Enhancement of defense supply chain resilience and secondary source qualification

Section 865 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159; 10 U.S.C. 4811 note) is amended— (1) in subsection (b)— (A) in paragraph (2), by striking; and and inserting a semicolon; (B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new paragraph: (3) produce all critical readiness parts and systems, including those identified as having sole-source dependencies, excessive lead times, unreasonable pricing, or other supply chain deficiencies; and; (2) in subsection (d)— (A) in paragraph (7), by striking; and and inserting a semicolon; (B) in paragraph (8), by striking the period at the end and inserting; and; and (C) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (9) the Department of Defense avoids duplication of review processes for the approval of aircraft parts and components and repairs that have already been approved by a civil aviation authority under a Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) or Designated Engineering Representative (DER) spare or repair certification and approval processes unless a written justification is approved by the commander of a systems command of a military service and reported to the congressional defense committees.; (3) by redesignating subsections (f) through (j) as subsections (g) through (k), respectively; (4) by inserting after subsection (e) insert the following new subsection: (f) Expedited qualification panels Each military department shall establish an Expedited Qualification Panel (EQP). The EQP shall develop standardized templates for Source Approval Requests (SARs) and review expedited SARs or PMAs within 14 days, issuing conditional approvals (valid for 12 months) or full approvals based on tiered risk criteria, and leverage designated engineering representatives or equivalent third-party certified engineers when appropriate.; and (5) by adding at the end the following new subsection: (l) Definitions In this section: (1) The term critical readiness parts and systems has the meaning given the term in section 4324 of title 10, United States Code. (2) The term non-safety critical items, or non-mission critical items includes the following items: (A) Major risk parts or systems whose failure causes structural damage or significant mission degradation and requires finite element modeling, fracture analysis, comparison to similar parts, or similar methods. (B) Minor risk parts and systems that only have form, fit, and function requirements verified by dimensional coordinate measuring machines, go/no-go gauges, or similar methods. (C) Low risk parts and systems that are consumable or non-critical, requiring material certification, visual inspections, or similar methods. (3) The term safety critical items or mission critical items means parts or systems whose failure causes loss of control, catastrophic failure, or loss of life, and require full qualification, simulation, and physical testing with Engineering Support Activity witnessing..

Section 865 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118–159; 10 U.S.C. 4811 note) is amended— (1) in subsection (b)— (A) in paragraph (2), by striking; and and inserting a semicolon; (B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new paragraph: (3) produce all critical readiness parts and systems, including those identified as having sole-source dependencies, excessive lead times, unreasonable pricing, or other supply chain deficiencies; and; (2) in subsection (d)— (A) in paragraph (7), by striking; and and inserting a semicolon; (B) in paragraph (8), by striking the period at the end and inserting; and; and (C) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (9) the Department of Defense avoids duplication of review processes for the approval of aircraft parts and components and repairs that have already been approved by a civil aviation authority under a Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) or Designated Engineering Representative (DER) spare or repair certification and approval processes unless a written justification is approved by the commander of a systems command of a military service and reported to the congressional defense committees.; (3) by redesignating subsections (f) through (j) as subsections (g) through (k), respectively; (4) by inserting after subsection (e) insert the following new subsection: (f) Expedited qualification panels Each military department shall establish an Expedited Qualification Panel (EQP). The EQP shall develop standardized templates for Source Approval Requests (SARs) and review expedited SARs or PMAs within 14 days, issuing conditional approvals (valid for 12 months) or full approvals based on tiered risk criteria, and leverage designated engineering representatives or equivalent third-party certified engineers when appropriate.; and (5) by adding at the end the following new subsection: (l) Definitions In this section: (1) The term critical readiness parts and systems has the meaning given the term in section 4324 of title 10, United States Code. (2) The term non-safety critical items, or non-mission critical items includes the following items: (A) Major risk parts or systems whose failure causes structural damage or significant mission degradation and requires finite element modeling, fracture analysis, comparison to similar parts, or similar methods. (B) Minor risk parts and systems that only have form, fit, and function requirements verified by dimensional coordinate measuring machines, go/no-go gauges, or similar methods. (C) Low risk parts and systems that are consumable or non-critical, requiring material certification, visual inspections, or similar methods. (3) The term safety critical items or mission critical items means parts or systems whose failure causes loss of control, catastrophic failure, or loss of life, and require full qualification, simulation, and physical testing with Engineering Support Activity witnessing..