MODERNIZATION OF HEAVY BOMBER FORCE.

SEC. 152. MODERNIZATION OF HEAVY BOMBER FORCE. (a) Plan for Testing.—(1) The Secretary of Defense shall prepare a plan to evaluate heavy bombers (other than the B–2 bomber) in operational test ranges and facilities to demonstrate the effectiveness in conventional scenarios of both missions involving combined force package and missions involving only heavy bombers (other than the B–2 bomber). (2) The aircraft to be tested under the plan include— (A) B–52H bombers; and (B) B–1 bombers. (3) The plan shall be designed— (A) to provide an assessment of the contribution afforded air operational commanders through the use of heavy bombers (other than the B–2 bomber); (B) to evaluate advanced conventional munitions capabilities; (C) to evaluate the effectiveness of heavy bombers (other than the B–2 bomber) in both missions involving combined force package and missions involving only heavy bombers (other than the B–2 bomber); and (D) to provide a baseline of current capabilities of heavy bombers (other than the B–2 bomber). (b) Evaluation of Survivability and Effectiveness Testing Capability.—(1) The Secretary of Defense shall conduct an assessment of the current capability of the Department of Defense to carry out survivability flight testing and operational effectiveness flight testing of heavy bombers (other than the B–2 bomber) against a set of defenses and defended target arrays that are representative of a broad range of potential defenses that those bombers might encounter during conventional conflicts during the next 20 years. (2) The Secretary shall carry out paragraph (1) with the assistance of— (A) the Secretary of the Air Force; (B) the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (in the Vice Chairman’s capacity as chairman of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council); (C) the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation of the Department of Defense; and (D) an independent panel to be established by the Secretary in accordance with the provisions of section 121(e) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991 (Public Law 101–189; 103 Stat. 1379). 106 STAT. 2341 (c) Matters To Be Covered By Assessment.—As part of the assessment under subsection (b), the Secretary of Defense shall determine the following: (1) The capability of the Department of Defense to design an operationally representative test that would use threat assets that are currently fielded by the Department and that would include— (A) cued defenses and uncued defenses; (B) individual air defense systems as well as multiple air defenses; and (C) survivability and operational effectiveness with and without external assets for suppression or disruption of simulated enemy air defenses. (2) The required quantitative measurements that are adequate to permit extrapolation of test data developed through the operationally representative test to untested scenarios with reasonable confidence levels. (3) The capability of the Department to design tests to permit the evaluation of the effect that use of advanced conventional munitions currently under development would have on the survivability and effectiveness of the aircraft. (d) Reporting Requirements.—(1) The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees the plan for evaluating heavy bombers required by subsection (a)(1). The plan shall include an evaluation of the usefulness of such testing in determining the contribution of heavy bombers (other than the B–2 bomber) in conventional scenarios. (2) The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report, in unclassified and classified forms, on the results of the assessment conducted pursuant to subsection (b). The report shall— (A) identify deficiencies in the numbers, performance, capability, and fidelity of air defense threats and threat simulators available for operational testing; and (B) include an analysis of the cost and lead-times necessary for obtaining, for testing purposes, a representation of current and likely future air defenses that is adequate for evaluating proposed modifications to B–1B and B–52H bomber aircraft. (3) Within 60 days after the date of the submission of the plan under paragraph (1) and the report under paragraph (2), the Comptroller General of the United States shall review the report (including the recommendations in the report) and the plan and shall provide the congressional defense committees his views on the report and the plan.