§ 4001. Research and development projects

Policies for Management and Certification of Link 16 Military Tactical Data Link Network

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title II, § 228, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 199, as amended by Pub. L. 119–60, div. A, title II, § 216, Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 775, provided that: “(a) Policies Required.—The Secretary of Defense shall develop and implement policies to adapt Link 16 system management and certification to align with agile development practices. “(b) Elements.—The policies required by subsection (a) shall include the following:“(1) A standardized process through a Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Manual, to allow Link 16 frequency use within approved special use airspaces for the purpose of testing radio systems and associated software that have not completed electromagnetic compatibility features certification. Such process—“(A) shall, at a minimum, ensure routine and continued approval for test operations of developmental systems in military special use airspace including all prohibited areas, restricted areas, warning areas, and military operational areas; and “(B) may incorporate standardized mitigations that enable routine approval including effective radiated power settings and coordination for rapid test termination. “(2) Processes to streamline approval or denial of temporary frequency assignment for Link 16 operations to not more than 15 days for test, 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. In developing such processes, the Secretary of Defense—“(A) shall ensure that the processes cover operations in excess of uncoordinated operations time slot duty factor limits, inclusion of foreign participants, and participation of non-stage 4 approved terminals or platforms; and “(B) consider delegating sole authority for temporary frequency assignment to the Department of Defense and the automation of decision-making processes relating to such assignments. “(3) Delegation of authority to the system manager for Link 16 to determine when new software within Department of Defense Link 16 terminals affects electromagnetic compatibility features and requires recertification. “(4) The self-certification by the Department of Defense of the compliance of the Department’s radios with electromagnetic compatibility features. “(5) Processes to internally manage Link 16 uncoordinated operations that enable approval for test, regular training, and exercises that does not exceed 15 days for systems holding an active radio frequency authorization or temporary frequency assignment. “(c) Information to Congress.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 22, 2023], the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees—“(1) a briefing on the policies developed under subsection (a), along with a timeline for implementation of such policies; and “(2) a list of such additional resources or authorities as the Secretary determines may be required to implement such policies. “(d) Testing Required.—“(1) In general.—In conjunction with the development of the policies required under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall conduct, sponsor, or review testing and analysis that determines if any effects on air traffic systems are possible due to Link 16 terminals which have not completed electromagnetic compatibility features certification and quantifies any such effects. Such testing shall evaluate Link 16 transmission within plus or minus 7 megahertz of the 1030 and 1090 megahertz frequency bands to determine if effects on air traffic systems are possible, under what conditions such effects could occur, and the impact of such effects. “(2) Report.—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 [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report on the results of the testing conducted under paragraph (1), with an emphasis on procedures that the Secretary intends to implement to negate harmful effects on air traffic from the use of Link 16 terminals or platforms that have not completed electromagnetic compatibility features certification, within special use airspace.”

Pilot Program on Near-Term Quantum Computing Applications

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title II, § 231, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 203, provided that: “(a) Pilot Program.—The Secretary of Defense may carry out a pilot program under which the Secretary, in partnership with the entities specified in subsection (b), establishes and operates a program that enables organizations of the Department of Defense, including the Armed Forces, to test and evaluate how quantum and quantum-hybrid applications may be used—“(1) to solve technical problems and research challenges identified under section 234(e) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note) and such other near-term technical problems and challenges facing the Department and the Armed Forces as the Secretary may identify; and “(2) to provide capabilities needed by the Department and the Armed Forces in the near-term. “(b) Entities Specified.—The Secretary of Defense shall seek to carry out the pilot program under subsection (a) in partnership with—“(1) a federally funded research and development center, university affiliated research center, center of excellence, or similar entity; and “(2) one or more private-sector entities with expertise in quantum computing and quantum information science. “(c) Activities.—Under the pilot program, the Secretary of Defense, in partnership with the entities specified in subsection (b), may—“(1) convene a group of experts and organizations to identify and articulate challenges faced by the Department of Defense, including the Armed Forces, that have the potential to be addressed by quantum and quantum-hybrid applications; “(2) develop and mature demonstrations, proofs of concept, pilot programs, and other measures to address the challenges identified under paragraph (1) using quantum and quantum-hybrid applications; “(3) develop pathways through which successful demonstrations, proofs of concept, pilot programs, and other measures developed and matured under paragraph (2) may be transitioned to more advanced stages of research and development or into operational use within the Department; “(4) ensure that any quantum-based or quantum-hybrid application-based solutions identified under the program are capable of development and deployment within the period covered by the most recent future-years defense program submitted to Congress under section 221 of title 10, United States Code (as of the time of the pilot program); “(4) [sic] assess the utility of commercial quantum and quantum-hybrid applications for meeting the near-term needs of warfighters; and “(5) seek to build and strengthen relationships between the Department of Defense, academic institutions, small businesses, and nontraditional defense contractors (as defined in section 3014 of title 10, United States Code) in the technology industry that may have unused or underused solutions to specific operational challenges of the Department relating to quantum and quantum-hybrid applications. “(d) Briefing and Reports.—“(1) Interim briefing.—Not later than 30 days before commencing the pilot program under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a briefing that—“(A) identifies the entities the Secretary intends to partner with for the purposes of carrying out the pilot program, including—“(i) any entities specified in subsection (b); “(ii) any of the Armed Forces; and “(iii) any other departments and agencies of the Federal Government with pre-existing quantum technology research efforts; and “(B) describes the plan of the Secretary for developing and operating the program. “(2) Annual report.—By December 1 of each year in which the pilot program under subsection (a) is carried out, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report that includes—“(A) a description of the problem sets and capabilities that were evaluated by organizations of the Department of Defense under the program; “(B) an explanation of whether and to what extent the program resulted in the identification of potential solutions based on quantum and quantum-hybrid applications; “(C) any potential barriers to the use of quantum and quantum-hybrid applications to solve near-term problems for the Department of Defense, including the Armed Forces; and “(D) recommendations regarding how the Department of Defense can better leverage and deploy quantum and quantum-hybrid applications to address near-term military applications and operational needs. “(e) Termination.—The authority to carry out the pilot program under subsection (a) shall terminate on September 30, 2026. “(f) Definition.—In this section, the term ‘quantum and quantum-hybrid applications’ means algorithms and applications which use quantum mechanics through quantum processing units, including—“(1) quantum-classical hybrid applications which are applications that use both quantum computing and classical computing hardware systems; “(2) annealing and gate systems; and “(3) all qubit modalities (including superconducting, trapped-ion, neutral atom, and photonics).”

