Wire
Pentagon ranges get a subscription funding pilot
The test would run for two years and start within 270 days, with at least two cyber-physical ranges and one state National Guard site in the mix. Defense officials would study whether recurring fees make access and upkeep easier to plan.
Military test ranges could get a subscription-style funding experiment in Washington. The idea is to see whether recurring payments can buy access to range capabilities, infrastructure, services, data management and related support, instead of relying only on the usual reimbursable or direct-user payments.
The pilot would be run by the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering through the Test Resource Management Center. It would have to begin within 270 days after enactment and run for two years.
A different ledger
The pilot is meant to test more than accounting. Defense officials would have to examine whether the model improves funding predictability, resource use, infrastructure availability, mission readiness, scheduling, access and interoperability, while still supporting developmental testing, operational testing, training, experimentation and rapid prototyping.
The test would need at least two cyber-physical test and training ranges, and one of them would have to be operated by, or under the authority of, a state National Guard. That requirement matters because the pilot is not just about one flagship range, but about whether a broader mix of facilities can be financed and used differently.