US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

10 U.S.C. § 4093

Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Education Program

(a)

Requirement for Program .—

The Secretary of Defense shall carry out a program to provide financial assistance for education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology skills and disciplines that, as determined by the Secretary, are critical to the national security functions of the Department of Defense and are needed in the Department of Defense workforce.
(b)

Financial Assistance .—

(1)
Under the program under this section, the Secretary of Defense may award a scholarship or fellowship in accordance with this section to a person who—
(A)
is a citizen of the United States or, subject to subsection (g), a country the government of which is a party to The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) memorandum of understanding of ;
(B)
is pursuing an associates degree, undergraduate degree, or advanced degree in a critical skill or discipline described in subsection (a) at an accredited institution of higher education; and
(C)
enters into a service agreement with the Secretary of Defense as described in subsection (c).
(2)
The amount of the financial assistance provided under a scholarship or fellowship awarded to a person under this subsection shall be an amount determined by the Secretary of Defense.
(3)
Financial assistance provided under a scholarship or fellowship awarded under this section may be paid directly to the recipient of such scholarship or fellowship or to an administering entity for disbursement of the funds.
(c)

Service Agreement for Recipients of Financial Assistance .—

(1)
To receive financial assistance under this section—
(A)
in the case of an employee of the Department of Defense, the employee shall enter into a written agreement to continue in the employment of the department for the period of obligated service determined under paragraph (2); and
(B)
in the case of a person not an employee of the Department of Defense, the person shall enter into a written agreement to accept and continue employment for the period of obligated service determined under paragraph (2)—
(i)
with the Department, including by serving on active duty in the Armed Forces; or
(ii)
with a public or private entity or organization outside of the Department if the Secretary—
(I)
is unable to find an appropriate position for the person within the Department; and
(II)
determines that employment of the person with such entity or organization for the purpose of such obligated service would provide a benefit to the Department.
(2)
For the purposes of this subsection, the period of obligated service for a recipient of financial assistance under this section shall be the period determined by the Secretary of Defense as being appropriate to obtain adequate service in exchange for such financial assistance. The period of service required of a recipient may not be less than the total period of pursuit of a degree that is covered by such financial assistance. The period of obligated service is in addition to any other period for which the recipient is obligated to serve in the civil service of the United States.
(3)
An agreement entered into under this subsection by a person pursuing an academic degree shall include any terms and conditions that the Secretary of Defense determines necessary to protect the interests of the United States or otherwise appropriate for carrying out this section.
(d)

Employment of Program Participants .—

The Secretary of Defense—
(1)
may, without regard to any provision of title 5 governing appointment of employees to competitive service positions within the Department of Defense, appoint to a position in the Department of Defense in the excepted service an individual who has successfully completed an academic program for which a scholarship or fellowship under this section was awarded and who, under the terms of the agreement for such scholarship or fellowship, at the time of such appointment, owes a service commitment to the Department;
(2)
may, upon satisfactory completion of 2 years of substantially continuous service by an incumbent who was appointed to an excepted service position under the authority of paragraph (1), convert the appointment of such individual, without competition, to a career or career conditional appointment; and
(3)
may establish arrangements so that participants may participate in a paid internship for an appropriate period with an industry sponsor.
(e)

Refund for Period of Unserved Obligated Service .—

(1)
(A)
A participant in the program under this section who is not an employee of the Department of Defense and who voluntarily fails to complete the educational program for which financial assistance has been provided under this section, or fails to maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, shall refund to the United States an appropriate amount, as determined by the Secretary.
(B)
A participant in the program under this section who is an employee of the Department of Defense and who—
(i)
voluntarily fails to complete the educational program for which financial assistance has been provided, or fails to maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary; or
(ii)
before completion of the period of obligated service required of such participant—
(I)
voluntarily terminates such participant’s employment with the Department; or
(II)
is removed from such participant’s employment with the Department on the basis of misconduct,
shall refund the United States an appropriate amount, as determined by the Secretary.
(2)
An obligation to reimburse the United States imposed under paragraph (1) is for all purposes a debt owed to the United States.
(3)
The Secretary of Defense may waive, in whole or in part, a refund required under paragraph (1) if the Secretary determines that recovery would be against equity and good conscience or would be contrary to the best interests of the United States.
(4)
A discharge in bankruptcy under title 11 that is entered less than five years after the termination of an agreement under this section does not discharge the person signing such agreement from a debt arising under such agreement or under this subsection.
(f)

