ANCHOR Act

What it does

This bill requires the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a plan to improve the cybersecurity and telecommunications capabilities of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet (ARF).

ARF is comprised of U.S.-flagged vessels that provide at-sea laboratories where oceanographic scientists, educators, and students research and learn about marine science.

The bill requires the plan to include assessments of

• telecommunications and networking needs of ARF, consistent with typical scientific missions;

• cybersecurity needs appropriate for the operation of ARF vessels and their specific research functions;

• the costs necessary to meet these needs;

• the time required to implement necessary upgrades; and

• opportunities for the adoption of common solutions or consortial licensing agreements, or for the centralization of cybersecurity, telecommunications, or data management at a single facility.

The plan must also include a spending plan for the NSF, the Office of Naval Research, nonfederal owners of ARF vessels, and users of the vessels to cover identified costs.

Among other factors specified in the bill, the NSF must consider, as appropriate, the network capabilities necessary to meet mission needs (e.g., to upload data to cloud-based or shoreside servers), international standards and guidance for information security, and requirements for controlled unclassified or classified information.

The plan must be provided to Congress within 18 months of the bill's enactment, and the NSF must later report to Congress on the plan's implementation.

Summary by the Congressional Research Service, Feb 12, 2025 (Introduced in House). CRS summarizes bills impartially; it does not take positions.