Sec. 104. Weather

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It is the sense of Congress that— commercial space-based weather satellite data and services that meet rigorous standards for quality, security, and reliability can help mitigate gaps in coverage of critical weather requirements, increase resilience of the overall weather satellite architecture, and augment Government weather systems to create more and better data at lower costs to the taxpayer; the Department of Defense should incorporate commercial space-based weather satellite data into its weather modeling products; and the Department of Defense should maximize the use of, and incentivizes the growth of, commercial weather data and services of the United States and ensure that such data and services are secure, reliable, and enhance military effectiveness.

Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall establish a National Executive Committee on Weather to coordinate weather-related matters across the departments and agencies of the Federal Government. The President shall base the National Executive Committee on Weather on the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Executive Committee. The President shall appoint the Deputy Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to serve as co-chairs of the National Executive Committee on Weather.

The President shall appoint such other officials of the Federal Government to serve on the National Executive Committee on Weather as the President determines appropriate. The National Executive Committee on Weather shall include— a permanent national coordination office secretariat; an international working group; and an engineering working group. Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall develop and certify quality, security, and reliability standards, including cybersecurity standards, for weather data and systems to facilitate the use of commercial weather data and services by the Armed Forces.

Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Air Force for fiscal year 2017 for research, development, test, and evaluation, Air Force, there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $40,000,000 for space survivability and surveillance. Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, shall commence the development of a follow-on geomagnetic storm warning capability that includes— the ability to forecast, detect, and issue warnings of electromagnetic pulse events, solar radio bursts, and energetic particles; and a timely notification and warning mechanism for governmental entities and private sector entities.

In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary shall take into full consideration commercial capabilities. Of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2016 for the Air Force for weather model forecasting (including with respect to operation and maintenance of the Air Force Weather Agency), not more than 10 percent may be obligated or expended until the date on which the Secretary of the Air Force certifies to the congressional defense committees that the Secretary has initiated a full and open competition to award a contract for the weather forecasting model used by the Air Force Weather Agency.

In carrying out the full and open competition for the weather forecasting model described in paragraph (1), Secretary shall establish the technical standards required for commercial weather forecasting models to integrate into weather forecasting and data assimilation systems of the Department of Defense, including information assurance and security classification requirements. Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall carry out a pilot program under which the Secretary shall award not fewer than one contract, using full and open competition, to assess the potential viability of using commercial weather data in the weather modeling and forecasting of the Department of Defense.

The pilot program shall be conducted consistent with data standards established under subsection (c). There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Defense for fiscal year 2017 not less than $10,000,000 to carry out the pilot program under paragraph

(1)by purchasing, evaluating, and calibrating commercial weather data that meets the standards and specifications set by the Secretary for purposes of the pilot program. Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees a briefing demonstrating how the Secretary plans to implement the pilot program under paragraph (1). It is the sense of Congress that— the Space Based Infrared System has attributes including certain sensor capabilities, revisit rates, and polar reach which could enhance weather prediction capability, in addition to weather data collected by the Department of Department, in support of meeting validated weather requirements; and the Secretary of Defense should fully examine and exploit the weather capabilities of such system. Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report examining the potential of the Space Based Infrared System to generate useful weather data in support of numerical weather models and validated weather requirements of the Department of Defense. It is the sense of Congress that the Department of Defense can leverage Defense Meteorological Satellite Program payloads, including the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder, to help mitigate gaps in critical validated weather requirements. Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on using Defense Meteorological Satellite Program payloads to mitigate gaps in validated Department of Defense weather requirements, such as cloud characterization, theater weather imagery, ocean wind vectors, tropical cyclone intensity, snow depth, and sea ice weather requirements. The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that the Department of Defense does not plan to rely on space-based weather data for cloud characterization and theater weather imagery provided by foreign governments. Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees a certification that the Secretary is in compliance with the prohibition under paragraph (1). Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall provide to the congressional defense committees a briefing on how the Department of Defense plans to comply with the prohibition under paragraph (1).