A resolution recognizing the contributions of defense laboratories to the technological dominance of the United States Armed Forces and supporting the designation of April 25, 2019, as "Department of Defense Laboratory Day 2019".

III 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 160 Recognizing the contributions of defense laboratories to the technological dominance of the United States Armed Forces and supporting the des- ignation of April 25, 2019, as ‘‘Department of Defense Laboratory Day 2019’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 11, 2019 Mr. JONES (for himself, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. REED, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. WICKER, Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, Mr. PETERS, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. BROWN, and Mr. SULLIVAN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services MAY 2, 2019 Committee discharged; considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Recognizing the contributions of defense laboratories to the technological dominance of the United States Armed Forces and supporting the designation of April 25, 2019, as ‘‘Department of Defense Laboratory Day 2019’’. Whereas the national network of laboratories, research and development centers, and engineering centers that are owned and funded by the Department of Defense (re- ferred to in this preamble as the ‘‘defense laboratories’’) should be commended as reservoirs of technical talent available to support— (1) immediate, tactical military innovation; and VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:08 May 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR160.ATS SR160 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 2 SRES 160 ATS (2) foundational research, science, and engineering to address long-term challenges; Whereas the national security innovation emanating from the defense laboratories will be predicated on— (1) a sufficient pipeline of trained and experienced scientists and engineers eligible for a security clearance; and (2) the facilities, infrastructure, instrumentation, and support capabilities needed— (A) to attract and retain those scientists and engineers; and (B) to bolster the activities of those scientists and engineers to meet the technology problems of the Department of Defense; Whereas research and development supported by the Depart- ment of Defense has— (1) led to new products and processes for state-of- the-art Armed Forces weapons and technology; and (2) technically informed new approaches and con- cepts of operation that will be needed to keep the Armed Forces ahead of future adversaries of the United States; Whereas defense laboratories— (1) are critical elements of the innovation ecosystem; and (2) compose indispensable elements in the tech- nology transfer community when leveraged with partners in— (A) State and local governments; (B) regional organizations; (C) academia; and (D) nonprofit research institutions; VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:08 May 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR160.ATS SR160 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 3 SRES 160 ATS Whereas defense laboratories have earned prestigious national and international awards for research and technology transfer efforts, providing a foundation of technological leadership for— (1) the Armed Forces; and (2) the United States; Whereas the innovations that are produced at defense labora- tories fuel economic growth by creating new industries, companies, and jobs; and Whereas April 25, 2019, is an appropriate day to designate as ‘‘Department of Defense Laboratory Day 2019’’: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) supports the designation of April 25, 2019, 2 as ‘‘Department of Defense Laboratory Day 2019’’ 3 in celebration of all of the work and accomplish- 4 ments of the national network of laboratories, re- 5 search and development centers, and engineering 6 centers that are owned and funded by the Depart- 7 ment of Defense (referred to in this resolution as the 8 ‘‘defense laboratories’’); 9 (2) recognizes that a key to maintaining the in- 10 novation and competitiveness of the United States in 11 a global economy is to continue to support federally 12 sponsored research and development; 13 (3) acknowledges that the knowledge base, tech- 14 nologies, and techniques generated in the national 15 network of defense laboratories serve as a founda- 16 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:08 May 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR160.ATS SR160 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 4 SRES 160 ATS tion for additional efforts relating to the Armed 1 Forces in the defense industrial base; 2 (4) commits to find ways to increase investment 3 in the national network of defense laboratories in 4 order to increase support of— 5 (A) federally sponsored research and devel- 6 opment; 7 (B) critical scientific, technical, engineer- 8 ing, and mathematics (referred to in this reso- 9 lution as ‘‘STEM’’) personnel; 10 (C) STEM development activities; and 11 (D) necessary supporting infrastructure 12 and facilities; 13 (5) encourages defense laboratories, Federal 14 agencies, and Congress to hold an outreach event on 15 April 25, 2019, ‘‘Department of Defense Laboratory 16 Day 2019’’, to make the public more aware of the 17 important contributions that defense laboratories 18 make to national defense and economic prosperity; 19 and 20 (6) recognizes the outstanding dedication, quali- 21 fications, service, and accomplishments of the sci- 22 entists, engineers, technicians, and support staff of 23 the defense laboratories. 24 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:08 May 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR160.ATS SR160 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS