10 U.S.C. § 2275d — Acquisition and operation of space systems for space warfighting and control

(a) Requirement .— The Secretary of Defense must acquire and operate space systems to be used primarily for space warfighting and control to meet the requirements specified by one or more combatant commanders in carrying out the responsibilities set forth in section 164 of this title . (b) Role of Commercial Space Systems .— The Secretary can use one or more commercial space systems to augment the space systems acquired and operated under subsection (a) if that commercial space systems are under the direction of a member of the armed forces with responsibility for space warfighting and control operations. (c) National Security Waiver .— (1) The Secretary can waive the application of subsection (a) if the Secretary determines that that a waiver is in the national security interest of the United States. (2) Not later than 10 days after exercising the waiver authority under paragraph (1), the Secretary must submit to the congressional defense committees a notification of the use of that authority that includes— (A) a description of the national security interest upon which the exercise of that authority is based; (B) the anticipated vulnerabilities to national security posed by the use of that waiver; (C) identification of which operational commander will provide direction to the commercial space system that is used under the waiver instead of a system acquired and operated by the Secretary; and (D) the anticipated duration of that waiver.