[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S3370]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 6184. Mr. WARNOCK 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 year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place in title II, insert the following:

     SEC. ___. COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM TO BUILD PIPELINE OF 
                   QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS FOR DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
                   SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND 
                   MATHEMATICS WORKFORCE.

       (a) Comprehensive Program Required.--The Secretary of 
     Defense shall, acting through an Under Secretary of Defense 
     whom the Secretary shall designate for purposes of this 
     section, carry out a comprehensive program to build a 
     pipeline of United States individuals with science, 
     technology, engineering, or mathematics qualifications to 
     fill job vacancies within the Department of Defense in 
     shipbuilding, aerospace, computer science, cybersecurity, and 
     such other fields as the Secretary considers appropriate.
       (b) SMART Program Increase.--In carrying out the program 
     required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall increase the 
     number of Science, Mathematics, and Research for 
     Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service Program 
     participants that are funded by the Department of Defense to 
     10,000.
       (c) Use of ROTC.--The Secretary shall draw from the Reserve 
     Officer Training Corps who are pursuing programs of education 
     in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics for the 
     pipeline built under subsection (a).
       (d) Partnerships.--In carrying out the subsection (a), the 
     Secretary shall establish partnerships between Department of 
     Defense laboratories and the colleges and universities of the 
     United States, including community colleges, women's 
     colleges, and historically Black colleges or universities.
       (e) Apprenticeships and Internship Programs.--In carrying 
     out subsection (a), the Secretary shall enhance 
     apprenticeship and internship programs so that the 
     participants in such programs are ready to serve in the Armed 
     Forces on their first day of service in the Armed Forces, 
     regardless of academic institution from which they 
     matriculate.
       (f) Diversification of Qualifications.--The Secretary shall 
     ensure that the pipeline built under the comprehensive 
     program required by subsection (a) encompasses more than just 
     inviduals pursuing programs of education leading to a degree, 
     but also individuals pursuing programs of education other 
     than programs of education leading to a degree, such as 
     programs of education leading to technical certificates, and 
     programs of education leading to a postgraduate degree.
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