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FY2025 NDAA: Countering Uncrewed

Aircraft Systems



Updated February 3, 2025

Background

Congress has expressed concerns about the threats posed by uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS, commonly
known  as drones) to U.S. military personnel and defense installations at home and abroad, as well as an
interest in the ability of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to detect and mitigate UAS threats. DOD
is developing, acquiring, and fielding defensive counter-UAS weapon systems, as in those systems that
are able to locate, identify, track, and intercept adversary drones. During consideration of a FY2025
National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Congress evaluated policy provisions related to DOD's
counter-UAS capabilities and authorities, and whether to authorize more, the same, or less funding than
the President requested for such activities. This product provides an overview of the counter-UAS
provisions and funding authorizations in the enacted version of the legislation (P.L. 118-159) and in the
House-passed and Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC)-reported versions of the FY2025 NDAA
(H.R. 8070 and S. 4638, respectively).

Legislative Provisions

The enacted FY2025 NDAA   and the House-passed and SASC-reported versions of the bill contained
multiple legislative provisions directly related to counter-UAS (see Table 1). The enacted and proposed
versions of the NDAA also contained legislative provisions that are indirectly related to counter-UAS,
such as those provisions pertaining to general air defense capabilities and other technologies, which are
not addressed in this product.
In addition to the legislative provisions in the House-passed and SASC-reported bills, the House Armed
Services Committee (HASC) and SASC  included items of special interest (ISIs) in the committee reports
on H.R. 8070 and S. 4638 that addressed counter-UAS. For example, both HASC and SASC included an
ISI directing DOD officials to brief the committees on aspects of low-cost counter-UAS capabilities.
Both committees further directed DOD officials to provide a briefing on Al-enabled, combat-validated
UAS  defeat capabilities. Unlike enacted provisions of law, directive report language is not legally
binding, though agency officials typically regard it as a congressional mandate.

                                                                Congressional Research Service
                                                                  https://crsreports.congress.gov
                                                                                      IN12418

CRS INSIGHT
Prepared for Members and
Committees of Congress

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