[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.
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