply chain strategies. 
(D) Promote the development and utiliza-
tion of next-generation feedstocks and processes 
in ways that support local economic growth. 
(E) Modernize infrastructure through in-
vestment in facilities that enable rapid proto-
typing and advanced materials testing. 
(F) Establish performance metrics and 
benchmarks to measure progress toward oper-
ational integration and transition to programs 
of record. 
(3) OTHER CONSIDERATIONS.—In the event the 
Secretary carries out the Program, the Secretary of 
Defense shall—
104 
(A) prioritize technologies and capabilities 
that address critical defense supply chain 
vulnerabilities and enhance military readiness, 
including technologies and capabilities necessary 
to— 
(i) reduce logistics through field-en-
abled manufacturing of materials such as 
construction-grade 
bio-cement 
and 
deployable infrastructure components; 
(ii) enhance performance through de-
velopment of novel materials including pro-
tective coatings and biologically derived 
composites; or 
(iii) improve cost efficiency of manu-
facturing and reduce dependency on for-
eign supply chains; 
(B) consult with representatives of indus-
try, academia, and other Federal agencies with 
relevant expertise, to accelerate development 
and transitions; and 
(C) ensure the Program supports the de-
velopment and fielding of emerging technologies 
such as biotechnologies that provide operational 
and strategic advantages to the Armed Forces, 
including through—
105 
(i) cross-service and public-private 
partnerships; and 
(ii) applied research, pilot-scale pro-
duction, and technology transition efforts 
focused on biomanufacturing and materials 
innovation. 
(b) PLAN AND REPORTS.— 
(1) INITIAL
PLAN.—Not later than 90 days 
after electing to commence the Program, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on 
Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Rep-
resentatives a plan for the allocation of appropria-
tions to fund the Program. 
(2) ANNUAL
REPORTS.—Not later than one 
year after commencing the Program, and annually 
thereafter until the Program terminates under sub-
section (c), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to 
the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate 
and the House of Representatives a report detailing 
all activities carried out under the program. Each 
report shall include, to the extent applicable, the fol-
lowing: 
(A) A summary of key research, develop-
ment, and prototyping efforts initiated or con-
tinued during the year covered by the report,
106 
including technical objectives, anticipated de-
fense applications, and funding. 
(B) A list of significant partnerships or 
agreements executed with industry, academic 
institutions, and other Federal agencies, includ-
ing the purpose, national security nexus, and 
funding level of each such partnership or agree-
ment. 
(C) An assessment of infrastructure en-
hancements undertaken to support bioindustrial 
development and scale-up, including facility 
modernization and equipment acquisition. 
(D) An evaluation of program performance 
against established milestones or metrics, in-
cluding progress toward the transition of tech-
nologies to operational use or acquisition pro-
grams. 
(E) An identification of major technical, 
logistical, or policy challenges encountered, and 
actions taken to mitigate such challenges. 
(F) Any recommendations for additional 
authorities, funding mechanisms, or interagency 
coordination necessary to enhance the effective-
ness of the Program.
107 
(3) FORM.—Each report under this subsection 
shall be submitted in unclassified form but may con-
tain a classified annex. 
(c) SUNSET.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), the authority to carry out the Program 
shall terminate on the date that is 10 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
(2) EXTENSION.—The Program may be contin-
ued after the termination date specified in para-
graph (1) if, before such date, the President— 
(A) determines that continuation of the 
Program is necessary to meet national economic 
or national security needs; and 
(B) submits notice of such determination 
to the Committees on Armed Services of the 
Senate and the House of Representatives. 
SEC. 223. REVIEW AND ALIGNMENT OF STANDARDS, GUID-
ANCE, AND POLICIES RELATING TO DIGITAL 
ENGINEERING. 
(a) REVIEW REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, each 
Secretary of a military department, in coordination 
with the officials specified in subsection (c), shall
108 
complete a comprehensive review of the standards, 
guidance, and policies relating to digital engineering 
within the covered Armed Forces under the jurisdic-
tion of that Secretary. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—Each review under paragraph 
(1) shall include, with respect to the covered Armed 
Forces under the jurisdiction of the Secretary con-
cerned, the following: 
(A) A review of the reference architectures, 
standards, and best practices for the use of dig-
ital engineering tools (including digital twins 
and digital threads) as in effect at the time of 
the review, including standards for the use of 
such tools at all stages of program design, de-
velopment, and testing. 
(B) Identification of the current standards 
guiding the use of such digital engineering 
tools, at all stages of program design, develop-
ment, and testing. 
