EconDefense
ACQ-27 / Workforce and expertise

Offer enhanced pay for critical laboratory technology positions

Set elevated basic pay for narrowly defined high-end STRL research/technology and acquisition experts to recruit or retain exceptional personnel.

Action briefPDF dossier · original 168Download record
Authority / instrument · ACQ-27

Research workforce

Workforce and expertise

Statute & instrument
Authority holder

Secretary of Defense program; Service acquisition executive or military-department Secretary approves applicable pay

What this does not authorize / hard limit

Normally not more than 5 positions per military department, with statutory allocation-transfer option.

Recorded executor

Laboratory HR/appointing officials

Continue to actor →

Recorded executing role; this record-specific route is not an additional institutional office.

Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.
RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.
Public fundingRules recordedAvailable personnel appropriations; service approval of program and compensation. Office budget figures are separate institutional context, not an allocation to this instrument.
Assigned rolesRoles recordedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent.
EngagementProgram unverifiedA related STRL enhanced-pay process is public, but it operates under section 4121. It does not establish use of the distinct section 4094 program. Program check: 2026-10-04; see each route for intake status.

Public evidence describes the institution and instrument; it is not approval of an individual transaction.

At a glance

Possible toolACQ-27 · Other statutory tools
Legal basis10 U.S.C. §4094

Authority holder: Secretary of Defense program; Service acquisition executive or military-department Secretary approves applicable pay

Other statutory tools

Mechanism tags describe the source text; they do not expand the authority.

Availability and verification

Express statutory pathway; award-specific appropriations, available balances, delegations, implementation and approvals not independently verified.

Program process and intake

Checked 2026-10-04 · implementation not verified. Program evidence is separate from legal authority, available funds and transaction approval.

A related STRL enhanced-pay process is public, but it operates under section 4121. It does not establish use of the distinct section 4094 program.

STRL demonstration enhanced-pay framework

Who this route serves
Exceptionally qualified senior technical candidates and internal hiring sponsors
Administering office / routing lead
Participating STRL leadership and Service acquisition/personnel authorities
Related process

The notice expressly uses section 4121 and documents legal-authority code Z2U; it does not prove an appointment or an available position under section 4094.

What this evidence label means
Related process published; section 4094 use unverified

No appointment, current implementation memorandum or open vacancy specifically attributed to section 4094 was located.

Status reference date: 2026-10-04 · research checked 2026-10-04

STRL enhanced-pay demonstration notice · OverviewII; pay setting, performance plans and documentationofficial personnel demonstration notice · published 2022-07-06 · Evidence record

Program eligibility

  • Participating laboratory needs a published demonstration plan and internal operating procedures; qualifying senior technical positions require approvals.

    STRL enhanced-pay demonstration notice · OverviewII; pay setting, performance plans and documentationofficial personnel demonstration notice · published 2022-07-06 · Evidence record

Steps and preparation

  • Laboratory establishes pay-setting criteria and performance plans, documents the actual appointment authority and tracks use.

    STRL enhanced-pay demonstration notice · OverviewII; pay setting, performance plans and documentationofficial personnel demonstration notice · published 2022-07-06 · Evidence record
Funding, limits and authority relationship

Funding and financial terms

  • personnel compensation · position-specific

    4094 salary-setting is a personnel-pay authority, not a new appropriation; statutory approval tiers are not offered salaries.

    10 U.S.C.4094, 2024 official edition · (b) approval; (d) pay; (e) position/term limitationshistorical statutory edition · Evidence record

Exclusions and limits

  • 4094 normally permits five positions perService and terms shorter than five years; do not substitute4121 notice terms for these conditions.

    10 U.S.C.4094, 2024 official edition · (b) approval; (d) pay; (e) position/term limitationshistorical statutory edition · Evidence record

Authority relationship source

STRL enhanced-pay demonstration notice · OverviewII; pay setting, performance plans and documentationofficial personnel demonstration notice · published 2022-07-06 · Evidence record

Read related STRL pay framework →

published guidance: Internal personnel reference; not an external grant or a verified4094 vacancy.

Research scope and sources checked

Searched current4094 and predecessor enhanced-pay terminology; read the2022 notice in full and detected its different4121 authority. Examined recent lab-workforce review; no exact4094 use was found.

What remains unverified

  • Locate4094-specific Service implementation and actual approved positions; related4121 flexibility does not close that gap.

A dated source check is not continuing monitoring. Recheck the linked official notice before preparing a submission. Browse program research →

Requirements and limits

Eligibility & prerequisites

  • Extremely high expertise and critical research/technology mission; use only to recruit/retain exceptionally qualified person.

Limits & exclusions

  • Normally not more than 5 positions per military department, with statutory allocation-transfer option.
  • Position term less than 5 years.

Funding conditions

  • Available personnel appropriations; service approval of program and compensation.

Read the funding and execution guide

Who contributes what

Need & planning

  • Laboratory director

Resources

  • Military-department/laboratory personnel budget

Approval

  • Service acquisition executive; Service Secretary for pay above 150% of Executive Schedule Level I

Execution

  • Laboratory HR/appointing officials

Partners & review

  • USD(R&E) for approved transfer of allocations among Services
    Office profile

Office links are editorial matches to the original role text, not verified delegations. Composite labels and unmatched actors are preserved.

Coordination pathway

Lab critical-role case → Service acquisition executive approval → Secretary if pay threshold exceeded → funded appointment.

Actor and execution-role sources

Legal basis

What this research establishes

Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.
RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.
Public fundingRules recordedAvailable personnel appropriations; service approval of program and compensation. Office budget figures are separate institutional context, not an allocation to this instrument.
Assigned rolesRoles recordedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent.
EngagementProgram unverifiedA related STRL enhanced-pay process is public, but it operates under section 4121. It does not establish use of the distinct section 4094 program. Program check: 2026-10-04; see each route for intake status.

Confidence: High on express authority and cited conditions; execution assignment is illustrative unless statute expressly names it.

Currentness: GovInfo 2024 Code (includes FY2025 NDAA, P.L. 118-159) read in full for cited provision; targeted FY2026 NDAA P.L. 119-60 amendment/repeal sweep. No claim of complete legislative currency through 2026-10-02; remaining 2026 delta needs counsel validation.

Review scope: Original research target October 2, 2026; no record-specific last-review date supplied. Publication is not legal-currentness certification.

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