,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #cife  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #af1     
#bjbj,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 accelerate the           
application of artificial intelligence  
in the ,department of ,defense and to   
strengthen the workforce that pertains  
to artificial intelligence1 and for     
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title2 table
 of contents  7a7 ,short title ,this    
,act may be cited as the ,artificial    
,intelligence for the ,armed ,forces    
,act of #bjbj4  7b7 ,table of contents  
,the table of contents for this ,act is 
as follows3 ,sec4 #a4 ,short title2     
table of contents4,title ,i--,department
 of ,defense ,artificial ,intelligence  
,leadership,sec4 #aja4 ,organizational  
placement of ,director of the ,joint    
,artificial ,intelligence ,center4,sec4 
#ajb4 ,grade of ,director of the ,joint 

,artificial ,intelligence ,center4,title
 ,,ii--,strengthening the ,department of
 ,defense ,artificial ,intelligence     
,workforce,sec4 #bja4 ,increasing human 
resource team literacy in artificial    
intelligence4,sec4 #bjb4 ,guidance and  
direction on use of direct hiring       
processes for artificial intelligence   
professionals and other data science and
 software development personnel4,sec4   
#bjc4 ,waiver of qualification standards
 for ,general ,schedule positions in    
artificial intelligence4,sec4 #bjd4     
,modifying the ,armed ,services         
,vocational ,aptitude ,battery ,test to 
address computational thinking4  ,i     
,department of ,defense ,artificial     
,intelligence ,leadership  #aja4        
,organizational placement of ,director  
of the ,joint ,artificial ,intelligence 
,center  7a7 ,authority  7#a7 ,in       
general ,the ,secretary of ,defense     
shall exercise authority and direction  
over the ,joint ,artificial             
,intelligence ,center4  7#b7 ,limitation

 on delegation ,the authority of the    
,secretary under this section may not be
 delegated below the level of the       
,deputy ,secretary of ,defense4  7b7    
,direct reporting to ,secretary of      
,defense ,the ,director of the ,joint   
,artificial ,intelligence ,center shall 
report directly to the ,secretary or the
 ,deputy ,secretary on matters relating 
to artificial intelligence policy1      
priorities1 practices1 and resourcing4  
#ajb4 ,grade of ,director of the ,joint 
,artificial ,intelligence ,center ,an   
officer appointed to serve as ,director 
of the ,joint ,artificial ,intelligence 
,center shall1 while so serving1 have   
the grade of lieutenant general in the  
,army1 ,air ,force1 or ,marine ,corps or
 vice admiral in the ,navy4  ,,ii       
,strengthening the ,department of       
,defense ,artificial ,intelligence      
,workforce  #bja4 ,increasing human     
resource team literacy in artificial    
intelligence  7a7 ,department of        
,defense  7#a7 ,training and            

certification program required ,not     
later than one year after the date of   
the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,secretary of ,defense shall develop a  
training and certification program on   
software development1 data science1 and 
artificial intelligence that is tailored
 to the needs of the covered human      
resources workforce4  7#b7 ,requirements
 ,the course required by paragraph 7#a7 
shall-- 7,a7 provide a generalist's     
introduction to software development and
 business processes1 data management    
practices relating to machine learning1 
deep learning1 artificial intelligence1 
and artificial intelligence workforce   
roles2 and  7,b7 address hiring options 
and processes available for software    
developers1 data scientists1 and        
artificial intelligence professionals1  
including direct hiring authorities1    
excepted service authorities1 the       
,intergovernmental ,personnel ,act of   
#aigj 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dgja et seq471 and
 authorities for hiring special         

government employees and highly         
qualified experts4  7#c7 ,objective ,it 
shall be the objective of the           
,department of ,defense to provide the  
training course developed pursuant to   
paragraph 7#a7 to the covered human     
resources workforce in such a manner    
that-- 7,a7 in the first year1 #bj      
percent of the workforce is certified as
 having successfully completed the      
course2 and  7,b7 in each year          
thereafter1 an additional #aj percent of
 the workforce is certified1 until the  
,department achieves and maintains a    
status in which #hj percent of the      
covered human resources workforce is so 
certified4  7b7 ,other national security
 agencies ,the ,secretary of ,defense   
shall work with the ,attorney ,general1 
the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1  
the ,director of ,national              
,intelligence1 or the head of any       
element of the intelligence community to
 offer the training and certification   
program developed pursuant to subsection

 7a7 to employees of other national     
security agencies and to encourage the  
heads of such agencies to achieve a     
level of certification comparable to the
 objectives established for the         
,department of ,defense4  7c7           
,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the
 term covered human resources workforce 
means human resources professionals1    
hiring managers1 and recruiters who are 
or will be responsible for hiring       
software developers1 data scientists1 or
 artificial intelligence professionals4 
7#b7 ,the term intelligence community   
has the meaning given such term in      
section #c of the ,national ,security   
,act of #aidg 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #cjjc74    
7d7 ,authorization of appropriations    
,there is authorized to be appropriated 
to the ,secretary of ,defense to carry  
out subsection 7a7 #b1ejj1jjj for fiscal
 year #bjba4  #bjb4 ,guidance and       
direction on use of direct hiring       
processes for artificial intelligence   
professionals and other data science and

