Accelerating Networking, Cyberinfrastructure, and Hardware for Oceanic Research Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7630) to require a plan to improve the cybersecurity and telecommunications of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 7630

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Accelerating Networking, Cyberinfrastructure, and Hardware for Oceanic Research Act'' or the ``ANCHOR Act''. SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:

(1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of the National Science Foundation.

(2) Oceanographic research vessel.--The term ``oceanographic research vessel'' has the meaning given the term in section 2101 of title 46, United States Code.

(3) U.S. academic research fleet.--The term ``U.S Academic Research Fleet'' means the United States-flagged vessels that--

(A) have been accepted into, and are actively participants administered within, the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System;

(B) are operated as oceanographic research vessels by research universities and laboratories;

(C) receive funding from the National Science Foundation; and

(D) have achieved designation as a member vessel of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet through the standard U.S. Academic Research Fleet evaluation process. SEC. 3. PLAN TO IMPROVE CYBERSECURITY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS OF U.S. ACADEMIC RESEARCH FLEET.

(a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director , in consultation with other Federal agency owners heads of other Federal agencies and the head of any university or laboratory that owns or operates a vessel of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the U.S. Senate and the Committee on Space, Science, and Technology of the U.S. House of Representatives a plan to improve the cybersecurity and telecommunications of the Academic Research Fleet.

(b) Elements.--The plan required by subsection (a) shall include--

(1) an assessment of the telecommunications and networking needs of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, consistent with the typical scientific mission of each vessel;

(2) in accordance with guidance issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Institute for Standards and Technology, an assessment of cybersecurity needs appropriate for--

(A) the ownership of vessels within the U.S. Academic Research Fleet; and

(B) the typical research functions and topics of such vessels;

(3) an assessment of the costs necessary to meet the needs described in paragraphs (1) and (2), including--

(A) any necessary equipment, such as satellite communications equipment, software, high-performance computing clusters shipboard and shoreside, or enterprise hardware; and

(B) estimated personnel costs in excess of current expenditures, including any necessary training, support, or logistics;

(4) an assessment of the time required to implement any upgrades required to meet the needs described in paragraphs (1) and (2) under varying budgets and funding scenarios;

(5) a proposal for the adoption of common solutions or consortial licensing agreements, or by centralizing elements of fleet cybersecurity, telecommunications, or data management at a single facility; and

(6) in consultation with any non-Federal owners of a vessel of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, a spending plan for the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, non-Federal owners of vessels of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, users of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, or any combination thereof, to provide funding to cover the costs described in paragraph (3).

(c) Considerations.--The Director in preparing the plan required by subsection (a), shall consider the following--

(1) the network capabilities, including speed and bandwidth targets, necessary to meet the scientific mission needs of each class of vessel within the U.S. Academic Research Fleet for such purposes as--

(A) executing the critical functions and communications of each vessel;

(B) providing network access for the health and well-being of deployed personnel, including communications to conduct telemedicine (including mental health care), counseling, interviews with crisis response providers, and other remote individual care and services;

(C) as necessary to meet operations, uploading any scientific data to a shoreside server, including the copying of data off ship for disaster recovery or risk mitigation purposes;

(D) as appropriate, conducting real-time streaming to enable shore-based observers to participate in ship-based maintenance or research activities;

(E) real-time coordinated viewing of--

(i) scientific instrumentation so that it is possible to conduct scientific surveys and seafloor mapping with fully remote subject matter experts; and

(ii) critical operational technology by manufacturers and vendors so that it is possible to carry out maintenance and repairs to systems with limited expertise on each vessel, with fully remote subject-matter experts advising; and

(F) as appropriate, enabling video communications to allow improved outreach to, and other educational services for, K- 12 students, including occasional remote classroom teaching for instructors at sea to improve oceanographic access for students; and

(2) In consultation with the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Director of the National Institute for Standards and Technology, and the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate--

(A) the cybersecurity recommendations in the report of the private scientific advisory group known as JASON entitled ``Cybersecurity at NSF Major Facilities'' (JSR-21-10E) and dated October 2021 as applied to the U.S. Academic Research Fleet;

(B) aligning with international standards and guidance for information security, including the use of encryption for sensitive information, the detection and handling of security incidents, and other areas determined relevant by the Director;

(C) facilitating access to cybersecurity personnel and training of research and support personnel; and

(D) the requirements for controlled unclassified or classified information. SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION OF AND REPORT ON PLAN.

