Legis Daily

Unmanned and Autonomous Systems Strategy Act of 2026

USA119th CongressS-4633| Senate 
| Updated: 5/21/2026
David McCormick

David McCormick

Republican Senator

Pennsylvania

Cosponsors (1)
John Fetterman (Democratic)

Armed Services Committee

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
This bill requires the Secretary of Defense to develop a comprehensive strategy for the deployment, employment, integration, sustainment, exportability, and scaling of unmanned and autonomous systems in the Indo-Pacific region and the Western Hemisphere. This strategy, developed in coordination with various U.S. commands and federal agencies, aims to strengthen homeland defense, support counter-narcotics and counter-trafficking operations, and increase burden sharing with allies and partners. Key elements of the strategy include assessing current capability gaps and operational requirements for these systems, particularly in areas like persistent domain awareness, anti-submarine warfare, long-range strike, and homeland security missions. It also requires an evaluation of various unmanned aircraft, surface, and undersea vehicles, identifying their attributes, and prospective basing and staging locations. Furthermore, the strategy must include a plan for cross-domain integration of these systems into the broader joint force, a summary of ongoing experimentation, and a plan for co-design, co-development, and interoperability with key allies such as Australia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ukraine, and AUKUS partners. The strategy will also assess adversary unmanned systems capabilities, recommend measures for U.S. and allied system survivability, and outline a resource and procurement plan. A critical component is addressing supply chain dependencies and vulnerabilities to ensure U.S. military systems are not reliant on components from covered foreign entities, consistent with existing law. The Secretary of Defense must submit this comprehensive strategy to Congress within 180 days of the bill's enactment. Subsequently, annual briefings are mandated through 2030 to report on the strategy's implementation, any changes in adversary capabilities, progress on allied initiatives, and recommended modifications.
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Timeline
May 21, 2026
Introduced in Senate
May 21, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
  • May 21, 2026
    Introduced in Senate


  • May 21, 2026
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

International Affairs

Unmanned and Autonomous Systems Strategy Act of 2026

USA119th CongressS-4633| Senate 
| Updated: 5/21/2026
This bill requires the Secretary of Defense to develop a comprehensive strategy for the deployment, employment, integration, sustainment, exportability, and scaling of unmanned and autonomous systems in the Indo-Pacific region and the Western Hemisphere. This strategy, developed in coordination with various U.S. commands and federal agencies, aims to strengthen homeland defense, support counter-narcotics and counter-trafficking operations, and increase burden sharing with allies and partners. Key elements of the strategy include assessing current capability gaps and operational requirements for these systems, particularly in areas like persistent domain awareness, anti-submarine warfare, long-range strike, and homeland security missions. It also requires an evaluation of various unmanned aircraft, surface, and undersea vehicles, identifying their attributes, and prospective basing and staging locations. Furthermore, the strategy must include a plan for cross-domain integration of these systems into the broader joint force, a summary of ongoing experimentation, and a plan for co-design, co-development, and interoperability with key allies such as Australia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ukraine, and AUKUS partners. The strategy will also assess adversary unmanned systems capabilities, recommend measures for U.S. and allied system survivability, and outline a resource and procurement plan. A critical component is addressing supply chain dependencies and vulnerabilities to ensure U.S. military systems are not reliant on components from covered foreign entities, consistent with existing law. The Secretary of Defense must submit this comprehensive strategy to Congress within 180 days of the bill's enactment. Subsequently, annual briefings are mandated through 2030 to report on the strategy's implementation, any changes in adversary capabilities, progress on allied initiatives, and recommended modifications.
View Full Text

Suggested Questions

Get AI-generated questions to help you understand this bill better

Timeline
May 21, 2026
Introduced in Senate
May 21, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
  • May 21, 2026
    Introduced in Senate


  • May 21, 2026
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
David McCormick

David McCormick

Republican Senator

Pennsylvania

Cosponsors (1)
John Fetterman (Democratic)

Armed Services Committee

International Affairs

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted