6 U.S.C. § 474 Homeland Security Critical Domain Research and Development

• Library: United States Statutes
• Edition: 2023
• Currency: Current through P.L. 118-22 with Court Rules updates (published on www.congress.gov on 12/01/2023)
• Year: 2023
• Citation: 6 U.S.C. § 474

(a) In general

(1) Research and development

The Secretary is authorized to conduct research and development to-

(A) identify United States critical domains for economic security and homeland security; and

(B) evaluate the extent to which disruption, corruption, exploitation, or dysfunction of any of such domain poses a substantial threat to homeland security.

(2) Requirements

(A) Risk analysis of critical domains

The research under paragraph (1) shall include a risk analysis of each identified United States critical domain for economic security to determine the degree to which there exists a present or future threat to homeland security in the event of disruption, corruption, exploitation, or dysfunction to such domain. Such research shall consider, to the extent possible, the following:

(i) The vulnerability and resilience of relevant supply chains.

(ii) Foreign production, processing, and manufacturing methods.

(iii) Influence of malign economic actors.

(iv) Asset ownership.

(v) Relationships within the supply chains of such domains.

(vi) The degree to which the conditions referred to in clauses (i) through (v) would place such a domain at risk of disruption, corruption, exploitation, or dysfunction.

(B) Additional research into high-risk critical domains

Based on the identification and risk analysis of United States critical domains for economic security pursuant to paragraph (1) and subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, respectively, the Secretary may conduct additional research into those critical domains, or specific elements thereof, with respect to which there exists the highest degree of a present or future threat to homeland security in the event of disruption, corruption, exploitation, or dysfunction to such a domain. For each such high-risk domain, or element thereof, such research shall-

(i) describe the underlying infrastructure and processes;

(ii) analyze present and projected performance of industries that comprise or support such domain;

(iii) examine the extent to which the supply chain of a product or service necessary to such domain is concentrated, either through a small number of sources, or if multiple sources are concentrated in one geographic area;

(iv) examine the extent to which the demand for supplies of goods and services of such industries can be fulfilled by present and projected performance of other industries, identify strategies, plans, and potential barriers to expand the supplier industrial base, and identify the barriers to the participation of such other industries;