July 31, 2025
Mr. Rounds introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services
To require a Defense Science Board study on optimal organizational structure for digital solutions.
Section 1. Defense Science Board study on optimal organizational structure for digital engineering solutions
(a) Study required
The Secretary of Defense shall direct the Defense Science Board to conduct a comprehensive study to evaluate and recommend the most optimal organizational structure within the Office of the Secretary of Defense to support digital solutions engineering activities across the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the military departments.
(b) Elements
The study required under subsection (a) shall include the following elements:
(1)
An assessment of existing organizational structures and organizations supporting digital solutions engineering across the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the military departments, including—
(A)
current responsibilities, requirements, and deliverables of service-based software delivery organizations;
(B)
responsibilities or authorities imposed by statutory requirements;
(C)
limitations based on current enterprise data management platforms;
(D)
effectiveness and efficiency of current approaches;
(E)
optimization of resource allocation and utilization processes; and
(F)
integration challenges and opportunities with Department-wide digital initiatives.
(2)
An evaluation of potential organizational courses of action for supporting digital solutions engineering within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, including—
(A)
establishment of a new defense agency or Department of Defense field activity;
(B)
integration into an existing defense agency or Department of Defense field activity;
(C)
consolidation of digital development functions within existing Office of the Secretary of Defense staff organizations;
(D)
optimization of current organizational structures and authorities;
(E)
hybrid approaches combining elements of the options described in subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D); and
(F)
any other organizational structures deemed appropriate by the Defense Science Board.
(3)
Recommendations on the selection of the optimal organizational structure, including—
(A)
analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each course of action evaluated under paragraph (2);
(B)
assessment of capability requirements and gaps;
(C)
evaluation of cost-effectiveness and resource implications;
(D)
application of lessons from similar industry or academic entities performing similar work;
(E)
consideration of governance and execution framework requirements;
(F)
assessment of the implementation of and execution of governance structures, including artificial intelligence model management;
(G)
coordination mechanisms with existing Department components and combatant commands;
(H)
recommendations for unique hiring authorities to support digital solutions engineering workforce requirements; and
(I)
recommendations for unique acquisition authorities to support rapid digital solutions engineering and deployment.
(4)
Transition recommendations for implementing the selected organizational structure, including—
(A)
detailed implementation timeline and milestones;
(B)
organizational and personnel changes required;
(C)
resource requirements and funding mechanisms;
(D)
legislative or regulatory changes needed;
(E)
risk assessment and mitigation strategies; and
(F)
metrics for evaluating implementation success.
(c) Report
(1) Transmittal to Secretary
Not later than February 1, 2027, the Board shall transmit to the Secretary of Defense a final report on the study conducted pursuant to subsection (a).
(2) Transmittal to Congress
Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary receives the final report under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit the report to the congressional defense committees, together with such comments as the Secretary considers appropriate.
(d) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Congressional defense committees
The term congressional defense committees has the meaning given the term in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code.
(2) Digital solutions engineering
The term digital solutions engineering means the development, deployment, and sustainment of artificial intelligence systems, software applications, data engineering solutions, data analytics platforms, and other digital technologies for operational and business purposes within the Department of Defense.
(3) Software delivery organizations
The term software delivery organizations means organizational units within the military services dedicated to the rapid development, deployment, and sustainment of software applications and digital solutions.