Drone specifics in NDAA of 2022

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022

SEC. 6445. REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS.

    (a) Definitions.–In this section:

            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.–The term

        “appropriate congressional committees” means–

                    (A) the congressional defense committees;

                    (B) the Committee on Science, Space, and

                Technology, and the Committee on Transportation and

                Infrastructure of the House of Representatives; and

                    (C) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and

                Transportation of the Senate.

            (2) Covered foreign entity.–The term “covered foreign

        entity” means an entity included on a list developed and

        maintained by the Federal Acquisition Security Council that

        includes entities in the following categories:

                    (A) An entity included on the Consolidated

                Screening List.

                    (B) Any entity that is subject to extrajudicial

                direction from a foreign government, as determined by

                the Secretary of Homeland Security.

                    (C) Any entity the Secretary of Homeland Security,

                in coordination with the Director of National

                Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense, determines

                poses a national security risk.

                    (D) Any entity domiciled in the People’s Republic

                of China or subject to influence or control by the

                Government of the People’s Republic of China or the

                Communist Party of the People’s Republic of China, as

                determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security.

                    (E) Any subsidiary or affiliate of an entity

                described in subparagraphs (A) through (D).

            (3) Executive agency.–The term “executive agency” has

        the meaning given that term in section 133 of title 41, United

        States Code.

            (4) Unmanned aircraft system; uas.–Except as otherwise

        provided, the terms “unmanned aircraft system” and “UAS”

        mean an unmanned aircraft and associated elements (consisting

        of communication links and the components that control the

        unmanned aircraft) that are required for the operator to

        operate safely and efficiently in the national airspace system.

    (b) Prohibition on Procurement of Unmanned Aircraft Systems From

Covered Foreign Entities.–

            (1) In general.–Except as provided under paragraphs (2)

        and (3), the head of an executive agency may not procure any

        unmanned aircraft system that is manufactured, assembled,

        designed, or patented by a covered foreign entity that are

        required for the operator to operate safely and efficiently in

        the national airspace system. The Federal Acquisition Security

        Council, in coordination with the Secretary of Transportation,

        shall develop and update a list of associated elements.

            (2) Exemption.–The Secretary of Homeland Security, the

        Secretary of Defense, and the Attorney General are exempt from

        the restriction under paragraph (1) if the operation or

        procurement–

                    (A) is for the sole purposes of research,

                evaluation, training, testing, or analysis for–

                            (i) electronic warfare;

                            (ii) information warfare operations;

                            (iii) development of UAS or counter-UAS

                        technology;

                            (iv) counterterrorism or

                        counterintelligence activities; or

                            (v) Federal criminal investigations,

                        including forensic examinations; and

                    (B) is required in the national interest of the

                United States.

            (3) Waiver.–The head of an executive agency may waive the

        prohibition under paragraph (1)–

                    (A) with the approval of the Secretary of Homeland

                Security or the Secretary of Defense; and

                    (B) upon notification to Congress.

    (c) Prohibition on Operation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems From

Covered Foreign Entities.–

            (1) Prohibition.–

                    (A) In general.–Beginning on the date that is 2

                years after the date of the enactment of this Act, an

                executive agency may not operate an unmanned aircraft

                system manufactured, assembled, designed, or patented

                by a covered foreign entity.

                    (B) Applicability to contracted services.–The

                prohibition under subparagraph (A) applies to any

                unmanned aircraft systems that are being used by any

                executive agency through the method of contracting for

                the services of unmanned aircraft systems.

            (2) Exemption.–The Secretary of Homeland Security, the

        Secretary of Defense, and the Attorney General are exempt from

        the restriction under paragraph (1) if the operation or

        procurement–

                    (A) is for the sole purposes of research,

                evaluation, training, testing, or analysis for–

                            (i) electronic warfare;

                            (ii) information warfare operations;

                            (iii) development of UAS or counter-UAS

                        technology;

                            (iv) counterterrorism or

                        counterintelligence activities; or

                            (v) Federal criminal investigations,

                        including forensic examinations; and

                    (B) is required in the national interest of the

                United States.

            (3) Waiver.–The head of an executive agency may waive the

        prohibition under paragraph (1) on a case-by-case basis–

                    (A) with the approval of the Secretary of Homeland

                Security or the Secretary of Defense; and

                    (B) upon notification to Congress.

            (4) Regulations and guidance.–Not later than 180 days

        after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of

        Homeland Security shall prescribe regulations or guidance to

        implement this section.

    (d) Prohibition on Use of Federal Funds for Purchases and Operation

of Unmanned Aircraft Systems From Covered Foreign Entities.–

            (1) In general.–Beginning on the date that is 2 years

        after the date of the enactment of this Act, except as provided

        in paragraphs (2) and (3), Federal funds awarded through a

        contract, grant, or cooperative agreement entered into on or

        after such effective date, or otherwise made available, may not

        be used–

                    (A) to purchase a unmanned aircraft system, or a

                system to counter unmanned aircraft systems, that is

                manufactured, assembled, designed, or patented by a

                covered foreign entity; or

                    (B) in connection with the operation of such a

                drone or unmanned aircraft system.

            (2) Exemption.–An executive agency is exempt from the

        restriction under paragraph (1) if the operation or procurement

        is for the sole purposes of research, evaluation, training,

        testing, or analysis, as determined by the Secretary of

        Homeland Security, the Secretary of Defense, or the Attorney

        General, for–

                    (A) electronic warfare;

                    (B) information warfare operations;

                    (C) development of UAS or counter-UAS technology;

                    (D) counterterrorism or counterintelligence

                activities;

                    (E) Federal criminal investigations, including

                forensic examinations; or

                    (F) the safe integration of UAS in the national

                airspace (as determined in consultation with the

                Secretary of Transportation); and

                    (G) is required in the national interest of the

                United States.

            (3) Waiver.–The head of an executive agency may waive the

        prohibition under paragraph (1) on a case-by-case basis–

                    (A) with the approval of the Secretary of Homeland

                Security or the Secretary of Defense; and

                    (B) upon notification to Congress.

            (4) Regulations.–Not later than 180 days after the date of

        the enactment of this Act, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory

        Council shall prescribe regulations or guidance, as necessary,

        to implement the requirements of this section relating to

        Federal contracts.

    (e) Prohibition on Use of Government-issued Purchase Cards to

Purchase Unmanned Aircraft Systems From Covered Foreign Entities.–

Effective immediately, Government-issued Purchase Cards may not be used

to procure any unmanned aircraft system from a covered foreign entity.

    (f) Management of Existing Inventories of Unmanned Aircraft Systems

From Covered Foreign Entities.–

            (1) In general.–Effective immediately, all executive

        agencies must account for existing inventories of unmanned

        aircraft systems manufactured, assembled, designed, or patented

        by a covered foreign entity in their personal property

        accounting systems, regardless of the original procurement

        cost, or the purpose of procurement due to the special

        monitoring and accounting measures necessary to track the

        items’ capabilities.

            (2) Classified tracking.–Due to the sensitive nature of

        missions and operations conducted by the United States

        Government, inventory data related to unmanned aircraft systems

        manufactured, assembled, designed, or patented by a covered

        foreign entity may be tracked at a classified level.

            (3) Exceptions.–The Department of Defense and Department

        of Homeland Security may exclude from the full inventory

        process, unmanned aircraft systems that are deemed expendable

        due to mission risk such as recovery issues or that are one-

        time-use unmanned aircraft system due to requirements and low

        cost.

    (g) Comptroller General Report.–Not later than 275 days after the

date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the

United States shall submit to Congress a report on the amount of

commercial off-the-shelf drones and unmanned aircraft systems procured

by Federal departments and agencies from covered foreign entities.

    (h) Government-wide Policy for Procurement of Unmanned Aircraft

Systems.–

            (1) In general.–Not later than 180 days after the date of

        the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of

        Management and Budget, in coordination with the Department of

        Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, the Department

        of Justice, and other Departments as determined by the Director

        of the Office of Management and Budget, and in consultation

        with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, shall

        establish a government-wide policy for the procurement of UAS–

                    (A) for non-Department of Defense and non-

                intelligence community operations; and

                    (B) through grants and cooperative agreements

                entered into with non-Federal entities.

            (2) Information security.–The policy developed under

        paragraph (1) shall include the following specifications, which

        to the extent practicable, shall be based on industry standards

        and technical guidance from the National Institute of Standards

        and Technology, to address the risks associated with

        processing, storing and transmitting Federal information in a

        UAS:

                    (A) Protections to ensure controlled access of UAS.

                    (B) Protecting software, firmware, and hardware by

                ensuring changes to UAS are properly managed, including

                by ensuring UAS can be updated using a secure,

                controlled, and configurable mechanism.

                    (C) Cryptographically securing sensitive collected,

                stored, and transmitted data, including proper handling

                of privacy data and other controlled unclassified

                information.

                    (D) Appropriate safeguards necessary to protect

                sensitive information, including during and after use

                of UAS.

                    (E) Appropriate data security to ensure that data

                is not transmitted to or stored in non-approved

                locations.

                    (F) The ability to opt out of the uploading,

                downloading, or transmitting of data that is not

                required by law or regulation and an ability to choose

                with whom and where information is shared when it is

                required.

            (3) Requirement.–The policy developed under paragraph (1)

        shall reflect an appropriate risk-based approach to information

        security related to use of UAS.

            (4) Revision of acquisition regulations.–Not later than

        180 days after the date on which the policy required under

        paragraph (1) is issued–

                    (A) the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council

                shall revise the Federal Acquisition Regulation, as

                necessary, to implement the policy; and

                    (B) any executive agency or other Federal entity

                not subject to, or not subject solely to, the Federal

                Acquisition Regulation shall revise applicable policy,

                guidance, or regulations, as necessary, to implement

                the policy.

            (5) Exemption.–In developing the policy required under

        paragraph (1), the Director of the Office of Management and

        Budget shall incorporate an exemption to the policy for the

        following reasons:

                    (A) In the case of procurement for the purposes of

                training, testing, or analysis for–

                            (i) electronic warfare; or

                            (ii) information warfare operations.

                    (B) In the case of researching UAS technology,

                including testing, evaluation, research, or development

                of technology to counter UAS.

                    (C) In the case of a head of the procuring

                executive agency determining, in writing, that no

                product that complies with the information security

                requirements described in paragraph (2) is capable of

                fulfilling mission critical performance requirements,

                and such determination–

                            (i) may not be delegated below the level of

                        the Deputy Secretary of the procuring executive

                        agency;

                            (ii) shall specify–

                                    (I) the quantity of end items to

                                which the waiver applies, the

                                procurement value of which may not

                                exceed $50,000 per waiver; and

                                    (II) the time period over which the

                                waiver applies, which shall not exceed

                                3 years;

                            (iii) shall be reported to the Office of

                        Management and Budget following issuance of

                        such a determination; and

                            (iv) not later than 30 days after the date

                        on which the determination is made, shall be

                        provided to the Committee on Homeland Security

                        and Government Affairs of the Senate and the

                        Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House

                        of Representatives.

    (i) Study on the Supply Chain for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and

Components.–

            (1) Report required.–Not later than 180 days after the

        date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of

        Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, in consultation with

        the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space

        Administration, shall provide to the appropriate congressional

        committees a report on the supply chain for covered unmanned

        aircraft systems, including a discussion of current and

        projected future demand for covered unmanned aircraft systems.

            (2) Elements.–The report under paragraph (1) shall include

        the following:

                    (A) A description of the current and future global

                and domestic market for covered unmanned aircraft

                systems that are not widely commercially available

                except from a covered foreign entity.

                    (B) A description of the sustainability,

                availability, cost, and quality of secure sources of

                covered unmanned aircraft systems domestically and from

                sources in allied and partner countries.

                    (C) The plan of the Secretary of Defense to address

                any gaps or deficiencies identified in subparagraph

                (B), including through the use of funds available under

                the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4501 et

                seq.) and partnerships with the National Aeronautics

                and Space Administration and other interested persons.

                    (D) Such other information as the Under Secretary

                of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment determines

                to be appropriate.

            (3) Covered unmanned aircraft system defined.–In this

        subsection, the term “covered unmanned aircraft system” means

        an unmanned aircraft system (as defined in subsection (a)) and

        any components of such a system.