HR5186-119

What This Bill Does

This bill authorizes the Defense Secretary, with the military departments and relevant Defense Agencies, to create a biotechnology supply chain resiliency program. The program may develop, scale, and transition biotechnology research from military service laboratories into defense-relevant chemicals, materials, fuels, and other products that improve supply-chain resilience, sustainability, and responsiveness. Authorized activities include DOD supply-chain vulnerability assessments; applied research, experimentation, advanced development, rapid prototyping, and transition in bioindustrials and biomanufacturing; biologically derived materials that reduce foreign supply-chain reliance; physical and digital infrastructure upgrades or construction for labs and partners; contracts, cooperative agreements, grants, and other transactions with federal and non-federal entities; education, training, and workforce development; alignment with national bioindustrial strategies; next-generation feedstocks; performance metrics; construction-grade bio-cement, deployable infrastructure components, protective coatings, biological composites, and manufacturing cost-efficiency. If the program starts, DOD must submit an appropriations allocation plan within 90 days, annual reports after one year, and the authority terminates after 10 years unless the President determines continuation is needed for national economic or security needs and notifies Congress.

Who Benefits and How

Military service laboratories benefit because the program can fund applied biotechnology research, prototyping, testing, and transition work. Defense biotechnology companies benefit from contracts, cooperative agreements, grants, and other transactions for defense-relevant biomanufacturing. Academic biotechnology researchers benefit from partnership opportunities tied to bioindustrial research and workforce development. Armed Forces logistics planners benefit if field-enabled manufacturing, bio-cement, protective coatings, and biological composites reduce fragile foreign supply-chain dependence.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Defense Department program managers must assess vulnerabilities, coordinate across military departments, manage partnerships, track metrics, and report annually. Military department laboratory directors must align research and infrastructure investments with program priorities. Congressional armed services committees must review the 90-day allocation plan and annual classified or unclassified reports. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of infrastructure modernization, grants, contracts, prototypes, and workforce initiatives.

Key Provisions

• Authorizes a Defense biotechnology supply chain resiliency program for research, prototyping, infrastructure, and transition.
• Allows contracts, cooperative agreements, grants, and other transactions with federal, commercial, academic, and research partners.
• Requires a 90-day appropriations allocation plan after program commencement.
• Requires annual reports on research, partnerships, infrastructure, metrics, challenges, and needed authorities.
• Provides a ten-year sunset with presidential continuation authority for national economic or security needs.