PILOT PROGRAM TO DEMONSTRATE HYBRID SATELLITE COMMUNICATION ARCHITECTURE.

SEC. 1608. PILOT PROGRAM TO DEMONSTRATE HYBRID SATELLITE COMMUNICATION ARCHITECTURE. (a) Program Required.—Beginning in fiscal year 2025, the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration shall carry out a pilot program to demonstrate a hybrid satellite communication architecture at the Space Systems Command of the Space Force. (b) Requirements and Considerations.—In carrying out the pilot program under subsection (a), the Assistant Secretary shall include in the hybrid satellite communication architecture at least one military satellite communications system, such as the Wideband Global Satcom system or the Micro Geostationary Earth Orbit system. (c) Briefing.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall provide to the congressional defense committees a briefing that includes— (1) a description of the hybrid satellite communication architecture developed under the pilot program under subsection (a) and a summary of the results of the program as of the date of the briefing; and (2) a plan for supporting the transition of the hybrid satellite communication architecture efforts to a program of record within the Space Force and the Space Systems Command. (d) Hybrid Satellite Communication Architecture.—In this section, the term “hybrid satellite communication architecture” means the network of integrated United States Government, allied Government, and commercially owned and operated capabilities both for on-orbit communication constellations and ground systems.