Text of Senate Amendment 6430

On 2026-06-24, Senator Angela D. Alsobrooks (D-MD) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6430" in the Senate.

Text of Senate Amendment 6430

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3551] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6430. Ms. ALSOBROOKS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the end of subtitle E of title III, add the following: SEC. 358. ESTABLISHMENT OF DIGITAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER CAPABILITIES AT MILITARY INSTALLATIONS. (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall establish digital air traffic control tower capabilities at not fewer than one military installation in order to modernize military air traffic control, improve controller safety, and increase operational efficiency. (b) Selection.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall select a military installation with significant air traffic control needs, including after consideration of installations with dense or complex air traffic patterns, high aircraft movement volume, multi- service aviation operations, constrained controller staffing, or other operational conditions requiring enhanced air traffic control capability. (c) Capabilities.--A digital air traffic control tower capability established under this section shall, to the maximum extent practicable, include-- (1) secure digital, 360-degree visualization of the airfield environment in lieu of, or supplemental to, a traditional tower view; (2) controller working positions and system architecture capable of supporting safe air traffic control operations from a remote, local, or centralized location; (3) a scalable, modular, or deployable configuration adaptable to varying mission requirements; (4) integrated cameras, sensors, surveillance inputs, and digital data feeds to enhance controller situational awareness; (5) display augmentation capabilities identifying and labeling aircraft and other objects of interest, including call sign, speed, heading, and other relevant operational information; (6) infrared or comparable enhanced-visibility capabilities for night operations, degraded visual environments, and inclement weather; (7) the ability to transmit visual feeds and operational data to a consolidated air operations center or other centralized command facility; and (8) the ability to reduce reliance on conventional tower infrastructure while preserving aviation safety, resiliency, and continuity of operations. (9) approved for use in the National Airspace System by the Federal Aviation Administration. (d) Implementation Plan and Briefing.-- (1) Implementation plan.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a plan for implementation of this section, including-- (A) the basis for selecting the military installation required under subsection (a); (B) operational requirements; (C) safety and certification considerations; (D) barriers to deployment; and (E) any anticipated cost savings or cost avoidance achieved through reduced reliance on the construction, sustainment, and maintenance of traditional air traffic control tower infrastructure. (2) Briefing.--Not later than 90 days after the date on which the Secretary establishes the capability required by subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees a briefing on implementation of this section, including-- (A) operational effectiveness; (B) cost savings or cost avoidance as compared to traditional air traffic control tower maintenance and sustainment; and (C) recommendations for broader fixed and deployable digital air traffic control tower implementation. (e) Digital Air Traffic Control Tower Defined.--In this section, the term ``digital air traffic control tower'' means a system that uses cameras, sensors, and digital technology to provide air traffic control services from a location other than a traditional physical tower structure, including from a local, remote, or centralized facility. ______