DEFEND Act

The bill mandates that the Secretary of Homeland Security conduct annual assessments of terrorism threats to the United States for six years. These assessments will specifically examine the global proliferation and malicious use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) by covered foreign adversaries, including terrorist organizations. The primary objective is to analyze the resulting implications for U.S. homeland security and domestic preparedness, with findings reported to appropriate congressional committees. Each assessment must detail the methods, trends, and technologies used by adversaries to employ UAS for surveillance, attacks on critical infrastructure, or targeting civilian populations. It also requires an evaluation of how these tactics could be replicated by other actors, including domestic extremists, and an analysis of UAS acquisition, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence , and swarm tactics. The Secretary is also directed to develop training and capacity-building recommendations for law enforcement and to consult with other federal agencies and private sector experts, submitting both classified and unclassified versions of the assessment.