(a) Acceleration of formulation-to-system qualification for advanced energetic materials
(1) Review and implementation
The Secretary of Defense, acting through the head of the Joint Energetics Transition Office shall—
conduct a review to identify opportunities to accelerate the qualification process for the integration of novel advanced energetic materials into military systems; and
based on the results of such review, implement measures to accelerate such qualification process.
(2) Elements
In conducting the review required under paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary of Defense shall—
conduct a detailed analysis of the feasibility of—
expediting the qualification of new formulations derived from advanced energetic materials, including developmental classification, insensitive munitions testing, and hazard classification activities;
streamlining nonstatutory administrative requirements for warhead-level and system-level qualification of advanced energetic materials in cases in which modeling, simulation, and surrogate testing of such materials provide sufficient evidence of equivalent or superior performance and safety compared to legacy energetic materials, without compromising statutorily prescribed safety or environmental standards;
implementing integrated test campaigns that enable concurrent or overlapping evaluations of the formulation, warhead, and system performance of advanced energetic materials to reduce total time to fielding, aiming for full system qualification within 18 months to the extent feasible, while ensuring no compromise to safety or operational reliability; and
prioritizing advanced energetic materials for inclusion in mission-aligned prototyping, live-fire demonstrations, and portfolio-level experimentation under rapid acquisition authorities;
identify any barriers to the integration of novel advanced energetic materials into military systems;
develop a set of prioritized measures that may be implemented to address such barriers, including potential near-term measures achievable under existing authorities; and
determine—
estimated timelines for implementing such measures;
the organizations and elements of the Department of Defense that could carry out such measures; and
any statutory, regulatory, or administrative barriers inhibiting the implementation of such measures.
(b) Report
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the findings of the review conducted under subsection (a)(1)(A) and the measures implemented under subsection (a)(1)(B). The report shall include—
a list of advanced energetic materials for which the Secretary accelerated the formulation-to-system qualification process as a result of the review under subsection (a)(1)(A) and a list of advanced energetic materials that were identified as candidates for acceleration;
a comparison of the timelines to qualification milestones for materials identified under paragraph (1) compared to such timelines if the formulation-to-system qualification process had not been accelerated for such materials, including quantitative estimates of time savings and measurable milestones to the extent practicable;
a description of any other actions taken to accelerate the qualification process for such materials, with justifications; and
recommendations for further legislative or administrative actions to enhance domestic energetics production and qualification.
(c) Rule of construction
Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the waiver of any statutory requirement, including any statutory requirement related to safety, environmental protection, or national security.
(d) Advanced energetic material defined
The term advanced energetic material means a domestically produced substance or mixture, such as explosives, propellants, or pyrotechnics, that releases energy rapidly and demonstrates performance improvements over legacy energetic materials in areas such as energy density, as determined by the Secretary of Defense in accordance with established Department of Defense standards.