of title 10, United States Code, is amended by striking December 31, 2020 and inserting December 31, 2023 . (b) Implementation strategy for improvements in acquisition demonstration project (1) Strategy required The Secretary of Defense shall develop an implementation strategy to address areas for improvement in the demonstration project required by section 1762 of title 10, United States Code, as identified in the second assessment of such demonstration project required by section 1762(e) of such title. (2) Elements The strategy shall include the following elements: (A) Actions that have been or will be taken to assess whether the flexibility to set starting salaries at different levels is being used appropriately by supervisors and managers to compete effectively for highly skilled and motivated employees. (B) Actions that have been or will be taken to assess reasons for any disparities in career outcomes across race and gender for employees in the demonstration project. (C) Actions that have been or will be taken to strengthen the link between employee contribution and compensation for employees in the demonstration project. (D) Actions that have been or will be taken to enhance the transparency of the pay system for employees in the demonstration project. (E) A timeframe and individual responsible for each action identified under subparagraphs (A) through (D). (3) Briefing required Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall provide a briefing to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives on the implementation strategy required by paragraph (1). 304. Acquisition positions in the Offices of the Secretaries of the military departments (a) Office of the secretary of the army maximum number of personnel Section 3014(f) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (6) The limitation in paragraph (1) may be exceeded if a civilian employee is assigned on permanent duty in the