 software development personnel  7a7    
,guidance required ,not later than #ahj 
days after the date of the enactment of 
this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,defense   
shall issue guidance to the secretaries 
of the military departments and the     
heads of the defense components on      
improved use of the direct hiring       
processes for artificial intelligence   
professionals and other data science and
 software development personnel4  7b7   
,objective ,the objective of the        
guidance required by subsection 7a7     
shall be to ensure that organizational  
leaders assume greater responsibility   
for the results of civilian hiring of   
artificial intelligence professionals   
and other data science and software     
development personnel4  7c7 ,contents of
 guidance ,at a minimum1 the guidance   
required by subsection 7a7 shall-- 7#a7 
instruct human resources professionals  
and hiring authorities to utilize direct
 hiring authorities 7including excepted 
service authorities7 for the hiring of  

artificial intelligence professionals   
and other data science and software     
development personnel1 to the maximum   
extent practicable2  7#b7 instruct      
hiring authorities1 when using direct   
hiring authorities1 to prioritize       
utilization of panels of subject matter 
experts over human resources            
professionals to assess applicant       
qualifications and determine which      
applicants are best qualified for a     
position2  7#c7 authorize and encourage 
the use of e,portfolio reviews to       
provide insight into the previous work  
of applicants as a tangible             
demonstration of capabilities and       
contribute to the assessment of         
applicant qualifications by subject     
matter experts2  7#d7 authorize the     
secretaries of the military departments 
and the heads of the defense components 
to waive qualification standards for    
,general ,schedule positions established
 by the ,office of ,personnel           
,management that would unnecessarily    

restrict the judgment of the subject    
matter experts as to the best qualified 
applicants1 to the extent permitted by  
law2 and  7#e7 authorize and encourage  
the use of referral bonuses for         
recruitment and hiring of highly        
qualified artificial intelligence       
professionals and other data science and
 software development personnel in      
accordance with volume #dea of          
,department of ,defense ,instruction    
#adjj4be1 or successor instruction4  7d7
 ,report  7#a7 ,in general ,not later   
than one year after the date on which   
the guidance is issued under subsection 
7a71 the ,secretary shall submit to the 
congressional defense committees a      
report on the guidance issued pursuant  
to subsection 7a74  7#b7 ,contents ,at a
 minimum1 the report submitted under    
paragraph 7#a7 shall address-- 7,a7 the 
objectives of the guidance and the      
manner in which the guidance seeks to   
achieve those objectives2 and  7,b7 the 
effect of the guidance on the hiring    

process for artificial intelligence     
professionals and other data science and
 software development personnel1        
including the effect on-- 7i7 hiring    
time2  7ii7 the use of direct hiring    
authority2  7iii7 the use of subject    
matter experts2 and  7iv7 the quality of
 new hires1 as assessed by hiring       
managers and organizational leaders4    
#bjc4 ,waiver of qualification standards
 for ,general ,schedule positions in    
artificial intelligence  7a7 ,department
 of ,defense ,notwithstanding any other 
provision of law1 an officer with a     
grade of major general or greater in the
 ,army1 ,air ,force1 or ,marine ,corps  
or rear admiral or greater in the ,navy 
and a civilian employed by the          
,department of ,defense in a position of
 equivalent authority may waive any     
,general ,schedule qualification        
standard established by the ,director of
 the ,office of ,personnel ,management  
in the case of any applicant for a      
position in artificial intelligence in  

the ,department of ,defense who is      
determined by a hiring manager1 in      
consultation with subject matter        
experts1 to be the best qualified       
candidate for the position4  7b7 ,other 
national security agencies  7#a7 ,in    
general ,the ,director of the ,office of
 ,personnel ,management shall establish 
a process by which the ,attorney        
,general1 the ,secretary of ,homeland   
,security1 the ,secretary of ,state1 the
 ,secretary of ,commerce1 the ,director 
of ,national ,intelligence1 and the head
 of any element of the intelligence     
community 7as defined in section #c of  
the ,national ,security ,act of #aidg   
7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #cjjc77 may request an   
exception to any ,general ,schedule     
qualification standard in any case in   
which the agency head determines that   
national security needs would best be   
met by hiring managers making an        
independent judgment about              
qualifications and pay grades for a     
position in artificial intelligence with

 the advice of subject matter experts4  
7#b7 ,scope ,the process required by    
paragraph 7#a7 shall provide for        
requests to be made for individual      
billets1 for position descriptions1 or  
for categories of individual billets or 
position descriptions at the discretion 
of the agency head4  7#c7 ,limitation   
,the authority under this subsection may
 be used for the hiring of not more than
 #ajj individuals4  #bjd4 ,modifying the
 ,armed ,services ,vocational ,aptitude 
,battery ,test to address computational 
thinking  7a7 ,in general ,not later    
than one year after the date of the     
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
of ,defense shall modify the ,armed     
,services ,vocational ,aptitude ,battery
 test to add a new subtest addressing   
computational thinking skills relevant  
to military applications1 including     
problem decomposition1 abstraction1     
pattern recognition1 analytical ability1
 the identification of variables        
involved in data representation1 and the

 ability to create algorithms and       
solution expressions4  7b7 ,use ,the    
,secretary shall use the results of the 
subtest added under subsection 7a7 in   
the same manner as the results of       
existing subtests to place personnel in 
career fields and to identify candidates
 for further training4