[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1123 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1123
To ensure computer programming, coding, and artificial intelligence
capabilities in the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 30, 2023
Ms. Duckworth introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To ensure computer programming, coding, and artificial intelligence
capabilities in the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Managing Active and Reserve Tech
Talent Effectively Act of 2023'' or the ``MARTTE Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Computer programming occupational area.--The term
``computer programming occupational area'' means a technical or
nontechnical occupational position that supports computer
programming, coding, and artificial intelligence operations and
development, including the following positions:
(A) Data scientists.
(B) Data engineers.
(C) Data analysts.
(D) Software developers.
(E) Machine learning engineers.
(F) Program managers.
(G) Acquisition professionals.
(2) Digital platform or application.--The term ``digital
platform or application'' means an online integrated personnel
management system or human capital solution.
(3) Human capital infrastructure.--The term ``human capital
infrastructure'' means the policies and processes that support
development, training, evaluating, and tracking of personnel
with specific occupational skills, experiences, and positions,
including--
(A) career and talent management strategy and
policies; and
(B) personnel software and databases for tracking
and identifying members of the Armed Forces with
specific capabilities.
(4) Qualification process.--The term ``qualification
process''--
(A) means the process, modeled on a streamlined
version of the process for obtaining joint
qualifications, for training and verifying members of
the Armed Forces to receive career field or
occupational codes associated with computer programming
occupational areas; and
(B) may include--
(i) experiences, education, and training
received as a part of military service,
including fellowships, talent exchanges,
positions within government, and educational
courses; and
(ii) in the case of members of the reserve
components, experiences, education, and
training received in their civilian
occupations.
(5) Qualified and known standard.--The term ``qualified and
known standard'' means the defined, reviewed, and published
standard for occupational series or career fields that provides
a measurable standard by which the military departments and
combatant commands can assess the ability to meet their
operational planning and steady-state force presentation
requirements during the global force management process.
SEC. 3. INFRASTRUCTURE FOR COMPUTER PROGRAMMING SKILLS.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) To ensure a competitive edge over adversaries of the
United States, the United States Armed Forces must attract,
build, and maintain a military force capable of rapidly
bringing advanced technology and innovation to the
battlefields.
(2) Congress has supported the Department of Defense across
various programs to attract talent in key computer programming
occupational areas.
(3) The Department of Defense and the military departments
have issued multiple strategy documents regarding workforce
development for artificial intelligence, but have yet, as of
the date of the enactment of this Act, to establish policies
for military occupational specialties or career field
development.
(4) Absent strategy implementation and investment, the
Department of Defense and each of the military departments
currently lack the human capital infrastructure to quickly
leverage critical capabilities relating to computer programming
maintained by members of the Armed Forces in conflict. It is
imperative to build out such an infrastructure to leverage such
capabilities.
(5) While the Department of Defense has established new
work roles related to computer programming, artificial
intelligence and machine learning competency, and software
engineering under the Department of Defense Cyber Workforce
Framework, there is no requirement for the military departments
to review, modify, and expand their occupational fields,
military occupational specialties, and skills designators to
align with these work roles. Additionally, there is no unified
mechanism to evaluate the utility of capabilities of members of
the Armed Forces in computer programming occupational areas and
to identify gaps or surpluses in such capabilities across the
military departments.
(b) Policy.--
(1) In general.--It shall be a policy of the Armed Forces
to establish a robust human capital infrastructure that allows
for the military departments to present a qualified and known
standard to the combatant commands with respect to computer
programming skills, which include technical and nontechnical
skills related to artificial intelligence and coding.
(2) Elements.--The policy set forth in paragraph (1) shall
be achieved by--
(A) the development, funding, and execution of a
coherent approach and transparent strategy across
digital platforms and applications that enable
development and presentation of forces with appropriate
programmatic oversight;
(B) the development and management of career field
occupational codes aligned with the work roles related
to computer programming, artificial intelligence and
machine learning competency, and software engineering
under the Department of Defense Cyber Workforce
Framework to allow for the military departments to
identify, assess, track, manage, and assign personnel
with computer programming, coding, and artificial
intelligence skills through established mechanisms,
under the policies of the military departments with
respect to formal military occupational specialties and
career field management, including--
(i) development of a career field or
separate occupational code for computer
programming occupational areas aligned with
such work roles; and
(ii) development of a unique special skills
or experience designator or qualifications,
tracked independently of a career field, for
computer programming occupational areas aligned
with such work roles;
(C) conducting an assessment of members of the
Armed Forces who have completed the qualification
process of the military department concerned or who
qualify based on existing skills and training across
computer programming occupational areas; and
(D) maintaining continued awareness of members of
the Armed Forces described in subparagraph (C).