(C) Assessment of— 
(i) the extent to which the use of such 
standards and related governance struc-
tures is consistent across the covered 
Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of the 
Secretary concerned; and
109 
(ii) the level of interoperability of such 
standards across such Armed Forces. 
(D) Identification of best practices for dig-
ital engineering within each such Armed Force. 
(E) Recommendations for improvements to 
the use of digital engineering tools in each such 
Armed Force. 
(b) DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARD REFERENCE AR-
CHITECTURE.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date on which the Secretary of a military 
department completes the review required under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall develop and im-
plement a standard reference architecture to guide 
the use of, and best practices for, digital engineering 
for program design, development, and testing within 
each covered Armed Force under the jurisdiction of 
that Secretary. Each reference architecture shall in-
clude— 
(A) a framework and clear requirements 
for developing and deploying digital engineering 
tools across program lifecycles; and 
(B) defined standards for data manage-
ment and modeling.
110 
(2) PERIODIC
REVIEW.—Not less frequently 
than once every three years following implementa-
tion of the standard reference architecture required 
under paragraph (1), each Secretary of a military 
department shall— 
(A) conduct periodic reviews of the ref-
erence architecture to ensure it effectively ad-
dresses advancements in technology and evolv-
ing operational needs; and 
(B) if necessary, modify the reference ar-
chitecture to address such advancements and 
needs. 
(3) 
APPROVAL
AND
CERTIFICATION
RE-
QUIRED.—Before a reference architecture may be 
implemented under this subsection, the Under Sec-
retary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, 
in coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense 
for Research and Engineering and the Director of 
Operational Test and Evaluation, shall— 
(A) review and approve the reference archi-
tecture; and 
(B) submit certification of such approval 
to the head of the covered Armed Force in-
volved.
111 
(4) RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STAND-
ARDIZATION.—Based on the reviews conducted 
under paragraph (3), the Under Secretary of De-
fense for Acquisition and Sustainment, in coordina-
tion with the Under Secretary of Defense for Re-
search and Engineering and the Director of Oper-
ational Test and Evaluation, shall— 
(A) identify and develop recommendations 
regarding areas in which further standardiza-
tion of reference architectures across the cov-
ered Armed Forces may be feasible; and 
(B) submit such recommendations to the 
Secretaries of the military departments. 
(c) OFFICIALS SPECIFIED.—The officials specified in 
this subsection are the following— 
(1) The Under Secretary of Defense for Acqui-
sition and Sustainment. 
(2) The Under Secretary of Defense for Re-
search and Engineering. 
(3) The Director of Operational Test and Eval-
uation. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘covered Armed Forces’’ means 
the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and 
Space Force.
112 
(2) The term ‘‘reference architecture’’ means 
an authoritative source of information about a spe-
cific subject area that guides and constrains the 
instantiations of multiple architectures and solu-
tions, as described in the guidance of the Office of 
the Assistant Secretary of Defense titled ‘‘Reference 
Architecture Description’’, dated June 2010, or any 
successor to such guidance. 
SEC. 224. APPLICATION OF SOFTWARE INNOVATION AND 
DATA MANAGEMENT PLANS TO MODERNIZE 
TEST AND EVALUATION INFRASTRUCTURE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF DIGITAL TEST AND EVAL-
UATION ENVIRONMENT.— 
(1) PROGRAM.—The Director of the Test Re-
source Management Center, in coordination with the 
officials specified in paragraph (4), shall establish 
and maintain a digital test and evaluation environ-
ment for developmental and operational testing of 
warfighting capabilities. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The digital test and eval-
uation environment required under paragraph (1) 
shall— 
(A) incorporate commercially-derived data 
management, analysis, and operations software 
tools to enable rapid test and evaluation;
113 
(B) enable real-time and iterative data col-
lection, management, analysis, and feedback 
loops across the life cycle of tested systems; 
(C) provide secure environments for testing 
systems with operational security sensitivities; 
and 
(D) use a modular open system approach 
(as defined in section 4401 of title 10, United 
States Code) to ensure the environment can be 
accessed by multiple vendors and is interoper-
able with multiple data sources, data formats, 
and digital tools. 
(3) USE
OF
SOFTWARE
ACQUISITION
PATH-
WAY.—In procuring software and covered hardware 
(as defined in section 3603 of title 10, United States 
Code) for the digital test and evaluation environ-
ment required under paragraph (1), the Director of 
the Test Resource Management center shall use a 
software acquisition pathway described in section 
3603 of title 10, United States Code. 
(4) OFFICIALS SPECIFIED.—The officials speci-
fied in this paragraph are— 
(A) the Director of the Defense Innovation 
Unit;
114 
(B) the Director of Operational Test and 
Evaluation; and 
(C) each chief of a covered Armed Force. 
