The House and Senate have completed work on their respective versions of the annual legislation that updates U.S. defense policy. The bills include numerous proposals related to DOD’s research laboratories, innovation policy, nuclear weapons, research security, and climate change, among other areas.
Mounting efforts by U.S. lawmakers and agencies to prevent federally funded research from being exploited by foreign governments have elicited increasing pushback from university leaders.
The latest version of the National Defense Authorization Act contains numerous provisions that aim to enhance innovation in defense technologies and combat foreign efforts to exploit U.S. R&D. It postpones a proposal to reform the relationship between the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Department of Energy.
The House and Senate have both advanced proposals to increase funding for R&D activities in the Department of Defense, placing a strong emphasis on technology development and prototyping. The Senate is proposing an especially large increase, including a half-billion-dollar or 19 percent increase for basic research.
As the conference committee for this year’s iteration of the National Defense Authorization Act begins its work, conferees will navigate numerous proposals for changes in defense R&D and innovation policy.
The House Armed Services Committee has approved an amendment to its version of the National Defense Authorization Act that would permit the Defense Department to terminate grants and other awards that provide funds to individuals who have participated in talent recruitment programs operated by China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia.
In his new role as the Department of Defense’s top R&D official, Mike Griffin is arguing that DOD must shed its risk-adverse culture and further embrace prototyping to accelerate innovation. He has also elaborated on his top technology priorities in recent congressional testimony, stressing that DOD must counter other countries’ growing hypersonic weapons capabilities and should focus on transitioning directed energy weapons from R&D to deployment.
A chorus of concern has emerged in Congress about China’s allegedly pervasive exploitation of the U.S.’s intellectual property and open research environment, with some lawmakers seeking to overhaul foreign investment and export control systems. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is preparing a package of unilateral retaliation measures that reportedly could include visa restrictions on Chinese students and academics.
The new head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, has deep experience in nuclear security affairs. At her confirmation hearing, she testified that her top priorities for NNSA are modernizing the agency’s infrastructure and reinforcing its high-skill workforce.
