§485. Joint and service concept development and experimentation

(a) Biennial Reports Required.-Not later than January 1 of each even numbered-year, the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary's designee shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the conduct and outcomes of joint and service concept development and experimentation.

(b) Matters To Be Included.-Each report under subsection (a) shall include the following:

(1) A description of any changes since the latest report submitted under this section to each of the following:

(A) The organization of the Department of Defense responsible for executing the mission of joint concept development and experimentation, or its specific authorities related to that mission.

(B) The process for tasking forces (including forces designated as joint experimentation forces) to participate in joint concept development and experimentation, and the specific authority of the organization responsible for executing the mission of joint concept development and experimentation over those forces.

(C) The resources provided for initial implementation of joint concept development and experimentation, the process for providing such resources to the organization responsible for executing the mission of joint concept development and experimentation, the categories of funding for joint concept development and experimentation, and the authority of the organization responsible for executing the mission of joint concept development and experimentation for budget execution for such activities.

(D) The assigned role of the organization responsible for executing the mission of joint concept development and experimentation for-

(i) integrating and testing in joint concept development and experimentation the systems that emerge from warfighting experimentation by the armed forces and the Defense Agencies;

(ii) assessing the effectiveness of organizational structures, operational concepts, and technologies relating to joint concept development and experimentation; and

(iii) assisting the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in setting priorities for requirements or acquisition programs in light of joint concept development and experimentation.

(2) A description of the conduct of joint concept development and experimentation activities, and of concept development and experimentation activities of each of the military departments, during the two-year period ending on the date of such report, including-

(A) the funding involved;

(B) the number of activities engaged in;

(C) the forces involved;

(D) the national and homeland security challenges addressed;

(E) the operational concepts assessed;

(F) the technologies assessed;

(G) the scenarios and measures of effectiveness utilized; and

(H) specific interactions under such activities with the commanders of the combatant commands and with other organizations and entities inside and outside the Department.

(3) A description of the conduct of joint concept development and experimentation, and of the conduct of concept development and experimentation by each of the military departments, during the two-year period ending on the date of such report with respect to the development of warfighting concepts for operational scenarios more than 10 years in the future, including-

(A) the funding involved;

(B) the number of activities engaged in;

(C) the forces involved;

(D) the challenges addressed;

(E) the operational concepts assessed;

(F) the technologies assessed;

(G) the scenarios and measures of effectiveness utilized; and

(H) specific interactions with the commanders of the combatant commands and with other organizations and entities inside and outside the Department.

(4) A description of the mechanisms used to coordinate joint, service, interagency, Coalition, and other appropriate concept development and experimentation activities.

(5) An assessment of the return on investment in concept development and experimentation activities, including a description of the following:

(A) Specific outcomes and impacts within the Department of the results of past joint and service concept development and experimentation in terms of new doctrine, operational concepts, organization, training, materiel, leadership, personnel, or the allocation of resources, or in activities that terminated support for legacy concepts, programs, or systems.

(B) Specific actions taken to implement the recommendations of the Commander of United States Joint Forces Command based on joint concept development and experimentation activities.

(6) Such recommendations (based primarily on the results of joint and service concept development and experimentation) as the Secretary considers appropriate for enhancing the development of joint warfighting capabilities by modifying activities throughout the Department relating to-

(A) the development or acquisition of specific advanced technologies, systems, or weapons or systems platforms;

(B) key systems attributes and key performance parameters for the development or acquisition of advanced technologies and systems;

(C) joint or service doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership development, personnel, or facilities;

(D) the reduction or elimination of redundant equipment and forces, including the synchronization of the development and fielding of advanced technologies among the armed forces to enable the development and execution of joint operational concepts; and

(E) the development or modification of initial capabilities documents, operational requirements, and relative priorities for acquisition programs to meet joint requirements.

(7) With respect to improving the effectiveness of joint concept development and experimentation capabilities, such recommendations (based primarily on the results of joint warfighting experimentation) as the Secretary considers appropriate regarding-

(A) the conduct of, adequacy of resources for, or development of technologies to support such capabilities; and

(B) changes in support from other elements of the Department responsible for concept development and experimentation by joint or service organizations.

(8) The coordination of the concept development and experimentation activities of the Commander of the United States Joint Forces Command with the activities of the Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Supreme Allied Command Transformation.

(9) Any other matters that the Secretary consider appropriate.

(c) Coordination and Support.-The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that the Secretaries of the military departments and the heads of other appropriate elements of the Department of Defense provide such information and support as is required for the preparation of the reports required by this section.

(Added Pub. L. 105–261, div. A, title IX, §923(b)(1), Oct. 17, 1998, 112 Stat. 2105 ; amended Pub. L. 106–65, div. A, title IX, §931, title X, §1067(1), Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 726 , 774; Pub. L. 107–107, div. A, title IX, §922, Dec. 28, 2001, 115 Stat. 1198 ; Pub. L. 110–417, [div. A], title II, §241(a), Oct. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 4395 .)

Amendments

2008-Pub. L. 110–417 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section related to annual reports on the conduct of joint experimentation activities and contents of each report.

2001-Subsec. (b)(4)(E). Pub. L. 107–107, §922(1), inserted "(by lease or by purchase)" after "acquire" and "(including any prototype)" after "or equipment".

Subsec. (b)(6). Pub. L. 107–107, §922(2), added par. (6).

1999-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 106–65, §1067(1), substituted "and the Committee on Armed Services" for "and the Committee on National Security".

Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 106–65, §931, added par. (5).

