Modification to authorities of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering

Section 133a(b) of title 10, United States Code, is amended— (1) in paragraph (2), by striking and at the end; (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs: (4) having the authority to direct the Secretaries of the military departments and the heads of other elements of the Department with regard to matters for which the Under Secretary has responsibility; and (5) conducting developmental prototyping, designing and executing experiments of prototypes in the field to demonstrate operational relevance to address joint force capability gaps, and encouraging and supporting the rapid transition of technology from the research and development phase into operational use within the Department..