,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #adga ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #ae1 #bjai,mr4 ,heinrich 7for himself and ,mr4 ,portman7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,armed ,services ,a ,,bill ,to require digital engineering as a core competency of the ,armed ,forces1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,armed ,forces ,digital ,advantage ,act4 #b4 ,digital engineering as a core competency of the ,armed ,forces 7a7 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,the ,national ,defense ,strategy states that the ,department of ,defense will need to emphasize new skills and complement our current workforce with information experts1 data scientists1 computer programmers1 and basic science researchers and engineers--to use information1 not simply manage it4 ,the ,department will also continue to explore streamlined1 non-traditional pathways to bring critical skills into service1 expanding access to outside expertise4 7#b7 ,the ,department workforce is challenged in its ability to develop1 use1 update1 and store digital information4 7#c7 ,transformational technologies1 including ,artificial ,intelligence1 #e;,g telecommunications services1 and cloud computing1 are presenting new opportunities and challenges for the ,department4 7#d7 ,department modernization programs depend almost entirely on the integration of state-of-the-art software1 data1 and information technology1 and will require a workforce that understands digital engineering4 7#e7 ,the establishment of the ,joint ,artificial ,intelligence ,center 7,,jaic7 in #bjah was an important step to accelerate the delivery of1 and scale the ,department-wide impact of1 artificial intelligence-enabled capabilities1 and a workforce experienced in computer sciences and digital engineering will be critical to the success of the ,center and the ,department4 7#f7 ,the ,defense ,innovation ,board stated that1 in order to fulfill its mission in the future1 the ,department will need a human capital strategy that will ensure that ,do,d can grow and maintain adequate computer science capability and capacity for the wide range of software-centric requirements that are unmet today and will only continue to grow4 7b7 ,policy 7#a7 ,in general ,it shall be a policy of the ,armed ,forces to promote and maintain digital engineering as a core competency of the ,armed ,forces1 which policy shall be achieved by-- 7,a7 the recruitment1 development1 and incentivization of retention in and to the ,armed ,forces of individuals with aptitude1 experience1 proficient expertise1 or a combination thereof in digital engineering2 7,b7 the development and maintenance of multiple career tracks on digital engineering1 and related digital competencies 7including data science1 machine learning1 software engineering1 software product management1 and artificial intelligence product management7 for members of the ,armed ,forces1 including the development and maintenance of training1 education1 talent management1 incentives1 and promotion policies in support of members at all levels of such career tracks2 and 7,c7 the development and application of appropriate readiness standards and metrics to measure and report on the overall capability1 capacity1 utilization1 and readiness of digital engineering forces to develop and deliver operational capabilities and employ modern business practices4 7#b7 ,digital engineering ,for purposes of this section1 digital engineering is the discipline and set of skills involved in the creation1 processing1 transmission1 integration1 and storage of digital data4 7c7 ,responsibility 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,under ,secretary of ,defense for ,personnel and ,readiness shall be responsible for the development and discharge of the policy set forth in subsection 7a71 and shall carry out such responsibility through an officer or employee of the ,department of ,defense assigned by the ,under ,secretary for that purpose4 7#b7 ,designation ,the individual assigned pursuant to paragraph 7#a7 shall be known as the ,chief ,digital ,engineering ,recruitment and ,management ,officer of the ,department of ,defense 7in this section referred to as the ,officer74 7#c7 ,duration of position ,the requirement for the ,officer under paragraph 7#a7 shall expire on ,september #cj1 #bjbi4 7d7 ,duties ,in developing and providing for the discharge of the policy set forth in subsection 7a71 the ,officer shall1 in close consultation with the ,assistant ,secretaries of the military department for ,manpower and ,reserve ,affairs1 do the following3 7#a7 ,develop for1 and enhance within1 the recruitment programs of the ,armed ,force various core initiatives1 programs1 activities1 and mechanisms1 tailored to the unique needs of each ,armed ,force1 to identify and recruit to the ,armed ,forces individuals with demonstrated aptitude1 interest1 proficient expertise1 or a combination thereof in digital engineering particularly1 and in science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics 7,,stem7 generally1 including initiatives1 programs1 activities1 and mechanisms to target populations of individuals not typically aware of opportunities in the ,armed ,forces for a digital engineering career4 7#b7 ,establish one or more flexible career tracks and identifiers for digital engineering and related digital competencies tailored to the unique needs for each ,armed ,force1 including appropriate military occupational specialties 7,,mos7 and meaningful opportunities for career development1 talent management1 and promotion within such career tracks4 7#c7 ,develop and maintain education1 training1 doctrine1 rotational opportunities1 and professional development activities to support members of the ,armed ,forces at each level of each career track established pursuant to paragraph 7#b74 7#d7 ,coordinate and synchronize digital force management activities throughout the ,department of ,defense1 advise the ,secretary of ,defense on all matters pertaining to the health and readiness of digital forces1 convene a ,department-wide executive steering group1 and submit to ,congress an annual report on the readiness of digital forces and progress toward achieving the policy set forth in subsection 7a74 7#e7 ,create a ,department-wide mechanism to track digital expertise in the workforce1 develop and maintain organizational policies1 strategies1 and plans sufficient to build1 maintain1 and refresh internal capacity at scale1 and report to the ,secretary quarterly on the health and readiness of digital forces4 7#f7 ,assist the military departments in designing1 developing1 and executing programs and incentives to retain1 track1 and oversee digital expertise among members of the ,armed ,forces on active duty4 7#g7 ,at the request of the ,chief of ,staff of an ,armed ,force1 or the head of another component or element of the ,department1 undertake an executive search for key leadership positions in digital engineering in such ,armed ,force1 component1 or element1 and develop and deploy agile hiring processes to fill such positions4 7#h7 ,identify necessary changes in authorities1 policies1 resources1 or a combination thereof to further the policy set forth in subsection 7a71 and submit to ,congress a report on such changes4 7e7 ,implementation ,commencing not later than ,january #a1 #bjbb1 each ,assistant ,secretary of a military department for ,manpower and ,reserve ,affairs shall implement and maintain the policy set forth in subsection 7a7 for the ,armed ,forces under the jurisdiction of such ,assistant ,secretary through implementation and maintenance of the matters developed and established by the ,officer pursuant to subsection 7d74