MECHANISMS TO PROVIDE FUNDS FOR DEFENSE LABORATORIES FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES FOR MILITARY MISSIONS.

SEC. 219. MECHANISMS TO PROVIDE FUNDS FOR DEFENSE LABORATORIES FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES FOR MILITARY MISSIONS.(a) Mechanisms to Provide Funds.—(1) In general.—The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretaries of the military departments, shall establish mechanisms under which the director of a defense laboratory may use an amount of funds equal to not more than three percent of all funds available to the defense laboratory for the following purposes:(A) To fund innovative basic and applied research that is conducted at the defense laboratory and supports military missions.(B) To fund development programs that support the transition of technologies developed by the defense laboratory into operational use.(C) To fund workforce development activities that improve the capacity of the defense laboratory to recruit and retain personnel with needed scientific and engineering expertise.(2) Consultation required.—The mechanisms established under paragraph (1) shall provide that funding shall be used under paragraph (1) at the discretion of the director of a defense laboratory in consultation with the science and technology executive of the military department concerned.(b) Annual Report on Use of Authority.—(1) In general.—Not later than March 1 of each year, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the use of the authority under subsection (a) during the preceding year.(2) Elements.—Each report under paragraph (1) shall include, with respect to the year covered by such report, the following:(A) A description of the mechanisms used to provide funding under subsection (a)(1).(B) A statement of the amount of funding made available to each defense laboratory for research described under such subsection.(C) A description of the investments made by each defense laboratory using funds under such subsection.(D) A description and assessment of any improvements in the performance of the defense laboratories as a result of investments under such subsection.122 STAT. 4390(E) A description and assessment of the contributions to the development of needed military capabilities provided by research using funds under such subsection.(F) A description of any modification to the mechanisms under subsection (a) that would improve the efficacy of the authority under such subsection to support military missions.(c) Sunset.—The authority under subsection (a) shall expire on October 1, 2013.