REPORT ON ESTABLISHING NATIONAL CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE FOR UNMANNED AERIAL AND GROUND VEHICLES.

SEC. 1044. REPORT ON ESTABLISHING NATIONAL CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE FOR UNMANNED AERIAL AND GROUND VEHICLES.(a) Report Required.—Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the need for one or more national centers of excellence for unmanned aerial and ground vehicles.(b) Goal of Centers.—The goal of the centers covered by the report is to promote interservice cooperation and coordination in the following areas:(1) Development of joint doctrine for the organization, training, and use of unmanned aerial and ground vehicles.(2) Joint research, development, test, and evaluation, and joint procurement of unmanned aerial and ground vehicles.(3) Identification and coordination, in conjunction with the private sector and academia, of the future development of unmanned aerial and ground vehicles.(4) Monitoring of the development and utilization of unmanned aerial and ground vehicles in other nations for both military and non-military purposes.(5) The providing of joint training and professional development opportunities in the use and operation of unmanned aerial and ground vehicles to military personnel of all ranks and levels of responsibility.118 STAT. 2052(c) Report Requirements.—The report shall include, at a minimum, the following:(1) A list of facilities at which the Department of Defense currently conducts or plans to conduct research, development, and testing activities on unmanned aerial and ground vehicles.(2) A list of facilities at which the Department of Defense currently deploys or has committed to deploying unmanned aerial or ground vehicles.(3) The extent to which existing facilities described in paragraphs (1) and (2) have sufficient unused capacity and expertise to research, develop, test, and deploy the current and next generations of unmanned aerial and ground vehicles and to provide for the development of doctrine on the use and training of operators of such vehicles.(4) The extent to which efficiencies with respect to research, development, testing, and deployment of existing or future unmanned aerial and ground vehicles can be achieved through consolidation at one or more national centers of excellence for unmanned aerial and ground vehicles.(5) A list of potential locations for the national centers of excellence under this section.(d) Considerations.—In determining the potential locations for the national centers of excellence under this section, the Secretary of Defense shall take into consideration existing military facilities that have—(1) a workforce of skilled personnel;(2) existing capacity of runways and other facilities to accommodate the research, development, testing, and deployment of current and future unmanned aerial vehicles; and(3) minimal restrictions on the research, development, testing, and deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles resulting from proximity to large population centers or airspace heavily utilized by commercial flights.