REQUIREMENT THAT TACTICAL MANNED INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT AND UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES USE SPECIFIED STANDARD DATA LINK.

SEC. 157. REQUIREMENT THAT TACTICAL MANNED INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT AND UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES USE SPECIFIED STANDARD DATA LINK.(a) Requirement.—The Secretary of Defense shall take such steps as necessary to ensure that (except as specified in subsection (c)) all covered aircraft of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force are equipped and configured so that—126 STAT. 1668(1) the data link used by those vehicles is the Department of Defense standard tactical manned intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle data link known as the Common Data Link or a data link that uses waveform capable of transmitting and receiving Internet Protocol communications; and(2) with respect to unmanned aerial vehicles, such vehicles use data formats consistent with the architectural standard known as STANAG 4586 that was developed to facilitate multinational interoperability among NATO member nations.(b) Solicitations.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that any solicitation issued for a Common Data Link described in subsection (a), regardless of whether the solicitation is issued by a military department or a contractor with respect to a subcontract—(1) conforms to a Department of Defense specification standard, including interfaces and waveforms, existing as of the date of the solicitation; and(2) does not include any proprietary or undocumented waveforms or control interfaces or data interfaces as a requirement or criterion for evaluation.(c) Waiver.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics may waive the applicability of this section to any covered aircraft if the Under Secretary determines, and certifies to the congressional defense committees, that—(1) it would be technologically infeasible or economically unacceptable to apply this section to such aircraft; or(2) such aircraft is under a special access program that is not considered a major defense acquisition program.(d) Covered Aircraft Defined.—In this section, the term “covered aircraft” means—(1) tactical manned intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft; and(2) unmanned aerial vehicles.(e) Conforming Repeal.—Section 141 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (Public Law 109–163; 119 Stat. 3163) is repealed.