Pilot Program on Optimization of Aerial Refueling and Fuel Management in Contested Logistics Environments Through Use of Artificial Intelligence

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title III, § 346, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 226, provided that: “(a) Design of Pilot Program.—“(1) Design.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 22, 2023], the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Department of Defense, in collaboration with the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, shall design a pilot program to optimize the logistics of aerial refueling and fuel management in the context of contested logistics environments through the use of advanced digital technologies and artificial intelligence (in this section referred to as the ‘pilot program’). “(2) Coordination and consultation.—In designing the pilot program, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer shall—“(A) coordinate with the Commander of the United States Transportation Command and the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command regarding the activities to be carried out under the pilot program, to ensure the pilot program will align with existing operational requirements; and “(B) seek to consult with relevant experts in the fields of artificial intelligence, logistics, aviation, and fuel management. “(b) Objectives.—The objectives of the pilot program shall include the following:“(1) Assessing the feasibility and effectiveness of artificial intelligence-driven approaches in enhancing aerial refueling operations and fuel management processes compared to existing mission planning processes executed by members of the Air Force with relevant training. “(2) Identifying opportunities to reduce fuel consumption, decrease operational costs, and minimize the environmental impact of fuel management while maintaining military readiness. “(3) Evaluating the interoperability and compatibility of artificial intelligence-enabled systems with the existing logistics infrastructure of the Department of Defense. “(4) Enhancing situational awareness and decision-making capabilities through real-time data analysis and predictive modeling. “(5) Addressing potential challenges and risks associated with the integration of artificial intelligence and other advanced digital technologies, including challenges and risks involving cybersecurity concerns. “(c) Commencement.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, in collaboration with the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, shall commence the pilot program. “(d) Report.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on—“(1) the design of the pilot program under subsection (a); “(2) the status of any efforts underway to commence the pilot program under subsection (c); and “(3) any planned future activities to be carried out under the pilot program to test expected outcomes regarding improved efficiencies or other benefits that may be derived from artificial intelligence-driven approaches to aerial refueling operations and fuel management. “(e) Termination.—The authority to conduct the pilot program under this section shall terminate on January 1, 2027.”

Control and Management of Department of Defense Data

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XV, § 1521(a), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 551, provided that: “The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Department of Defense may access and control, on behalf of the Secretary of Defense, any data collected, acquired, accessed, or used by a component (as such term is defined in section 1513 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note)), consistent with such section.”

Artificial Intelligence Bug Bounty Programs

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XV, § 1542, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 573, provided that: “(a) Program for Foundational Artificial Intelligence Products Being Integrated Within Department of Defense.—“(1) Development required.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 22, 2023] and subject to the availability of appropriations, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Department of Defense shall develop a bug bounty program for foundational artificial intelligence models being integrated into the missions and operations of the Department of Defense. “(2) Collaboration.—In developing the program under paragraph (1), the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer may collaborate with the heads of other Federal departments and agencies with expertise in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. “(3) Implementation authorized.—The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer may carry out the program developed under subsection (a). “(4) Contracts.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure, as may be appropriate, that whenever the Secretary enters into any contract, such contract allows for participation in the bug bounty program developed under paragraph (1). “(5) Rule of construction.—Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require—“(A) the use of any foundational artificial intelligence model; or “(B) the implementation of the program developed under paragraph (1) for the purpose of the integration of a foundational artificial intelligence model into the missions or operations of the Department of Defense. “(b) Briefing.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on—“(1) the development and implementation of bug bounty programs the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer considers relevant to the matters covered by this section; and “(2) long-term plans of the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer with respect to such bug bounty programs. “(c) Foundational Artificial Intelligence Model Defined.—In this section, the term ‘foundational artificial intelligence model’ means an adaptive generative model that is trained on a broad set of unlabeled data sets that may be used for different tasks with minimal fine-tuning.”

