113 STAT. 548 PUBLIC LAW 106-65—OCT. 5, 1999 (1) determines that such amounts are needed for that purpose; (2) develops a specific spending plan for such amounts; and (3) consults with the congressional defense committees regarding such plan. Deadline. (h) ANNUAL REPORT. —For each year in the three-year period beginning with the year 2000, the Secretary of Defense shall, not later than March 15 of that year, submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the space-based laser program. Each such report shall include the following: (1) The program baseline for the integrated flight experiment. (2) Any changes in that program baseline. (3) A description of the activities of the space-based laser program in the preceding year. (4) A description of the activities of the space-based laser program planned for the next fiscal year. (5) The funding planned for the space-based laser program throughout the future-years defense program. SEC. 235. CRITERIA FOR PROGRESSION OF AIRBORNE LASER PRO- GRAM. (a) MODIFICATION OF PDRR AIRCRAFT.—No modification of the PDRR aircraft may commence until the Secretary of the Air Force certifies to Congress that the commencement of such modification is justified on the basis of existing test data and analyses involving the following activities: (1) The North Oscura Peak test program. (2) Scintillometry data collection and analysis. (3) The lethality/vulnerability program. (4) The countermeasures test and analysis effort. (5) Reduction and analysis of atmospheric data for fiscal years 1997 and 1998. (b) ACQUISITION OF EMD AIRCRAFT AND FLIGHT TEST OF PDRR AIRCRAFT.— In carrying out the Airborne Laser program, the Secretary of Defense shall ensure that the Authority-to-Proceed-2 decision is not made until the Secretary of Defense— (1) ensures that the Secretary of the Air Force has developed an appropriate plan for resolving the technical challenges identified in the Airborne Laser Program Assessment; (2) approves that plan; and (3) submits that plan to the congressional defense committees. (c) ENTRY INTO EMD PHASE. —The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that the Milestone II decision is not made until— (1) the PDRR aircraft undergoes a robust series of flight tests that validates the technical maturity of the Airborne Laser program and provides suflScient information regarding the performance of the Airborne Laser system; and (2) sufficient technical information is available to determine whether adequate progress is being made in the ongoing effort to address the operational issues identified in the Airborne Laser Program Assessment. (d) MODIFICATION OF EMD AIRCRAFT.— The Secretary of the Air Force may not commence any modification of the EMD aircraft until the Milestone II decision is made.
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