U.S. Senators Dave McCormick and John Fetterman introduced the Unmanned Autonomous Systems Strategy Act on May 21, requiring the Department of War to develop a comprehensive plan for deploying unmanned and autonomous systems across the Indo-Pacific and Western Hemisphere.
The proposed legislation aims to accelerate the use of low-cost, AI-enabled drones in military operations. Supporters say this is important for maintaining U.S. military superiority as other nations expand their capabilities in this area.
“Unmanned and autonomous systems represent the most disruptive shift in military technology since precision-guided munitions and stealth,” said Senator McCormick. “We’ve seen their impact in Ukraine and across the Middle East. The nation that can field affordable, scalable autonomous systems fastest will have a decisive military advantage. America cannot afford to fall behind.”
Senator Fetterman said, “Unmanned and autonomous systems are part of our lives right now with no strategy for deploying them where they matter most. Pennsylvania’s defense industry builds some of the best of these systems and we should be putting them to work to keep Americans safe—and this bill does that.”
Key requirements under the act include evaluating capability gaps in surveillance, strike, anti-submarine warfare, logistics, electronic warfare, force design reviews for air, surface, undersea operations; deployment strategies; integration plans involving emerging technologies like AI; cooperation frameworks with allies such as Australia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Israel and Ukraine; as well as procurement strategies compliant with existing drone regulations.
The bill comes amid growing concerns over China’s expansion of its navy and drone capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region—a development intended to limit U.S. presence there—and increased use of unmanned aerial vehicles by criminal organizations closer to home.
McCormick served as a captain in the 82nd Airborne Division during the First Gulf War before entering public service roles including CEO positions at FreeMarkets and Bridgewater Associates along with posts at Treasury and national security agencies,according to his official website.
