Prohibits the use of funds for the Navy's autonomy baseline manager or common control system for unmanned surface vessel programs unless specified conditions are met. Requires the Secretary of the Navy to submit to congressional defense committees the original and current schedule of key deliverables, cost estimates, test and experimentation reports, and a market assessment from the Defense Innovation Unit. Requires an assessment that program capabilities meet or exceed industry standards. Requires the Chief of Naval Operations to validate that the program meets the operational needs of the Navy to congressional defense committees.
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FY2026 NDAA, Section 233 ("Limitation on use of funds for certain navy software")
ETO AGORA · NDAA provisions · 2025
Summary
Prohibits the use of funds for the Navy's autonomy baseline manager or common control system for unmanned surface vessel programs unless specified conditions are met.
Requires the Secretary of the Navy to submit to congressional defense committees the original and current schedule of key deliverables, cost estimates, test and experimentation reports, and a market assessment from the Defense Innovation Unit.
Requires an assessment that program capabilities meet or exceed industry standards.
Requires the Chief of Naval Operations to validate that the program meets the operational needs of the Navy to congressional defense committees.
Restricts Navy funding for autonomy software unless reporting and validation requirements to Congress are met.
SEC. 233. LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR CERTAIN NAVY SOFTWARE. None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available may be obligated or expended to develop, procure, or operate the autonomy baseline manager or the common control system of the Navy for a proposed unmanned surface vessel program unless, with respect to that program-- (1) the Secretary of the Navy submits to the congressional defense committees-- (A) the original baseline schedule of key capability deliverables and the current schedule as of the date of submission; (B) the original cost estimate and the current cost estimate as of the date of submission, including the total funding received for the program; (C) all reports of test and experimentation events, including a comparison of performance to alternative industry capabilities; (D) the unaltered assessment of the Defense Innovation Unit on a market assessment of industry capabilities compared to the capabilities of the autonomy baseline manager and the common control system of the Navy; and (E) an assessment that the program is delivering new capabilities at a pace and quality that meets or exceeds industry capabilities; and (2) the Chief of Naval Operations validates to the congressional defense committees that the program meets operational user needs of the Navy.