Plans, Strategies, and Other Matters Relating to Artificial Intelligence

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XV, § 1544, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 574, provided that: “(a) In General.—The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Deputy Secretary of Defense, shall—“(1) establish and document procedures, including timelines, for the periodic review of the 2018 Department of Defense Artificial Intelligence Strategy, or any successor strategy, and associated annexes of the military departments to assess the implementation of such strategy and whether any revision is necessary; “(2) issue Department of Defense-wide guidance that defines outcomes of near-term and long-term strategies and plans relating to—“(A) the adoption of artificial intelligence; “(B) the adoption and enforcement of policies on the ethical use of artificial intelligence systems; and “(C) the identification and mitigation of bias in artificial intelligence algorithms; “(3) issue Department-wide guidance regarding methods to monitor accountability for artificial intelligence-related activity, including artificial intelligence performance indicators and metrics; “(4) develop a strategic plan for the development, use, and cybersecurity of generative artificial intelligence, including a policy governing the use of, and the defense against adversarial use of, generative artificial intelligence; “(5) assess technical workforce needs across the future years defense plan to support the continued development of artificial intelligence capabilities, including recruitment and retention policies and programs; “(6) assess the availability and adequacy of the basic artificial intelligence training and education curricula, including efforts developed or authorized pursuant to section 256 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (133 Stat. 1290; Public Law 116–92), available to the broader civilian workforce of the Department and military personnel to promote artificial intelligence literacy to the nontechnical workforce and senior leadership with responsibilities adjacent to artificial intelligence technical development; “(7) develop and issue a timeline and guidance for the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Department and the Secretaries of the military departments to establish a common lexicon for artificial intelligence-related activities; “(8) develop and implement a plan to protect and secure the integrity, availability, and privacy of artificial intelligence systems and models, including large language models, data libraries, data repositories, and algorithms, in training, development, and production environments; “(9) ensure the fulfilment of the statutory requirement to establish data repositories under section 232 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117–81; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note), as amended by section 212 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263; 136 Stat. 2466); “(10) develop and implement a plan—“(A) to identify commercially available and relevant large language models; and “(B) to make such models available, as appropriate, on classified networks; “(11) develop a plan to defend the personnel, organizations, and systems of the Department against adversarial artificial intelligence, including an identification of organizations within the Department capable of providing to cyber red teams of the Department capabilities for operational and developmental needs; “(12) develop and implement a policy for use by contracting officials to protect the intellectual property of commercial entities that provide artificial intelligence algorithms to a data repository specified in paragraph (9), including a policy for how to address data rights in situations in which governmental and commercial intellectual property may be mixed when such artificial intelligence algorithms are deployed in an operational environment; “(13) issue guidance and directives governing how the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Department shall exercise authority to access, control, and maintain, on behalf of the Secretary, data collected, acquired, accessed, or used by components of the Department consistent with section 1513 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note); and “(14) clarify guidance on the instances for, and the role of human intervention and oversight in, the exercise of artificial intelligence algorithms for use in the generation of offensive or lethal courses of action for tactical operations. “(b) Ethical and Responsible Artificial Intelligence.—“(1) Process.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, shall develop and implement a process—“(A) to assess whether a given artificial intelligence technology used by the Department of Defense is in compliance with a test, evaluation, verification, and validation framework that—“(i) operationalizes responsible artificial intelligence principles; and “(ii) is validated and selected by the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer for purposes of this subsection; “(B) to report and remediate any artificial intelligence technology that is determined not to be in compliance with the framework selected pursuant to subparagraph (A); and “(C) in a case in which efforts to remediate such technology have been unsuccessful, to discontinue the use of the technology until effective remediation is achievable. “(2) Additional requirements.—In developing and implementing the process under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense shall—“(A) develop clear criteria against which the compliance of an artificial intelligence technology with the framework selected pursuant to subparagraph (A) of such paragraph may be assessed under such subparagraph, taking into consideration—“(i) similar criteria previously developed by the Secretary; and “(ii) the identification of potential vulnerabilities in systems and infrastructure of the Armed Forces that could be exploited by adversarial artificial intelligence applications used by the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, or other foreign adversaries; “(B) take steps to integrate such process across the elements of the Department of Defense, including the combatant commands; and “(C) provide information on such process to members of the Armed Forces and civilian personnel of the Department that are—“(i) responsible for developing and deploying artificial intelligence technologies; “(ii) end users of such technologies, including members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force who use such technologies in military operations; or “(iii) otherwise determined relevant by the Secretary. “(c) Deadline; Briefing.—“(1) Deadline.—The Secretary shall complete the requirements under this section by not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 22, 2023]. “(2) Briefing.—Not later than 150 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on the implementation of this section.”

Pilot Program To Facilitate the Development of Battery Technologies for Warfighters

Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, § 225, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2484, provided that: “(a) Establishment.—“(1) In general.—The Secretary of Defense may establish and carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing support to battery producers—“(A) to facilitate the research and development of safe and secure battery technologies for existing and new or novel battery chemistry configurations, including through the research and development of new or updated manufacturing processes and technologies; “(B) to assess commercial battery offerings within the marketplace for viability and utility for warfighter applications; and “(C) to transition battery technologies, including technologies developed under other pilot programs, prototype projects, or other research and development programs, from the prototyping phase to manufacturing production. “(2) Designation.—The pilot program established under paragraph (1) shall be known as the ‘Warfighter Electric Battery Transition Project’ (referred to in this section as the ‘Project’). “(3) Administration.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall administer the Project. “(b) Grants, Contracts, and Other Agreements.—The Secretary of Defense may carry out the Project through the award of support, as described in subsection (a)(1), in the form of grants to, or contracts or other agreements with, battery producers. “(c) Coordination.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that activities under the Project are coordinated with the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program under section 2901 of title 10, United States Code. “(d) Use of Grant and Contract Amounts.—A battery producer who receives a grant, contract, or other agreement under the Project may use the amount of the grant, contract, or other agreement to carry out one or more of the following activities:“(1) Conducting research and development to validate new or novel battery chemistry configurations, including through—“(A) experimentation; “(B) prototyping; “(C) testing; “(D) adapting battery technology to integrate with other technologies and systems; or “(E) addressing manufacturing or other production challenges. “(2) Providing commercially available battery technologies to each Secretary of a military department and the commanders of the combatant commands to support utility assessments or other testing by warfighters. “(3) Expanding, validating, or assessing battery recycling capabilities that may provide operational utility to the Department of Defense. “(4) Building and strengthening relationships of the Department of Defense with nontraditional defense contractors in the technology industry that may have unused or underused solutions to specific operational challenges of the Department relating to battery technology. “(e) Priority of Awards.—In awarding grants, contracts, or other agreements under the Project, the Secretary shall give preference to battery producers that meet one or more of the following criteria:“(1) The producer manufactures, designs, or develops battery cells, packs, modules, or other related capabilities in the United States. “(2) The producer manufactures, designs, or develops battery cells, packs, modules, or other related capabilities in the national technology and industrial base (as defined in section 4801 of title 10, United States Code). “(3) The technology made available by the producer provides modularity to support diverse applications. “(4) The technology made available by the producer facilitates safety in tactical and combat applications by using battery chemistries and configurations that reduce thermal runaway and minimize oxygen liberation. “(5) The producer demonstrates new or novel battery chemistry configurations, safety characteristics, or form-factor configurations. “(6) The producer facilitates the domestic supply chain for raw materials needed for battery production. “(7) The producer offers battery-related commercial products or commercial services. “(f) Planning, Reporting and Data Collection.—“(1) Plan required before implementation.—“(A) In general.—The Secretary of Defense may not commence the Project until the Secretary has completed a plan for the implementation of the Project. “(B) Elements.—The plan under subparagraph (A) shall provide for—“(i) collecting, analyzing, and retaining Project data; “(ii) developing and sharing best practices for achieving the objectives of the Project; “(iii) identification of any policy or regulatory impediments inhibiting the execution of the Project; and “(iv) sharing results from the Project across the Department of Defense and with other departments and agencies of the Federal Government and Congress. “(C) Submittal to congress.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 23, 2022], the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] the implementation plan developed under subparagraph (A). “(2) Final report.—Not later than one year after the date on which the Project terminates under subsection (g), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a final report on the results of the Project. Such report shall include—“(A) a summary of the objectives achieved by the Project; and “(B) recommendations regarding the steps that may be taken to promote battery technologies that are not dependent on foreign competitors to meet the needs of the Armed Forces. “(g) Termination.—The authority to carry out the Project shall terminate on December 31, 2028.”

Plan for Investments To Support the Development of Novel Processing Approaches for Defense Applications

Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, § 233, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2486, provided that: “(a) Investment Plans Required.—Not later than November 1, 2023, and not less frequently than once every three years thereafter until December 31, 2035, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a plan for making investments to support the development of novel processing approaches for defense applications. “(b) Elements.—Each investment plan required by subsection (a) shall—“(1) identify any investments the Secretary has made, and any future investments the Secretary intends to make, in research and technology development to support the use and fielding of novel processing approaches for defense applications; “(2) identify any investments the Secretary has made, and any future investments the Secretary intends to make, to accelerate the development of novel processing approaches for defense applications, including investments in—“(A) personnel and workforce capabilities; “(B) facilities and infrastructure to host systems utilizing novel processing approaches; “(C) algorithm developments necessary to expand the functionality of each novel processing approach; “(D) other Federal agencies and federally funded laboratories; and “(E) appropriate international and commercial sector organizations and activities; “(3) describe mechanisms to coordinate and leverage investments in novel processing approaches within the Department and with non-Federal partners; “(4) describe the technical goals to be achieved and capabilities to be developed under the plan; and “(5) include recommendations for such legislative or administration actions as may support the effective execution of the investment plan. “(c) Form.—Each plan submitted under subsection (a) shall be submitted in such form as the Secretary considers appropriate, which may include classified, unclassified, and publicly releasable formats. “(d) Novel Processing Approaches Defined.—In this section, the term ‘novel processing approaches’ means—“(1) emerging techniques in computation, such as biocomputing, exascale computing, utility scale quantum computing; and “(2) associated algorithm and hardware development needed to implement such techniques.”

