Joint United States–Taiwan research, development, test, and evaluation program

(a) In general The Secretary, in coordination with the Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency and in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall seek to carry out with Taiwan a joint research, development, test, and evaluation program (in this section referred to as the “Program”) to accelerate the development and transition of unmanned aircraft systems and counter-UAS systems. (b) Program activities In carrying out the Program, the Secretary may, with respect to unmanned aircraft systems and counter-UAS systems— (1) research, develop, test, and evaluate such systems, and related enabling technologies, jointly with Taiwan, including by prototyping; (2) fund the development of critical components of such systems, including sensors, autonomy software, control systems, communications modules, and propulsion technologies; (3) test, evaluate, and experiment with respect to such systems in relevant operational environments jointly with Taiwan; (4) integrate systems developed under the Program into exercises, demonstrations, and operational use; and (5) transition systems and technologies developed under the Program to production using available authorities. (c) Priorities In carrying out the Program, the Secretary shall prioritize systems and technologies that— (1) address capability gaps identified by the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command; (2) demonstrate the capability to transition to production and operational use within 24 to 36 months; and (3) support interoperability and integration with respect to the United States Armed Forces and the military forces of Taiwan. (d) Coordination The Secretary shall ensure that activities under the Program— (1) are coordinated with the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command; (2) leverage contributions from Taiwan, including financial and in-kind support; and (3) align with existing security cooperation and technology development programs. (e) Report required Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 5 years, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report that— (1) identifies activities funded under the Program and the funding levels of such activities; (2) evaluates progress toward testing, production, or operational use of systems developed under the Program; (3) describes contributions to the Program from Taiwan, including financial and in-kind support; (4) evaluates alignment of the Program with operational requirements of the United States Indo-Pacific Command; and (5) identifies barriers to transitioning systems and technologies developed under the Program and provides recommendations to address such barriers. (f) Definitions In this section: (1) Counter-UAS system; unmanned aircraft system The terms counter-UAS system and unmanned aircraft system have the meanings given such terms in section 44801 of title 49, United States Code. (2) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.