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TITLE VIII--ACQUISITION POLICY, ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT, AND RELATED MATTERS

Subtitle A--Acquisition Policy and Management

P. L. 114-

House Conference Report. 114-270

(1) A specific description of—

(A) the management actions the Chief concerned or the Commandant has taken or plans to take to link and streamline the requirements, acquisition, and budget processes of the Armed Force concerned;

(B) any reorganization or process changes that will link and streamline the requirements, acquisition, and budget processes of the Armed Force concerned; and

(C) any cross-training or professional development initiatives of the Chief concerned or the Commandant.

(2) For each description under paragraph (1)—

(A) the specific timeline associated with implementation;

(B) the anticipated outcomes once implemented; and

(C) how to measure whether or not those outcomes are realized.

(3) Any other matters the Chief concerned or the Commandant considers appropriate.

The Senate amendment contained no similar provision.

The Senate recedes.

House Report 114-201 to accompany H. R. 1735 as it was reported out of the House Armed Services Committee.

Section 801--Report on Linking and Streamlining Requirements, Acquisition, and Budget Processes within Armed Forces

This section would require the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps to each submit a report to the congressional defense committees on their efforts to leverage their existing statutory authorities in a manner that links and streamlines their services' requirements, acquisition, and budget processes in order to foster improved outcomes. These reports will inform the committee's consideration of recommendations that the statutory authorities of the senior military officers should be expanded to provide additional influence on the acquisition system.

The committee is concerned that the requirements process, the acquisition system, and the budget process are not sufficiently aligned to provide a desirable outcome. Moreover, the committee believes that previous efforts to reform the defense acquisition system have failed to consider the role of the individuals and leaders, who are not a formal part of the acquisition workforce, in the outcomes generated by the system. The committee believes the senior military officer of each service, as well as military personnel who are not formally considered part of the acquisition workforce, are a critical part of the entire acquisition chain from requirements determination to the sustainment of a fielded system.

Furthermore, the committee is concerned that many uniformed personnel are placed in roles that require them to make decisions related to, or to provide oversight of, defense procurements, yet they are not considered part of the acquisition workforce and not subject to required training on these matters. Therefore, these personnel are generally not provided dedicated training to enable them to be successful in these duties. While many of these individuals have primary duty responsibilities in roles such as surface warfare officers, artillery officers, pilots, or infantrymen, they also have pivotal roles in requirements development, contract award or renewal, contract management and oversight, and budget processes. The committee believes there may be gaps in training and preparation of these personnel, but is also aware that with high operational tempo and other professional military education requirements, the levying of additional training and education related to requirements, acquisition, and budget processes may not be feasible or could harm the career progression of these personnel by taking them away from their primary duties.

The committee notes that while the senior military officer of each service may not have broad authorities with respect to the acquisition process, the senior military officer has significant authority and influence with respect to the requirements and budgeting processes, as well as authority over all uniformed personnel, including those not considered part of the acquisition workforce, who are assigned to roles that require them to make decisions related to defense procurements. As a result, the committee believes that the senior military officers of each of the services are uniquely empowered to promote integration among the requirements, acquisition, and budget processes. This includes the training and development of all personnel to have a basic understanding of these complex matters.

Elsewhere in this Act, the committee also includes a provision that would require the military service chiefs to review current authorities related to defense acquisitions for the purpose of developing such recommendations that the Chief concerned or the Commandant considers necessary to further or strengthen the role of the Chief concerned or the Commandant in the development of requirements, acquisition processes, and the associated budget practices of the Department of Defense.