U.S. National Space Weather Strategy Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites 5 June 2016 Bill Murtagh Assistant Director for Space Weather Office of Science and Technology Policy Executive Office of the President

Severe Space Weather – Societal and Economic Impacts

Space Weather Impact – 4 Nov “Flights disappeared from radar screens in Swedish air traffic control towers during the blackout, which lasted about an hour”

“All our exchanges, from the northern coast of the Island of Cuba gave glowing descriptions of the Aurora Borealis - as bright in the tropics as in the northern zones” [New Orleans Daily Picayune,September 7, 1859] Extreme Space Weather: Carrington Event, September 1859 Discharges shocked telegraph operators and set the telegraph paper on fire Visible Aurora, Sep 2

US population at risk of extended power outage: mil Duration: 16 days to 1-2 years Economic cost: $ trillion Highest Risk: DC-NYC corridor Lloyds Report (21 May 2013) : Solar Storm Risk to the North American Electric Grid Gulf Coast states, including Florida, identified as "high risk" area

National Space Weather Strategy Nov 2014 – Space Weather Operations, Research, and Mitigation (SWORM) Task Force is established Tasked to develop: National Space Weather Strategy (NSWS) Space Weather Action Plan 6 A cohesive all-of-government strategy was necessary to ensure the federal government was positioned to mitigate, respond to and recover from a major space weather storm

Multi-agency effort – both science and preparedness All Actions coordinated with White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, National Security Council, and Office of Management and Budget Public Comment Period - stakeholders provided input and feedback on National Strategy National Space Weather Strategy – Whole Enterprise Involvement Strategy requires us to strengthen our interagency, public-private and international partnerships, in a whole community approach.

The National Strategy and Action Plan 8 Released on 29 October 2015

National Space Weather Strategy – Structure Strategy articulates six high-level goals 1. Establish Benchmarks for Space-Weather Events 2. Enhance Response and Recovery Capabilities 3. Improve Protection and Mitigation Efforts 4. Improve Assessment, Modeling, and Prediction of Impacts on Critical Infrastructure 5. Improve Space-Weather Services through Advancing Understanding and Forecasting 6. Increase International Cooperation 9

The NSWAP establishes specific activities with: implementation timelines detailed actions specific agency assignments A National Space Weather Action Plan (NSWAP) establishes a process to implement the National Space Weather Strategy National Space Weather Action Plan 10

Build international support and policies for acknowledging space weather as a global challenge Increase engagement with the international community on observation infrastructure, data sharing, numerical modeling, and scientific research Strengthen international coordination and cooperation on space-weather products and services Promote a collaborative international approach to preparedness for extreme space-weather events Goal 6. Increase International Cooperation Space weather should be regarded as a global challenge requiring a coordinated global response.

A Global Challenge Sustain U.S. participation in relevant United Nations activities and incorporation of space weather-related elements into work plans, programs, and projects: Developing a 4-year plan for UN World Meteorological Organization space weather activities; Continuing with space weather as an agenda item at the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS); Providing global space weather information and services for international aviation with the UN International Civil Aviation Organization; and Providing guidance on ionospheric disturbances monitoring and forecasting with International Telecommunications Union 12

Action DOC and DOI, in coordination with NSF and NASA, will provide input to the WMO operational space- weather-observing requirements and Statement of Guidance and will report to relevant international organizations, including the COPUOS, the Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites (CGMS)…on priorities for coordinated action. Deliverable: Submit report to each of the noted international organizations at their respective primary annual meetings Timeline: Within 1 year of the publication of this Action Plan and every year thereafter CGMS

Action DOC and NASA will continue efforts within CGMS to promote an ongoing agenda item on space-weather activities. Deliverable: Complete progress report Timeline: Within 1 year of the publication of this Action Plan and every year thereafter CGMS

Action DOC and NASA will collaborate with academia, the private sector, and the international community to explore the potential benefits and costs of space-weather missions in orbits complementary to the sustained missions at the L1 Lagrangian point, which may include missions at the L5 Lagrangian point. Action DOC, in collaboration with DOS, will sustain and enhance international partnerships for the acquisition of data from solar-imaging and solar-wind deep-space missions, building on the ongoing operational Real-Time Solar Wind (RTSW) network. Increase Engagement with the International Community on Observation Infrastructure

Memo from OMB and OSTP Directors 16 “Space weather observations and R&D are essential to address the growing societal needs for accurate and timely space weather information. Agencies should prioritize investments in space weather science and preparedness according to the 2015 National Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan. White House Multi-Agency Science and Technology Priorities for the FY 2017 Budget

The Way Forward Ensuring effective implementation Currently defining effort to oversee implementation of Action Plan Oversight of Action Plan will be led by White House with full agency involvement Proposed oversight by National Science and Technology Council Strategy - The United States must work with the international community to enhance observations to meet the needs of the global scientific community and the providers and users of space-weather information services.

THANK YOU! 18