This Act may be cited as the Naval Enhancement for Protection of Telecommunications Undersea Network Equipment Act or the NEPTUNE Act.

(a) Contract authority The Secretary of the Navy may enter into a contract for the construction of up to two submarine cable laying and repair ships and associated material. (b) Liability Any contract entered into under subsection (a) shall provide that— (1) any obligation of the United States to make a payment under the contract is subject to the availability of appropriations for that purpose; and (2) the total liability of the Federal Government for termination of the contract shall be limited to the total amount of funding obligated to the contract at the time of termination.

(a) In general The Secretary of the Navy may not retire, prepare to retire, or place in storage the USNS Zeus until the date on which a replacement ship with capabilities equal to or exceeding those of the USNS Zeus has achieved full operational capability. (b) Replacement ship defined In this section, the term replacement ship — (1) means a submarine cable laying and repair ship designated USNS and maintained in the inventory of the Navy; and (2) does not include a commercial vessel leased or chartered by the Navy.