(b) DATA MANAGEMENT PLANS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Before a covered Armed 
Force may conduct a test and evaluation event, an 
appropriate official from the Armed Force shall sub-
mit to the Director of Operational Test and Evalua-
tion and the Director of the Test Resource Manage-
ment Center a data management plan for the event. 
Such data management plan may be included as 
part of the Test and Evaluation Master plan sub-
mitted for the event pursuant to Department of De-
fense Directive 5000.100. 
(2) PLAN
REQUIREMENTS.—The Director of 
Operational Test and Evaluation and the Director of 
the Test Resource Management Center shall jointly 
develop standard requirements for the data manage-
ment plans required under paragraph (1). Each such 
data management plan shall include, with respect to 
the test and evaluation event covered by the plan— 
(A) identification of relevant data to be 
collected during the event; 
(B) methodologies for analyzing data after 
testing is complete; and
115 
(C) any other information the Directors 
determine appropriate. 
(c) PILOT PROGRAM TO ACCELERATE TEST.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Defense 
Innovation Unit and the Director of the Test Re-
source Management Center, in coordination with the 
Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, shall 
jointly carry out a pilot program to determine how 
commercial software can be used to accelerate and 
improve testing for priority mission areas— 
(A) to accelerate continuous integration 
and continuous testing of warfighting capabili-
ties by applying industry best practices and 
tooling for scalability, advanced analysis, and 
data sharing on identified priority use cases; 
and 
(B) to enable continuous and iterative test-
ing throughout capability design, development, 
engineering, and fielding. 
(2) REPORTS REQUIRED.—The Director of the 
Defense Innovation Unit and the Director of the 
Test Resource Management Center, in coordination 
with the Director of Operational Test and Evalua-
tion, shall—
116 
(A) not later than 120 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, submit to the con-
gressional defense committees an interim report 
that includes an implementation plan for the 
pilot program under paragraph (1); and 
(B) following submittal of the report under 
subparagraph (A), but not later than 270 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, sub-
mit to the committees a report on the progress 
of the pilot program, which shall include a de-
scription of— 
(i) the metrics used to measure the 
performance of commercial software under 
the program; 
(ii) the initial findings of the program; 
and 
(iii) based on such findings, any iden-
tified roadblocks or limitations to using 
commercial software and digital tools for 
accelerated testing. 
(3) TERMINATION.—The authority to carry out 
the pilot program under this subsection shall termi-
nate five years after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.
117 
(d) COVERED ARMED FORCE DEFINED.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘‘covered Armed Force’’ means the Army, 
Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force. 
SEC. 225. DEMONSTRATION OF NEAR REAL-TIME MONI-
TORING CAPABILITIES TO ENHANCE WEAPON 
SYSTEM PLATFORMS. 
(a) PROGRAM
ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to the 
availability of appropriations, the Secretary of Defense, in 
coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense for Ac-
quisition and Sustainment and the chiefs of the Armed 
Forces, shall carry out a program to equip selected weapon 
system platforms with onboard, near real-time, end-to-end 
serial bus and radio frequency monitoring capabilities to 
ensure continuous operational oversight and cybersecurity 
health and resiliency. 
(b) PHASES.—The Secretary of Defense shall imple-
ment the program under subsection (a) in phases as fol-
lows: 
(1) Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall— 
(A) select not fewer than 3 and not more 
than 5 weapon system platform fleets for initial 
participation in the program, prioritizing the 
MH–60R and MQ–9 aircraft fleets; and
118 
(B) complete the initial deployment of 
monitoring capabilities to such platforms. 
(2) Not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall extend 
monitoring capabilities to the complete fleets of se-
lected platforms and complete initial data collection 
and analysis from all participating platforms. 
(3) Not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, sub-
ject to the availability of appropriations— 
(A) select not fewer than 3 and not more 
than 5 weapon system platform fleets, in addi-
tion to those selected under paragraph (1), for 
participation in the program, prioritizing plat-
forms that demonstrate the highest potential 
for cybersecurity improvement and operational 
readiness gains based on program data anal-
ysis; and 
(B) complete initial deployment of moni-
toring capabilities to such additional platforms. 
(4) Not later than 18 months after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall com-
plete a comprehensive evaluation of the monitoring 
capabilities demonstrated under the program, includ-
ing cybersecurity effectiveness, potential applicability
119 
of data to maintenance improvements, and develop-
ment of scalability recommendations for potential 
Department-wide implementation. 
