DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF MULTIPLE-OBJECT KILL VEHICLE FOR MISSILE DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES HOMELAND.

SEC. 1681. DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF MULTIPLE-OBJECT KILL VEHICLE FOR MISSILE DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES HOMELAND.(a) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that—(1) the defense of the United States homeland against the threat of limited ballistic missile attack (whether accidental, unauthorized, or deliberate) is the highest priority of the Missile Defense Agency;(2) the Missile Defense Agency is appropriately prioritizing the design, development, and deployment of the redesigned kill vehicle; and(3) the multiple-object kill vehicle could contribute critical capabilities to the future of the ballistic missile defense of the United States homeland.(b) Multiple-object Kill Vehicle.—(1) Development.—The Director of the Missile Defense Agency shall develop a highly reliable multiple-object kill vehicle for the ground-based midcourse defense system using sound acquisition practices.(2) Deployment.—The Director shall—(A) conduct rigorous flight testing of the multiple-object kill vehicle developed under paragraph (1) by not later than 2020; and(B) recognizing the primacy of developing the redesigned kill vehicle, produce and deploy the multiple-129 STAT. 1139 object kill vehicle as early as practicable after the date on which the Director carries out subparagraph (A).(c) Capabilities and Criteria.—The Director shall ensure that the multiple-object kill vehicle developed under subsection (b)(1) meets, at a minimum, the following capabilities and criteria:(1) Vehicle-to-vehicle communications.(2) Vehicle-to-ground communications.(3) Kill assessment capability.(4) The ability to counter advanced counter measures, decoys, and penetration aids.(5) Producibility and manufacturability.(6) Use of technology involving high technology readiness levels.(7) Options to be integrated onto other missile defense interceptor vehicles other than the ground-based interceptors of the ground-based midcourse defense system.(8) Sound acquisition processes.(d) Program Management.—The management of the multiple-object kill vehicle program under subsection (b) shall report directly to the Deputy Director of the Missile Defense Agency.(e) Report on Funding Profile.—The Director shall include with the budget justification materials submitted to Congress in support of the budget of the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2017 (as submitted with the budget of the President under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code) a report on the funding profile necessary for the multiple-object kill vehicle program to meet the objectives under subsection (b).