S.Amdt. 6001

SA 6001, submitted by Mr. Bennet and Mr. Hickenlooper, aims to add a new section to bill S. 4784. This addition requires a report on the national security importance of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

The amendment adds findings that NCAR is a critical national security asset. It provides supercomputing, space weather forecasting, and atmospheric modeling used by the intelligence community and various military branches, such as the Air Force Weather Agency and the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. It notes that NCAR's infrastructure is necessary for protecting defense infrastructure, ensuring satellite communications, and simulating battlefield environments.

The purpose of the amendment is to mandate that the Secretary of Defense, consulting with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, submit a report to congressional defense committees within 180 days of the Act's enactment. This report must assess the Department of Defense's reliance on NCAR and include:

• An evaluation of the reliance of space weather forecasting and predictive weather models on NCAR's supercomputing and community models.

• An assessment of how environmental intelligence from NCAR impacts tactical troop safety, specifically regarding fueling operations, munitions-handling, live-fire training, low-altitude helicopter and high-altitude aviation operations, and deployments in areas with severe turbulence, microburst wind shear, or extreme weather.

• A risk assessment regarding the closure, fragmentation, or structural divestment of NCAR facilities like the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center and the Mesa Laboratory.

• A description of observational platforms or specialized research aircraft operated by NCAR that support Department of Defense evaluation and test missions.