S.Amdt. 2072

SA 2072. Mr. GARDNER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by him to the bill S. 4049, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2021 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:

At the end of subtitle D of title IX, add the following:

SEC. 952. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR
UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS EDUCATION AND TRAINING.

(a) Designation.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall
designate the United States Air Force Academy as the
Department of Defense Center of Excellence for Unmanned
Aerial Systems Education and Training (in this section
referred to as the ``Center'').
(b) Partnerships.--The Secretary of Defense shall, with
direct support from the Secretary of the Air Force, ensure
that the Center collaborates across the Department of
Defense, with a focus on other military service academies,
research laboratories, and operational unmanned aerial
systems units (UAS), as well as other institutions of higher
education, industry, and appropriate public and private
entities (including international entities), to carry out the
responsibilities specified in subsection (c).
(c) Responsibilities.--The Center shall do the following:
(1) Develop and maintain a comprehensive academic
curriculum to leverage current and develop future unmanned
aerial systems technology, including aircraft design, command
and control, sensor technology, artificial intelligence,
mission systems, and tactics, techniques and procedures.
(2) Build unmanned aerial systems airmanship, experience,
and expertise by providing a combat laboratory in which
cadets receive knowledge, experimental learning, and
familiarization with the manner in which the Department of
Defense employs joint, combined unmanned aerial systems
operations in a future multi-domain environment.
(3) Enable experimentation and development of unmanned
aerial systems command and control systems, multiple systems
interoperability, common operating standards, autonomy,
simulation, sensor fusion, alternative modes of navigation,
and sense and avoid technologies.
(4) Maintain faculty with current unmanned aerial systems
combat experience, as well as unmanned aerial systems
development and test experience, to educate a cadre of
military unmanned aerial systems professionals well into the
future.
(5) Enhance capabilities, cooperation, and exchange of
information across the unmanned aerial systems community of
the Department.
(6) Foster cooperation and collaboration between the
military service academies, civilian academia, research
laboratories and private sector to facilitate education,
research and development, lessons learned, and consultation
with respect to unmanned aerial systems.
(7) Provide a forum to discuss industry trends, best
practices, innovative curriculum, and professional
opportunities with respect to unmanned aerial systems.
(d) Certification.--Upon making the designation required by
subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall certify to the
Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of
Representatives that the Secretary has made the designation
required by subsection (a) and is complying with subsection
(b).
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