[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 102 (Wednesday, June 17, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2906-S2907]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 5847. Mr. KIM submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2027 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

[[Page S2907]]

year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as 
follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. __. PILOT PROGRAM FOR BRAVE-1 MODELED TECHNOLOGY 
                   PLATFORM TO IMPROVE FEEDBACK LOOP AND SPEED UP 
                   MILITARY INNOVATION.

       (a) Establishment.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 360 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall, 
     acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research 
     and Engineering and in coordination with the Under Secretary 
     of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, establish and 
     carry out a pilot program to test a digital feedback platform 
     designed to improve the collection, analysis, and 
     transmission of operational feedback from members of the 
     Armed Forces to inform defense innovation, acquisition, and 
     sustainment decisions.
       (2) Designation.--The pilot program required by paragraph 
     (1) shall be known as the ``Brave Model'' (in this section 
     the ``Pilot Program'').
       (b) Locations.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary shall select not fewer than 
     three and not more than six units of the Armed Forces to 
     participate in the Pilot Program, including at least one unit 
     from each of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
       (2) Considerations.--In selecting units under paragraph 
     (1), the Secretary shall consider--
       (A) units stationed overseas who are less connected to 
     resupplying chains;
       (B) units employing a mix of advanced and legacy systems; 
     and
       (C) units with varying levels of access to maintenance, 
     resupply, and technical support infrastructure.
       (c) Objectives.--The objectives of the Pilot Program are--
       (1) to develop a feedback loop modeled after BRAVE-1 in 
     Ukraine, so that the government and industry can jointly 
     receive data directly from the Armed Forces;
       (2) to reduce delays in identifying and addressing 
     equipment failures and capability gaps;
       (3) to enable more rapid iteration and improvement of 
     military systems through data driven insights; and
       (4) to evaluate the feasibility of establishing a sustained 
     capability within the Department of Defense to support 
     continuous operator-driven innovation.
       (d) Briefings.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     the completion of the Pilot Program, the Secretary shall 
     provide to the appropriate congressional committees a 
     briefing that includes--
       (1) an assessment of the effectiveness of the Pilot Program 
     in achieving the objectives set forth in subsection (c);
       (2) a comparison of the speed and effectiveness of 
     identifying and addressing equipment issues in units 
     participating in the Pilot Program versus units not 
     participating in the Pilot Program;
       (3) a description of key capability gaps and system 
     failures identified through the Pilot Program; and
       (4) recommendations regarding whether to expand, modify, or 
     terminate the Pilot Program.
       (e) Termination.--The Pilot Program shall terminate on the 
     date that is two years after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act.
       (f) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means--
       (1) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
     Representatives.
                                 ______