§4128 — Title 10 Armed Forces | U.S. Code

§4128 Laboratory Quality Enhancement Program

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle A— General Military Law › Part V— ACQUISITION › Subpart E— Research and Engineering › Chapter 303— RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING ACTIVITIES › Subchapter III— RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTERS AND FACILITIES › § 4128

Last updated Apr 18, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of Defense, through the Under Secretary for Research and Engineering, must run a program called the Laboratory Quality Enhancement Program. The program creates four panels on personnel and workforce, facilities and equipment, research strategy and partnerships, and governance and oversight. The panels must review policies and practices to make the labs work better, look at new lab initiatives and legal interpretations that help lab directors manage, help put changes into place, and study how well the lab authorities are working using data. The first three panels can include experts from Army, Navy, and Air Force labs, Defense Agencies, the Under Secretary’s office, and others the Secretary picks. The governance panel must include at least one person from each designated reinvention lab plus others the Secretary chooses. Each panel selects its own chair. Panels coordinate with the Under Secretary and send findings to the Department’s Science and Technology Executive Committee when needed. The Under Secretary must write rules about how laws apply to these labs, try to give lab directors maximum flexibility, consult the military department secretaries and others, and ask the governance panel for recommendations. A “science and technology reinvention laboratory” means a DoD lab given that label under section 4121.

Title 10, §4128

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall carry out a program under which the Secretary shall establish the panels described in subsection (b) and direct such panels—

(A)to review and make recommendations to the Secretary with respect to—

(i)existing policies and practices affecting the science and technology reinvention laboratories to improve the mission effectiveness of such laboratories;

(ii)new initiatives proposed by the science and technology reinvention laboratories; and

(iii)new interpretations of existing provisions of law that would enhance the ability of a director of a science and technology reinvention laboratory to manage the laboratory and discharge the mission of the laboratory;

(B)to support implementation of current and future initiatives affecting the science and technology reinvention laboratories; and

(C)to conduct assessments or data analysis on the effectiveness of the authorities granted to the science and technology reinvention laboratories and such other issues as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

(2)The program carried out pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be known as the “Laboratory Quality Enhancement Program”.

(b)The panels described in this subsection are the following:

(1)A panel on personnel, workforce development, and talent management.

(2)A panel on facilities, equipment, and infrastructure.

(3)A panel on research strategy, technology transfer, and industry and university partnerships.

(4)A panel on governance and oversight processes.

(c)(1)Each panel described in paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection (b) may be composed of subject matter and technical management experts from—

(A)laboratories and research centers of the Army, Navy, and Air Force;

(B)appropriate Defense Agencies;

(C)the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; and

(D)such other entities as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

(2)The panel described in subsection (b)(4) shall be composed of—

(A)at least one member from each of the science and technology reinvention laboratories; and

(B)such other members as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

(d)(1)The chairperson of each panel established pursuant to subsection (a) shall be selected by the members of the respective panel.

(2)Each panel, in coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall transmit to the Science and Technology Executive Committee of the Department of Defense such information or findings on topics requiring decision or approval as the panel considers appropriate.

(e)(1)The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, acting under the guidance of the Secretary, shall issue regulations regarding the meaning, scope, implementation, and applicability of any provision of a statute relating to a science and technology reinvention laboratory.

(2)In interpreting or defining under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall, to the degree practicable, emphasize providing the maximum operational flexibility to the directors of the science and technology reinvention laboratories to discharge the missions of their laboratories.

(3)In interpreting or defining under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, consult and coordinate with the secretaries of the military departments and such other agencies or entities as the Under Secretary considers relevant on any proposed revision to regulations under paragraph (1).

(4)In interpreting or defining under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall seek recommendations from the panel described in subsection (b)(4).

(f)In this section, the term “science and technology reinvention laboratory” means a Department of Defense laboratory designated as a Department of Defense science and technology reinvention laboratory under section 4121 of this title.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Another section 4128 was renumbered section 4129 of this title.

Prior Provisions

Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title II, § 211, Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2046, as amended by Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title II, § 218(a), (b)(1), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1329, 1330; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, § 215(d)(6), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1594, which was set out in a note preceding section 4121 of this title, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title II, § 217(b), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 1827.