As the House prepares to consider the annual defense policy bill later this week, lawmakers are continuing to review several key tech provisions within the sweeping 1,800-page compromise bill, which dropped over the weekend.
On Dec. 7, the House and Senate unveiled their compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, with a topline of $895.2 billion that comes in just under the congressionally mandated budget caps imposed by the Fiscal Responsibility Act, despite a push in the Senate to exceed that number.
As MeriTalk continues to follow the defense policy bill’s progress toward the President’s desk, here are some more notable tech items that have emerged from the legislation.
Drone Provisions Fly Into Compromise Bill
The compromise bill introduces provisions related to unmanned aerial systems (UAS), with key updates aimed at strengthening the Defense Department’s (DoD) drone capabilities.
One provision calls for enhancing supply chain resiliency for small unmanned aerial systems (UAS). It directs the Defense Secretary to identify vulnerabilities in the small UAS supply chain and strengthen it by sourcing parts from domestic suppliers as well as allies and partners.
As part of this measure the DoD would need to develop a UAS Supply Chain Risk Framework to “assess the risk of each [small] UAS component to Department of Defense networks or operations,” the bill’s text reads.
The DoD would also be required to develop “a strategy to develop a secure and resilient domestic and allied supply chain of critical components for [small] UAS,” the bill reads.
The legislation also would require the DoD to establish a Counter UAS Task Force from “existing organizations and personnel of the Department of Defense.” The task force would provide clarity and expedited decision-making process for commanders on effectively countering UAS and UAS incursions at military installations.
This is an area in which the department has already begun to make some moves, the latest of which includes a classified strategy to counter drones signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III last week.
The bill would also require the DoD – specifically the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the commander of the United States Northern Command – to execute a large-scale exercise to test the department’s ability to respond to a variety of threats from UAS.
NDAA Bans Chinese Telecom Gear from U.S. Networks
The NDAA also includes provisions addressing security risks to U.S. telecom networks.
For example, the NDAA would grant the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) just over $3 billion to support U.S. telecom companies in their efforts to remove equipment made by Chinese telecom firms Huawei and ZTE from American wireless networks, which have been deemed national security risks.
This provision would support the FCC in carrying out the requirements laid out in the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019, which was signed into law in March 2020. The law established the FCC’s “rip-and-replace” program, officially known as the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program.
FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel has urged Congress to fully fund the reimbursement program. In a letter to lawmakers dated Nov. 26 and made public on Dec. 2, Rosenworcel highlighted that while the program currently has an appropriation of $1.9 billion, the approved applications’ cost estimates total around $4.98 billion, creating a shortfall of $3.08 billion.
The compromise bill would provide the FCC with access to the additional funding needed to cover the shortfall and fully support the reimbursement program.
Building on these security-focused efforts, the NDAA would also prohibit the DoD from procuring semiconductor products and services from companies that knowingly supply covered semiconductors to Huawei.
NDAA Pushes Forward DoD Efforts on AI, Autonomy, and Quantum Technologies
The annual defense policy bill also includes provisions on artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum information sciences, allocating $143.8 billion for science and technology research and development.
For instance, the NDAA seeks to accelerate funding and enhance collaboration within the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Quantum Benchmarking program, which aims to expedite the delivery of essential quantum capabilities to DoD missions.
The bill also calls for the Pentagon to develop a new strategic plan for quantum information sciences and technologies which would guide the department’s research, testing, procurement, and evaluation of integrated quantum science capabilities.
Additionally, the NDAA would require the department to stand up two pilot programs to develop AI tools. One program will focus on national security-driven biotechnological applications, with a five-year timeline beginning within one year of the bill’s passage. The second program aims to create AI-enabled software for specific operational tasks, particularly for shipyards, depots, and other defense manufacturing facilities.
The NDAA also requires the DoD to submit an annual report to lawmakers detailing the approvals and deployments of lethal autonomous weapon systems by the U.S. military. The report must include approval dates, any systems granted waivers from review by senior DoD officials, dates these waivers were issued, and systems currently undergoing review.
