Sponsors (2)
The bill broadens the talent pool and flexibility for military flight testing and procurement by certifying civilian test-pilot training, at the cost of added administrative expense and potential security, standards, and personnel-integration risks.
Military personnel and federal test programs: increases the pool of available qualified test pilots and flight test engineers by allowing graduates of accredited civilian test pilot schools to support military testing, helping ease personnel shortages.
Military acquisition programs and test schedules: may speed procurement and aircraft testing by enlarging staffing flexibility, potentially reducing delays in test programs.
Civilian education and test communities: creates a pathway to certify civilian curricula against military standards, aligning training and improving interoperability between civilian and military test communities.
Military personnel and test operations: risk of security or operational problems if civilian graduates do not fully meet military testing standards, requiring careful vetting and additional training.
Taxpayers and federal agencies: certification, evaluation, and oversight processes will create additional administrative costs for the Department of Defense and taxpayers.
Military test pilot programs and personnel: expanding civilian pathways may create competition, credentialing burdens, or disruption for existing military programs if standards and roles are not clearly defined.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Directs DOD to report on allowing accredited civilian test pilot school graduates to support military flight testing and recommend certification alignment.
Requires the Secretary of Defense to report to congressional armed services committees by January 1, 2027, on whether and how graduates of accredited U.S. civilian test pilot schools could be expanded to serve as test pilots and flight test engineers supporting military testing activities. The report must assess current military and civilian test pilot capacity, evaluate modifying Defense Contract Management Agency Instruction 8210–1D to authorize civilian graduates for military test support (including benefits and risks), and identify a certification process to ensure civilian training meets military standards. The bill does not itself change hiring rules or authorize funding; it directs a feasibility and alignment study and recommendations for potential policy or regulatory changes related to using accredited civilian test-pilot graduates in military test roles.
Official title: To direct the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress on the potential expansion of pathways for graduates of civilian test pilot schools to serve as test pilots and flight test engineers in support of military testing activities, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 22, 2026 by George Whitesides · Last progress July 22, 2026