The Commandant shall make arrangements as appropriate with the Secretary of Defense for support in contracting and management of Coast Guard acquisition programs. The Commandant shall also seek opportunities to make use of Department of Defense contracts, and contracts of other appropriate agencies, to obtain the best possible price for assets acquired for the Coast Guard.

The Commandant shall seek to maintain a memorandum of understanding or a memorandum of agreement with the Secretary of the Navy to obtain the assistance of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, including the Navy Systems Command, with the oversight of Coast Guard major acquisition programs. The memorandum of understanding or memorandum of agreement shall, at a minimum, provide for—

(1) the exchange of technical assistance and support that the Assistant Commandants for Acquisition, Human Resources, Engineering, and Information technology may identify;

(2) the use, as appropriate, of Navy technical expertise; and

(3) the temporary assignment or exchange of personnel between the Coast Guard and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, including Naval Systems Command, to facilitate the development of organic capabilities in the Coast Guard.

The Chief Acquisition Officer shall adopt, to the extent practicable, procedures modeled after those used by the Navy Senior Acquisition Official to approve all technical requirements.

(Added Pub. L. 111–281, title IV, § 402(a), Oct. 15, 2010, 124 Stat. 2937, § 566; amended Pub. L. 111–330, § 1(4), Dec. 22, 2010, 124 Stat. 3569; Pub. L. 115–232, div. C, title XXXV, § 3534, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2322; renumbered § 1108, Pub. L. 115–282, title I, § 108(b), Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4208.)