---
kind: "section"
citation: "10 U.S.C. § 9025"
title: "10"
title_heading: "Armed Forces"
number: "9025"
heading: "Office of Expanded Competition"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/9025"
units:
  - "Subtitle D — Air Force and Space Force"
  - "Part I — Organization"
  - "Chapter 903 — Department of the Air Force"
---

# §9025. Office of Expanded Competition

- (a) **Establishment.—** There is in the Office of the [Secretary](/usc/10/9511.md?p=10) of the Air Force an office to be known as the Office of Expanded Competition (in this section referred to as the “Office”).
- (b) **Director.—** The head of the Office shall be the Director. The Director shall be appointed by the [Secretary](/usc/10/9511.md?p=10) of the Air Force from among employees of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense with requisite subject matter expertise who—
  - (1) are in a Senior Executive Service position (as defined in [section 3132 of title 5](/usc/5/3132.md)) at the time of appointment; or
  - (2) are not in a Senior Executive Service position at the time of appointment, but meet the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) for such a position.
- (c) **Duties.—** The duties of the Office are as follows:
  - (1) In consultation with other components of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense and the Federal Government, conduct coordinated and integrated assessments of adversarial capital flows into industries or businesses of interest to the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense.
  - (2) Identify and prioritize promising critical technologies and assets for the Joint Force in need of capital assistance, including critical technologies and assets available from foreign entities.
  - (3) Fund investments in such technologies and assets, including supply chain technologies not always supported through direct investment.
  - (4) Support the coordination and outreach efforts of technology scouting and acquisition elements within the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense to enable investment decision-making by those elements that counteract entities employing adversarial capital flows against industries or businesses described in [paragraph (1)](#c-1), including the employment of relevant authorities vested in other components of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) and the Federal Government.
  - (5) Identify, accelerate, and sustain the establishment, research, development, construction, procurement, leasing, consolidation, alteration, improvement, modernization, and repair of tangible and intangible assets vital to the national security of the [United States](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-1).
  - (6) Help the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense provide capital assistance to entities, including foreign entities, engaged in investments that facilitate the efforts of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6).
  - (7) Experiment, prototype, test, or validate Government-developed or commercially developed analytical tools, processes, and tradecraft to improve the due diligence and investment analysis processes for the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense, including the employment of relevant delegated authorities vested in other components of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) and the Federal Government.
  - (8) Assist the [Secretary](/usc/10/9511.md?p=10) of Defense in developing access and placement using commercial means.
  - (9) Otherwise engage with, coordinate, and collaborate with other components of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense and the Federal Government to maximize efficiencies and promote whole-of-government solutions to protect the national security of the [United States](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-1).
- (d) **Definitions.—** In this section:
  - (1) The term “adversarial capital flow” means an investment by—
    - (A) the government of a country that is an adversary of the [United States](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-1); or
    - (B) an entity organized under the laws of, or otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of, such a country.
  - (2) The term “capital assistance” means a loan, loan guarantee, or technical assistance.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title IX, § 924(a), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 2039.)