AUVSI Applauds FY26 NDAA for Advancing America’s Uncrewed Systems Industry & Streamlining Defense Acquisition for Speed

December 17, 2025

The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) strongly supports the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by Congress today, which makes critical, long-overdue investments in America’s military drone, robotics, and autonomy capabilities in the air, in the water, and on the ground.

“We are in a transformational age of autonomy, and the bipartisan NDAA recognizes that robotics and autonomous systems are absolutely essential to U.S. defense and industrial competitiveness,” said Michael Robbins, President & CEO of AUVSI. “AUVSI is proud that important provisions reflect industry input, including reforms to the acquisition system, the SAFER SKIES Act, SkyFoundry, and the foreign adversary battery prohibition.”

SkyFoundry

AUVSI supports the compromise SkyFoundry language in Section 914, which calls for the creation of a Small-UAS Industrial Base Working Group that will provide a comprehensive assessment of:

• Domestic suppliers
• System and component availability
• Federal demand, and
• National production capacity

Critically, the U.S. Army may only establish SkyFoundry, in partnership with industry, once this report is complete and the Deputy Secretary certifies that rapid fielding will not negatively impact the commercial drone industry. AUVSI worked closely with Congress on this provision and is encouraged that the final language reflects industry input, ensuring defense fielding efforts reinforce, rather than compete with, the broader U.S. drone ecosystem.

Accelerating Robotics and Autonomous Systems for Defense

The NDAA accelerates adoption of advanced robotics across the defense industrial base. It directs the Army to expand robotic automation in munitions manufacturing by:

• Developing scalable robotic load, assemble, and pack systems
• Securing production data infrastructure, and
• Training and developing the workforce

The bill further advances autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs) for distributed operations, prioritizing small, modular, swarming-capable platforms that can be rapidly tested and fielded to strengthen warfighter effectiveness.

Protecting Supply Chains and National Security

The NDAA includes a prohibition on the procurement of batteries from foreign adversaries, a major step in protecting the U.S. industrial base and defense platforms from supply chain vulnerabilities. AUVSI actively supported this measure through the conference process, which ensures that critical defense technologies are sourced from trusted suppliers, safeguarding national security and industrial resilience.

Enhancing Drone Security and Airspace Safety Through the SAFER SKIES Act

The legislation also incorporates the SAFER SKIES Act, a long-overdue update to America’s drone security framework. The Act provides state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies with a clear, accountable path to detect and, when necessary, mitigate unsafe or malicious UAS activity, backed by:

• Federal training and certification requirements
• Multi-agency technology approval
• Privacy safeguards, and  
• Mandatory 48-hour reporting

FAA’s central role ensures counter-UAS operations are conducted safely while protecting civil aviation. AUVSI engaged with Congress, the White House, FAA, and industry stakeholders throughout the legislative process to address concerns and refine the framework, helping ensure it balances public safety, operator protections, and industry growth.

While implementation will require continued collaboration, the SAFER SKIES Act represents a critical step toward a safer, more predictable environment for public safety agencies, technology developers, and responsible operators alike.

Advancing Uncrewed Maritime Systems and Coast Guard Operations

AUVSI welcomes the NDAA’s maritime-focused provisions, which remove major regulatory and oversight barriers for uncrewed maritime systems and purpose-built platforms, open new funding avenues and international co-production opportunities, and promote broader adoption of uncrewed technologies across the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard.

At the same time, the legislation imposes the most rigorous reliability and software oversight requirements to date on large Navy uncrewed surface vessels, ensuring proven maturity before full-scale commitment and addressing challenges from prior programs.

Establishing Training Standards for Maritime Uncrewed Systems

Section 7332 of the FY26 NDAA strengthens federal maritime operations by directing the U.S. Coast Guard to establish and expand formal training and qualification standards for uncrewed systems. This provision reflects consistent feedback from AUVSI members that the absence of clear, standardized training requirements has been a limiting factor in the effective and scalable use of uncrewed maritime systems across missions.

In response to these gaps, AUVSI developed the Trusted Uncrewed Maritime Systems (UMS) Operator Program, aligned with the workforce, safety, and operational readiness principles outlined in Section 7332. By emphasizing standardized training and mission-relevant competencies, this approach supports Coast Guard personnel operating uncrewed systems for maritime domain awareness, search and rescue, port security, and environmental response while also providing a practical reference framework that can inform training and operational best practices for commercial operators and other non-defense maritime users.

AUVSI supports Congress’s focus on training standards as a foundational element of safe, effective, uncrewed system operations across federal maritime agencies.

Remaining Gaps and Opportunities for Future Action

While AUVSI supports this legislation, some important elements were left out of the final bill. Section 373, which addresses aspects of airspace safety, falls short of expectations; the ROTOR Act should have been included to provide a stronger, comprehensive framework for advancing safe integration of drones into the national airspace.

AUVSI also notes that Section 899 of the House version of the NDAA was not included through the conference process. This provision would have made needed restrictions on procurement of uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs) from foreign adversaries, similar to those implemented for aerial drones with the inclusion of the American Security Drone Act in the FY 2023 NDAA. We urge Congress to address these gaps in future legislation to ensure that innovation and airspace safety advance hand in hand.

Looking Ahead

AUVSI looks forward to working with the Department of War and the service branches, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, and other stakeholders to implement these provisions and continue advancing the safe, secure, and scalable integration of uncrewed systems, strengthening national security and American industry.