Coordinating Efforts To Prepare the Nation for Space Weather Events

Executive Order 13744 of October 13, 2016

Coordinating Efforts To Prepare the Nation for
Space Weather Events

By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, and to prepare the Nation for space weather
events, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy. Space weather events, in the form of
solar flares, solar energetic particles, and
geomagnetic disturbances, occur regularly, some with
measurable effects on critical infrastructure systems
and technologies, such as the Global Positioning System
(GPS), satellite operations and communication,
aviation, and the electrical power grid. Extreme space
weather events--those that could significantly degrade
critical infrastructure--could disable large portions
of the electrical power grid, resulting in cascading
failures that would affect key services such as water
supply, healthcare, and transportation. Space weather
has the potential to simultaneously affect and disrupt
health and safety across entire continents.
Successfully preparing for space weather events is an
all-of-nation endeavor that requires partnerships
across governments, emergency managers, academia, the
media, the insurance industry, non-profits, and the
private sector.

It is the policy of the United States to prepare for
space weather events to minimize the extent of economic
loss and human hardship. The Federal Government must
have (1) the capability to predict and detect a space
weather event, (2) the plans and programs necessary to
alert the public and private sectors to enable
mitigating actions for an impending space weather
event, (3) the protection and mitigation plans,
protocols, and standards required to reduce risks to
critical infrastructure prior to and during a credible
threat, and (4) the ability to respond to and recover
from the effects of space weather. Executive
departments and agencies (agencies) must coordinate
their efforts to prepare for the effects of space
weather events.

Sec. 2. Objectives. This order defines agency roles and
responsibilities and directs agencies to take specific
actions to prepare the Nation for the hazardous effects
of space weather. These activities are to be
implemented in conjunction with those identified in the
2015 National Space Weather Action Plan (Action Plan)
and any subsequent updates. Implementing this order and
the Action Plan will require the Federal Government to
work across agencies and to develop, as appropriate,
enhanced and innovative partnerships with State,
tribal, and local governments; academia; non-profits;
the private sector; and international partners. These
efforts will enhance national preparedness and speed
the creation of a space-weather-ready Nation.

Sec. 3. Coordination. (a) The Director of the Office of
Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), in consultation
with the Assistant to the President for Homeland
Security and Counterterrorism and the Director of the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), shall coordinate
the development and implementation of Federal
Government activities to prepare the Nation for space
weather events, including the activities established in
section 5 of this order and the recommendations of the
National Science and Technology Council (NSTC),
established by Executive Order 12881 of November 23,
1993 (Establishment of the National Science and
Technology Council).

(b) To ensure accountability for and coordination
of research, development, and implementation of
activities identified in this order and in the Action
Plan, the NSTC shall establish a Space Weather
Operations, Research, and Mitigation Subcommittee
(Subcommittee). The Subcommittee member agencies shall
conduct activities to advance the implementation of
this order, to achieve the goals identified in the 2015
National Space Weather Strategy and any subsequent
updates, and to coordinate and monitor the
implementation of the activities specified in the
Action Plan and provide subsequent updates.

Sec. 4. Roles and Responsibilities. To the extent
permitted by law, the agencies below shall adopt the
following roles and responsibilities, which are key to
ensuring enhanced space weather forecasting,
situational awareness, space weather preparedness, and
continuous Federal Government operations during and
after space weather events.

(a) The Secretary of Defense shall ensure the
timely provision of operational space weather
observations, analyses, forecasts, and other products
to support the mission of the Department of Defense and
coalition partners, including the provision of alerts
and warnings for space weather phenomena that may
affect weapons systems, military operations, or the
defense of the United States.
(b) The Secretary of the Interior shall support the
research, development, deployment, and operation of
capabilities that enhance the understanding of
variations of the Earth's magnetic field associated
with solar-terrestrial interactions.
(c) The Secretary of Commerce shall:

(i) provide timely and accurate operational space weather forecasts,
watches, warnings, alerts, and real-time space weather monitoring for the
government, civilian, and commercial sectors, exclusive of the
responsibilities of the Secretary of Defense; and

(ii) ensure the continuous improvement of operational space weather
services, utilizing partnerships, as appropriate, with the research
community, including academia and the private sector, and relevant agencies
to develop, validate, test, and transition space weather observation
platforms and models from research to operations and from operations to
research.

(d) The Secretary of Energy shall facilitate the
protection and restoration of the reliability of the
electrical power grid during a presidentially declared
grid security emergency associated with a geomagnetic
disturbance pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 824o-1.
(e) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall:

(i) ensure the timely redistribution of space weather alerts and warnings
that support national preparedness, continuity of government, and
continuity of operations; and

(ii) coordinate response and recovery from the effects of space weather
events on critical infrastructure and the broader community.

(f) The Administrator of the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA) shall:

(i) implement and support a national research program to understand the Sun
and its interactions with Earth and the solar system to advance space
weather modeling and prediction capabilities applicable to space weather
forecasting;

(ii) develop and operate space-weather-related research missions,
instrument capabilities, and models; and

(iii) support the transition of space weather models and technology from
research to operations and from operations to research.

(g) The Director of the National Science Foundation
(NSF) shall support fundamental research linked to
societal needs for space weather information through
investments and partnerships, as appropriate.

