The Secretary of Defense may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided in subsection (b) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering for such laboratories of the military departments as the Secretary shall designate for purposes of the program for research and development projects of such laboratories.

(1) Laboratories of the military departments.— The Secretary of Defense may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided in subsection (b) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering for such laboratories of the military departments as the Secretary shall designate for purposes of the program for research and development projects of such laboratories.

(2) DARPA.— The Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided in subsection (b) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering for research and development projects and to enhance the administration and management of the Agency.

(3) DOTE.— The Director of the Office of Operational Test and Evaluation may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided in subsection (b) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering to support operational test and evaluation missions of the Office.

(4) Strategic capabilities office.— The Director of the Strategic Capabilities Office may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided in subsection (b) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering for the Office.

(5) Diux.— The Director of the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided in subsection (b) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering for the Unit.

Under a program under subsection (a), the official responsible for administration of the program may—

without regard to any provision of title 5 governing the appointment of employees in the civil service—

(A) in the case of the laboratories of the military departments designated pursuant to subsection (a)(1), appoint scientists and engineers to a total of not more than 40 scientific and engineering positions in such laboratories;

(B) in the case of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, appoint individuals to a total of not more than 100 positions in the Agency, of which not more than 5 such positions may be positions of administration or management of the Agency;

(C) in the case of the Office of Operational Test and Evaluation, appoint scientists and engineers to a total of not more than 10 scientific and engineering positions in the Office;

(D) in the case of the Strategic Capabilities Office, appoint scientists and engineers to a total of not more than 5 scientific and engineering positions in the Office; and

(E) in the case of the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental, appoint scientists and engineers to a total of not more than 5 scientific and engineering positions in the Unit;

notwithstanding any provision of title 5 governing the rates of pay or classification of employees in the executive branch, prescribe the rates of basic pay for positions to which employees are appointed under paragraph (1)—

(A) in the case of employees appointed pursuant to paragraph (1)(B) to any of 5 positions designated by the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for purposes of this subparagraph, at rates not in excess of a rate equal to 150 percent of the maximum rate of basic pay authorized for positions at Level I of the Executive Schedule under section 5312 of title 5; and

(B) in the case of any other employee appointed pursuant to paragraph (1), at rates not in excess of the maximum rate of basic pay authorized for senior-level positions under section 5376 of title 5; and

(3) pay any employee appointed under paragraph (1), other than an employee appointed to a position designated as described in paragraph (2)(A), payments in addition to basic pay within the limit applicable to the employee under subsection (d).

Except as provided in paragraph (2), the service of an employee under an appointment under subsection (b)(1) may not exceed four years.

(1) In general.— Except as provided in paragraph (2), the service of an employee under an appointment under subsection (b)(1) may not exceed four years.

(2) Extension.— The official responsible for the administration of a program under subsection (a) may, in the case of a particular employee under the program, extend the period to which service is limited under paragraph (1) by up to two years if the official determines that such action is necessary to promote the efficiency of a laboratory of a military department, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Office of Operational Test and Evaluation, the Strategic Capabilities Office, or the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental, as applicable.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or section 5307 of title 5, no additional payments may be paid to an employee under subsection (b)(3) in any calendar year if, or to the extent that, the employee’s total annual compensation in such calendar year will exceed the maximum amount of total annual compensation payable at the salary set in accordance with section 104 of title 3.

(Added Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title XI, § 1121(a)(1), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2451; amended Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title XI, § 1111, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2011.)