News release
Rep. Mike Garcia announced that his ANCHOR Act, H.R. 7630, a bipartisan bill co-led by Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Michigan, passed the House unanimously.
“This critical legislation facilitates much-needed cybersecurity and telecommunications upgrades for the 17 oceanographic vessels in the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, including three based in California,” said a news release from Garcia’s office.
“These ships are vital to our national security and environmental research, but they’re outdated and vulnerable to rising cyber threats from adversaries like Russia and China,” Garcia said in the release. “The ANCHOR Act is about securing these vessels and making sure they can continue their important missions — whether it’s studying our oceans or supporting our national defense — for years to come.”
The ANCHOR Act directs the National Science Foundation to create a detailed plan within one year to modernize the fleet’s cybersecurity and telecommunications systems and implement it within the following two years and report back to Congress.
“These vessels have already made significant discoveries, like locating World War II-era munitions off the Los Angeles coast,” Garcia said in the release. “We’re protecting not just our oceans, but our national interests and future research, ensuring America stays at the forefront of global innovation.”
The ANCHOR Act is endorsed by leading institutions including Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
