Sec. 1083. Pilot program on digital force protection for Special Operations Forces
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The Commander of the United States Special Operations Command may carry out a pilot program, to be known as the Digital Force Protection Pilot Program , to identify existing vulnerabilities in digital force protection, provide targeted ubiquitous technical surveillance mitigation training, and help identify commercially available secure communication and obfuscation technologies to protect personnel and support overall mission effectiveness. The objectives of a pilot program carried out under subsection
(a)are— to increase understanding of existing digital signature and ubiquitous technical surveillance risk for selected Special Operations Forces units and the associated threats to personnel and mission effectiveness that come from digital exposure and adversary tracking; to strengthen digital force protection for the purposes of operational security and strategic deception efforts across all domains of warfare; and to demonstrate digital force protection as a critical enabler of multi-domain operations and the need to ensure Special Operations Forces can operate seamlessly across land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace without adversarial digital exploitation undermining mission success. If the Commander carries out a pilot program under subsection (a), the Commander shall recommend not fewer than two Special Operations Forces units to carry out the pilot program, which may include a command and unit element. In recommending units to participate in the pilot program under paragraph (1), the Commander shall take into consideration— the need to include multiple categories of personnel, including operational support staff, enablers, and contractors to ensure a complete assessment; the readiness status of the units, with an emphasis on providing training to those units most likely to deploy to areas with high likelihood of adversary digital surveillance; and the need for a sufficient sample size, which is approximately a battalion. If the Commander carries out a pilot program under this section, the Commander may enter into a contract for the provision of services to facilitate the pilot program. If the Commander uses such authority to enter into a contract for training or assessment, such training and assessment shall be capable of— conducting multiple realistic ubiquitous technical surveillance training scenarios that are consistent with observed adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures with exploiting commercially available data against Special Operations Forces units; training key personnel across leadership, operational, and support elements on the threats posed by the commercial data economy and specific skills development to manage digital signatures and mitigate ubiquitous technical surveillance risks; providing advanced training for personnel responsible for highly sensitive activities and missions; evaluating through red cell exercises pilot program participant progress and to ensuring units are prepared for mission-critical operations in ubiquitous technical surveillance-intensive environments; employing commercial technology solutions previously deployed in a mission environment and interoperable with legacy Department of Defense systems, networks, and protocols, including deployment of on-demand global obfuscated networks and identity intelligence and management; assessing ubiquitous technical surveillance and digital force protection holistically across various threat vectors including electronic, travel, financial, online, and physical or visual. If the Commander carries out a pilot program under this section, not later than 90 days after concluding activities under the pilot program, the Commander and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict shall provide to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a briefing that includes— a thorough analysis identifying current capabilities and a description of gaps, deficiencies, or other vulnerabilities, identified by the pilot program; specific recommendations for short-term (1–2 years) and long-term (3–5 years) initiatives to enhance digital force protection across special operations components; an assessment of how enhanced digital force protection measures increase the difficulty, time, and resources required for adversaries to conduct digital surveillance, force tracking, and operational compromise of Special Operations Forces; and a comprehensive list of any additional authorities, appropriations, or other resources necessary to implement the recommended digital force protection tools and practices identified pursuant to the pilot program. In this section: The term digital force protection means the policies, tools, and practices used to protect military personnel, operations, and critical assets from adversarial exploitation of the commercial digital surveillance economy, associated commercial data, and digital footprints. The term commercial digital surveillance economy means the ecosystem of companies and technologies involved in collecting, analyzing, and selling data generated by the interactions of individuals with digital services and devices. The term digital footprint means the data traces left by individuals through the use of digital devices and services that can be exploited to uncover personal information, movement patterns, and other sensitive details. The authority to carry out a pilot program under this section shall terminate on the date that is one year after the date of the enactment of this Act.