COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM TO EVALUATE AND DEMONSTRATE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADVANCED CAPABILITY COMBAT VEHICLES.

SEC. 211. COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM TO EVALUATE AND DEMONSTRATE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADVANCED CAPABILITY COMBAT VEHICLES. (a) Establishment of Program.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish and carry out a program to provide for the evaluation and competitive demonstration of concepts for advanced capability combat vehicles for the Army. (b) Covered Program.—The program under subsection (a) shall be carried out collaboratively pursuant to a memorandum of agreement to be entered into between the Secretary of the Army and the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The program shall include the following activities: (1) Consideration and evaluation of technologies having the potential to enable the development of advanced capability combat vehicles that are significantly superior to the existing M1 series of tanks in terms of capability for combat, survival, support, and deployment, including but not limited to the following technologies: (A) Weapon systems using electromagnetic power, directed energy, and kinetic energy. (B) Propulsion systems using hybrid electric drive. (C) Mobility systems using active and semi-active suspension and wheeled vehicle suspension. (D) Protection systems using signature management, lightweight materials, and full-spectrum active protection. (E) Advanced robotics, displays, man-machine interfaces, and embedded training. (F) Advanced sensory systems and advanced systems for combat identification, tactical navigation, communication, systems status monitoring, and reconnaissance. (G) Revolutionary methods of manufacturing combat vehicles. (2) Incorporation of the most promising such technologies into demonstration models. (3) Competitive testing and evaluation of such demonstration models. (4) Identification of the most promising such demonstration models within a period of time to enable preparation of a full development program capable of beginning by fiscal year 2007. (c) Report.—Not later than January 31, 2000, the Secretary of the Army and the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency shall submit to the congressional defense committees a joint report on the implementation of the program under subsection (a). The report shall include the following: (1) A description of the memorandum of agreement referred to in subsection (b). (2) A schedule for the program. (3) An identification of the funding required for fiscal year 2001 and for the future-years defense program to carry out the program. (4) A description and assessment of the acquisition strategy for combat vehicles planned by the Secretary of the Army 113 STAT. 542that would sustain the existing force of M1-series tanks, together with a complete identification of all operation, support, ownership, and other costs required to carry out such strategy through the year 2030. (5) A description and assessment of one or more acquisition strategies for combat vehicles, alternative to the strategy referred to in paragraph (4), that would develop a force of advanced capability combat vehicles significantly superior to the existing force of M1-series tanks and, for each such alternative acquisition strategy, an estimate of the funding required to carry out such strategy. (d) Funds.—Of the amount authorized to be appropriated for Defense-wide activities by section 201(4) for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, $56,200,000 shall be available only to carry out the program under subsection (a).