Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Keep Drones Out of Terrorist Hands

Rosen and Romney Aim to Prevent Drone Attacks on U.S. Troops

Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) introduced the Combating Foreign Terrorist Drones Act this week to the Senate. The bill seeks to disrupt the sale of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to terror groups like Al-Qaeda, Islamic State and the Houthis in Yemen.

“Foreign terrorist groups are increasingly acquiring and using drones to target American servicemembers and our allies,” Rosen stated. “I’m helping introduce this bipartisan bill to prevent terrorist organizations from acquiring drones, protect our servicemembers from attacks, and enhance our national security.”

Drones Pose Growing Threat as Technology Proliferates

Romney cautioned that “with the rise of unmanned aerial systems used in warfare and the relative ease of access to commercial drones, it has become more critical to keep foreign terrorist groups from getting their hands on drones.”

Pointing to an increase in Iranian-sponsored drone attacks against American forces since the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, he said that “preventing foreign terrorists from acquiring drones will save American lives, degrade terrorist capabilities by reducing their stockpiles, and protect our national security interests.”

The legislation would require the Secretary of Defense to submit an intelligence assessment to Congress on how foreign terrorist organizations acquire drones and make recommendations to combat this growing threat. Drones provide standoff attack capabilities for terrorist groups and are relatively cheap and easy to use with minimal training.

DroneXL’s Take

The Combating Foreign Terrorist Drones Act is an important step in addressing the rapidly evolving threat landscape as Drone Technology becomes more accessible to non-state actors and terrorist organizations.

As we’ve reported, groups like ISIS, Hamas, and Hezbollah have already deployed drones for intelligence gathering, surveillance, and precision targeting of attacks. Countering terrorist use of drones will only become more challenging as the technology advances.

This bill recognizes the need for a proactive, intelligence-driven approach to disrupt the terrorist drone supply chain and stay ahead of new tactics. Increased information sharing with allies will also be critical.

While drones offer tremendous benefits across industries, it’s crucial that we take steps to keep this powerful technology out of the wrong hands. The Combating Foreign Terrorist Drones Act aims to do just that.