Relationship to Other Programs .—

(1)
The Secretary of Defense shall coordinate the provision of financial assistance under the authority of this section with the provision of financial assistance under the other authorities provided in this chapter in order to maximize the benefits derived by the Department of Defense from the exercise of all such authorities.
(2)
The Secretary of Defense shall seek to enter into partnerships with minority institutions of higher education and appropriate public and private sector organizations to diversify the participants in the program under subsection (a).
(3)
In coordination with the efforts under paragraph (2), the Secretary of Defense shall additionally establish a program, which shall be known as the “Ronald V. Dellums Memorial Fellowship in STEM”, to provide financial assistance under this section to at least 30 students from communities that are underrepresented in the Department of Defense STEM workforce, not fewer of 50 percent of whom shall attend historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions. As part of such program, the Secretary shall establish an internship program that provides each student who is awarded a fellowship under this paragraph with an internship in an organization or element of the Department of Defense, and to the extent practicable, each such student shall be paired with a mid-level or a senior-level official of the relevant organization or element of the Department of Defense who shall serve as a mentor during the internship.
(g)

Limitation on Participation .—

(1)
The Secretary may not award scholarships or fellowships under this section to more than five individuals described in paragraph (2) per year.
(2)
An individual described in this paragraph is an individual who—
(A)
has not previously been awarded a scholarship or fellowship under the program under this section;
(B)
is not a citizen of the United States; and
(C)
is a citizen of a country the government of which is a party to The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) memorandum of understanding of .
(h)

Institution of Higher Education Defined .—

20 U.S.C. 1001In this section, the term “institution of higher education” has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ().

Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title XI, § 1104(d)(1)119 Stat. 3449Pub. L. 110–417122 Stat. 4612Pub. L. 111–84, div. A, title XI, § 1102(a)123 Stat. 2484Pub. L. 113–66, div. A, title XI, § 1105(a)(1)127 Stat. 886Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title II, § 215128 Stat. 3327Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title II, § 212129 Stat. 767Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, § 242134 Stat. 3488Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1843(a)Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(u)(4)(A)135 Stat. 2153Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title X, § 1083136 Stat. 2800(Added , , , § 2192a; amended , [div. A], title X, § 1061(a)(5), , ; –(d)(1), , , 2485; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; renumbered § 4093, , as added , , ; , , .)

Editorial Notes

Codification

Pub. L. 109–163Pub. L. 108–375, div. A, title XI, § 1105118 Stat. 2074Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title X, § 1056(d)119 Stat. 3440Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title X, § 1075(h)(5)124 Stat. 4377section 2192 of this titlePub. L. 109–163, div. A, title XI, § 1104(e)(1)119 Stat. 3450Section, as added by , consists of text of , , ; , title XI, § 1104(a)–(c), , , 3448, 3449; , , , which was formerly set out as a note under , and was repealed by , , .

Amendments

Pub. L. 117–2632022—Subsec. (f)(3). added par. (3).

Pub. L. 116–283, § 1843(a)Pub. L. 117–81, § 1701(u)(4)(A)section 2192a of this title2021—, as added by , renumbered as this section.

Pub. L. 116–283, § 242(1)Subsec. (c)(1)(B)(i). , inserted “, including by serving on active duty in the Armed Forces” after “Department”.

Pub. L. 116–283, § 242(2)Subsec. (d)(3). , added par. (3).

Pub. L. 116–283, § 242(3)Subsec. (f). , designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2).

Pub. L. 114–92, § 212(1)2015—Subsec. (b)(1)(A). , inserted “or, subject to subsection (g), a country the government of which is a party to The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) memorandum of understanding of ” after “United States”.

Pub. L. 114–92, § 212(2)Subsecs. (g), (h). , (3), added subsec. (g) and redesignated former subsec. (g) as (h).

Pub. L. 113–2912014—Subsec. (c)(1)(B). amended subpar. (B) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (B) read as follows: “in the case of a person not an employee of the Department of Defense, the person shall enter into a written agreement to accept and continue employment in the Department of Defense for the period of obligated service determined under paragraph (2).”

