Title: United States-United Kingdom Directed Energy Cooperation Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
United States-United Kingdom Directed Energy Cooperation Act
This bill authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD), upon request from the United Kingdom (UK) and with the concurrence of the Department of State, to jointly carry out research and testing of directed energy capabilities with the UK. (Directed energy systems are capable of converting chemical or electrical energy into radiated energy and focusing it on a target.) DOD may provide maintenance and sustainment support for such activities if the UK matches U.S. funds provided for such support or otherwise provides an amount that meets the UK's best efforts.
The bill imposes various reporting requirements related to such joint research.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3626 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3626

     To authorize the Secretary of Defense to carry out research, 
development, test, and evaluation activities, on a joint basis with the 
United Kingdom, to establish directed energy capabilities that address 
threats to the United States, deployed forces of the United States, or 
              the United Kingdom, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              July 5, 2019

 Mr. Ted Lieu of California (for himself, Ms. Stefanik, Mr. Langevin, 
 and Mr. Lamborn) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
 the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on 
  Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To authorize the Secretary of Defense to carry out research, 
development, test, and evaluation activities, on a joint basis with the 
United Kingdom, to establish directed energy capabilities that address 
threats to the United States, deployed forces of the United States, or 
              the United Kingdom, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``United States-United Kingdom 
Directed Energy Cooperation Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Directed energy platforms are electromagnetic systems 
        capable of converting chemical or electrical energy to radiated 
        energy and focusing it on a target, resulting in physical 
        damage that degrades or neutralizes an adversarial capability. 
        These systems include high-energy lasers that emit photons and 
        high-power microwaves that release radiofrequency waves.
            (2) Directed energy platforms hold enormous potential for 
        non-lethal, defensive capabilities, including protection 
        against advanced missiles and swarms of unmanned aerial 
        systems.
            (3) At a fraction of the per-use cost of kinetic defense 
        platforms, directed energy capabilities could greatly enhance 
        the deterrence posture of the United States and protect against 
        emerging threats such as hypersonic and maneuverable missiles.
            (4) Collaboration between the United States and the United 
        Kingdom on the development and application of directed energy 
        weapon technologies can be traced back to 2010. The UK/US 
        Directed Energy Symposium was created under bilateral exchange 
        agreements between the United States and the United Kingdom, 
        covering topics such as high-energy lasers, modeling and 
        simulation, and protection against high-power radio frequency 
        weapons.
            (5) In response to technological advances and emerging 
        threats, the United States has increased investments in next-
        generation directed energy capabilities and is exploring the 
        potential for boost-phase ballistic missile defense with the 
        Low-Power Laser Demonstrator program. Existing programs within 
        each service branch are developing technologies to protect 
        members of the Armed Forces from rocket, artillery, mortar, and 
        unmanned aerial systems.
            (6) In 2017, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence 
        awarded <brit-pound>30M to an international defense consortium 
        to build a prototype for the Laser Directed Energy Weapon 
        (LDEW) Capability Demonstrator. The air defense system will be 
        capable of engaging targets in land and maritime environments.
            (7) In 2017, the United Kingdom's Minister for Defence 
        Procurement Harriett Baldwin said, ``The UK has long enjoyed a 
        reputation as a world leader in innovation and it is truly 
        ground-breaking projects like the Laser Directed Energy Weapon 
        which will keep this country ahead of the curve. The Defense 
        Innovation Initiative and <brit-pound>800M Defense Innovation 
        Fund aim to encourage imagination, ingenuity and 
        entrepreneurship, in pursuit of maintaining a military 
        advantage in the future.''.
            (8) In 2018, while offering remarks at the Directed Energy 
        Summit, Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering 
        Michael Griffin expressed support for the United States 
        partnering with allies to develop directed energy technologies.
            (9) In 2019, the United States Missile Defense Review 
        highlighted the promise that high-powered laser technology 
        holds for boost-phase ballistic missile defense.

SEC. 3. UNITED STATES-UNITED KINGDOM DIRECTED ENERGY CAPABILITIES 
              COOPERATION.

    (a) Authority.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense, upon request of 
        the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Defence and with 
        the concurrence of the Secretary of State, is authorized to 
        carry out research, development, test, and evaluation 
        activities, on a joint basis with the United Kingdom, to 
        establish directed energy capabilities that address threats to 
        the United States, deployed forces of the United States, or the 
        United Kingdom. Any activities carried out pursuant to such 
        authority shall be conducted in a manner that appropriately 
        protects sensitive information and the national security 
        interests of the United States and the national security 
        interests of the United Kingdom.
            (2) Report.--The activities described in paragraph (1) may 
        be carried out after the Secretary of Defense submits to the 
        appropriate committees of Congress a report setting forth the 
        following:
                    (A) A memorandum of agreement between the United 
                States and the United Kingdom regarding sharing of 
                research and development costs for the capabilities 
                described in paragraph (1), and any supporting 
                documents.
                    (B) A certification that the memorandum of 
                agreement--
                            (i) requires sharing of costs of projects, 
                        including in-kind support, between the United 
                        States and the United Kingdom;
                            (ii) establishes a framework to negotiate 
                        the rights to any intellectual property 
                        developed under the memorandum of agreement; 
                        and
                            (iii) requires the United States Government 
                        to receive semiannual reports on expenditure of 
                        funds, if any, by the Government of the United 
                        Kingdom, including a description of what the 
                        funds have been used for, when funds were 
                        expended, and an identification of entities 
                        that expended the funds.
    (b) Support in Connection With Activities.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense is authorized to 
        provide maintenance and sustainment support to the United 
        Kingdom for the directed energy capabilities research, 
        development, test, and evaluation activities authorized in 
        subsection (a)(1). Such authority includes authority to install 
        equipment necessary to carry out such research, development, 
        test, and evaluation.
            (2) Report.--The support described in paragraph (1) may not 
        be provided until 15 days after the Secretary of Defense 
        submits to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 
        setting forth a detailed description of the support to be 
        provided.
            (3) Matching contribution.--The support described in 
        paragraph (1) may not be provided unless the Secretary of 
        Defense certifies to the appropriate committees of Congress 
        that the Government of the United Kingdom will contribute to 
        such support--
                    (A) an amount equal to not less than the amount of 
                support to be so provided; or
                    (B) an amount that otherwise meets the best efforts 
                of the United Kingdom, as mutually agreed to by the 
                United States and the United Kingdom.
    (c) Lead Agency.--The Secretary of Defense shall designate an 
appropriate research and development entity of a military department as 
the lead agency of the Department of Defense in carrying out this 
section.
    (d) Semiannual Report.--The Secretary of Defense shall submit to 
the appropriate committees of Congress on a semiannual basis a report 
that contains a copy of the most recent semiannual report provided by 
the Government of the United Kingdom to the Department of Defense 
pursuant to subsection (a)(2)(B)(iii).
    (e) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
        Foreign Relations, the Committee on Homeland Security and 
        Governmental Affairs, the Committee on Appropriations, and the 
        Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
        Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Homeland Security, the 
        Committee on Appropriations, and the Permanent Select Committee 
        on Intelligence of the House of Representatives.
                                 <all>