Strategy and Plan for Fostering and Strengthening the Defense Innovation Ecosystem

Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, § 236, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2490, as amended by Pub. L. 118–159, div. B, title XXVIII, § 2871(c)(3), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 2281, provided that: “(a) Strategy and Implementation Plan Required.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 23, 2022], the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall develop—“(1) a strategy fostering and strengthening the defense innovation ecosystem; and “(2) a plan for implementing such strategy. “(b) Purposes.—“(1) Strategy.—The purpose of the strategy required by subsection (a)(1) is to provide a framework for identifying, assessing, and tracking innovation ecosystems that are beneficial to advancing the defense, national security, and warfighting missions of the Department of Defense. “(2) Implementation plan.—The purpose of the implementation plan required by subsection (a)(2) is to provide—“(A) concrete steps and measures of effectiveness to gauge the effect of the innovation ecosystems described in paragraph (1) on the Department; and “(B) a means for assessing the effectiveness of the strategy developed under subsection (a)(1), including the approaches taken by the Department to grow, foster, and sustain such innovation ecosystems. “(c) Elements.—The strategy and the implementation plan required by subsection (a) shall include the following elements:“(1) A process for defining, assessing, and selecting innovation ecosystems with potential to provide benefit to the Department of Defense. “(2) Metrics for measuring the performance and health of innovation ecosystems being supported by the Department, including identification of criteria to determine when to support or cease supporting identified ecosystems. “(3) Identification of the authorities and Department of Defense research, development, test, and evaluation assets that can be used to identify, establish, sustain, and expand innovation ecosystems. “(4) For each innovation ecosystem supported by the Department—“(A) a description of the core competencies or focus areas of the ecosystem; “(B) identification of any organizations or elements of the Department that engage with the ecosystem; “(C) identification of the private sector assets that are being used to support, sustain, and expand the identified innovation ecosystem; and “(D) a description of any challenges and successes associated with such ecosystem. “(5) Such other elements as the Secretary considers appropriate. “(d) Interim Briefing.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on the strategy and implementation plan developed under subsection (a). “(e) Submittal of Strategy and Plan.—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 the strategy and implementation plan developed under subsection (a). “(f) Quadrennial Updates.—Not later than March 1, 2027, and not less frequently than once ever four years thereafter until December 31, 2039, the Secretary shall—“(1) update the strategy and plan developed under subsection (a); and “(2) submit the updated strategy and plan to the congressional defense committees. “(g) Definitions.—In this section:“(1) The term ‘Department of Defense research, development, test, and evaluation assets’ includes the following:“(A) The Department of Defense science and technology reinvention laboratories designated under section 4121 of title 10, United States Code. “(B) The Major Range and Test Facility Base (as defined in section 4173 of such title). “(C) Department of Defense sponsored manufacturing innovation institutes. “(D) The organic industrial base. “(E) Defense Agencies and Department of Defense Field Activities (as defined in section 101(a) of title 10, United States Code) that carry out activities using funds appropriated for research, development, test, and evaluation. “(F) Any other organization or element of the Department of Defense that carries out activities using funds appropriated for research, development, test, and evaluation. “(2) The term ‘innovation ecosystem’ refers to a regionally based network of private sector, academic, and government institutions in a network of formal and informal institutional relationships that contribute to technological and economic development in a defined technology sector or sectors.”

Establishing Projects for Data Management, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Solutions

Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title XV, § 1513, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2894, provided that: “(a) Establishment of Priority Projects.—The Deputy Secretary of Defense shall—“(1) establish priority enterprise projects for data management, artificial intelligence, and digital solutions for both business efficiency and warfighting capabilities intended to accelerate decision advantage; and “(2) assign responsibilities for execution and funding of the projects established under paragraph (1). “(b) Actions Required.—To ensure implementation of the priority projects of the Deputy Secretary of Defense under subsection (a), and to instill data science and technology as a core discipline in the Department of Defense, the Deputy Secretary shall—“(1) hold the heads of components accountable for—“(A) making their component’s data available for use pursuant to the memorandum of the Deputy Secretary of Defense dated May 5, 2021, and titled ‘Creating Data Advantage’, in accordance with plans developed and approved by the head of the component and the Deputy Secretary; “(B) developing, implementing, and reporting measurable actions to acquire, preserve, and grow the population of government and contractor personnel with expertise in data management, artificial intelligence, and digital solutions; “(C) making their components use data management practices, analytics processes, enterprise cloud computing environments, and operational test environments that are made available and specifically approved by the head of the component and the Deputy Secretary; “(D) identifying and reporting on an annual basis for Deputy Secretary approval those ongoing programs and activities and new initiatives within their components to which the component head determines should be applied advanced analytics, digital technology, and artificial intelligence; and “(E) developing and implementing cybersecurity and artificial intelligence security solutions, including preventative and mitigative technical solutions, red team assessments, to protect artificial intelligence systems, data, development processes, and applications from adversary actions; “(2) require the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, in coordination with the heads of components, to develop and report on an actionable plan for the Deputy Secretary to reform the technologies, policies, and processes used to support accreditation and authority to operate decisions to enable rapid deployment into operational environments of newly developed government, contractor, and commercial data management, artificial intelligence, and digital solutions software; “(3) require the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, in coordination with the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer and heads of components to define and establish career paths, work roles, and occupational specialties for civilian and military personnel in the fields of data management, artificial intelligence, and digital solutions for the Deputy Secretary’s approval; and “(4) establish a Departmental management reform goal for adoption and integration artificial intelligence or machine learning into business and warfighting processes, including the tracking of metrics, milestones, and initiatives to measure the progress of the Department in meeting that goal. “(c) Briefings Required.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 23, 2022], and annually thereafter until December 31, 2025, the Deputy Secretary shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on directives issued by the Deputy Secretary to implement the requirements of this section and the status of implementation actions. “(d) Component Defined.—In this section, the term ‘component’ means a military department, a combatant command, or a Defense Agency of the Department of Defense.”

