[CPEO-MEF] Conferees Oppose RDT&E Devolvement

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

In the Conference Report on H.R. 4546, the Bob Stump National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003, members of the House and Senate
Armed Services Committees directed the Defense Department not to shift a
collection of research, development, test, and evaluation programs to
the armed services from the Office of Secretary of Defense.

This appears to be a reprieve for two key environmental programs, the
Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program and
Environmental Security Technology Certification Program. As I
editorialized in September, these two programs have successfully
targeted key environmental problems with innovative research and
demonstration projects. Devolvement likely would have undermined their effectiveness.
(See http://www.cpeo.org/lists/military/2002/msg14424.html.)

The following excerpt from the Conference Report may be found in the
Congressional Record (House of Representatives - November 12, 2002 -
Page: H8400).

Lenny Siegel

***

Delegation of research, development, test, and evaluation programs and
activities 

   The conferees support the efforts of the Department of Defense to
streamline and transform itself in order to more effectively modernize
and achieve its mission. The conferees are concerned, however, about
recent efforts to devolve numerous research, development, test, and
evaluation (RDT&E) programs within the Office of the Secretary of
Defense (OSD) to the services and defense components. In particular, the
conferees note that several programs with significant congressional
interest are being transferred out of OSD, many of which are managed by
OSD at congressional direction. It is the conferees' understanding that
these programs are being transferred to achieve staffing and budget
goals within OSD, rather than to improve the execution or performance of
the affected programs. 

   The conferees believe that the level of support that these RDT&E
programs will receive if managed by the services and defense components
will be reduced without OSD oversight. In addition, many of these
programs serve multiple military objectives, which may not be addressed
if the programs are managed by the individual services or defense
components. 

   Therefore, the conferees direct the Secretary of Defense to halt any
efforts to transition the following RDT&E programs to a particular
service or defense component: (1) Strategic Environmental Research and
Development Program; (2) Defense Experimental Program to Stimulate
Competitive Research; (3) Environmental Security Technology
Certification Program; (4) In-House Laboratory Independent Research; (5)
High Performance Computer Modernization Program; (6) High Energy Laser
Program; (7) Mentor Protege Program; (8) University Research Initiative;
(9) Foreign Comparative Test Program; and (10) Joint Robotics Program. 

   The conferees direct the Secretary of Defense to provide notification
to Congress prior to the delegation of research, development, test, and
evaluation activities and programs from the Office of the Secretary of
Defense to a service or other defense component outside of OSD. The
conferees direct the Secretary to provide justification for any proposed
delegations in the form of a mandated report. 

   A report on a delegation of authority should include each of the
following: (1) an identification of the Secretary of a military
department or head of a defense agency or other element of the
Department of Defense to whom the delegation is made; (2) an evaluation
of how the delegation is expected to improve the efficiency and
performance of the program or activity in accomplishing the stated goals
and purposes of the program or activity; (3) a description of plans for
continued supervision of the program by the Office of the Secretary of
Defense to ensure that the program or activity has sufficient resources
to accomplish its stated goals and purposes; and (4) an identification
of any changes in existing law necessary to support the delegation and a
request that such changes be enacted. 

   The conferees note that any delegation of RDT&E activities or
programs by the Secretary of Defense shall be subject to careful
congressional scrutiny. Some of the programs proposed for delegation
were established at the OSD level by statute and will require changes to
such statutes or enactment of specific authorization enabling the
Secretary of Defense to delegate the program, while others may involve
strong congressional interest. The conferees expect the Secretary of
Defense to consider these legal requirements and congressional interests
in rendering a decision on devolvement.  

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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