(c) DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS.— 
(1) CHIEFS OF THE ARMED FORCES REQUIRE-
MENTS.—Each chief of an Armed Force with a 
weapon system platform participating in the pro-
gram under subsection (a) shall collect and provide 
to the Secretary of Defense data regarding the plat-
form and the monitoring capabilities demonstrated 
under the program, including data on— 
(A) cyber threat detection effectiveness; 
(B) maintenance efficiency improvements; 
(C) safety incident investigation and pre-
dictive maintenance accuracy; 
(D) operational readiness and mission ca-
pable rates improvements; and 
(E) interoperability and data sharing capa-
bilities across platforms and services. 
(2) DEPARTMENTAL ANALYSIS.—The Secretary 
shall analyze the data provided under paragraph (1) 
to assess— 
(A) integration challenges and suggestions 
for overcoming such challenges in a future De-
partment-wide program;
120 
(B) scalability requirements for broader 
Department-wide implementation; and 
(C) novel approaches for utilizing existing 
resources in an austere fiscal environment to 
expand capabilities across the Department. 
(d) AI INVENTORY SYSTEM.—In conjunction with the 
activities required under this section, the Secretary of De-
fense may develop and implement an artificial intelligence 
capability to create up-to-date and accurate records of the 
weapons inventory of the Department of Defense. 
(e) BUDGET INTEGRATION.—In the budget justifica-
tion materials submitted to Congress in support of the De-
partment of Defense budget for fiscal year 2028 (as sub-
mitted with the budget of the President under section 
1105(a) of title 31), the Secretary of Defense shall include 
proposed funding levels for the program expansion author-
ized under subsection (b)(3). 
(f) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Not later than 90 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annu-
ally thereafter for each of the following five years, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense 
committees a report on the status of the program. Each 
report shall include, with respect to the period covered by 
the report— 
(1) implementation plans for the program;
121 
(2) identification of the weapon system plat-
forms selected for participation in the program; and 
(3) analysis of any data collected under the pro-
gram. 
SEC. 226. WESTERN REGIONAL RANGE COMPLEX DEM-
ONSTRATION. 
(a) DEMONSTRATION REQUIRED.—The Secretary of 
Defense shall carry out a demonstration of a joint multi- 
domain kinetic and non-kinetic testing and training envi-
ronment across military departments by interconnecting 
existing ranges and training sites in the western States 
to improve joint multi-domain training and further test-
ing, research, and development. 
(b) USE OF EXISTING RANGES AND CAPABILITIES.— 
The demonstration carried out pursuant to subsection (a) 
shall use existing ranges and range capability, unless ca-
pability gaps are identified in the process of planning spe-
cific demonstration activities. 
(c) ACTIVITIES.—The demonstration carried out pur-
suant to subsection (a) shall include the following: 
(1) Electromagnetic spectrum operations. 
(2) Electromagnetic warfare. 
(3) Operations that blend kinetic and non-ki-
netic effects. 
(4) Operations in the information environment.
122 
(5) Joint All Domain Command and Control 
(commonly known as ‘‘JADC2’’). 
(6) Information warfare, including the fol-
lowing: 
(A) Intelligence, surveillance, and recon-
naissance. 
(B) Offensive and defensive cyber oper-
ations. 
(C) Electromagnetic warfare. 
(D) Space operations. 
(E) Psychological operations. 
(F) Public affairs. 
(G) Weather operations. 
(d) TIMELINE FOR COMPLETION OF INITIAL DEM-
ONSTRATION.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Sec-
retary shall seek to complete an initial demonstration, 
interconnecting two or more ranges or testing sites of two 
or more military departments in the western States, sub-
ject to availability of appropriations, not later than one 
year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(e) BRIEFING.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall pro-
vide the congressional defense committees a briefing on— 
(1) a phased implementation plan and design to 
connect ranges and testing sites in the western
123 
States, including the initial demonstration required 
by subsection (d); 
(2) how the design architecture of the plan is 
in alignment with recommendations of the 2020 De-
partment of Defense Electromagnetic Spectrum Su-
periority Strategy; and 
(3) how the design architecture will support 
high-periodicity training, testing, research, and de-
velopment. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘information environment’’ means 
the aggregate of individuals, organizations, and sys-
tems that collect, process, and disseminate, or act on 
information. 
(2) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Defense. 
(g) TERMINATION.—This section shall terminate on 
September 30, 2028. 
SEC. 227. REIMBURSEMENT OF NATIONAL GUARD FOR RE-
SEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, TEST, AND EVALUA-
TION EXPENSES. 
