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10 USC § 5531 - Technical authority for integrated air and missile defense activities and programs 

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t10/s5531"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "10 USC § 5531 - Technical authority for integrated air and missile defense activities and programs"
title_number: 10
title_name: "ARMED FORCES"
section_number: "5531"
section_name: "Technical authority for integrated air and missile defense activities and programs"
chapter_number: 551
chapter_name: "MISSILE DEFENSE"
subchapter_number: "III"
subchapter_name: "MISSILE DEFENSE CAPABILITIES"
part_number: "VI"
part_name: "ELEMENTS OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND OTHER MATTERS"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title XVI, § 1649(a), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 2194; amended Pub. L. 119–60, div. A, title XVI, § 1653, title XVII, § 1701(a)(34), Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1194, 1209.)"
---

# § 5531. Technical authority for integrated air and missile defense activities and programs

**(a)** **In General.—** Subject to the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of Defense, the Director of the Missile Defense Agency is the technical authority of the Department of Defense for integrated air and missile defense activities and programs, including joint engineering and integration efforts for such activities and programs, including with respect to defining and controlling the system level architectures, interfaces of such activities and programs, and the allocation of technical requirements for such activities and programs.

**(b)** **Detailees.—**

**(1)** In carrying out the technical authority under subsection (a), the Director may seek to have staff detailed to the Missile Defense Agency from the Joint Functional Component Command for Integrated Missile Defense and the Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense Organization in a number the Director determines necessary in accordance with paragraph (2).

**(2)** In detailing staff under paragraph (1) to carry out the technical authority under subsection (a), the total number of staff, including detailees, of the Missile Defense Agency who carry out such authority may not exceed the number that is twice the number of such staff carrying out such authority as of January 1, 2016.

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**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title XVI, § 1649(a), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 2194; amended Pub. L. 119–60, div. A, title XVI, § 1653, title XVII, § 1701(a)(34), Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1194, 1209.)

## Editorial Notes

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 5531, , , provided for recruiting campaigns to obtain enlistments in the Regular Navy and the Regular Marine Corps, prior to repeal by , (b), , .

Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in , , , which was set out in a note under , prior to repeal by , , .

### Amendments

2025—Subsec. (a). , substituted “Subject to the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of Defense, the Director” for “The Director” and inserted “system level architectures,” before “interfaces” and comma after “of such activities and programs”.

Subsec. (b)(1). , (B), which directed the substitution of “subsection (a)” for “paragraph (1)” and “paragraph (2)” for “subparagraph (B)”, could not be executed because of the prior similar amendment by . See below.

, substituted “under subsection (a)” for “under paragraph (1)” and “with paragraph (2)” for “with subparagraph (B)”.

Subsec. (b)(2). , (C), which directed the substitution of “subsection (a)” for “paragraph (1)” and “paragraph (1)” for “subparagraph (A)”, could not be executed because of the prior similar amendment by . See below.

, substituted “under paragraph (1)” for “under subparagraph (A)” and “under subsection (a)” for “under paragraph (1)”.