[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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