June 6, 2025
Mr. Fallon (for himself and Mr. Vindman) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services
To authorize the Secretary of Defense to procure software and data as a service to support the development of artificial intelligence systems, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Flexible Acquisition of Software Technology Act
or the FAST Act
.
Sec. 2. Procurement of software and data as a service to support artificial intelligence systems
(a) Authorization
For purposes of supporting the development and implementation of artificial intelligence systems to meet the operational needs of the Department of Defense, the Secretary of Defense may—
(1)
procure software as a service or software as a product;
(2)
procure data as a service or data as a supply;
(3)
modify software to support such systems; and
(4)
research, develop, test, and evaluate such software.
(b) Funding
The Secretary of Defense may carry out subsection (a) using amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the Secretary for any purpose.
(c) Regulations
The Secretary of Defense shall issue or modify regulations as necessary to implement this section, which shall include regulations—
(1)
to govern the procurement and modification of software and data for artificial intelligence systems under subsection (a); and
(2)
to provide for the oversight of such procurements and modifications.
(d) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Artificial intelligence system
The term artificial intelligence system means a system that is capable of performing tasks that normally require human-like cognition, including learning, decision-making, and problem-solving.
(2) Data as a service
The term data as a service means a data delivery model in which data is provided on a subscription basis and is accessed remotely over the internet.
(3) Data as a supply
The term data as a supply means a data delivery model in which data is acquired on a nonsubscription basis and retained locally rather than accessed remotely over the internet.
(4) Software
The term software has the meaning given the term computer software in part 2.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (or any successor regulation) and includes noncommercial, commercial, and commercial off-the-shelf software.
(5) Software as a service
The term software as a service means a software delivery model in which software is provided on a subscription basis and is accessed remotely over the internet.