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SEC. 871. MISSION MANAGEMENT PILOT
PROGRAM. (a) In
General.--Subject to the availability of appropriations, the
Secretary of Defense shall establish a pilot program to identify
lessons learned and improved mission outcomes achieved by
quickly delivering solutions that fulfill critical operational
needs arising from cross-service missions undertaken by
combatant commands through the use of a coordinated and
iterative approach to develop, evaluate, and transition such
solutions.
(b) Missions Selection.--
(1) In general.--Except as provided in
paragraph (3), the Deputy Secretary of Defense shall select
missions with respect to which to carry out the pilot program.
(2) Selection criteria.--When
selecting missions under paragraph (1), the Deputy Secretary
of Defense shall--
(A) select missions with critical
cross-service operational needs; and
(B) consider--
(i) the strategic importance of
the critical cross-service operational needs to the
operational plans of the relevant combatant commands; and
(ii) the advice of key
stakeholders, including the Joint Staff, regarding mission
selection.
(3) Initial mission.--
(A) In general.--Not later than four
months after the date of the enactment of this section, the
Director of the Strategic Capabilities Office shall select
the initial mission under the pilot program that has
critical cross-service operational needs and which is of
strategic importance to the operational plans of the United
States Indo-Pacific Command.
(B) Responsibility.--The mission
selected under subparagraph (A) shall be established within
the Strategic Capabilities Office of the Department of
Defense, in coordination with the Office of the Under
Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
(C) Mission selection approval.--The
mission selected by the Director of the Strategic
Capabilities Office under subparagraph (A) shall be subject
to the approval of the Technology Cross-Functional Team of
the Strategic Capabilities Office that is chaired by the
Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
(c) Mission Managers.--
(1) In general.--A mission manager
shall carry out the pilot program with respect to each
mission.
(2) Responsibilities.--With respect to
each mission, the relevant mission manager shall--
(A) identify critical cross-service,
cross-program, and cross-domain operational needs by
enumerating the options available to the combatant command
responsible for carrying out such mission and determining
the resiliency of such options to threats from adversaries;
(B) in coordination with the
military services and appropriate Defense Agencies and Field
Activities, develop and deliver solutions, including
software and information technology solutions and other
functionalities unaligned with any one weapon system of a
covered Armed Service, to--
(i) fulfill critical
cross-service, cross-program, and cross-domain operational
needs; and
(ii) address future changes to
existing critical cross-service, cross-program, and
cross-domain operational needs by providing additional
capabilities;
(C) work with the combatant command
responsible for such mission and the related planning
organizers, program managers of a covered Armed Force, and
defense research and development activities to carry out
iterative testing and support to initial operational
fielding of the solutions described in subparagraph (B);
(D) conduct research, development,
test, evaluation, and transition support activities with
respect to the delivery of the solutions described in
subparagraph (B);
(E) seek to integrate existing,
emerging, and new capabilities available to the Department
of Defense in the development of the solutions described in
subparagraph (B), including by incenting and working with
program managers of a covered Armed Force; and
(F) provide to the Deputy Secretary
of Defense mission management activity updates and reporting
on the use of funds under the pilot program with respect to
such mission.
(3) Appointment.--Each mission
selected under subsection (b) shall have a mission manager--
(A) appointed at the time of mission
approval; and
(B) who may be from any suitable
organization, except that the mission manager with respect
the initial mission under (b)(3) shall be the Director of
the Strategic Capabilities Office.
(4) Iterative approach.--The mission
manager shall, to the extent practicable, carry out the pilot
program with respect to each mission selected under subsection
(b) by integrating existing, emerging, and new military
capabilities, and managing a portfolio of small, iterative
development and support to initial operational fielding
efforts.
(5) Other program management
responsibilities.--The activities undertaken by the mission
manager with respect to a mission, including mission
management, do not supersede or replace the
program management responsibilities of any other individual
that are related to such missions.
(d) Data Collection Requirement.--The
Deputy Secretary of Defense shall develop and implement a plan
to collect and analyze data on the pilot program for the
purposes of--
(1) developing and sharing best
practices for applying emerging technology and supporting new
operational concepts to improve outcomes on key military
missions and operational challenges; and
(2) providing information to the
leadership of the Department on the implementation of the
pilot program and related policy issues.
(e) Assessments.--During the five-year
period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Deputy Secretary of Defense shall regularly assess--
(1) the authorities required by the
mission managers to effectively and efficiently carry out the
pilot program with respect to the missions selected under
subsection (b); and
(2) whether the mission managers have
access to sufficient funding to carry out the research,
development, test, evaluation, and support to initial
operational fielding activities required to deliver solutions
fulfilling the critical cross-service, cross-program, and
cross-domain operational needs of the missions.
(f) Briefings.--
(1) Semiannual briefing.--
(A) In general.--Not later than July
1, 2022, and every six months thereafter until the date that
is five years after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the mission manager shall provide to the congressional
defense committees a briefing on the progress of the pilot
program with respect to each mission selected under
subsection (b), the anticipated mission outcomes, and the
funds used to carry out the pilot program with respect to
such mission.