(a) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts authorized to be appro-
priated after the date of the enactment of this Act for 
the Department of Defense for research, development, 
test, and evaluation shall be available for reimbursement
124 
of pay, allowances, and other expenses which would other-
wise be incurred against appropriations for the reserve 
components of the Armed Forces, including the National 
Guard, in cases in which members of the such reserve 
components provide support to research, development, 
test, and evaluation projects in which their involvement 
furthers the project because of a member’s or unit’s avail-
ability, qualifications, experience, or education. 
(b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion shall be construed— 
(1) to authorize a deviation from established 
personnel and training procedures of the reserve 
components of the Armed Forces, including the Na-
tional Guard; or 
(2) to authorize the direct engagement of mem-
bers or units of such components to conduct inde-
pendent research, development, test and evaluation 
projects. 
SEC. 228. PROHIBITION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 
ANIMAL 
RESEARCH 
IN 
COLLABORATION 
WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES OF CONCERN. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—None of the funds authorized to 
be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available 
for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of Defense may 
be obligated or expended—
125 
(1) to carry out research, development, test, 
evaluation, or training activities involving animals— 
(A) in collaboration with a foreign country 
of concern; or 
(B) at any facility located in, or owned or 
controlled (directly or indirectly) by, a foreign 
country of concern; or 
(2) to enter into a contract or other agreement, 
or make a grant, pursuant to which such activities 
would be carried out. 
(b) FOREIGN COUNTRY OF CONCERN DEFINED.—In 
this section, the term ‘‘foreign country of concern’’ has 
the meaning given that term in section 9901 of the Wil-
liam M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283; 15 
U.S.C. 4651). 
SEC. 229. PROHIBITION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 
GAIN OF FUNCTION RESEARCH. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—None of the funds authorized to 
be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available 
for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of Defense may 
be obligated or expended— 
(1) to conduct gain-of-function research on any 
potential pandemic pathogen at any facility operated 
by or on behalf of the Department; or
126 
(2) to award contracts, grants, cooperative 
agreements, or any other form of financial assist-
ance to any institution of higher education, non-
profit organization, private entity, or other research 
institute that is conducting gain-of-function research 
on potential pandemic pathogens. 
(b) WAIVER.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 
may waive the prohibition under subsection (a) on a 
case-by-case basis, with respect to an individual re-
search project, grant, contract, or cooperative agree-
ment, if the Secretary determines that such a waiver 
is in the national interests of the United States. 
(2) CONGRESSIONAL NOTICE.—Not later than 
30 days before the date on which an award is made, 
a project is initiated, or an agreement entered into, 
with respect to which a waiver is made under para-
graph (1), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to 
the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate 
and the House of Representatives notice of such 
waiver. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘gain-of-function research’’ means 
any research that may be reasonably anticipated to 
confer an attribute to a pathogen such that the
127 
pathogen would have enhanced pathogenicity or 
transmissibility in mammals. 
(2) The term ‘‘potential pandemic pathogen’’ 
means a pathogen that, as a result of any gain-of- 
function research— 
(A) is likely more transmissible or likely 
capable of wide and uncontrollable spread in 
human populations; 
(B) is likely more virulent or likely to 
cause modest or greater morbidity or mortality 
in humans; or 
(C) is likely to pose a severe threat to pub-
lic health, the capacity of the public health sys-
tems to function, or national security. 
SEC. 230. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS PEND-
ING COMPLIANCE WITH REQUIREMENTS RE-
LATING TO THE JOINT ENERGETICS TRANSI-
TION OFFICE. 
(a) LIMITATION.—Of the funds authorized to be ap-
propriated by this Act or otherwise made available for fis-
cal year 2026 for the Department of Defense and available 
for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Ac-
quisition and Sustainment for travel expenses, not more 
than 75 percent may be obligated or expended until the 
date on which the Secretary of Defense—
128 
(1) establishes a Joint Energetics Transition 
Office as required under section 148 of title 10, 
United States Code; and 
(2) submits to the congressional defense com-
mittees the reports required under subsections (b) 
and (c) of section 241 of the National Defense Au-
thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 
118–31; 136 Stat. 208). 
(b) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Defense 
may waive the prohibition under subsection (a) if the Sec-
retary— 
(1) determines that extenuating circumstances 
justify such a waiver; and 
(2) provides to the congressional defense com-
mittees a briefing on the reasons for such deter-
mination. 
SEC. 231. PRIORITIZATION OF PARTNERSHIPS WITH INSTI-
TUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN CER-
TAIN RESEARCH AREAS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In exercising the authority to 
enter into partnerships to support the research, develop-
ment, test, and evaluation activities of the Department of 
Defense, the Secretary of Defense shall prioritize partner-
ships with institutions of higher education conducting re-
129 
search on hypersonics, biotechnology, and artificial intel-
ligence. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the 
Senate and the House of Representatives a report that 
identifies any ongoing partnerships with institutions of 
higher education as described in subsection (a). 
