According to lawmakers, the widespread use of Chinese-made drones in the United States may be compromising national security. Two House Republicans are urging the Biden administration to declassify information on the potential risks posed by Chinese-manufactured drones. Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), head of the Homeland Security Committee, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), leader of the Energy and Commerce Committee, have expressed concerns about unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) made by Da Jiang Innovation (DJI) and Autel Robotics.
They pointed out that multiple federal agencies have either warned against or prohibited the procurement of certain UAS from China due to the associated risks. However, the specific details of these threats remain classified. The lawmakers have called on Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and Derek Passarelli, principal deputy under secretary at the Department of Energy, to declassify this information.
DJI and Autel currently dominate about 90 percent of the global drone market and have established commercial relationships with numerous law enforcement agencies in the United States. The lawmakers emphasized that the use of Chinese drones by these agencies could expose them to cybersecurity vulnerabilities while also jeopardizing national security.
In a letter dated June 17, the lawmakers requested a briefing from CISA and the Department of Energy before July 2 regarding the risks associated with Chinese-made drones. They highlighted various actions taken by the U.S. government against DJI drones in recent years, including grounding their use by the Department of Army and banning procurement by the Pentagon.
Furthermore, the Department of Commerce added DJI to its entity list in December 2020, accusing the company of facilitating human rights abuses in China through surveillance activities. The Department of Treasury also included DJI on its Chinese Military-Industrial Complex list in December 2021 for supporting the surveillance and tracking of ethnic minorities in China.
Lawmakers also referenced a 2017 alert from Homeland Security Investigations, which suggested that DJI drones could be sharing critical infrastructure and law enforcement data with the Chinese government. This information could potentially be used for cyber or physical attacks against the U.S. or shared with hostile entities.
Recently, the House passed the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes the Countering CCP Drones Act aimed at restricting DJI technologies from operating on U.S. communications infrastructure. This legislation underscores the ongoing efforts to address the national security risks posed by Chinese-made drones.
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