(B) Initial briefing.--The Deputy
Secretary of Defense shall include in the first briefing
submitted under subparagraph (A) a briefing on the
implementation of the pilot program, including--
(i) the actions taken to implement
the pilot program;
(ii) an assessment of the pilot
program;
(iii) requests for Congress to
provide authorities required to successfully carry out the
pilot program; and
(iv) a description of the data
plan required under subsection (d).
(2) Annual briefing.--Not later than
one year after the date on which the pilot program is
established, and annually thereafter until the date that is
five years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Deputy Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional
defense committees a briefing on the pilot program,
including--
(A) the data collected and analysis
performed under subsection (d);
(B) lessons learned;
(C) the priorities for future
activities of the pilot program; and
(D) such other information as the
Deputy Secretary determines appropriate.
(3) Recommendation.--Not later than
two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Deputy Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a
briefing on the recommendations of the Deputy Secretary with
respect to the pilot program and shall concurrently submit to
Congress--
(A) a written assessment of the
pilot program;
(B) a written recommendation on
continuing or expanding the mission integration pilot
program;
(C) requests for Congress to provide
authorities required to successfully carry out the pilot
program; and
(D) the data collected and analysis
performed under
subsection (d).
(g) Transition.--Beginning in fiscal
year 2025, the Deputy Secretary of Defense may transition
responsibilities for research, development, test, evaluation,
and support to initial operational fielding activities started
under the pilot program to other elements
of the Department for purposes of delivering solutions
fulfilling critical cross-service, cross-program, and
cross-domain operational needs.
(h) Termination Date.--The pilot program
shall terminate on the date that is five years after the date of
the enactment of this Act.
(i) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in
this section shall be construed as providing any authority not
otherwise provided by law to procure, or enter agreements to
procure, any goods, materials, or services.
(j) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Covered armed force.--The term
``covered Armed Force'' means--
(A) the Army;
(B) the Navy;
(C) the Air Force;
(D) the Marine Corps; or
(E) the Space Force.
(2) Cross-functional teams of the
strategic capabilities office.--The term ``Cross-Functional
Teams of the Strategic Capabilities Office'' means the teams
established in the Strategic Capabilities Office of the
Department of Defense pursuant to section 233(b) of the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020
(Public Law 116-92; 133 Stat. 1277; 10 U.S.C. 132 note).
(3) Cross-service.--The term
``cross-service'' means pertaining to multiple covered Armed
Forces.
(4) Cross-domain.--The term
``cross-domain'' means pertaining to multiple operational
domains of land, maritime, air, space, and cyberspace.
(4) Cross-service operational
need.--The term ``cross-service operational need'' means an
operational need arising from a mission undertaken by a
combatant command which involves multiple covered Armed
Forces.
(5) Defense agency; military
department.--The terms ``Defense Agency'' and ``military
department'' have the meanings given such terms in section
101(a) of title 10, United States Code.
(6) Field activity.--The term ``Field
Activity'' has the meaning given the term ``Department of
Defense Field Activity'' in section 101(a) of title 10, United
States Code.
(7) Mission management.--The term
``mission management'' means the integration of materiel,
digital, and operational elements to improve defensive and
offensive options and outcomes for a specific mission or
operational challenge.
(8) Pilot program.--The term ``pilot
program'' means the pilot program established under subsection
(a).
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Mission management pilot program (sec.
871) The House bill contained
a provision (sec. 851) that would establish a 5-year pilot
program to identify lessons learned and improve mission outcomes
by quickly developing and delivering solutions that fulfill
critical operational needs in crossservice, cross-domain, and
cross-program missions. The pilot is intended to be a case study
to show where reforms to the traditional planning, programming,
budgeting and execution process are needed if the Department of
Defense is to adopt the best practices of agile, innovative
organizations.
The Senate amendment contained no
similar provision.
The agreement includes the House
provision with a clarifying amendment.
We note that this pilot is designed to
take a missionfocused approach, rather than a traditional,
program-specific approach to address the challenges combatant
commanders face when the capability they need to execute a
mission is not fulfilled by any of the services’ large hardware
systems.
In the initial project under the pilot,
the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) will iterate with
prototyping funds either to tweak existing technologies to be
used in new ways across services or programs or to prototype
technology that could be useful to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
(INDOPACOM) mission. Currently, SCO is authorized to use only
development prototyping funding, while the services, with their
train and equip mission, have the procurement dollars needed to
establish a program of record and the combatant commands have
operation and maintenance dollars to spend in the field. Through
SCO’s
close working relationship with INDOPACOM, SCO can send the
capability to INDOPACOM, which will use, test, and submit
feedback on the capability to SCO for further iterating.
Throughout the pilot, SCO will gather
and share, directly with the Deputy Secretary of Defense and the
congressional defense committees, lessons learned about where
the hurdles are and what changes in budget and/or acquisition
authorities would be needed to overcome them.
We further note that the lessons learned
from this pilot will provide valuable information for
consideration by the members of the Planning, Programming,
Budgeting and Execution Commission established elsewhere in this
Act as they consider new ways of budgeting and iterative
development, testing, and fielding to address operational
challenges that fall in between the cracks of the services’
program management processes.
H. R. 4350--House
Report 117-118
Section 851--Mission
Management Pilot Program
This section would establish a mission management pilot program
led by the Strategic Capabilities Office to identify lessons
learned and improved mission outcomes achieved by
quickly delivering solutions that fulfill cross-service
operational needs.
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