EFFECTIVE PROSECUTION AND DEFENSE IN COURTS-MARTIAL AND PILOT PROGRAMS ON PROFESSIONAL MILITARY JUSTICE DEVELOPMENT FOR JUDGE ADVOCATES.

SEC. 542. EFFECTIVE PROSECUTION AND DEFENSE IN COURTS-MARTIAL AND PILOT PROGRAMS ON PROFESSIONAL MILITARY JUSTICE DEVELOPMENT FOR JUDGE ADVOCATES.(a) Program for Effective Prosecution and Defense.—The Secretary concerned shall carry out a program to ensure that—(1) trial counsel and defense counsel detailed to prosecute or defend a court-martial have sufficient experience and knowledge to effectively prosecute or defend the case; and(2) a deliberate professional developmental process is in place to ensure effective prosecution and defense in all courts-martial.(b) Military Justice Experience Designators or Skill Identifiers.—The Secretary concerned shall establish and use a system of military justice experience designators or skill identifiers for purposes of identifying judge advocates with skill and experience in military justice proceedings in order to ensure that judge advocates with experience and skills identified through such experience designators or skill identifiers are assigned to develop less experienced judge advocates in the prosecution and defense in courts-martial under a program carried out pursuant to subsection (a).(c) Pilot Programs on Professional Developmental Process for Judge Advocates.—(1) Purpose.—The Secretary concerned shall carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of establishing a deliberate professional developmental process for judge advocates under the jurisdiction of the Secretary that leads to judge advocates with military justice expertise serving as military justice practitioners capable of prosecuting and defending complex cases in military courts-martial.(2) Additional matters.—A pilot program may also assess such other matters related to professional military justice development for judge advocates as the Secretary concerned considers appropriate.(3) Duration.—Each pilot program shall be for a period of five years.(4) Report.—Not later than four years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the pilot programs conducted under this section. The report shall include the following:(A) A description and assessment of each pilot program.(B) Such recommendations as the Secretary considers appropriate in light of the pilot programs, including whether any pilot program should be extended or made permanent.(d) Secretary Concerned Defined.—In this section, the term “Secretary concerned” has the meaning given that term in section 101(a)(9) of title 10, United States Code.130 STAT. 2127