Joint Warfighting Experimentation

Pub. L. 105–261, div. A, title IX, subtitle C, Oct. 17, 1998, 112 Stat. 2102 , provided that:

"SEC. 921. FINDINGS CONCERNING JOINT WARFIGHTING EXPERIMENTATION.

"Congress makes the following findings:

"(1) The assessments of the Quadrennial Defense Review and the National Defense Panel provide a compelling argument-

"(A) that the security environment in the early 21st century will include fundamentally different military challenges than the security environment in the late 20th century; and

"(B) reinforce the premise of the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 [Pub. L. 99–433, see Tables for classification] that future warfare will require more effective joint operational concepts.

"(2) Joint experimentation is necessary for-

"(A) integrating advances in technology with changes in organizational structure and joint operational concepts; and

"(B) determining the interdependent aspects of joint warfare that are key for transforming the conduct of military operations to meet future challenges successfully.

"(3) It is essential that an energetic and innovative organization be established in the Department of Defense with the authority (subject to the authority and guidance of the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) to design and implement a process of joint experimentation to investigate and test technologies and alternative forces and concepts in field environments under realistic conditions against the full range of future challenges to assist in developing and validating new joint warfighting concepts and transforming the Armed Forces to meet the threats to national security anticipated for the early 21st century.

"SEC. 922. SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING JOINT WARFIGHTING EXPERIMENTATION.

"(a) Designation of Commander To Have Joint Warfighting Experimentation Mission.-It is the sense of Congress that the initiative of the Secretary of Defense to designate the commander of a combatant command to have the mission of joint warfighting experimentation is a key step in exploiting the potential of advanced technologies, new organizational structures, and new joint operational concepts to transform the conduct of military operations by the Armed Forces.

"(b) Resources and Authority of Commander.-It is, further, the sense of Congress that the commander of the combatant command referred to in subsection (a) should be provided with appropriate and sufficient resources for joint warfighting experimentation and with the appropriate authority to execute the commander's assigned responsibilities and that such authority should include the following:

"(1) Planning, preparing, and conducting the program of joint warfighting experimentation, which program should include analyses, simulations, wargames, experiments, advanced concept technology demonstrations, joint exercises conducted in virtual and field environments, and, as a particularly critical aspect, assessments of 'red team' vulnerability.

"(2) Developing scenarios and measures of effectiveness to meet the operational challenges expected to be encountered in the early 21st century and assessing the effectiveness of current and new organizational structures, operational concepts, and technologies in addressing those challenges.

"(3) Integrating and testing in joint experimentation the systems and concepts that result from warfighting experimentation conducted by the Armed Forces and the Defense Agencies.

"(4) Coordinating with each of the Armed Forces and Defense Agencies regarding the development and acquisition of equipment (including surrogate or real technologies, platforms, and systems), supplies, and services necessary for joint experimentation.

"(5) Providing the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with recommendations, based on the conduct of joint warfighting experimentation, for-

"(A) improving interoperability;

"(B) reducing unnecessary redundancy;

"(C) synchronizing technology fielding;

"(D) developing joint operational concepts;

"(E) prioritizing the most promising joint capabilities for future experimentation; and

"(F) prioritizing joint requirements and acquisition programs.

"(6) Making recommendations to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on mission needs statements and operational requirements documents.

"(c) Congressional Review.-It is, further, the sense of Congress that Congress-

"(1) should review the adequacy of the process of transformation to meet future challenges to the national security; and

"(2) if progress is determined inadequate, should consider legislation to-

"(A) establish an appropriate organization to conduct the mission described in subsection (a); and

"(B) provide to the commander given the responsibility for that mission appropriate and sufficient resources for joint warfighting experimentation and the appropriate authority to execute that commander's assigned responsibilities for that mission, including the authorities specified in subsection (b).

"SEC. 923. REPORTS ON JOINT WARFIGHTING EXPERIMENTATION.

"(a) Initial Report.-(1) The commander of the combatant command assigned by the Secretary of Defense to have the mission for joint warfighting experimentation shall submit to the Secretary an initial report on the implementation of joint experimentation. Not later than April 1, 1999, the Secretary shall submit that report, together with any comments that the Secretary considers appropriate and any comments that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff considers appropriate, to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on National Security of the House of Representatives [now Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives].

"(2) The report of the commander under paragraph (1) shall include the commander's assessment of the following:

"(A) The authority and responsibilities of the commander as described in section 922(b).

"(B) The organization of the commander's combatant command, and of its staff, for carrying out the joint warfighting experimentation mission.

"(C) The process established for tasking forces to participate in experimentation and the commander's specific authority over those forces, including forces designated as joint experimentation forces.

"(D) The resources provided for initial implementation of joint warfighting experimentation, the process for providing those resources to the commander, the categories of the funding, and the authority of the commander for budget execution.

"(E) The process established for the development and acquisition of the materiel, supplies, services, and equipment necessary for the conduct of joint warfighting experimentation.

"(F) The process established for designing, preparing, and conducting joint experiments.

"(G) The role assigned the commander for-

"(i) integrating and testing in joint warfighting experimentation the systems that emerge from warfighting experimentation by the Armed Forces or the Defense Agencies;

"(ii) assessing the effectiveness of organizational structures, operational concepts, and technologies; and

"(iii) assisting the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to prioritize requirements or acquisition programs.

"(b) Annual Report.-(1) [Enacted this section.]

"(2) [Amended analysis of this chapter.]

"(c) First Annual Report.-The first report under section 485 of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (b), shall be made with respect to fiscal year 1999. In the case of the report under that section for fiscal year 1999, the reference in subsection (b)(1) of that section to the most recent report under that section shall be treated as referring to the report under subsection (a) of this section."