(h) The Secretary of State, in consultation with
the heads of relevant agencies, shall carry out
diplomatic and public diplomacy efforts to strengthen
global capacity to respond to space weather events.
(i) The Secretaries of Defense, the Interior,
Commerce, Transportation, Energy, and Homeland
Security, along with the Administrator of NASA and the
Director of NSF, shall work together, consistent with
their ongoing activities, to develop models,
observation systems, technologies, and approaches that
inform and enhance national preparedness for the
effects of space weather events, including how space
weather events may affect critical infrastructure and
change the threat landscape with respect to other
hazards.
(j) The heads of all agencies that support National
Essential Functions, defined by Presidential Policy
Directive 40 (PPD-40) of July 15, 2016 (National
Continuity Policy), shall ensure that space weather
events are adequately addressed in their all-hazards
preparedness planning, including mitigation, response,
and recovery, as directed by PPD-8 of March 30, 2011
(National Preparedness).
(k) NSTC member agencies shall coordinate through
the NSTC to establish roles and responsibilities beyond
those identified in section 4 of this order to enhance
space weather preparedness, consistent with each
agency's legal authority.

Sec. 5. Implementation. (a) Within 120 days of the date
of this order, the Secretary of Energy, in consultation
with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall develop
a plan to test and evaluate available devices that
mitigate the effects of geomagnetic disturbances on the
electrical power grid through the development of a
pilot program that deploys such devices, in situ, in
the electrical power grid. After the development of the
plan, the Secretary shall implement the plan in
collaboration with industry. In taking action pursuant
to this subsection, the Secretaries of Energy and
Homeland Security shall consult with the Chairman of
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

(b) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the
heads of the sector-specific agencies that oversee the
lifeline critical infrastructure functions as defined
by the National Infrastructure Protection Plan of
2013--including communications, energy, transportation,
and water and wastewater systems--as well as the
Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste Sector, shall
assess their executive and statutory authority, and
limits of that authority, to direct, suspend, or
control critical infrastructure operations, functions,
and services before, during, and after a space weather
event. The heads of each sector-specific agency shall
provide a summary of these assessments to the
Subcommittee.
(c) Within 90 days of receipt of the assessments
ordered in section 5(b) of this order, the Subcommittee
shall provide a report on the findings of these
assessments with recommendations to the Director of
OSTP, the Assistant to the President for Homeland
Security and Counterterrorism, and the Director of OMB.
The assessments may be used to inform the development
and implementation of policy establishing authorities
and responsibilities for agencies in response to a
space weather event.
(d) Within 60 days of the date of this order, the
Secretaries of Defense and Commerce, the Administrator
of NASA, and the Director of NSF, in collaboration with
other agencies as appropriate, shall identify
mechanisms for advancing space weather observations,
models, and predictions, and for sustaining and
transitioning appropriate capabilities from research to
operations and operations to research, collaborating
with industry and academia to the extent possible.
(e) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the
Secretaries of Defense and Commerce shall make
historical data from the GPS constellation and other
U.S. Government satellites publicly available, in
accordance with Executive Order 13642 of May 9, 2013
(Making Open and Machine Readable

the New Default for Government Information), to enhance
model validation and improvements in space weather
forecasting and situational awareness.
(f) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Homeland Security, through the
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency and in coordination with relevant agencies,
shall lead the development of a coordinated Federal
operating concept and associated checklist to
coordinate Federal assets and activities to respond to
notification of, and protect against, impending space
weather events. Within 180 days of the publication of
the operating concept and checklist, agencies shall
develop operational plans documenting their procedures
and responsibilities to prepare for, protect against,
and mitigate the effects of impending space weather
events, in support of the Federal operating concept and
compatible with the National Preparedness System
described in PPD-8.

Sec. 6. Stakeholder Engagement. The agencies identified
in this order shall seek public-private and
international collaborations to enhance observation
networks, conduct research, develop prediction models
and mitigation approaches, enhance community resilience
and preparedness, and supply the services necessary to
protect life and property and promote economic
prosperity, as consistent with law.

Sec. 7. Definitions. As used in this order:

(a) ``Prepare'' and ``preparedness'' have the same
meaning they have in PPD-8. They refer to the actions
taken to plan, organize, equip, train, and exercise to
build and sustain the capabilities necessary to
prevent, protect against, mitigate the effects of,
respond to, and recover from those threats that pose
the greatest risk to the security of the Nation. This
includes the prediction and notification of space
weather events.
(b) ``Space weather'' means variations in the space
environment between the Sun and Earth (and throughout
the solar system) that can affect technologies in space
and on Earth. The primary types of space weather events
are solar flares, solar energetic particles, and
geomagnetic disturbances.
(c) ``Solar flare'' means a brief eruption of
intense energy on or near the Sun's surface that is
typically associated with sunspots.
(d) ``Solar energetic particles'' means ions and
electrons ejected from the Sun that are typically
associated with solar eruptions.
(e) ``Geomagnetic disturbance'' means a temporary
disturbance of Earth's magnetic field resulting from
solar activity.
(f) ``Critical infrastructure'' has the meaning
provided in section 1016(e) of the USA Patriot Act of
2001 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)), namely systems and assets,
whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United
States that the incapacity or destruction of such
systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on
security, national economic security, national public
health or safety, or any combination of those matters.
(g) ``Sector-Specific Agency'' means the agencies
designated under PPD-21 of February 12, 2013 (Critical
Infrastructure Security and Resilience), or any
successor directive, to be responsible for providing
institutional knowledge and specialized expertise as
well as leading, facilitating, or supporting the
security and resilience programs and associated
activities of its designated critical infrastructure
sector in the all-hazards environment.

Sec. 8. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order
shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of OMB relating to budgetary,
administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not,
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against
the United States, its departments, agencies, or
entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any
other person.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

October 13, 2016.