FY2021 NDAA, Division A, Title VIII, Section 801 ("Report on acquisition risk assessment and mitigation as part of Adaptive Acquisition Framework implementation")

Enacted 2021-01-01 | Official source

Summary

Requires each Department of Defense service acquisition executive to submit to Department leadership a report on how they are addressing a series of risks in acquisition programs, including potential complications posed by Department system changes created by artificial intelligence.

Key facts

🏛️ This document has been enacted by the United States Congress. For authoritative text and metadata, visit the official source.

🎯 This document primarily applies to the government, rather than the private sector.

📜 This document's name is William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, Division A, Title VIII, Section 801 ("Report on acquisition risk assessment and mitigation as part of Adaptive Acquisition Framework implementation"). AGORA also tracks this document under the name FY2021 NDAA, Division A, Title VIII, Section 801 ("Report on acquisition risk assessment and mitigation as part of Adaptive Acquisition Framework implementation"). It is part of FY2021 NDAA.

↳ This document is part of a longer one: FY2021 NDAA. Some AGORA documents are "split off" from longer documents that mix AI and non-AI content, such as omnibus authorization or appropriations laws in the United States Congress. Read more >>

Themes AI risks, applications, governance strategies, and other themes addressed in AGORA documents.

Risk factors (1)

Reliability This tag applies to documents that address the ability of an AI system to perform as required, without failure, under the conditions of expected use and over a given period of time, including the entire lifetime of the system.

Governance strategies (5)

AI application areas (1)

Government: military and public safety

Full text

This is an unofficial copy. The document has been archived and reformatted in plaintext for AGORA. Footnotes, tables, and similar material may be omitted. For the official text, visit the original source.

SEC. 801. REPORT ON ACQUISITION RISK ASSESSMENT AND MITIGATION AS PART OF ADAPTIVE ACQUISITION FRAMEWORK IMPLEMENTATION. (a) IN GENERAL.—Each service acquisition executive shall submit to the Secretary of Defense, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, and the Chief Information Officer of the Department of Defense a report on how such service acquisition executive is, with respect to the risks in acquisition programs described in subsection (b)— (1) assessing such risks; (2) mitigating such risks; and (3) reporting within the Department of Defense and to Congress on such risks.

(b) ACQUISITION PROGRAM RISKS.—The risks in acquisition programs described in this subsection are the following: (1) Technical risks in engineering, software, manufacturing and testing. (2) Integration and interoperability risks, including complications related to systems working across multiple domains while using machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities to continuously change and optimize system performance. (3) Operations and sustainment risks, including as mitigated by appropriate sustainment planning earlier in the lifecycle of a program, access to technical data, and intellectual property rights. (4) Workforce and training risks, including consideration of the role of contractors as part of the total workforce. (5) Supply chain risks, including cybersecurity, foreign control and ownership of key elements of supply chains, and the consequences that a fragile and weakening defense industrial base, combined with barriers to industrial cooperation with allies and partners, pose for delivering systems and technologies in a trusted and assured manner.

(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than March 31, 2021, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report including— (1) the input received from the service acquisition executives pursuant to subsection (a); and (2) the views of the Under Secretary with respect to the matters described in paragraphs (1) through (5) of subsection (b).