The Secretary of Defense shall conduct the following education and training programs:

(1) An intern program for purposes of providing highly qualified and talented individuals an opportunity for accelerated promotions, career broadening assignments, and specified training to prepare them for entry into the Acquisition Corps.

(2) A cooperative education credit program under which the Secretary arranges, through cooperative arrangements entered into with one or more accredited institutions of higher education, for such institutions to grant undergraduate credit for work performed by students who are employed by the Department of Defense in acquisition positions.

(3) A scholarship program for the purpose of qualifying personnel for acquisition positions in the Department of Defense.

Each recipient of a scholarship under a program conducted under subsection (a)(3) shall be required to sign a written agreement that sets forth the terms and conditions of the scholarship. The agreement shall be in a form prescribed by the Secretary and shall include terms and conditions, including terms and conditions addressing reimbursement in the event that a recipient fails to fulfill the requirements of the agreement, that are comparable to those set forth as a condition for providing advanced education assistance under section 2005. The obligation to reimburse the United States under an agreement under this subsection is, for all purposes, a debt owing the United States.

(Added Pub. L. 101–510, div. A, title XII, § 1202(a), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1651; amended Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title VIII, § 834(a), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1550; Pub. L. 108–375, div. A, title VIII, § 812(b), title X, § 1084(f)(1), Oct. 28, 2004, 118 Stat. 2013, 2064.)