(a) In General.--The Director, in coordination with the Office of Naval Research, non-Federal owners of vessels of the Academic Research Fleet, users of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, or any combination thereof, may support upgrades to the cyberinfrastructure and cybersecurity of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet consistent with the plan required by section 3.

(b) Report Required.--Not later than 2 years after the submission of the plan required by section 3, the Director shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Space, Science, and Technology of the House of Representatives a report describing the progress made in implementing the plan.

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Mr. LUCAS. 7630, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here in support of the ANCHOR Act sponsored by my friend, Mr. Mike Garcia of California.

The ANCHOR Act establishes the crucial need for better cybersecurity in the U.S. Academic Research Fleet. This fleet of 18 vessels operates in the oceans, the Great Lakes, and the polar regions where they conduct crucial research on our marine environments.

They are studying ecosystems and food webs, offshore energy resources, and how we can better forecast and respond to hazards like earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.

Much of what we know about the ocean, from the wave dynamics to the deepest trenches, is thanks to research done aboard one of these vessels.

They operate a wide range of specialized equipment, including deep- towing cameras, state-of-the-art acoustic sensors, and sea floor mapping systems. They do this all over the globe, often sailing to remote locations far from land.

This creates a unique challenge because the fleet needs secure and reliable communications and data transmissions, whether they are just off the coast of California or in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

That means that each individual vessel needs a specialized infrastructure that protects their scientific equipment and ensures the security of their data, both on board and in transmission.

They need this level of security, but they don't have it. This bill will change that. The ANCHOR Act directs the National Science Foundation to submit a plan for much-needed upgrades to our Academic Research Fleet to improve cybersecurity and modernize telecom equipment.

We are directing the NSF to take into account the types of research done on each vessel, where they operate, their specialized equipment, and the necessary bandwidth for communication.

This plan is necessary to protect the taxpayer-funded research that is being performed by our Academic Research Fleet.

My fellow Representatives have often heard me talk about the threat to our research and intellectual property from the Chinese Communist Party.

We have taken strong steps to protect research done at our Federal agencies and in partnership with academic institutions. Now we must take the next step and secure the research being done off our coasts.

I appreciate Representative Mike Garcia's work on this issue and his commitment to strengthen our research enterprise and give it the protection it deserves.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MIKE GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support and thank Chairman Lucas and the committee staff for their support as well of H.R. 7630, the ANCHOR Act, which protects our scientific infrastructure from CCP espionage.

I also thank my colleague from across the aisle, Ms. Stevens, for her support in cosponsoring this bill as well.

As I said during the markup of this very important piece of legislation, the U.S. is the proud home to some of the best minds in the world, minds that keep our Nation on the cutting edge of scientific research, driving our national security, our economy, our healthcare, and so much more. Those advantages would immediately disappear if we allow lapses in our research security to occur.

The NSF currently owns 17 ships that make up the Academic Research Fleet. This fleet enables scientists across the Nation to conduct complex research on the ocean, the sea floor, the Great Lakes, remote polar regions, and throughout our Nation's borders maritime regions.

Unfortunately, this fleet is also aging and has become susceptible to cyber espionage from the CCP. According to The Wall Street Journal, in 2019 the fleet was the largest target to more than two-dozen cybersecurity attacks by the CCP as part of an elaborate scheme to steal research about maritime technology being developed for military use.

Following these attacks, Mr. Speaker, the NSF ordered an independent advisory group to provide recommendations for strengthening the cybersecurity capabilities of the Academic Research Fleet.

The ANCHOR Act implements these recommendations to protect the fleet and is the tool that the taxpayers will fund to make sure that the research they conduct is secure and protected.

We can't afford to wait, and we can't let China continue to rob us of precious American innovations paid for by our constituents.

I thank Chairman Lucas, again, for his support of my bill, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Mike Garcia, Congresswoman Stevens, and Congresswoman Lofgren, my colleague from California and the ranking member. This is a good piece of legislation. Let's vote for it.

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