Review of Artificial Intelligence Applications and Establishment of Performance Metrics

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, § 226, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1607, as amended by Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, § 212(b), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2467, provided that: “(a) In General.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2021], the Secretary of Defense shall—“(1) review the potential applications of artificial intelligence and digital technology to the platforms, processes, and operations of the Department of Defense; and “(2) establish performance objectives and accompanying metrics for the incorporation of artificial intelligence and digital readiness into such platforms, processes, and operations. “(b) Performance Objectives and Accompanying Metrics.—“(1) Skill gaps.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall require each Secretary of a military department and the heads of such other organizations and elements of the Department of Defense as the Secretary of Defense determines appropriate to—“(A) conduct a comprehensive review and assessment of—“(i) skill gaps in the fields of software development, software engineering, data science, and artificial intelligence; “(ii) the qualifications of civilian personnel needed for both management and specialist tracks in such fields; and “(iii) the qualifications of military personnel (officer and enlisted) needed for both management and specialist tracks in such fields; and “(B) establish recruiting, training, and talent management performance objectives and accompanying metrics for achieving and maintaining staffing levels needed to fill identified gaps and meet the needs of the Department for skilled personnel. “(2) AI modernization activities.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall—“(A) assess investment by the Department of Defense in artificial intelligence innovation, science and technology, and research and development; “(B) assess investment by the Department in test and evaluation of artificial intelligence capabilities; and “(C) establish performance objectives and accompanying metrics for artificial intelligence modernization activities of the Department. “(3) Exercises, wargames, and experimentation.—In conjunction with the activities of the Secretary of Defense under subsection (a), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in coordination with the official designated under subsection (b) of section 238 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061), shall—“(A) assess the integration of artificial intelligence into war-games, exercises, and experimentation; and “(B) develop performance objectives and accompanying metrics for such integration. “(4) Logistics and sustainment.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall require the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, with support from the official designated under subsection (b) of section 238 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061), to—“(A) assess the application of artificial intelligence in logistics and sustainment systems; and “(B) establish performance objectives and accompanying metrics for integration of artificial intelligence in the Department of Defense logistics and sustainment enterprise. “(5) Business applications.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall require the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), in coordination with the official designated under subsection (b) of section 238 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061), to—“(A) assess the integration of artificial intelligence for administrative functions that can be performed with robotic process automation and artificial intelligence-enabled analysis; and “(B) establish performance objectives and accompanying metrics for the integration of artificial intelligence in priority business process areas of the Department of Defensee, including the following:“(i) Human resources. “(ii) Budget and finance, including audit. “(iii) Retail. “(iv) Real estate. “(v) Health care. “(vi) Logistics. “(vii) Such other business processes as the Secretary considers appropriate. “(c) Report to Congress.—Not later than 120 days after the completion of the review required by subsection (a)(1), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report on—“(1) the findings of the Secretary with respect to the review and any action taken or proposed to be taken by the Secretary to address such findings; and “(2) the performance objectives and accompanying metrics established under subsections (a)(2) and (b).”

Modification of the Joint Common Foundation Program

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, § 227, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1609, as amended by Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, § 212(c), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2467, provided that: “(a) Modification of Joint Common Foundation.—The Secretary of Defense shall modify the Joint Common Foundation program conducted by the the [sic] office of the official designated under subsection (b) of section 238 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061) to ensure that Department of Defense components can more easily contract with leading commercial artificial intelligence companies to support the rapid and efficient development and deployment of applications and capabilities. “(b) Qualifying Commercial Companies.—The Secretary of Defense shall take such actions as may be necessary to increase the number of commercial artificial intelligence companies eligible to provide support to Department of Defense components, including with respect to requirements for cybersecurity protections and processes, to achieve automatic authority to operate and provide continuous delivery, security clearances, data portability, and interoperability. “(c) Use of FAR Part12.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that, to the maximum extent practicable, commercial artificial intelligence companies are able to offer platforms, services, applications, and tools to Department of Defense components through processes and procedures under part 12 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. “(d) Objectives of the Joint Common Foundation Program.—The objectives of the Joint Common Foundation program shall include the following:“(1) Relieving Department of Defense components of the need to design or develop or independently contract for the computing and data hosting platforms and associated services on and through which the component at issue would apply its domain expertise to develop specific artificial intelligence applications. “(2) Providing expert guidance to components in selecting commercial platforms, tools, and services to support the development of component artificial intelligence applications. “(3) Ensuring that leading commercial artificial intelligence technologies and capabilities are easily and rapidly accessible to components through streamlined contracting processes. “(4) Assisting components in designing, developing, accessing, or acquiring commercial or non-commercial capabilities that may be needed to support the operational use of artificial intelligence applications. “(5) Enabling companies to develop software for artificial intelligence applications within secure software development environments that are controlled, sponsored, required, or specified by the Department of Defense, including PlatformOne of the Department of the Air Force[.] “(e) Briefing.—Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2021], the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on actions taken to carry out this section.”

