A bill to require a solid rocket motor industrial base strategy.

Bill: 118-s-5556
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
Introduced: 2024-12-17
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Latest action: action_date: 2024-12-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

Summaries:

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 5556 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES December 17 (legislative day, December 16), 2024 Mr. Cornyn introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services A BILL To require a solid rocket motor industrial base strategy.

1. Solid rocket motor industrial base (a) In general Not later than March 1, 2025, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, acting through the Director of the Joint Production Accelerator Cell of the Department of Defense and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, shall submit to the congressional defense committees a strategy for ensuring that the defense industrial base of the United States can meet requirements for programs of record relating to solid rocket motors. (b) Coordination In developing the strategy required under subsection (a), the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment shall coordinate with the following: (1) The Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition. (2) The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology. (3) The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. (4) The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration. (5) The Director of the Missile Defense Agency. (c) Elements The strategy under subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) An assessment of emerging technologies or manufacturing processes that would support the modernization or evolution of the defense industrial base of the United States to meet requirements for programs of record relating to solid rocket motors. (2) A plan to prioritize government funding for the following: (A) Government-owned, Government-operated energetic materials facilities. (B) Government-owned, contractor-operated energetic materials facilities. (C) Private energetic materials facilities. (d) Review and report (1) Review Not later than March 1, 2025, the Secretary of Defense shall seek to enter into a contract with a federally funded research and development center to conduct a review of the of the defense industrial base of the United States for solid rocket motors that includes the following: (A) An assessment of the capacity and capability of existing solid rocket motor industrial base, including the supply base and personnel of such manufacturers, to support the expansion of the solid rocket motor industrial base. (B) The capability and capacity of potential new entrants to the solid rocket motor industrial base, including private entities funded by the Federal Government. (C) An assessment of the process for qualifying new entrants, including new manufacturing processes, for solid rocket motors. (D) An assessment of the capacity and capability of the solid rocket motor industrial base to support the demands of existing programs of record. (E) An assessment of the capacity and capability of the solid rocket motor industrial base to support potential future demands of programs of record. (F) A mapping of programs of record and potential future munitions programs to solid rocket motor manufacturer throughput. (G) Identification of current and potential shortfalls in common precursors and chemicals. (H) A broad assessment of commercial sector, civil sector, and Department of Defense pressures on the solid rocket motor industrial base. (2) Report (A) To Secretary Not later than September 30, 2025, a federally funded research and development center that enters into contract under this subsection shall submit to the Secretary of Defense a report on the results of the review conducted under paragraph (1). (B) To Congress Not later than 30 days after receipt of the report described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary of Defense shall submit such report, along with any comments of the Secretary, to the congressional defense committees. (e) Energetic materials defined The term energetic materials has the meaning given in section 148 of title 10, United States Code.