(a) In General.—With respect to a major defense acquisition program, the Secretary of Defense shall conduct or approve independent technical risk assessments before any decision to grant Milestone B approval for the program pursuant to section 4252 of this title, any decision to enter into low-rate initial production or full-rate production, or at any other time considered appropriate by the Secretary, that includes the identification of any critical technologies or manufacturing processes that have not been successfully demonstrated in a relevant environment.

(b) Guidance.—The Secretary shall issue guidance and a framework for the conduct, execution, and approval of independent technical risk assessments.

(Added Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title VIII, §807(a)(1), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2261, §2448b; amended Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title IX, §902(73), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1552; renumbered §4272 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §1847(e)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4256; Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title VIII, §806(b)(1), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 1974.)