Conduct and purchase defense-relevant research and development
Conduct basic, applied and advanced research and development internally, through military departments, by contract, or by agreement with another federal agency.
Contracts & purchases
ACQ-15 / Research, innovation and experimentation
Reinvest laboratory and test-organization funds in innovation, transition, people and minor infrastructure
Directors may use statutory 2–4% mechanisms for research, transition, workforce development and qualifying infrastructure; fixed customer surcharge up to 4% may support these purposes.
At a glance
Mission goalDevelop a technology
Possible toolACQ-15 · Other statutory tools
Legal basis10 U.S.C. §4123
Responsible rolesPlanning · funds · approval · execution
Authority holder: Secretary of Defense establishes mechanisms; directors exercise discretion in consultation with Service S&T executive
Other statutory tools
Mechanism tags describe the source text; they do not expand the authority.
Availability and verification
Express statutory pathway; award-specific appropriations, available balances, delegations, implementation and approvals not independently verified.
Requirements and limits
Eligibility & prerequisites
- 2–4% of available funds under established mechanisms.
- Infrastructure must meet §2805(d)/ §2811 applicable cost rules and pre-use congressional notification.
Limits & exclusions
- A flexible internal investment mechanism, not unlimited new MILCON authority or off-budget money.
Funding conditions
- Funds already available to lab/test organization; fees limited to 4% of performance costs.
Who contributes what
Need & planning
- Laboratory/test director and Service S&T executive
Resources
- Laboratory/test-organization available funds and authorized customer fees
Approval
- Director with Service S&T consultation; Secretary of Defense infrastructure notification
Office profile
Execution
- Laboratory/test organization and supporting fiscal/contracting staff
Partners & review
- Customer activities; other laboratories; congressional committees for infrastructure notice
Office links are editorial matches to the original role text, not verified delegations. Composite labels and unmatched actors are preserved.
Coordination pathway
Director sets portfolio → consults Service S&T executive → fiscal calculation and facilities review → required notice → execution.
Actor and execution-role sources
Legal basis
- 10 U.S.C. §4123Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative.
- P.L. 119-60, §212Extends laboratory mechanism to Major Range and Test Facility Base test organizations.
What this research establishes
Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.
RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.
Public fundingRules recordedThe record states funding rules and conditions; no program amount is attributed to this action.
Assigned rolesRoles recordedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent.
EngagementProgram-specificRecorded executing role: Laboratory/test organization and supporting fiscal/contracting staff. Use the responsible program’s process.
Confidence: High on express authority and cited conditions; execution assignment is illustrative unless statute expressly names it.
Currentness: GovInfo 2024 Code (includes FY2025 NDAA, P.L. 118-159) read in full for cited provision; targeted FY2026 NDAA P.L. 119-60 amendment/repeal sweep. No claim of complete legislative currency through 2026-10-02; remaining 2026 delta needs counsel validation.
Review scope: Original research target October 2, 2026; no record-specific last-review date supplied. Publication is not legal-currentness certification.