NDAA for Fiscal Year 2012

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TITLE VIII--ACQUISITION POLICY, ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT, AND RELATED MATTERS Subtitle A--Acquisition Policy and Management
P. L. 115-	House Conference Report. 115-404
SEC. 808. DEFENSE POLICY ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY. (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Chief Management Officer, shall form a committee of senior executives from United States firms in the national technology and industrial base to meet with the Secretary, the Secretaries of the military departments, and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to exchange information, including, as appropriate, classified information, on technology threats to the national security of the United States and on the emerging technologies from the national technology and industrial base that may become available to counter such threats in a timely manner. (b) Meetings.--The defense policy advisory committee on technology formed pursuant to subsection (a) shall meet with the Secretary and the other Department of Defense officials specified in such subsection collectively at least once annually in each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022. The Secretary of Defense shall provide the congressional defense committees annual briefings on the meetings. (c) Federal Advisory Committee Act.--The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the defense policy advisory committee on technology established pursuant to this section.	Defense policy advisory committee on technology (sec. 808) The Senate amendment contained a provision (sec. 805) that would require the Secretary of Defense to establish a committee of senior executives from U.S. firms in the national technology and industrial base who would meet with the Secretary, the secretaries of the military departments, and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on at least an annual basis from fiscal years 2018 to 2022. This committee would be exempt from the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) due to the sensitive nature of its work. The House bill contained no similar provision. The House recedes with an amendment that would direct the Chief Management Officer (CMO) to act as the point of coordination for committee meetings. The conferees recognize the need for the key stakeholders in the Department to have the ability to leverage expertise in the private sector, especially when discussing current trends in technology, and how those technologies may threaten U.S. national security. While those discussions can happen informally, the conferees believe that the ability to convene advisors and share information and views on larger technology trends that will affect strategy and policy for the Department is of vital importance in the future. The conferees also note that in designating the Chief Management Officer as the point of coordination for this advisory committee, the intent is not to give them the authority to approve or deny requests by other offices to convene committee meetings, or in any way to prevent access to the committee by other offices within the Department. The conferees recognize the need to have a process for managing the demands on this group, including prioritizing the needs of the Secretary of Defense, the secretaries of the military departments and the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. However, the conferees expect the CMO to develop a process and guidance for requesting support from this committee that can be made available throughout the Department, as well as encouragement from a broad stakeholder base to make use of the services of this committee.