Sec. 852 — Chief Acquisition Talent Officer

Statutory text

(a) In general. Subchapter I of chapter 87 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1702 the following new sections:1703.Chief Acquisition Talent Officer of the Department of Defense

(a) In general. There is a Chief Acquisition Talent Officer of the Department of Defense, who shall be appointed by the Secretary of Defense and shall report to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.

(b) Appointment authorities. The Secretary of Defense may appoint the Chief Acquisition Talent Officer of the Department of Defense as—(1)a member of the Senior Executive Service; or(2)a highly qualified expert under section 9903 of title 5, or other applicable authority.

(c) Qualifications

(1) In general. The Chief Acquisition Talent Officer of the Department of Defense shall possess substantial experience in strategic talent management, workforce development, or organizational leadership in large public or private sector organizations.

(2) Exclusivity. An individual serving as the Chief Acquisition Talent Officer of the Department of Defense may not hold or occupy another position in the Department of Defense.

(d) Responsibilities

(1) In general. The Chief Acquisition Talent Officer of the Department of Defense shall support the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment in carrying out the responsibilities of the Under Secretary with respect to the acquisition workforce under section 1702 of this title through Department of Defense-wide strategy, planning, education, training, and management of the acquisition workforce.

(2) Specific duties. In carrying out the responsibilities under paragraph (1), the Chief Acquisition Talent Officer of the Department of Defense shall—(A)serve as the principal staff assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment on matters relating to acquisition workforce talent management;(B)engage with the service acquisition executives, portfolio acquisition executives, and other appropriate officials of the Department of Defense to provide support and assistance with the responsibilities of such officials related to the planning, development, and management of the acquisition workforce that are required to execute acquisition programs and portfolios;(C)use the Department-wide acquisition workforce data analytics capability established under section 1701a

(b) (12) of this title to assess the capacity of the acquisition workforce, identify gaps in the capabilities of the acquisition workforce, forecast the needs of the acquisition workforce, and evaluate the effectiveness of acquisition workforce development initiatives and investments;(D)develop and maintain a Department of Defense-wide acquisition workforce strategy to ensure that the acquisition workforce has the capacity, capabilities, and competencies necessary to achieve the objectives of the defense acquisition system under section 3102 of this title;(E)enable the successful implementation of the acquisition workforce strategy required by subparagraph (D) by—(i)assisting the Secretary of Defense in establishing policies and procedures for the effective management of the acquisition workforce in accordance with section 1701 of this title;(ii)establishing Department-wide acquisition workforce planning processes; and(iii)developing and implementing talent management initiatives for the acquisition workforce;(F)coordinate with the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and the Secretaries of the military departments to enable the alignment of—(i)specific education and training for members of the acquisition workforce who are members of the armed forces with general education and training requirements, including professional military education requirements for members of the armed forces; and(ii)specific assignment and career development policies related to the civilian members of the acquisition workforce and the members of the acquisition workforce who are members of the armed forces;(G)require the activities and curriculum of the Defense Acquisition University and, as appropriate, other education and training providers supporting the acquisition workforce, to—(i)align with the objectives of the defense acquisition system established pursuant to section 3102 of this title;(ii)promote continuous learning and technical skills improvement across the acquisition workforce; and(iii)support and enable the successful implementation of the acquisition workforce strategy required by subparagraph (D);(H)support the integration of key performance objectives for the acquisition workforce, established under section 1722b(d) of this title, into the training, certification, career development, and performance management systems of the Department for the acquisition workforce;(I)assist the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment in executing programs related to the talent management initiatives of the acquisition workforce, including the Defense Civilian Training Corps authorized under section 2200g of this title, and ensure that such programs are appropriately integrated into Department-wide acquisition workforce planning;(J)promote and facilitate the use of the authorities under section 1599g of this title and other mechanisms to strengthen the acquisition workforce through exchanges with the private sector;(K)frequently conduct assessments of the capacity, capability, and performance of the acquisition workforce and develop and submit to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment recommendations for Department-wide acquisition workforce investments under the Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Account established under section 1705 of this title; and(L)convene, not less frequently than semiannually, the service acquisition executives, Service Chief Acquisition Talent Officers, Component Acquisition Executives (as defined in section 1703a(d) of this title), and such other officers of the Department as determined appropriat