--- kind: "section" citation: "10 U.S.C. § 3604" title: "10" title_heading: "Armed Forces" number: "3604" heading: "Program to accelerate the procurement and fielding of innovative technologies" release: "119-102" date: "2026-07-12" url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/3604" units: - "Subtitle A — General Military Law" - "Part V — Acquisition" - "Subpart C — Contracting Methods and Contract Types" - "Chapter 253 — Rapid Acquisition Procedures" --- # §3604. Program to accelerate the procurement and fielding of innovative technologies - (a) **Program.—** Subject to availability of appropriations, the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense shall establish a competitive, merit-based [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) to accelerate the [procurement](/usc/10/3011.md?p=1) and fielding of innovative technologies by, with respect to such technologies— - (1) reducing acquisition or life-cycle costs; - (2) addressing technical risks; - (3) improving the timeliness and thoroughness of test and evaluation outcomes; and - (4) rapidly implementing such technologies to directly support defense missions. - (b) **Guidelines.—** - (1) **In general.—** The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) shall issue guidelines for the operation of the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) established under this section. - (2) **Contents.—** At a minimum, the guidelines for the operation of the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) established under this section required under [paragraph (1)](#b-1) shall provide for the following: - (A) The issuance of one or more solicitations for proposals by the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense in support of the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1), with a priority established for technologies developed by small business concerns (as defined under section 3 of the Small Business Act ([15 U.S.C. 632](/usc/15/632.md))) or nontraditional defense contractors (as defined under [section 3014 of this title](/usc/10/3014.md)). - (B) The issuance of not more than two solicitations for proposals by the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense in support of the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) each fiscal year for innovative technologies from entities that, during the one-year period preceding the issuance of the solicitation, have not performed on contracts and [subcontracts](/usc/10/3701.md?p=2) for the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) under which the aggregate obligations of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) to such entity for such period exceeds $400,000,000. - (C) A process for— - (i) the review of proposals received in [response](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) to a solicitation issued under [subparagraph (A)](#b-2-A) by the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense and by each [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of a [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) [department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6); - (ii) the merit-based selection of the most promising [cost-effective](/usc/10/3101.md?p=3) proposals; and - (iii) the [procurement](/usc/10/3011.md?p=1) of goods or services offered by such a proposal through contracts, cooperative agreements, other transaction authority, or by another appropriate process. - (c) **Amount.—** The total amount of funding provided for any proposal selected for an award under the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) established under this section shall be greater than or equal to $10,000,000 and shall not exceed $50,000,000, unless the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) (or designee of the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3)) approves a greater amount of funding. - (d) **Data Collection.—** - (1) **Plan required before implementation.—** The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense may not provide funding under this section until the date on which the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3)— - (A) completes a plan for carrying out the data collection required under [paragraph (2)](#d-2); and - (B) submits the plan to the [congressional defense committees](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-16). - (2) **Data collection required.—** The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense shall collect and analyze data on the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) established under this section for the purposes of— - (A) developing and sharing best practices for achieving the objectives of the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1); - (B) providing information on the implementation of the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) and related policy issues; and - (C) reporting to the [congressional defense committees](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-16) as required under [subsection (e)](#e). - (e) **Biannual Report.—** Not later than March 1 and September 1 of each year beginning after the date of the enactment of this section, the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense shall submit to the [congressional defense committees](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-16) a report on the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) established under this section. - (f) **Congressional Notification.—** The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense shall notify the [congressional defense committees](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-16) within 30 days after funding has been provided for a proposal selected for an award under the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) established under this section. ## Source credit (Added Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title VIII, § 861(a), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 1999; amended Pub. L. 119–60, div. A, title VIII, § 813, Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 952.) ## Notes ### Editorial Notes ### References in Text The date of the enactment of this section, referred to in subsec. (e), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 118–159, which was approved Dec. 23, 2024. ### Prior Provisions Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title VIII, § 834, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1835, as amended by Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title VIII, § 845, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2720, which was set out in a note under section 4061 of this title, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title VIII, § 861(b), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 2000. ### Amendments 2025—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 119–60 struck out “Maximum” before “Amount” in heading and inserted “shall be greater than or equal to $10,000,000 and” before “shall not exceed”.