(a) In general
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Navy shall take such actions as may be necessary, including modification of research and development and acquisition procedures as appropriate, to ensure that unmanned surface vessels are capable of autonomous operation—
during periods in which communications capabilities are denied, degraded, intermittent, or limited; and
during periods in which positioning, navigation, and timing capabilities are degraded or unavailable.
(b) Briefing
Following implementation of the actions required under subsection (a), but not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Navy shall provide to the congressional defense committees a briefing on such actions. The briefing shall include an explanation of each of the following:
The ability of unmanned surface vessels to execute preauthorized mission tasks without continuous human control.
The ability of such vessels to adhere to defined autonomy behaviors, decision logic, and safety constraints governing mission execution.
The ability of such vessels to adapt, recover, retask, or terminate missions in accordance with preestablished operational parameters when communications or positioning, navigation, and timing are degraded or unavailable.
(c) Unmanned surface vessels
In this section, the term unmanned surface vessels includes—
unmanned surface vessels in use by the Navy or Marine Corps; and
unmanned surface vessels planned for development or procurement for the Navy or Marine Corps.