“To establish biotechnology workforce training programs for Department of Defense personnel, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section requires the Secretary of Defense, not later than one year after enactment, to establish and carry out an annual training program on biotechnology and other critical and emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, quantum computing) for members of the covered Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force), civilian employees, and contractors whose duties include creating or deploying novel biotechnologies, analyzing or responding to biological threats, or planning, research and development, engineering, testing and evaluation, quality control, procurement, logistics, or cost estimating for biotechnology systems. The program must cover, at a minimum, biotechnology fundamentals and applications in defense and other sectors; integration with other technologies; federal support mechanisms and benefits; ethical, social, and legal aspects; risk mitigation; and future trends, with customized, interactive content from private, public, and nonprofit experts delivered through institutions such as the National Defense University and updated annually with continuing education and refresher training. The Secretary must consult department leadership to identify personnel and skills, measure participation and feedback, and submit to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, not later than six months after enactment, a plan for the program, which sunsets five years after establishment.