SEC. 232. RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND IMPLEMENTA-
TION OF UNATTENDED ROBOTIC PROCESS 
AUTOMATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall 
carry out activities to support the research, development, 
implementation, and oversight of unattended robotic proc-
ess automation within the Department of Defense. Such 
activities shall include— 
(1) the allocation of funding for research and 
development initiatives to enhance the capabilities of 
unattended robotic process automation in combat, 
intelligence analysis, and defense infrastructure 
management; 
(2) the development and implementation of a 
framework for expanding unattended robotic process 
automation technologies across mission-critical oper-
ations, logistics, and administrative processes of the
130 
Department, with priority given to interoperability, 
cybersecurity protections, and real-time adaptability 
of automated systems; 
(3) the implementation of policies and processes 
to ensure that any deployment of unattended robotic 
process automation adheres to existing cybersecurity 
and defense data protection regulations; and 
(4) the establishment of a task force to oversee 
the implementation, effectiveness, and long-term in-
tegration of unattended robotic process automation 
within the Department. 
(b) REPORTING.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall submit to the congressional defense committees a re-
port on the progress of the Secretary in carrying out the 
activities required under subsection (a). Such report shall 
include— 
(1) performance metrics for such activities; 
(2) an analysis of the cost-effectiveness of such 
activities; and 
(3) an assessment of the potential risks associ-
ated with the expansion of unattended robotic proc-
ess automation within the Department of Defense.
131 
SEC. 233. PILOT PROGRAM ON MODERNIZED HEALTH AND 
USAGE MONITORING SYSTEMS TO ADDRESS 
OBSOLESCENCE IN MARINE CORPS ROTARY- 
WING AND TILTROTOR AIRCRAFT. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 
Navy shall establish and carry out a pilot program to 
evaluate commercially available, next-generation Health 
and Usage Monitoring Systems (referred to in this section 
as ‘‘HUMS’’) technologies intended to address obsoles-
cence issues affecting legacy HUMS currently installed on 
Marine Corps rotary-wing and tiltrotor aircraft. 
(b) OBJECTIVES.—In conducting the pilot program, 
the Secretary of the Navy shall assess whether modernized 
HUMS technologies— 
(1) effectively mitigate obsolescence risks asso-
ciated with legacy HUMS systems; 
(2) enhance the operational readiness, avail-
ability, and sustainment of Marine Corps rotary- 
wing and tiltrotor aircraft; and 
(3) deliver advanced predictive analytics capa-
bilities, reducing maintenance burden and lifecycle 
costs. 
(c) DURATION.—The pilot program shall be carried 
out for a period not exceeding one year.
132 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after comple-
tion of the pilot program, the Secretary of the Navy shall 
submit to the congressional defense committees a report 
summarizing— 
(1) the pilot program results, including effec-
tiveness in addressing obsolescence, improving pre-
dictive maintenance, and enhancing readiness and 
aircraft availability; and 
(2) recommendations regarding broader adop-
tion of evaluated HUMS technologies across the Ma-
rine Corps rotary-wing and tiltrotor aircraft fleet. 
(e) FUNDING.— 
(1) INCREASE.—Notwithstanding the amounts 
set forth in the funding tables in division D, the 
amount authorized to be appropriated in section 201 
for Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, 
Defense-wide, for Management Support, Aviation 
Safety, Line 201 (PE 0606301D8Z), as set forth in 
the funding table in section 4201, is hereby in-
creased by $5,000,000. 
(2) OFFSET.—Notwithstanding the amounts set 
forth in the funding tables in division D, the amount 
authorized to be appropriated in section 101 for 
Procurement for Other Procurement, Army, IAMD 
Battle Command System, Line 116, as specified in
133 
the corresponding funding table in section 4101, is 
hereby reduced by $5,000,000. 
(f) COORDINATION.—The pilot program shall be con-
ducted in coordination with appropriate Marine Corps 
aviation stakeholders, including operational and technical 
authorities responsible for aviation maintenance and read-
iness. 
SEC. 234. PILOT PROGRAM ON MODERNIZED HEALTH AND 
USAGE MONITORING SYSTEMS TO ADDRESS 
OBSOLESCENCE IN ARMY ROTARY-WING AIR-
CRAFT. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 
Army shall establish and carry out a pilot program to 
evaluate commercially available, next-generation Health 
and Usage Monitoring Systems (referred to in this section 
as ‘‘HUMS’’) technologies to address obsolescence issues 
affecting legacy monitoring systems installed on Army ro-
tary-wing aircraft. 
