[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 82 (Tuesday, May 24, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3116-S3117]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4126. Mr. BLUMENTHAL submitted an amendment intended to be 
proposed by him to the bill S. 2943, to authorize appropriations for 
fiscal year 2017 for military activities of the Department of Defense, 
for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department 
of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal 
year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as 
follows:


[[Page S3117]]


  

       At the end of subtitle C of title VII, add the following:

     SEC. 764. ASSESSMENT OF ABILITY OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO 
                   USE MODELING AND SIMULATION CAPABILITIES TO 
                   ADDRESS MEDICAL TRAINING REQUIREMENTS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
     seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academies 
     of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine under which the 
     National Academies assess the ability of the Department of 
     Defense to use modeling and simulation capabilities to 
     address medical training requirements of the Department.
       (b) Alternate Organization.--
       (1) In general.--If the Secretary is unable to enter into 
     an agreement described in subsection (a) with the National 
     Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on terms 
     acceptable to the Secretary, the Secretary shall seek to 
     enter into such an agreement with another appropriate 
     organization that--
       (A) is not part of the Federal Government;
       (B) operates as a not-for-profit entity; and
       (C) has expertise and objectivity comparable to that of the 
     National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
       (2) Treatment.--If the Secretary enters into an agreement 
     with another organization as described in paragraph (1), any 
     reference in this section to the National Academies of 
     Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine shall be treated as a 
     reference to the other organization.
       (c) Elements.--In conducting the assessment under 
     subsection (a), the National Academies of Sciences, 
     Engineering, and Medicine shall--
       (1) assess--
       (A) the modeling and simulation technology available to the 
     Federal Government and the private sector;
       (B) research and development programs that the Department 
     may be able to undertake to enhance the modeling and 
     simulation technology available to the Department;
       (C) programs to transition modeling and simulation 
     technology into operational use by the Department; and
       (D) the advantages and disadvantages of using modeling and 
     simulation as compared to live animal training, including 
     fiscal and educational advantages and disadvantages; and
       (2) make recommendations to the Secretary on--
       (A) improvements to policies and programs of the Department 
     to increase the use of modeling and simulation technology;
       (B) research and development priorities of the Department 
     that will enhance modeling and simulation capabilities; and
       (C) the development of specific technical metrics to 
     compare modeling and simulation to live animal training.
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