FY2026 NDAA, Section 907 ("Defense science board study on optimal organizational structure for digital solution and software delivery")

Proposed 2025-03-14 | Enacted 2025-12-18 | Official source

Summary

Requires the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 to direct the Defense Science Board to conduct a study evaluating and recommending the most optimal organizational structure to align and maximize the output of digital solutions engineering and software delivery activities across the Department of Defense. It requires an assessment of existing organizational structures, an evaluation of potential courses of action, recommendations on optimal organizational structures, and transition recommendations for its implementation.

Requires the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 to conduct an assessment on economic and technological capabilities on the Peoples republic of china.

Requires detailed assment that prepares consultation with diffrent working groups who will asses the People Republic of China's use of artificial intelligence, next-generation energy technologies, biotechnology that identifies compeittive technolgies in pratice used by China, opportunities to counter the practices described in subclause 1, countries that China targets for exports of civil nuclear technology, countries best positioned to use U.S. civil nuclear technologies for export purposes, US vulneratbilities in the technolgy supply chain, and way to counter exports of China in technolgoy.

Requires public utility service contracts to last up to 10 years, or up to 30 years for intelligence community agencies if deemed necessary for national security, and permits annual payments from yearly appropriations.

Requires the Director of National Intelligence to assess whether civil nuclear reactors could feasibly and advisably power intelligence community facilities with unique energy needs, identify any additional requirements or obstacles, and report the findings to Congress within 180 days.

Requires policies to be established by Director of National Intelligence for artificial intelligence capabilities to amends the statute by updating a subsection reference, redesigning subsection (b) as subsection (c), and inserting a new subsection after subsection (a).

Requires these capabilities to be carried out in one year after the enactment of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 to set policies for how the intelligence community acquires, uses, and maintains AI, including shared definitions, performance monitoring and auditing, vulnerability testing, dependency tracking, and documentation standards (including for training data and third party models), with periodic review and updates, plus a conforming cross reference change.

Requires the policy to create a plan on for private individuals or companies to notify federal agencies about specific risks or threats involving artificial intelligence.

Assessing that articifical intelgience systems demonstrate increased capabilities in the generation of synthetic media and computer programming, has growing capablities for large-scale artificial intelligence models to be used by individuals, businesses, and governments, have dramatically increased the adoption, and the risks of misuse or failure increase as Artificial intellgince becuase more accessable.

Requires that no later than 180 days after enactment, the Presdient shall estbalish a strategy which vendors, indipendent resrucers, and third parties who use articial intlegence systems need to be notified of the elements of diffrent types of risks such as security risks, biosecurity, foreign influence, that are broad aware by the united states govnerment.

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Key facts

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📜 This document's name is National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, Section 907 ("Defense science board study on optimal organizational structure for digital solution and software delivery"). AGORA also tracks this document under the name FY2026 NDAA, Section 907 ("Defense science board study on optimal organizational structure for digital solution and software delivery"). It is part of FY2026 NDAA.

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

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Full text

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SEC. 907. DEFENSE SCIENCE BOARD STUDY ON OPTIMAL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE FOR DIGITAL SOLUTION AND SOFTWARE DELIVERY. (a) Study Required.--The Secretary of Defense shall direct the Defense Science Board to conduct a comprehensive study to evaluate and recommend the most optimal organizational structure within the Office of the Secretary of Defense to align and maximize the output of digital solutions engineering and software delivery activities across the Department of Defense.

(b) Elements.--The study required under subsection (a) shall include the following elements: (1) An assessment of existing organizational structures and organizations supporting digital solutions engineering and software delivery across the Department of Defense, including-- (A) current responsibilities, requirements, and deliverables of software delivery organizations across the Department of Defense; (B) limitations based on current enterprise data management platforms; (C) optimization of resource allocation and utilization processes; and (D) integration challenges and opportunities with Department-wide digital solution engineering and software delivery initiatives.

(2) An evaluation of potential organizational courses of action for supporting digital solutions engineering within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, including-- (A) establishment of a new defense agency or Department of Defense field activity; (B) integration into an existing defense agency or Department of Defense field activity; (C) consolidation of digital development functions within existing Office of the Secretary of Defense staff organizations; (D) optimization of current organizational structures and authorities; (E) hybrid approaches combining elements of the options described in subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D); and (F) any other organizational structures deemed appropriate by the Defense Science Board.

(3) Recommendations on the selection of the optimal organizational structure, including-- (A) analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each course of action evaluated under paragraph (2); (B) evaluation of cost-effectiveness and resource implications; (C) application of lessons from similar industry or academic entities performing similar work; (D) consideration of governance and execution framework requirements; (E) assessment of the implementation of and execution of governance structures, including artificial intelligence model management; and (F) recommendations for unique acquisition authorities to support rapid digital solutions engineering and deployment.

(4) Transition recommendations for implementing the selected organizational structure, including-- (A) detailed implementation timeline and milestones; (B) resource requirements and funding mechanisms; and (C) legislative or regulatory changes needed. (c) Report.-- (1) Transmittal to secretary.--Not later than February 1, 2027, the Board shall transmit to the Secretary of Defense a final report on the study conducted pursuant to subsection (a). (2) Transmittal to congress.--Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary receives the final report under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit the report to the congressional defense committees, together with such comments as the Secretary considers appropriate.

(d) Definitions.--In this section: (1) Digital solutions engineering.--The term ``digital solutions engineering'' means the development, deployment, and sustainment of artificial intelligence systems, software applications, data engineering solutions, data analytics platforms, and other digital technologies for operational and business purposes. (2) Software delivery organizations.--The term ``software delivery organizations'' means organizational units dedicated to the rapid development, deployment, and sustainment of software applications and digital solutions.