FUSE Act
- Bill Number
- S. 4894
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-06-24: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-07T04:53:29Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation This bill establishes a pilot program to evaluate the safety, quality, and qualification of printable energetic feedstocks for controlled additive manufacturing in defense applications. The short title is the "Feedstocks. Uniformity, Safety, and Energetics Act" or "FUSE Act."
Key Provisions Outlined
- The Secretary of Defense must create the pilot program, managed by the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, in coordination with the Capability Program Executive for Ammunition and Energetics and service acquisition executives.
- The program aims to assess improvements in handling safety, process stability, consistency, and supply chain resilience compared to traditional energetics methods.
- Activities include feedstock identification and characterization, development of qualification criteria, limited demonstrations at compliant facilities, creation of nonproprietary standards and digital quality controls, and analysis through wargaming or modeling.
- A required comparative safety assessment examines hazards in storage, transport, handling, and processing; sensitivity to stimuli; process safety; and risk modeling.
- Strict safety and security rules mandate use of explosive-compliant facilities, counter-diversion safeguards, cybersecurity controls, and restrictions on sharing manufacturing data outside approved channels.
- Annual reports to congressional defense committees must cover objectives, methodologies, results, cost and scalability assessments, and any needed legislative or regulatory changes.
- The program runs for a maximum of 5 years after enactment.
Significant Changes to Existing Law Introduced The bill creates a new statutory pilot program focused on additive manufacturing of energetic materials. It does not amend existing statutes but adds requirements for Department of Defense testing, data packages, and reporting specific to printable feedstocks.
Potential Impacts
- Government agencies: Directs the Department of Defense to allocate resources for research, testing, and facility compliance; may affect ammunition and energetics modernization efforts.
- Citizens: No direct effects on the general public are specified.
- International relations: None are addressed in the legislation.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Department of Defense components, including research and engineering offices and acquisition executives.
- Congressional defense committees responsible for oversight and reporting.
- Government and cleared-industry facilities involved in demonstrations and manufacturing.
- Potential defense contractors and suppliers of energetic materials.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications The bill emphasizes compliance with explosive safety standards, inventory controls, and cybersecurity for digital files, which could influence future certification processes. It highlights potential gaps in existing standards for additive manufacturing of energetics and calls for recommendations on regulatory or resourcing actions. No constitutional issues are raised in the text.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2026-06-24: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
- 2026-06-24: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Feedstocks. Uniformity, Safety, and Energetics Act — issued 2026-06-24 — PDF (6 pages)