(a) In general
The Secretary of the Army shall carry out a pilot program to design, develop, and implement an initiative to be known as the Soldier Digital Lifecycle Modernization Initiative to provide members of the Army, prospective recruits to the Army, and veterans of the Army with a secure, digital experience through the lifecycle of a member of the Army, including during recruitment and after separation.
(b) Elements
The pilot program under subsection (a) shall—
be carried out consistent with Executive Order 14338 (90 Fed. Reg. 163, relating to Improving Our Nation Through Better Design) and Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-23-22 relating to Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience or any successor Executive order or Office of Management and Budget memorandum;
make use of existing digital infrastructure and systems of the Army;
include establishment a secure digital identity record enabling continuity of data from recruitment into the Army through separation and transition to being a veteran;
include development of a unified experience platform for members of the Army that provides integrated, role-based, and personalized digital services;
include modernization of routine administrative workflows to reduce manual processing and data reentry;
include deployment of analytics and decision-support tools to inform readiness and retention decisions; and
include enhancement of digital transition pathways to support separation from the Armed Forces and continued engagement with veterans.
(c) Commercial best practices
In carrying out the pilot program required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable and cost-effective, make use of commercially available technologies, modular architectures, and open standards to accelerate delivery and improve user experience.
(d) Report
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Army shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report describing—
the implementation plan for the initiative;
key design and integration milestones;
estimated costs by fiscal year;
performance metrics to measure improvements in user experience, administrative burden reduction, retention indicators, and transition outcomes; and
any additional authorities the Secretary determines are required.
(e) Termination
The pilot program required by subsection (a) shall terminate on the date that is three years after the date of the establishment of such pilot program.