(c) Responsibilities.--The Secretary of each military department,
in consultation with the Assistant Secretary of the military department
for Manpower and Reserve Affairs and the Chief Digital and Artificial
Intelligence Officer of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, shall--
(1) be responsible for development and discharge of the
policy set forth in subsection (b); and
(2) carry out that responsibility through an officer or
employee of the military department assigned by the Secretary
for that purpose.
(d) Duties.--In developing and providing for the discharge of the
policy set forth in subsection (b), the Secretary of each military
department, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary of the
military department for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, the Chief
Information Officer of the military department, the Chief Information
Officer of the Department of Defense, and the Chief Digital and
Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Office of the Secretary of
Defense, shall establish a robust human capital infrastructure to
provide the combatant commands force capability associated with
computer programming, coding, and artificial intelligence skills,
including by meeting related manning, systems, training, and other
related funding requirements.
(e) Implementation Plans.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of each military
department shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of
the Senate and the House of Representatives a plan for
implementing the policy set forth in subsection (b).
(2) Inclusion in budget justification materials.--The
Secretary of each military department shall include an update
on implementation of the policy set forth in subsection (b) in
the budget justification materials submitted in support of the
Department of Defense's budget (as submitted with the budget of
the President under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States
Code) for fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal thereafter until all
milestones set forth in the plan submitted under paragraph (1)
by the Secretary have been met.
SEC. 4. RESERVE COMPONENT COMPUTER PROGRAMMING SKILLS.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The reserve components provide critical capabilities to
the Department of Defense to augment and enhance the active
components. Those capabilities include experiences and skills
associated with both the members' military career fields and
their civilian occupations and positions.
(2) The Reserve Force Policy Board identified in August
2020 the inability of the Department of Defense to leverage the
civilian skills of members of the reserve components when
needed.
(3) The Department of Defense no longer maintains the
Civilian Employment Information Program, which provided a
database of the civilian employment information and skills
associated with members of the reserve components.
(4) There is no mechanism to evaluate qualification status
and present the surge and augmentation capabilities of the
reserve components in providing computer programming
occupational capabilities, experiences, and skills.
(b) Policy.--
(1) In general.--It shall be a policy of the Armed Forces
to utilize a robust human capital infrastructure to bolster the
capacity of the reserve components to evaluate, track, and
present a qualified and known standard to the military
departments with respect to computer programming occupational
areas.
(2) Elements.--The policy set forth in paragraph (1) shall
be achieved through--
(A) a process by which members of a reserve
component are able to gain occupational or career field
designation based on policies established under section
3 using experiences, training, or skills developed as a
result of their civilian occupations;
(B) awareness, based on policies established under
section 3, of the existing skills of members of the
reserve components, developed as a result of their
civilian occupations, based on an initial baseline and
ongoing tracking; and
(C) policies that allow the military departments
and the combatant commands to effectively leverage
reserve component members who meet the career field
requirements established pursuant to section 3 to
support current operations fully during reserve
periods.
(c) Responsibility.--The Secretary of each military department, in
consultation with the Assistant Secretary of the military department
for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, the Chief of the Reserve Command of
the military department, and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau,
shall--
(1) be responsible for development and discharge of the
policy set forth in subsection (b); and
(2) carry out that responsibility through an officer or
employee of that military department assigned by the Secretary
for that purpose.
(d) Duties.--In developing and providing for the discharge of the
policy set forth in subsection (b), the Secretary of each military
department, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary of the
military department for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, the Chief of the
Reserve Command of the military department, and the Chief of the
National Guard Bureau, shall--
(1) establish a process and procedures by which members of
the reserve component of the military department are able to
satisfy qualification standards for occupational policies
established under section 3 based on experiences, training, or
skills achieved as a result of their civilian occupations;
(2) conduct an assessment of the members of the reserve
component that maintain computer programming, coding, and
artificial intelligence skills in their civilian occupations;
(3) develop and program for a digital platform or
application to track computer programming, coding, and
artificial intelligence skills associated with computer
programming career field policies; and
(4) develop policies to identify, assign, and integrate
members described in paragraph (2) into current operations to
fully leverage those skills during reserve periods.
(e) Implementation Plans.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of each military
department and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau shall
each submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate
and the House of Representatives a plan for implementing the
policy set forth in subsection (b).
(2) Inclusion in budget justification materials.--The
Secretary of each military department and the Chief of the
National Guard Bureau shall each include an update on
implementation of the policy set forth in subsection (b) in the
budget justification materials submitted in support of the
Department of Defense's budget (as submitted with the budget of
the President under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States
Code) for fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter
until all milestones set forth in the plan submitted under
paragraph (1) by the Secretary or the Chief, as the case may
be, have been met.
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