AUTHORITY FOR EMPLOYMENT BY DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, AND RESEARCH FOR TRANSFORMATION (SMART) DEFENSE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.

SEC. 1102. AUTHORITY FOR EMPLOYMENT BY DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, AND RESEARCH FOR TRANSFORMATION (SMART) DEFENSE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.(a) Authority for Employment.—Subsection (d) of section 2192a of title 10, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:“(d) Employment of Program Participants.—The Secretary of Defense—“(1) may, without regard to any provision of title 5 governing appointment of employees to competitive service positions within the Department of Defense, appoint to a position in the Department of Defense in the excepted service an individual who has successfully completed an academic program for which a scholarship or fellowship under this section was awarded and who, under the terms of the agreement for such scholarship or fellowship, at the time of such appointment, owes a service commitment to the Department; and“(2) may, upon satisfactory completion of 2 years of substantially continuous service by an incumbent who was appointed to an excepted service position under the authority of paragraph (1), convert the appointment of such individual, without competition, to a career or career conditional appointment.”.123 STAT. 2485(b) Conforming Amendment.—Subsection (c)(2) of such section is amended by striking “Except as provided in subsection (d), the” in the second sentence and inserting “The”.(c) Technical Amendments.—Subsection (f) of such section is amended—(1) by striking the first sentence; and(2) by striking “the authorities provided in such chapter” and inserting “the other authorities provided in this chapter”.(d) Repeal of Obsolete Provisions.—(1) Such section is further amended by striking subsection (g) and by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection (g).(2) Subparagraph (B) of section 3304(a)(3) of title 5, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:“(B) the Office of Personnel Management has determined that there exists a severe shortage of candidates or that there is a critical hiring need.”.