33 U.S.C. § 4102 — Coordination regarding assessment and acquisition by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of unmanned maritime systems
submitted 8 years ago by Pub. L. 115-394 to r/title-33-NAVIGATION-AND-NAVIGABLE-WATERS · 787 words · no verdicts yet
The Administrator must coordinate NOAA’s research, assessment, and acquisition of unmanned maritime systems within NOAA and with the Navy. The section also permits coordination with other agencies, academic institutions, and private companies for research, testing, training, and commercialization.
(a) Establishment. The Administrator* must direct OAR and OMAO—
(1) to coordinate NOAA’s research, assessment, and acquisition of unmanned maritime systems*; and
(2) to consider using those systems in NOAA cooperative activities.
(b) Coordination within the Administration*.
(1) Unmanned Systems Executive Oversight Board. To meet subsection (a), the Administrator must—
(A) use the USEOB as the coordinating mechanism; and
(B) ensure that OAR and OMAO address requirements throughout NOAA.
(2) Included. The Administrator must ensure that the USEOB includes representatives from—
(A) the Office of Ocean Exploration (OER);
(B) the Integrated Ocean Observing System program office; and
(C) other NOAA offices the Administrator determines are actively involved with unmanned maritime systems.
(c) Coordination with the Navy.
(1) In general. The Administrator must—
(A) try to coordinate with the Secretary of the Navy to use expertise in developing and moving these systems into operations;
(B) align with, use, and inform the Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Operations and the Navy Oceanographer about strategic and operational priorities, especially missions and geography within NOAA’s responsibility;
(C) try to use Naval test or training ranges for unmanned systems, such as the Gulf of Mexico range, and maximize interagency cooperation and sharing of best practices; and
(D) formalize coordination through a memorandum of understanding with the Secretary of the Navy covering—
(i) considering NOAA priorities and requirements in Navy research and development;
(ii) consultation to encourage NOAA-Navy partnerships to buy systems and establish, equip, and operate test or training ranges and related facilities;
(iii) Navy procedures allowing NOAA to access and use ranges or related Naval facilities for the purposes in paragraph (2)(B); and
(iv) other topics the Administrator considers necessary or advisable, including mapping, bathymetry, observations, and ocean exploration.
(2) Location. If practicable, the Administrator must carry out this chapter’s activities at a facility where the Navy and NOAA are located together, to—
(A) gain efficiency through collaboration;
(B) advance system development, including—
(i) research and development; (ii) testing; (iii) modifications; and (iv) integration; and
(C) speed the move from an idea to manufacturing and acquisition.
(d) Coordination with other Federal agencies. The Administrator and Secretary of the Navy may use the National Oceanographic Partnership Program as an interagency coordination mechanism for advancing these systems.
(e) Coordination with academic sector. In consultation with the Secretary of the Navy, the Administrator may coordinate and locate operations with an academic research institution or consortium to—
(1) maximize research and development opportunities;
(2) provide system training as part of an accredited certificate or degree program;
(3) support commercialization through partnerships including academic institutions, private industry, and public-safety agencies;
(4) arrange access to facilities for testing, assessment, or training under relevant real or simulated environmental conditions, increasing operational tolerance, certifying capacity, and training operators;
(5) engage other interested or expert academic institutions; and
(6) promote information sharing among academic, environmental, and military institutions leading to more robust, mission-focused systems.
(f) Engagement with the private sector. In consultation with the Secretary of the Navy, and except as described in subsection (e), the Administrator may, as practicable, coordinate and consult with private companies—
(1) to support commercialization; and
(2) to help assess commercially available systems for Navy and NOAA missions, goals, and cooperative activities.
The Administrator* shall direct the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (in this chapter referred to as “OAR”) and the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (in this chapter referred to as “OMAO”)—
to coordinate the Administration’s research, assessment, and acquisition of unmanned maritime systems*; and
to consider the use of unmanned maritime systems in cooperative activities of the Administration*.
In meeting the requirements described in subsection (a), the Administrator shall—
utilize the Unmanned Systems Executive Oversight Board (in this chapter referred to as the “USEOB”) as the coordinating mechanism; and
ensure that OAR and OMAO address requirements throughout the Administration.
In utilizing the USEOB under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall ensure that representation on the USEOB is included from the following:
The Office of Ocean Exploration (OER).
The program office of the Integrated Ocean Observing System.
Such other offices of the Administration as the Administrator determines are actively engaged with unmanned maritime systems.
In carrying out this chapter, the Administrator shall—
make efforts to coordinate with the Secretary of the Navy to leverage expertise in the development and operational transition of unmanned maritime systems;
align with, utilize, and inform the Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Operations and the Oceanographer of the Navy’s strategic and operational priorities, particularly for missions and geography within the Administration’s purview;
seek to utilize Naval unmanned systems test or training ranges, such as the Gulf of Mexico Unmanned Systems Test and Training Range of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, and maximize interagency cooperation and sharing of best practices; and
to formalize coordination, execute a memorandum of understanding with the Secretary of the Navy that includes—
incorporating consideration of priorities and requirements of the Administration into research and development activities conducted by the Secretary of the Navy;
consultation intended to encourage and facilitate efforts by the Administration to partner with the Navy to procure unmanned maritime systems and to establish, instrument, and operate test or training ranges and related facilities;
adopting procedures defined by the Secretary of the Navy for the Administration to access and utilize test or training ranges or related Naval facilities for purposes identified in paragraph (2)(B); and
such other topics as the Administrator considers necessary or advisable, including mapping, bathymetry, observations, and ocean exploration.
The Administrator shall, if practicable, carry out the activities authorized by this chapter at a facility where the Navy and the Administration are co-located, for the following purposes:
Gaining efficiencies through collaboration.
Advancing development of unmanned maritime systems, including—
systems research and development;
systems testing;
systems modifications; and
systems integration.
Accelerating transition from concept to manufacturing and acquisition.
In carrying out this chapter, the Administrator and the Secretary of the Navy may utilize the National Oceanographic Partnership Program, established under chapter 665 of title 10, as a mechanism for providing interagency coordination for the advancement of unmanned maritime systems.
In carrying out this chapter, the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of the Navy, may coordinate and co-locate with an academic research institution, or consortium of academic research institutions, for the following purposes:
Maximizing opportunities for research and development of unmanned maritime systems.
Providing training in unmanned maritime systems as part of an accredited certificate or degree program of education.
Facilitating the commercialization of unmanned maritime systems through public-private partnerships that includes academic research institutions, private industry, and public safety agencies.
Arranging access to and use of additional facilities that support testing and assessment of or training with respect to unmanned maritime systems under environmental conditions of interest, increasing operational tolerance under such conditions, certifying operational capacity under such conditions, whether real or simulated, and training operators of unmanned maritime systems in real or simulated environments.
Facilitating engagement with other academic institutions with interest or relevant expertise in unmanned maritime systems.
Promoting information sharing between the academic, environmental, and military institutions to lead to more robust, mission-oriented unmanned maritime systems.
Other than as described in subsection (e), the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of the Navy, may, in carrying out this chapter, to the extent practicable, coordinate and consult with the private sector—
to support the commercialization of unmanned maritime systems; and
to assist with their assessment of commercially available unmanned maritime systems to support the missions and goals of the Navy, the Administration, and cooperative activities of the Administration.
Source credit: (Pub. L. 115–394, § 3, Dec. 21, 2018, 132 Stat. 5282.)
- 2018Enacted · Pub. L. 115-394 · 132 Stat. 5282
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 115-394 on 2018-12-21.
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