Pub. L. 113–662013—Subsec. (b)(2). substituted “an amount determined by the Secretary of Defense” for “the amount determined by the Secretary of Defense as being necessary to pay all educational expenses incurred by that person, including tuition, fees, cost of books, laboratory expenses, equipment expenses, and expenses of room and board”.

Pub. L. 111–84, § 1102(b)2009—Subsec. (c)(2). , substituted “The” for “Except as provided in subsection (d), the” in second sentence.

Pub. L. 111–84, § 1102(a)Subsec. (d). , amended subsec. (d) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (d) provided that, under certain circumstances, the Secretary of Defense could appoint or retain a SMART program participant as an interim employee and separate such participant from employment if no appropriate permanent position was available at the end of the interim period and that the period of interim service would count towards the participant’s obligated service requirements.

Pub. L. 111–84, § 1102(c)Subsec. (f). , struck out “The program under this section is in addition to the authorities provided in chapter 111 of this title.” before “The Secretary” and substituted “the other authorities provided in this chapter” for “the authorities provided in such chapter”.

Pub. L. 111–84, § 1102(d)(1)Subsecs. (g), (h). , redesignated subsec. (h) as (g) and struck out former subsec. (g). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “Not later than , the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate, and the Committee on Government Reform of the House of Representatives a plan for expanding and improving the national defense science and engineering workforce educational assistance program carried out under this section as appropriate to improve recruitment and retention to meet the requirements of the Department of Defense for its science and engineering workforce on a short-term basis and on a long-term basis.”

Pub. L. 110–417, § 1061(a)(5)(A)2008—Subsec. (e)(4). , substituted “title 11” for “title 11, United States Code,”.

Pub. L. 110–417, § 1061(a)(5)(B)Subsec. (f). , substituted “this title” for “title 10, United States Code”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Pub. L. 117–81Pub. L. 116–283section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81section 3001 of this titleAmendment by applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of as enacted, see , set out in a note preceding and note below.

section 1843(a) of Pub. L. 116–283section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283section 3001 of this titleAmendment by effective , with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see , set out as a note preceding .

National Security Workforce and Educational Diversity Activities

Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title II, § 250134 Stat. 3495

“(a)

In General .—

section 2192a of title 1010 U.S.C. 4093The Secretary of Defense shall seek to diversify participation in the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Education Program under , United States Code [now ].
“(b)

Activities .—

In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall—
“(1)
subject to the availability of appropriations for this purpose, set aside funds for financial assistance, scholarships, and fellowships for students at historically Black colleges or universities or at minority institutions of higher education and such other institutions as the Secretary considers appropriate;
“(2)
partner with institutions of higher education, and such other public and private sector organizations as the Secretary considers appropriate, to increase diversity of participants in the program described in subsection (a);
“(3)
establish individual and organizational incentives, and such other activities as the Secretary considers appropriate, to increase diversity of student participation in the program described in subsection (a);
“(4)
increase awareness of opportunities to participate in the program described in subsection (a);
“(5)
evaluate the potential for new programs, fellowships, and other activities at historically Black colleges or universities and minority institutions of higher education to increase diversity in educational and workforce development programs;
“(6)
identify potential changes to the program described in subsection (a) that would improve diversity of participants in such program; and
“(7)
establish metrics to evaluate success of activities under this section.
“(c)

Report .—

Not later than , the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report that evaluates the success of activities conducted by the Secretary in increasing diversity in appropriate programs of the Department of Defense and hiring and retaining diverse individuals in the science, mathematics, and research workforce of the public sector.”
, , , provided that:

Effect on Current Participants in SMART Pilot Program

Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title XI, § 1104(f)119 Stat. 3450

section 1105 of Public Law 108–375section 3304 of Title 5section 2192 of this title“Participation in the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Scholarship Pilot Program under [see Codification note above] by an individual who has entered into an agreement under that pilot program before the date of the enactment of this Act [] shall be governed by the terms of such agreement without regard to the amendments made by this section [enacting this section, amending , Government Organization and Employees, and amending and repealing provisions set out as a note under ].”
, , , provided that: