Defense Policy Bill Would Ban Chinese, Russian Drone Tech in U.S.

A protectionist drone bill made it into the National Defense Authorization Act of 2024, which passed both houses of Congress this week.

Jack Daleo

Friday, December 15, 2023 at 03:01 PM ET

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DJI’s Phantom drone is among the models that would be banned from procurement or use by federal agencies. [Courtesy: Emiliano Arano/Pexels]

Key Takeaways:

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2024 includes a ban prohibiting federal agencies and federally funded programs from purchasing or using drones manufactured in countries considered national security threats, primarily targeting Chinese companies like DJI and Autel.
Derived from the American Security Drone Act (ASDA), this bipartisan legislation is driven by lawmakers' concerns about potential surveillance and data security risks, despite a lack of conclusive evidence of spying. Critics argue it's an unnecessary, protectionist measure.
While the current ban applies only at the federal level, there is pending legislation, such as the Countering CCP Drones Act, that could expand these restrictions to hobbyists and the broader U.S. drone market by preventing their use of FCC-regulated infrastructure.

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Buried within the text of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2024, which passed both houses of Congress this week, is a ban on the world’s most popular drone.

The NDAA includes language that would prohibit federal agencies and federally funded programs from purchasing or using drones manufactured in countries that are viewed as threats to U.S. national security: namely, China and Russia. It’s now a signature from President Joe Biden away from becoming law.