PILOT PROGRAM ON ENHANCED USE OF ADVANCED SENSOR NETWORKS TO IMPROVE AIR FORCE COUNTER-UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM CAPABILITIES FOR BASE DEFENSE.

SEC. 1088. [10 U.S.C. 130i note] PILOT PROGRAM ON ENHANCED USE OF ADVANCED SENSOR NETWORKS TO IMPROVE AIR FORCE COUNTER-UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM CAPABILITIES FOR BASE DEFENSE. (a) Establishment.—Beginning not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Air Force, in coordination with the Director of the Joint Interagency Task Force 401 established under section 199 of title 10, United States Code, as added by section 912, and in consultation with the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, shall carry out a pilot program, to be known as the “Enhancing Cooperation for Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program”, under which the Secretary shall incorporate the use of civilian civil airspace sensor networks into Air Force data processing systems to— (1) improve base defense against small unmanned aircraft systems (in this section referred to as “sUAS”); (2) inform the development of counter-unmanned aircraft system capabilities that are suitable for use inside the United States and in the National Airspace System; and (3) enhance cooperation with law enforcement, State and local partners, and other Federal departments and agencies to counter domestic threats. (b) Locations.—The Secretary, in coordination with the Director and in consultation with the Administrator, shall select at least two military installations located in the United States at which to conduct the pilot program. In selecting such military installations, the Secretary shall consider the potential for the Air Force to— (1) access advanced civilian airspace sensor networks; (2) leverage public-private partnerships that enable multi-use of airspace awareness capabilities for public safety, defense of critical infrastructure to include Department of Defense installations, and protection of civil aviation; and (3) minimize the potential for negatively affecting civil aircraft operations in the National Airspace System. (c) Objectives.—The objectives of the pilot program are— (1) to provide the Air Force with access to air space awareness data derived from civilian airspace sensor networks to increase the situational awareness of Air Force bases; (2) to determine any authority, capability, and capacity barriers to enhancing cooperation between the Air Force, civilian partners, and other Federal, State, and local government entities to extend the over-the-horizon identification of potential sUAS threats beyond the current range of existing domestic base defense systems; and (3) to improve the data-sharing frameworks for airspace data between the Air Force and various stakeholders for the purpose of base defense. (d) Contract Authority.—In carrying out the pilot program, the Secretary of the Air Force may enter into one or more contracts for the procurement of additional technologies capable of— (1) leveraging commercial or Government off-the-shelf detect-track-defeat systems; (2) integrating and using civilian airspace awareness data to serve as an early warning capability specifically to help identify and monitor non-compliant sUAS; and (3) informing appropriate communication mechanisms between military installations and local law enforcement agencies to report and track non-compliant air vehicles, deter incursions, and foster potential prosecution. (e) Briefings.—Not later than 90 days after the conclusion of all activities carried out under the pilot program at an installation selected for such program, the Secretary shall provide to the appropriate congressional committees a briefing that includes a description of— (1) the manner in which the program was conducted at such installation; and (2) any results achieved under the program at such installation. (f) Termination.— (1) In general.—The authority to carry out a pilot program under this section shall terminate on the date that is five years after the date of the enactment of this Act. (2) Early termination option.—The Secretary of the Air Force may request the termination of the pilot program before the date specified in paragraph (1) if the Secretary— (A) determines that administrative, legal, performance, or other factors indicate the program will not be successful; and (B) submits to the appropriate congressional committees notice in writing of such determination. (g) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.—In this section, the term “appropriate congressional committees” means— (1) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives; and (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.