“To prohibit executive agencies from procuring or operating certain unmanned ground vehicle systems, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section prohibits heads of executive agencies (as defined in 41 U.S.C. 133) from procuring covered unmanned ground vehicle systems, defined as systems manufactured or assembled by a covered foreign entity (i.e., domiciled in, controlled by the government of, or affiliated with a covered nation such as China per 10 U.S.C. 4872(f)). It further prohibits executive agencies from operating such systems—including through contracted services—or using federal funds awarded through contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or otherwise for their procurement or operation, beginning one year after enactment. The Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, Department of State, and Department of Justice are exempt if the head of the agency determines the action is in the U.S. national interest and either (1) supports specified research, testing, evaluation, training, analysis, counterterrorism, counterintelligence, protective missions, or investigations or (2) the system is modified to eliminate data transfer to or from covered foreign entities and poses no national security cybersecurity risk.