S.Amdt. 419

SA 419. Mr. GARDNER 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 VIII, add the following:

SEC. 835. PILOT PROGRAM ON STRENGTHENING MANUFACTURING IN THE
DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE IN SUPPORT OF LOWER
COST MODULAR UNITED STATES DEFENSE RADAR
SYSTEMS.

(a) Pilot Program Required.--The Secretary of Defense shall
carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and
advisability of supporting--
(1) production needs to meet military requirements and
increase the capability of the defense industrial base to
support through the expansion of traditional and
nontraditional radar suppliers through open competition; and
(2) manufacturing and production of emerging defense and
commercial technologies to develop and prove out a low cost
and modular radar architecture via broadband digital receiver
and exciter (DREX) components and prototypes together with
scalable and reconfigurable antennas.
(b) Authorities.--The Secretary shall carry out the pilot
program under the following authorities:
(1) Chapters 137 and 139 and sections 2371, 2371b, and 2373
of title 10, United States Code.
(2) Such other legal authorities as the Secretary considers
applicable to carrying out the pilot program.
(c) Activities.--Activities under the pilot program may
include the following:
(1) Use of contracts, grants, or other transaction
authorities to support manufacturing and production
capabilities in small and medium-sized manufacturers.
(2) Purchases of goods or equipment for testing and
certification purposes.
(3) Incentives, including purchase commitments and cost
sharing with nongovernmental sources, for the private sector
to develop manufacturing and production capabilities in areas
of national security interest.
(4) Issuing loans or providing loan guarantees to small and
medium-sized manufacturers to support manufacturing and
production capabilities in areas of national security
interest.
(5) Giving awards to third party entities to support
investments in small- and medium-sized manufacturers working
in areas of national security interest, including debt and
equity investments that would benefit missions of the
Department of Defense.
(6) Such other activities as the Secretary determines
necessary.
(d) Termination.--The pilot program shall terminate on the
date that is four years after the date of the enactment of
this Act.
(e) Briefing Required.--Not later than January 31, 2023,
the Secretary of Defense shall provide a briefing to the
Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of
Representatives on the results of the pilot program.
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