EconDefense
ACQ-27 / Workforce and expertise

Offer enhanced pay for critical laboratory technology positions

Set elevated basic pay for narrowly defined high-end STRL research/technology and acquisition experts to recruit or retain exceptional personnel.

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At a glance

Possible toolACQ-27 · Other statutory tools
Legal basis10 U.S.C. §4094

Authority holder: Secretary of Defense program; Service acquisition executive or military-department Secretary approves applicable pay

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

  • Extremely high expertise and critical research/technology mission; use only to recruit/retain exceptionally qualified person.

Limits & exclusions

  • Normally not more than 5 positions per military department, with statutory allocation-transfer option.
  • Position term less than 5 years.

Funding conditions

  • Available personnel appropriations; service approval of program and compensation.

Read the funding and execution guide

Who contributes what

Need & planning

  • Laboratory director

Resources

  • Military-department/laboratory personnel budget

Approval

  • Service acquisition executive; Service Secretary for pay above 150% of Executive Schedule Level I

Execution

  • Laboratory HR/appointing officials

Partners & review

  • USD(R&E) for approved transfer of allocations among Services
    Office profile

Office links are editorial matches to the original role text, not verified delegations. Composite labels and unmatched actors are preserved.

Coordination pathway

Lab critical-role case → Service acquisition executive approval → Secretary if pay threshold exceeded → funded appointment.

Actor and execution-role sources

Legal basis

  • 10 U.S.C. §4094Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative.

What this research establishes

Legal powerSource and conditions recorded
EligibilityProject-specific check needed
Available fundsBalances not verified
DelegationValid signature authority must be checked
ExecutionOffice capacity and approvals must be checked

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.

Research target: October 2, 2026. A record-specific last-review date is not supplied. Publication date is not legal-currentness certification.

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