Activities To Accelerate Development and Deployment of Dual-Use Quantum Technologies

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, § 229, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1610, as amended by Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title II, § 231(c), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 1837, provided that: “(a) Activities Required.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish a set of activities—“(1) to accelerate the development and deployment of dual-use quantum capabilities; “(2) to ensure the approach of the United States to investments of the Department of Defense in quantum information science research and development reflects an appropriate balance between scientific progress and the potential economic and security implications of such progress; “(3) to ensure that the Department of Defense is fully aware and has a technical understanding of the maturity and operational utility of new and emerging quantum technologies; and “(4) to ensure the Department of Defense consistently has access to the most advanced quantum capabilities available in the commercial sector to support research and modernization activities. “(b) Assistance Program.—“(1) Program required.—In carrying out subsection (a) and subject to the availability of appropriations for such purpose, the Secretary of Defense shall, acting through the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and in consultation with appropriate public and private sector organizations, establish a program under which the Secretary may award assistance to one or more organizations—“(A) to identify defense applications for which dual-use quantum technologies provide a clear advantage over competing technologies; “(B) to accelerate development of such quantum technologies; and “(C) to accelerate the deployment of dual-use quantum capabilities. “(2) Form of assistance.—Assistance awarded under the program required by paragraph (1) may consist of a grant, a contract, a cooperative agreement, other transaction, or such other form of assistance as the Secretary of Defense considers appropriate. “(3) Authorities and acquisition approaches.—The Secretary of Defense may use the following authorities and approaches for the program required by paragraph (1):“(A) Section 2374a of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4025], relating to prizes for advanced technology achievements. “(B) Section 2373 of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4023], relating to procurement for experimental purposes. “(C) Sections 2371 [now 10 U.S.C. 4021] and 2371b [now 10 U.S.C. 4022] of such title, relating to transactions other than contracts and grants and authority of the Department of Defense to carry out certain prototype projects, respectively. “(D) Section 2358 of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4001], relating to research and development projects. “(E) Section 879 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328; [former] 10 U.S.C. 2302 note), relating to defense pilot program for authority to acquire innovative commercial products, technologies, and services using general solicitation competitive procedures. “(F) Requirement for milestone payments based on technical achievements. “(G) Requirement for cost share from private sector participants in the program. “(H) Commercial procurement authority under part 12 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. “(I) Such other authorities or approaches as the Secretary considers appropriate. “(4) Policies and procedures.—The Secretary of Defense shall, in consultation with such experts from government and industry as the Secretary considers appropriate, establish policies and procedures to carry out the program required by paragraph (1).”

Data Repositories To Facilitate the Development of Artificial Intelligence Capabilities for the Department of Defense

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, § 232, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1613, as amended by Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title II, § 212(d), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2467, provided that: “(a) Establishment of Data Repositories.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the official designated under subsection (b) of section 238 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061) (and such other officials as the Secretary determines appropriate), shall—“(1) establish data repositories containing Department of Defense data sets relevant to the development of artificial intelligence software and technology; and “(2) allow appropriate public and private sector organizations to access such data repositories for the purpose of developing improved artificial intelligence and machine learning software capabilities that may, as determined appropriate by the Secretary, be procured by the Department to satisfy Department requirements and technology development goals. “(b) Elements.—The data repositories established under subsection (a)—“(1) may include unclassified training quality data sets and associated labels representative of diverse types of information, representing Department of Defense missions, business processes, and activities; and “(2) shall—“(A) be categorized and annotated to support development of a common evaluation framework for artificial intelligence models and other technical software solutions; “(B) be made available to appropriate public and private sector organizations to support rapid development of software and artificial intelligence capabilities; “(C) include capabilities and tool sets to detect, evaluate, and correct errors in data annotation, identify gaps in training data used in model development that would require additional data labeling, and evaluate model performance across the life cycle of the data repositories; and “(D) be developed to support other missions and activities as determined by the Secretary. “(c) Briefing.—Not later than July 1, 2023, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a briefing on—“(1) the types of information the Secretary determines are feasible and advisable to include in the data repositories established under subsection (a); and “(2) the progress of the Secretary in establishing such data repositories.”

Authority for Activities To Improve Next Generation Radar Systems Capabilities

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title III, § 380, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1670, which provided authority for the Secretary of Defense to undertake activities to enhance future radar systems capabilities, was repealed by Pub. L. 119–60, div. A, title VIII, § 811(b)(2)(B), Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 948.

