S.Amdt. 338

SA 338. Mr. MERKLEY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 1790, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2020 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 C of title II, add the following:

SEC. ___. STUDY ON COLLABORATION BETWEEN DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE AND DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ON ENERGY
RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER.

(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Department of Defense will invest $1,600,000,000
this year in research, development, testing, and evaluation
(RDT&E) that is directly related to energy.
(2) Such investment in energy reflects the Armed Forces'
characteristic pursuit of advanced technology as a force
multiplier.
(3) The Department played a major role in the development
of at least three of the most important energy innovations of
the last 75 years, namely the nuclear reactor, the gas
turbine or jet engine, and the solar photovoltaic (PV) cell.
(4) The Department has been the driver for many major non-
energy innovations as well, including radar, satellites, the
Global Positioning System (GPS), lasers, computers and
semiconductors, robotics, artificial intelligence, and the
Internet.
(5) The energy needs of the Department are changing and
growing. Most significant, the dramatic increase in
electrical systems onboard military platforms is driving
electrification of the battlefield. That and the need to
reduce the logistics footprint are creating requirements for
distributed and portable power generation, smart energy
networks, improved energy storage, and wireless power
transmission.
(6) The approach of the Department to innovation is well
suited to energy innovation, including vendors' need to both
demonstrate their complex technologies at scale, under
realistic conditions (Department bases and platforms,
combined with the Armed Forces' test-and-evaluation culture
are a unique resource), and compete on price with low-cost
incumbents (the Department values performance over price, and
the military market is large enough to yield economies of
scale and learning by doing).
(b) Study and Report Required.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall--
(A) complete a study on identifying impediments to, and
opportunities for, greater collaboration between the
Department of Defense and the Department of Energy on energy
research, development, and potential technology transfer,
particularly in the areas of solar photovoltaic, micorgrids,
energy storage, and wide bandgap semiconductors; and
(B) submit to Congress the findings of the Secretary with
respect to the study completed under subparagraph (A).
(2) Identification of authority gaps.--In carrying out the
study required by paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall
identify current areas where the executive branch does not
have adequate authority to foster the collaboration described
in such paragraph.
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