S3262-119

1. Integrated NATO air defense against unmanned aerial systems The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall engage the Secretary General of NATO and relevant policymakers of NATO countries to develop and implement a strategy to rapidly field a multi-layered, integrated air defense system that would bolster allied air defense capabilities to defeat unmanned aerial systems and deter Russian aggression against NATO, particularly against the alliance’s eastern flank members, including Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania. The strategy required by subsection (a) shall— identify existing gaps in the defense efforts of NATO against unmanned aerial systems, particularly with regard to— impediments to using mass-produced, low-cost effectors, such as improved ammunition and rockets, against low-cost unmanned aerial systems, which risk requiring NATO to use expensive, high-cost weaponry, thereby depleting NATO stocks in a non-economical manner; impediments to using next-generation technologies, such as artificial intelligence and high-power microwave weapons, to better coordinate defense responses; and impediments to allied command and control, multilateral coordination, leveraging of shared facilities, and enhancing operability; describe current United States contributions to NATO air defense and identify future actions to be taken over the next five years by the Department of Defense— to enhance the ability of NATO to produce, at scale, low-cost effectors, such as improved ammunition and rockets, to defeat low-cost unmanned aerial systems; to enhance the ability of NATO to develop next-generation technologies to defeat low-cost unmanned aerial systems, particularly artificial intelligence and high-power microwave weapons, to better coordinate defense responses; and to expand the production by NATO of mass-produced, low-cost unmanned aerial systems, including through cooperation with Ukraine, given Ukraine’s demonstrated expertise in the production of low-cost unmanned aerial systems; and describe actions that NATO and specific NATO allies, including the United States, should take over the next five years— to solve the impediments described in subsection (b)(1); and to achieve the goals described in subsection (b)(2). Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees the strategy required by subsection (a), including an identification of— any changes to funding or policy required to bolster NATO's multi-layered, integrated air defense against unmanned aerial systems; and any additional resources required to carry out the specific initiatives described in subsection (b). Not later than March 15, 2027, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the progress made in implementing the strategy required by subsection (a), including any gaps in resources or authorities identified in the ability of the Department of Defense to implement the strategy. In this section: The term appropriate congressional committees means— the congressional defense committees; and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives. The term NATO means the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.