Pilot Program on Systems Engineering Determinations

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title VIII, § 823, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1826, as amended by Pub. L. 119–60, div. A, title XVIII, § 1802(b)(1)(A), (C), Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1227, provided that: “(a) Requirement.—As soon as practicable but not later than September 30, 2023, the Secretary of Defense shall ensure that each covered entity enters into at least two covered transactions under an authority described in subsection (b), where each such covered transaction includes the system engineering determinations described under subsection (c). “(b) Covered Authorities.—The authorities described under this subsection are as follows:“(1) Section 2371 of title 10, United States Code [now 10 U.S.C. 4021], with respect to applied and advanced research project transactions relating to weapons systems. “(2) Section 2371b of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4022], with respect to transactions relating to weapons systems. “(3) Section 2373 of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4023]. “(4) Section 2358 of such title [now 10 U.S.C. 4001], with respect to transactions relating to weapons systems. “(c) Systems Engineering Determinations.—“(1) First determination.—“(A) Success criteria.—The head of a covered entity that enters into a covered transaction under this section shall identify, in writing, not later than 30 days after entering into such covered transaction, measurable success criteria related to potential military applications of such covered transaction, to be demonstrated not later than the last day of the period of performance for such covered transaction. “(B) Types of determinations.—Not later than 30 days after the end of such period of performance, the head of the covered entity shall make one of the following determinations:“(i) A ‘Discontinue’ determination, under which such head discontinues support of the covered transaction and provides a rationale for such determination. “(ii) A ‘Retain and Extend’ determination, under which such head ensures continued performance of such covered transaction and extends the period of performance for a specified period of time in order to achieve the success criteria described under subparagraph (A). “(iii) An ‘Endorse and Refer’ determination, under which such head endorses the covered transaction and refers it to the most appropriate Service Systems Engineering Command, based on the technical attributes of the covered transaction and the associated potential military applications, based on meeting or exceeding the success criteria. “(C) Written notice.—A determination made pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall be documented in writing and provided to the person performing the covered transaction to which the determination relates. “(D) Further determination.—If the head of a covered entity issued a ‘Retain and Extend’ determination described in subparagraph (B)(ii), such head shall, at the end of the extension period—“(i) issue an ‘Endorse and Refer’ determination described in subparagraph (B)(iii) if the success criteria are met; or “(ii) issue a ‘Discontinue’ determination described in subparagraph (B)(i) if the success criteria are not met. “(2) Second determination.—“(A) Systems engineering plan.—The head of the Service Systems Engineering Command that receives a referral from an ‘Endorse and Refer’ determination described in paragraph (1)(B)(iii) shall, not later than 30 days after receipt of such referral, formulate a systems engineering plan with the person performing the referred covered transaction, technical experts of the Department of Defense, and any prospective portfolio acquisition executives. “(B) Elements.—The systems engineering plan required under subparagraph (A) shall include the following:“(i) Measurable baseline technical capability, based on meeting the success criteria described in paragraph (1)(A). “(ii) Measurable transition technical capability, based on the technical needs of the prospective portfolio acquisition executives to support a current or future program of record. “(iii) Discrete technical development activities necessary to progress from the baseline technical capability to the transition technical capability, including an approximate cost and schedule, including activities that provide resolution to issues relating to— “(I) interfaces; “(II) data rights; “(III) Federal Government technical requirements; “(IV) specific platform technical integration; “(V) software development; “(VI) component, subsystem, or system prototyping; “(VII) scale models; “(VIII) technical manuals; “(IX) lifecycle sustainment needs; and “(X) other needs identified by the relevant portfolio acquisition executive. “(iv) Identification and commitment of funding sources to complete the activities under clause (iii). “(C) Types of determinations.—Not later than 30 days after the end of the schedule required by subparagraph (B)(iii), the head of the Service Systems Engineering Command shall make one of the following determinations:“(i) A ‘Discontinue’ determination, under which such head discontinues support of the covered transaction and provides a rationale for such determination. “(ii) A ‘Retain and Extend’ determination, under which such head ensures continued performance of such covered transaction within the Service Systems Engineering Command and extends the period of performance for a specified period of time in order to— “(I) successfully complete the systems engineering plan required under subparagraph (A); and “(II) issue specific remedial or additional activities to the person performing the covered transaction. “(iii) An ‘Endorse and Refer’ determination, under which such head endorses the covered transaction and refers it to a portfolio acquisition executive, based on successful completion of the systems engineering plan required under subparagraph (A). “(D) Written notice.—A determination made pursuant to subparagraph (C) shall be documented in writing and provided to the person performing the covered transaction to which the determination relates and any prospective portfolio acquisition executives for such covered transaction. “(E) Further determination.—If the head of the Service Systems Engineering Command issued a ‘Retain and Extend’ determination described in subparagraph (C)(ii), such head shall, at the end of the extension period—“(i) issue an ‘Endorse and Refer’ determination described in subparagraph (C)(iii) if the transition technical capability criteria are met; or “(ii) issue a ‘Discontinue’ determination described in subparagraph (B)(i) if the success criteria are not met. “(d) Priority for Covered Transaction Selection.—In selecting a covered transaction under this section, the Secretary shall prioritize those covered transactions that—“(1) are being initially demonstrated at a covered entity; “(2) demonstrate a high potential to be further developed by a Service Systems Engineering Command; and “(3) demonstrate a high potential to be used in a program of the Department of Defense. “(e) Notifications.—“(1) In general.—Not later than 30 days after a covered transaction is entered into pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall notify the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] of such covered transaction. “(2) Updates.—Not later than 120 days after such a covered transaction is entered into, and every 120 days thereafter until the action specified in subsection (c)(1)(B)(i), (c)(2)(C)(i), or (c)(2)(C)(iii) occurs, the Secretary of Defense shall provide written updates to the congressional defense committees on the actions being taken by the Department to comply with the requirements of this section. “(f) Briefing Required.—Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2021], the Secretary of Defense shall provide a briefing to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives with a detailed plan to implement the requirements of this section. “(g) Definitions.—In this section:“(1) The term ‘covered entity’ means—“(A) the Defense Innovation Unit; “(B) the Strategic Capabilities Office; or “(C) the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. “(2) The term ‘covered transaction’ means a transaction, procurement, or project conducted pursuant to an authority listed in subsection (b). “(3) The term ‘Service Systems Engineering Command’ means the specific Department of Defense command that reports through a chain of command to the head of a military department that specializes in the systems engineering of a system, subsystem, component, or capability area.”

Pilot Program on Acquisition Practices for Emerging Technologies