(b) OBJECTIVES.—In carrying out the pilot program, 
the Secretary of the Army shall assess whether modern-
ized HUMS technologies— 
(1) effectively mitigate obsolescence risks asso-
ciated with legacy HUMS systems;
134 
(2) significantly enhance operational readiness 
of rotary-wing aircraft; 
(3) provide effective predictive maintenance ca-
pabilities resulting in reduced maintenance costs and 
increased aircraft availability; and 
(4) extend operational lifespan of existing ro-
tary-wing platforms. 
(c) DURATION.—The pilot program shall be carried 
out for a period not exceeding one year. 
(d) PLATFORM SELECTION.—In selecting rotary- 
wing aircraft for participation in the pilot program, the 
Secretary of the Army is encouraged to prioritize plat-
forms whose evaluation would yield broadly applicable re-
sults, including potential relevance to rotary-wing aircraft 
operated by other branches of the Armed Forces. 
(e) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after comple-
tion of the pilot program, the Secretary of the Army shall 
submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Sen-
ate and the House of Representatives a report that in-
cludes— 
(1) an assessment of the tested HUMS tech-
nologies’ effectiveness in addressing obsolescence and 
improving readiness; and 
(2) recommendations for potential broader 
adoption across the Army rotary-wing fleet, includ-
135 
ing consideration of applicability to similar rotary- 
wing aircraft operated by other branches of the 
Armed Forces. 
(f) FUNDING.— 
(1) INCREASE.—Notwithstanding the amounts 
set forth in the funding tables in division D, the 
amount authorized to be appropriated in section 201 
for Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, 
Defense-wide, for Management Support, Aviation 
Safety, Line 201 (PE 0606301D8Z), as set forth in 
the funding table in section 4201, is hereby in-
creased by $5,000,000. 
(2) OFFSET.—Notwithstanding the amounts set 
forth in the funding tables in division D, the amount 
authorized to be appropriated in section 101 for 
Procurement for Other Procurement, Army, IAMD 
Battle Command System, Line 116, as specified in 
the corresponding funding table in section 4101, is 
hereby reduced by $5,000,000. 
(g) COORDINATION.—The pilot program shall be con-
ducted in coordination with the Future Vertical Lift 
Cross-Functional Team and the Program Executive Office 
Aviation.
136 
SEC. 235. INITIATIVE ON STUDYING ADVANCED ARTIFICIAL 
INTELLIGENCE, NATIONAL SECURITY, AND 
STRATEGIC COMPETITION. 
(a) INITIATIVE REQUIRED.—The Secretary of De-
fense shall establish and carry out an initiative (referred 
to in this section as the ‘‘Initiative’’) to prepare the De-
partment of Defense to fully harness the transformative 
potential of advanced artificial intelligence, assess the na-
tional security and defense implications of advanced artifi-
cial intelligence, and analyze strategic competition factors 
relating to the People’s Republic of China’s pursuit of ad-
vanced artificial intelligence. 
(b) DESIGNATION OF LEAD OFFICE.—The Secretary 
of Defense shall designate an appropriate agency or office 
within the Department of Defense to have primary respon-
sibility for carrying out the initiative described in sub-
section (a). Any such designation shall not prohibit other 
agencies or offices within the Executive Branch from being 
consulted or otherwise supporting the efforts of the lead 
office. 
(c) DUTIES.—Under the Initiative, the agency or of-
fice designated by the Secretary of Defense under sub-
section (b) shall do the following: 
(1) Review industry documents and assessments 
of advanced artificial intelligence, including pre-
paredness frameworks, scaling policies, and risk
137 
management frameworks of advanced artificial intel-
ligence developers. 
(2) Engage with leading artificial intelligence 
developers and researchers to characterize and an-
ticipate the capabilities of highly advanced artificial 
intelligence relevant to national security to inform 
military planning, societal preparedness, and De-
partment of Defense adopt plans, including via 
interviews, site visits, roundtables, expert discus-
sions, and other forms of engagement with relevant 
experts. 
