From Mark Bathrick, former director of the Department of Interior Director of Aviation Services and DRONERESPONDERS Board Member
Colleagues,
Signed into law on December 22nd, 2023, as part 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the American Security Drone Act (ASDA) represents first-of-its-kind legislation to regulate the federal procurement, operation, and use of federal funds for drones, with potential implications across Federal Agencies and the drone industry.
Typically, new laws affecting Federal Agencies are first translated into implementing guidance by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Then, each agency develops detailed policies and procedures to carry out the OMB guidance in compliance with the law. These policies are then passed down to relevant operational bureaus and offices, where the relevant operation procedures are developed and instituted. These processes can take months to complete and even longer to integrate into the routine day-to-day business of the Federal Government.
Following up on our “Nice List” of 2024 content development (“Nice List” of Bathrick Aviation Consulting 2024 Content Development Objectives), we have completed and just posted a detailed assessment of the ASDA (Link Here) that includes the following:
Section One breaks down the ASDA and is preceded by a one-page “cheat-sheet” for those who have limited time or just want the bottom-line up front (BLUF).
Covered Foreign Entity – page 4.
Prohibitions – pages 5 - 7.
Exemptions – pages 8, 9.
Exceptions – pages 9, 10.
Waivers – page 10, 11.
Timeline for completion of supporting ASDA directives – pages 11 - 13.
Section Two outlines potential ASDA issues - pages 14, 15.
Section Three lists those parties unaffected by the ASDA - page 16.
Section Four offers some potential ASDA-compliant strategies available for non-exempt Federal Agencies (Part A, pages 17-20) and drone and associated elements companies (Part B, pages 21-24) that want to do business with them.
Section Five provides the full text of the ASDA, pulled from the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2024, signed into law on December 22, 2023 - pages 25-33.
We hope you find this informative and useful.
Here’s the link to the relevant LI post and downloadable document: What Does the American Security Drone Act (ASDA) Mean for You?