Study on Indo-Pacific critical commercial satellite ground stations

(a) Study The Secretary of the Air Force (acting through the Space Systems Command), in consultation with the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, shall conduct a comprehensive study on the security, physical, cyber, and geopolitical vulnerabilities of commercially owned and operated satellite ground-based nodes located within the Indo-Pacific region that are relevant to a potential crisis or conflict in the region. (b) Elements The study under subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) An assessment of key contractor owned and managed locations for both primary and backup capabilities in a crisis or conflict. (2) An assessment of physical vulnerabilities to adversary attacks, including with respect to unmanned aerial systems and unconventional warfare sabotage. (3) An analysis of potential cyber intrusions, remote information technology network breaches, signal jamming, and data spoofing targeting commercial uplink and downlink infrastructure. (4) An evaluation of host-nation regulatory frameworks, legal authorities, and diplomatic pressures that could force a commercial operators to cease support for the military operations of the United States during a crisis or conflict. (5) An assessment of the ability of contractors to quickly adjust minimum security requirements during a crisis or conflict. (6) Recommendations for operational redundancies, expanded governmental security support during conflict, and treaty safeguards for essential commercial operations. (c) Report (1) Requirement Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report containing the findings of the study and any recommendations for regulatory or congressional actions. (2) Form The report under paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.