(3) Identify strategies for the Department of 
Defense to encourage adoption and fully leverage ad-
vanced artificial intelligence systems, assess the com-
parative adoption to other nations, and manage na-
tional security threats from advanced artificial intel-
ligence competition. In assessing adoption strategies, 
the Secretary shall evaluate the implications of ad-
vanced artificial intelligence for the national defense 
and form a plan for addressing implications for the 
Department of Defense’s processes, systems, func-
tions, capabilities, and adoption pathways. The plan 
shall include— 
(A) an assessment of the steps needed to 
prepare the Department of Defense workforce
138 
to leverage the transformative potential of ad-
vanced artificial intelligence; 
(B) an assessment of Department of De-
fense processes and workflows that are most 
likely to be substantially impacted by the intro-
duction of advanced artificial intelligence within 
or outside the structure of each process or 
workflow, and the offices that will be primarily 
responsible for managing the evolution of those 
processes; 
(C) identifying internal Department of De-
fense policies that require revision, elimination, 
or creation to effectively and responsibly har-
ness advanced artificial intelligence; 
(D) a framework for developing the artifi-
cial intelligence infrastructure to scale the use 
of advanced artificial intelligence, including re-
quirements for— 
(i) artificial intelligence factories that 
manage the entire artificial intelligence life 
cycle; 
(ii) data foundries that effectively and 
efficiently manage government, commer-
cial, and synthetic data;
139 
(iii) edge infrastructure for employing 
advanced 
artificial 
intelligence 
in 
warfighting use cases at all levels of com-
mand; and 
(iv) other critical enabling infrastruc-
ture, such as information technology sys-
tems and energy sources; 
(E) recommendations for resourcing the 
materiel and nonmateriel solutions identified in 
subparagraphs (A) through (D); and 
(F) recommendations for resourcing crit-
ical artificial intelligence assurance activities, 
such as test and evaluation, continuous moni-
toring, governance, and the creation of assur-
ance case artifacts. 
(4) Examine the potential implications of ad-
vanced artificial intelligence on key areas of national 
defense, including chemical, biological, radiological, 
and nuclear capabilities, advanced cyber capabilities, 
model autonomy, strategic deception, advanced re-
search and development capabilities for producing 
increasingly powerful artificial intelligence, military 
applications of artificial intelligence for warfighting 
functions, and other areas in which advanced artifi-
140 
cial intelligence may pose a threat to national secu-
rity or national defense. 
(5) In consultation with the Director of Na-
tional Intelligence, monitor and assess the progress 
of the People’s Republic of China in developing ad-
vanced artificial intelligence and assess the implica-
tions of such development for strategic competition. 
In assessing such progress, the Secretary shall ex-
amine key factors in areas critical for People’s Re-
public of China progress toward advanced artificial 
intelligence, including— 
(A) an assessment of the People’s Republic 
of China’s overall efforts toward advanced arti-
ficial intelligence, including overall progress, ac-
tivities to develop or acquire such systems, rel-
ative progress compared to United States enti-
ties, efforts to prevent loss of control from such 
systems, and attitudes of the Chinese Com-
munist Party and other influential figures to-
ward advanced artificial intelligence risks and 
safety approaches; 
(B) identification of the primary entities in 
the People’s Republic of China that are leading 
in the development of advanced artificial intel-
ligence;
141 
(C) identification of the top researchers in 
the People’s Republic of China who are most 
essential for the development of advanced artifi-
cial intelligence; 
(D) identification of specific data centers, 
energy infrastructure, and other resources most 
critical to the People’s Republic of China’s 
progress toward advanced artificial intelligence 
(including plans for future data centers); 
(E) identification and assessment of the 
top methods to robustly detect advanced artifi-
cial intelligence development by the People’s 
Republic of China, including methods to assess 
the degree to which the People’s Republic of 
China is developing advanced artificial intel-
ligence capabilities that pose significant risks to 
the national security of the United States; 
(F) identification of the top methods that 
can be used to disrupt advanced artificial intel-
ligence projects of the People’s Republic of 
China and an assessment of their efficacy and 
limitations; 
(G) an assessment of efforts originating in 
the People’s Republic of China to acquire tech-
nology and information from entities operating
142 
within the United States or other nations to ad-
vance progress toward advanced artificial intel-
ligence, including advanced semiconductors, re-
search findings, or insights relating to training 
or inference; and 
(H) a comparative assessment of efforts in 
the People’s Republic of China and United 
States to characterize and mitigate security 
risks from advanced artificial intelligence sys-
tems, including an evaluation of how leading re-
searchers and policymakers in each country 
conceptualize the national security risks posed 
by uncontrolled or misaligned advanced artifi-
cial intelligence. 
(6) In consultation with the Director of Na-
tional Intelligence and the Secretary of Homeland 
Security, assess the security capabilities of leading 
United States artificial intelligence developers, with 
a focus on their ability to protect advanced artificial 
intelligence systems, model weights, and key insights 
from the People’s Republic of China and other high-
ly resourced adversaries. 
(7) Assess the national security risks posed by 
uncontrolled or misaligned advanced artificial intel-
ligence. The assessment, focusing on the People’s