Highlight any text to annotate

(a) In generalThe Administrator, acting through the Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the Assistant Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for Marine and Aviation Operations and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, shall regularly assess publicly and commercially available unmanned maritime systems for potential use to support missions of the Administration. (b) Science-based assessmentsThe Administrator shall carry out subsection (a) through the Assistant Administrator for all matters relating to assessment of the suitability, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness of unmanned maritime systems to meet data specifications required by programs of the Administration. (c) Assessment of operational utilityThe Administrator shall carry out subsection (a) through the Director for all matters relating to assessment of whether unmanned maritime systems are operationally reliable, feasible, and cost effective enough to make observations required by programs of the Administration. (d) EngagementThe Assistant Administrator and the Director shall jointly—(1) convene and consult the Unmanned Maritime Systems Ocean Technology Coordinating Committee established under section 4102(b) of this title; and (2) consult with the heads of other offices of the Administration, the academic sector, and developers and manufacturers of unmanned maritime systems to conduct the assessments under subsection (a). (Pub. L. 115–394, § 4, Dec. 21, 2018, 132 Stat. 5284; Pub. L. 119–60, div. H, title LXXXIV, § 8401(a)(2), Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1908.) Editorial Notes Amendments2025—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 119–60 substituted “Assistant Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for” for “Director of the Office of”.

Add a comment

Sign in to comment on this section.

Annotate the text

Highlight any passage on the Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.