Arctic connectivity and downlink resiliency initiative

(a) Strategy required Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Chief of Space Operations and the Commander of United States Northern Command, shall submit to the congressional defense committees a strategy to enhance secure, high-speed downlink capabilities and persistent connectivity in high-longitudinal and polar regions. (b) Elements The strategy required under subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) A plan to winterize and protect existing and future ground-based downlink stations against extreme thermal variance and permafrost degradation. (2) An assessment of integrating commercial and military low-Earth orbit and highly elliptical orbit satellite constellations to ensure continuous broadband coverage above 65 degrees North latitude. (3) Provisions for redundant terrestrial fiber-optic or microwave backhaul links to prevent single-point-of-failure scenarios in remote Arctic installations of the Department of Defense. (4) A framework for data-sharing and downlink hand-offs between the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard, and allied countries in the Arctic region (including North Atlantic Treaty Organization partners). (c) Form of strategy The strategy required under subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.