S.Amdt. 5525

SA 5525. Mr. REID (for Mr. Kennedy) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by Mr. Reid to the bill S. 3001, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2009 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

On page 68, between lines 6 and 7, insert the following:

SEC. 257. PROGRAM FOR NANOTECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURING FOR AIR FORCE SYSTEMS.

(a) Program Authorized.--The Secretary of the Air Force may establish a program for nanotechnology manufacturing housed within the Air Force Materiel Command to support development of technologies and capabilities to support Air Force mission performance that has as its mission the development, acquisition, modernization, and integration of net-centric command and control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities and combat support information systems. The program should utilize specialized expertise in--

(1) the management of the development and acquisition of electronic command and control systems;

(2) the identification and determination of the needs of operational users; and

(3) systems acquisition management and oversight, including defining systems to best meet the needs of operational users, including by soliciting proposals from industry, selecting contractors, and monitoring progress.

(b) Program Elements.--The Program may include the following elements:

(1) Innovative research and development on nanotechnologies and nanotechnology manufacturing technologies.

(2) Development of nanotechnology manufacturing capabilities to support the needs of the Air Force and the Department of Defense.

(3) Establishment of research and manufacturing centers to support the Program.

(4) Identification and determination of the needs of operational users.

(5) Program management and oversight, including identifying nanotechnologies and operational user needs, soliciting proposals from industry and academia, selecting contractors, and funding appropriate research and development efforts.

(c) Coordination.--The Program shall be coordinated with--

(1) appropriate elements of industry, academia, and federally funded research centers, including an institution of higher education to provide management and research support that has demonstrated expertise in the program elements set forth in subsection (b); and

(2) other entities as determined by the Secretary of the Air Force.

(d) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit a report to the congressional defense committees on activities undertaken under this section.