Title 10Armed ForcesRelease 119-73

§5511 Ballistic missile defense programs: program elements

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle A— - General Military Law › Part PART VI— - ELEMENTS OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND OTHER MATTERS › Subpart Subpart A— - Elements › Chapter CHAPTER 551— - MISSILE DEFENSE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - BUDGET AND ACQUISITION MATTERS › § 5511

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

When the President sends the budget to Congress, the Department of Defense must show the Missile Defense Agency’s requested dollars organized under the program elements the President chooses. The Secretary of Defense must give each ballistic missile defense program its own, separate program element once it reaches engineering and manufacturing development — the stage where designs are finalized, production is proven, and systems are tested. Each program element’s budget request must also include money for managing and supporting the programs, projects, and activities inside that element.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §5511

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In the budget justification materials submitted to Congress in support of the Department of Defense budget for any fiscal year (as submitted with the budget of the President under section 1105(a) of title 31), the amount requested for activities of the Missile Defense Agency shall be set forth in accordance with such program elements as the President may specify.
(b)(1)The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that each ballistic missile defense program that enters engineering and manufacturing development is assigned a separate, dedicated program element.
(2)In this subsection, the term “engineering and manufacturing development” means the period in the course of an acquisition program during which the primary objectives are to—
(A)translate the most promising design approach into a stable, interoperable, producible, supportable, and cost-effective design;
(B)validate the manufacturing or production process; and
(C)demonstrate system capabilities through testing.
(c)The amount requested for a fiscal year for any program element specified for that fiscal year pursuant to subsection (a) shall include requests for the amounts necessary for the management and support of the programs, projects, and activities contained in that program element.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in section 223 of this title prior to repeal by Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title XVI, § 1649(b)(1), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 2199.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Budget and Acquisition Requirements for Missile Defense Agency Activities Pub. L. 110–181, div. A, title II, § 223, Jan. 28, 2008, 122 Stat. 39, as amended by Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title II, § 231(b)(2), Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1339, provided that: “(a) Revised Budget Structure.—The budget justification materials submitted to Congress in support of the Department of Defense budget for any fiscal year after fiscal year 2009 (as submitted with the budget of the President under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code) shall set forth separately amounts requested for the Missile Defense Agency for each of the following:“(1) Research, development, test, and evaluation. “(2) Procurement. “(3) Operation and maintenance. “(4) Military

Construction

. “(b) Revised Budget Structure for Fiscal Year 2009.—The budget justification materials submitted to Congress in support of the Department of Defense budget for fiscal year 2009 (as submitted with the budget of the President under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code) shall—“(1) identify all known and estimated operation and support costs; and “(2) set forth separately amounts requested for the Missile Defense Agency for each of the following:“(A) Research, development, test, and evaluation. “(B) Procurement or advance procurement of long lead items, including for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense firing units 3 and 4, and for Standard Missile-3 Block 1A interceptors. “(C) Military

Construction

. “(c) Availability of RDT&E Funds for Fiscal Year 2009.—Upon approval by the Secretary of Defense, and consistent with the plan submitted under subsection (f), funds appropriated pursuant to an authorization of appropriations or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2009 for research, development, test, and evaluation for the Missile Defense Agency—“(1) may be used for the fielding of ballistic missile defense capabilities approved previously by Congress; and “(2) may not be used for—“(A) military

Construction

activities; or “(B) procurement or advance procurement of long lead items, including for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense firing units 3 and 4, and for Standard Missile-3 Block 1A interceptors. “(d) Full Funding Requirement Not Applicable to Use of Procurement Funds for Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010.—In any case in which funds appropriated pursuant to an authorization of appropriations or otherwise made available for procurement for the Missile Defense Agency for fiscal years 2009 and 2010 are used for the fielding of ballistic missile defense capabilities, the funds may be used for the fielding of those capabilities on an ‘incremental’ basis, notwithstanding any law or policy of the Department of Defense that would otherwise require a ‘full funding’ basis. “(e) Relationship to Other Law.—Nothing in this provision shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect in any way the applicability of the requirements and other provisions of section 234(a) through (d) of the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 (Public Law 108–375; 118 Stat. 1837; [former] 10 U.S.C. 2431 note). “(f) Plan Required.—Not later than March 1, 2008, the Director of the Missile Defense Agency shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives a plan for transitioning the Missile Defense Agency from using exclusively research, development, test, and evaluation funds to using procurement, military

Construction

, operations and maintenance, and research, development, test, and evaluation funds for the appropriate budget activities, and for transitioning from incremental funding to full funding for fiscal years after fiscal year 2010.” References to New Name for Ballistic Missile Defense Organization Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title II, § 225(a), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2486, provided that: “Any reference to the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization in any provision of law, regulation, map, document, record, or other paper of the United States shall be considered to be a reference to the Missile Defense Agency.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 5511

Title 10Armed Forces

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73