§ 4271 — Program Cost, Fielding, And Performance Goals In Planning Major Defense Acquisition Programs

(1) Before funds are obligated for technology development, systems development, or production of a major defense acquisition program, the designated milestone decision authority for the program shall ensure, by establishing the goals described in paragraph (2), that the program will— (A) be affordable; (B) incorporate program planning that anticipates the evolution of capabilities to meet changing threats, technology insertion, and interoperability; and (C) be fielded when needed. (2) The goals described in this paragraph are goals for— (A) the procurement unit cost and sustainment cost (referred to in this section as the “program cost targets”); (B) the date for initial operational capability (referred to in this section as the “fielding target”); and (C) technology maturation, prototyping, and a modular open system approach to evolve system capabilities and improve interoperability. (b) In this section: (1) The term “procurement unit cost” has the meaning provided in section 4351(a)(2) of this title. (2) The term “initial capabilities document” has the meaning provided in section 4251(d)(1) of this title.