,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #cfbf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #e1 #bjai,mr4 ,ted ,lieu of ,california 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,stefanik1 ,mr4 ,langevin1 and ,mr4 ,lamborn7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to authorize the ,secretary of ,defense to carry out research1 development1 test1 and evaluation activities1 on a joint basis with the ,united ,kingdom1 to establish directed energy capabilities that address threats to the ,united ,states1 deployed forces of the ,united ,states1 or the ,united ,kingdom1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,united ,states-,united ,kingdom ,directed ,energy ,cooperation ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,directed energy platforms are electromagnetic systems capable of converting chemical or electrical energy to radiated energy and focusing it on a target1 resulting in physical damage that degrades or neutralizes an adversarial capability4 ,these systems include high-energy lasers that emit photons and high-power microwaves that release radiofrequency waves4 7#b7 ,directed energy platforms hold enormous potential for non-lethal1 defensive capabilities1 including protection against advanced missiles and swarms of unmanned aerial systems4 7#c7 ,at a fraction of the per-use cost of kinetic defense platforms1 directed energy capabilities could greatly enhance the deterrence posture of the ,united ,states and protect against emerging threats such as hypersonic and maneuverable missiles4 7#d7 ,collaboration between the ,united ,states and the ,united ,kingdom on the development and application of directed energy weapon technologies can be traced back to #bjaj4 ,the ,,uk_/,,us ,directed ,energy ,symposium was created under bilateral exchange agreements between the ,united ,states and the ,united ,kingdom1 covering topics such as high-energy lasers1 modeling and simulation1 and protection against high-power radio frequency weapons4 7#e7 ,in response to technological advances and emerging threats1 the ,united ,states has increased investments in next-generation directed energy capabilities and is exploring the potential for boost-phase ballistic missile defense with the ,low-,power ,laser ,demonstrator program4 ,existing programs within each service branch are developing technologies to protect members of the ,armed ,forces from rocket1 artillery1 mortar1 and unmanned aerial systems4 7#f7 ,in #bjag1 the ,united ,kingdom's ,ministry of ,defence awarded #cj,m to an international defense consortium to build a prototype for the ,laser ,directed ,energy ,weapon 7,,ldew7 ,capability ,demonstrator4 ,the air defense system will be capable of engaging targets in land and maritime environments4 7#g7 ,in #bjag1 the ,united ,kingdom's ,minister for ,defence ,procurement ,harriett ,baldwin said1 ,the ,,uk has long enjoyed a reputation as a world leader in innovation and it is truly ground-breaking projects like the ,laser ,directed ,energy ,weapon which will keep this country ahead of the curve4 ,the ,defense ,innovation ,initiative and #hjj,m ,defense ,innovation ,fund aim to encourage imagination1 ingenuity and entrepreneurship1 in pursuit of maintaining a military advantage in the future44 7#h7 ,in #bjah1 while offering remarks at the ,directed ,energy ,summit1 ,undersecretary of ,defense for ,research and ,engineering ,michael ,griffin expressed support for the ,united ,states partnering with allies to develop directed energy technologies4 7#i7 ,in #bjai1 the ,united ,states ,missile ,defense ,review highlighted the promise that high-powered laser technology holds for boost-phase ballistic missile defense4 #c4 ,united ,states-,united ,kingdom directed energy capabilities cooperation 7a7 ,authority 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,defense1 upon request of the ,united ,kingdom's ,secretary of ,state for ,defence and with the concurrence of the ,secretary of ,state1 is authorized to carry out research1 development1 test1 and evaluation activities1 on a joint basis with the ,united ,kingdom1 to establish directed energy capabilities that address threats to the ,united ,states1 deployed forces of the ,united ,states1 or the ,united ,kingdom4 ,any activities carried out pursuant to such authority shall be conducted in a manner that appropriately protects sensitive information and the national security interests of the ,united ,states and the national security interests of the ,united ,kingdom4 7#b7 ,report ,the activities described in paragraph 7#a7 may be carried out after the ,secretary of ,defense submits to the appropriate committees of ,congress a report setting forth the following3 7,a7 ,a memorandum of agreement between the ,united ,states and the ,united ,kingdom regarding sharing of research and development costs for the capabilities described in paragraph 7#a71 and any supporting documents4 7,b7 ,a certification that the memorandum of agreement-- 7i7 requires sharing of costs of projects1 including in-kind support1 between the ,united ,states and the ,united ,kingdom2 7ii7 establishes a framework to negotiate the rights to any intellectual property developed under the memorandum of agreement2 and 7iii7 requires the ,united ,states ,government to receive semiannual reports on expenditure of funds1 if any1 by the ,government of the ,united ,kingdom1 including a description of what the funds have been used for1 when funds were expended1 and an identification of entities that expended the funds4 7b7 ,support in connection with activities 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,defense is authorized to provide maintenance and sustainment support to the ,united ,kingdom for the directed energy capabilities research1 development1 test1 and evaluation activities authorized in subsection 7a77#a74 ,such authority includes authority to install equipment necessary to carry out such research1 development1 test1 and evaluation4 7#b7 ,report ,the support described in paragraph 7#a7 may not be provided until #ae days after the ,secretary of ,defense submits to the appropriate committees of ,congress a report setting forth a detailed description of the support to be provided4 7#c7 ,matching contribution ,the support described in paragraph 7#a7 may not be provided unless the ,secretary of ,defense certifies to the appropriate committees of ,congress that the ,government of the ,united ,kingdom will contribute to such support-- 7,a7 an amount equal to not less than the amount of support to be so provided2 or 7,b7 an amount that otherwise meets the best efforts of the ,united ,kingdom1 as mutually agreed to by the ,united ,states and the ,united ,kingdom4 7c7 ,lead agency ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall designate an appropriate research and development entity of a military department as the lead agency of the ,department of ,defense in carrying out this section4 7d7 ,semiannual report ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall submit to the appropriate committees of ,congress on a semiannual basis a report that contains a copy of the most recent semiannual report provided by the ,government of the ,united ,kingdom to the ,department of ,defense pursuant to subsection 7a77#b77;,b77iii74 7e7 ,appropriate committees of ,congress defined ,in this section1 the term appropriate committees of ,congress means-- 7#a7 the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations1 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs1 the ,committee on ,appropriations1 and the ,select ,committee on ,intelligence of the ,senate2 and 7#b7 the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security1 the ,committee on ,appropriations1 and the ,permanent ,select ,committee on ,intelligence of the ,house of ,representatives4