This upcoming Sunday, the people of Venezuela will hold an election that, if legitimate, would put an end to years of the oppressive Maduro narco-regime. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued a statement in support of the Venezuelan people: “The...
News
Latest News
Rubio: “La Tenacidad y Valentía del Pueblo venezolano Estarán a la Vista”
Este próximo domingo, el pueblo venezolano tendrá una elección que, de ser legítima, pondría fin a años de opresión por parte del narco-régimen de Maduro. El senador estadounidense Marco Rubio (R-FL) grabó un mensaje de video en español y emitió una declaración en...
Rubio, Scott, Colleagues to Biden Admin: No Privileges Should Be Given to 9/11 Terrorist
Twenty-three years ago, the United States was attacked by Islamic terrorists on September 11, 2001. Now, Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person convicted in a U.S. court for his role in the attack, has requested the U.S. Department of Justice to allow a prisoner transfer...
Next Week: Rubio Staff Hosts Mobile Office Hours
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host virtual Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their respective local communities. These office hours offer constituents who do not live close to one of Senator Rubio’s...
Rubio, Colleagues Introduce Ensuring Continuity in Veterans’ Health Act
As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) opens up new facilities, many veterans are losing access to the VA’s Community Care Program and, consequently, their long-term healthcare providers. Veterans throughout the country have reported a loss of care, including...
Rubio Introduces Bill to Strengthen U.S.-India Security Partnership
The U.S.-India partnership is vital to countering influences from Communist China. In order to strengthen this partnership, it is essential to enhance our strategic diplomatic, economic, and military relationship with New Delhi. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)...
Rubio Joins Senate Colleagues in Highlighting the Threat of Chinese-manufactured Drones
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined Senators Rick Scott (R-FL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Martha McSally (R-AZ) in a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross urging the Department to examine the impact that importing Chinese-made drones has on national security. Senator Rubio and colleagues have also introduced the American Security Drone Act to prohibit the U.S. Government from purchasing drones manufactured in countries identified as national security threats, including Iran and China.
The full text of the letter is below.
Dear Secretary Ross,
On June 10, 2019, President Trump issued a Presidential Determination identifying domestic production capability for small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) as essential to national defense, and authorized the use of Defense Production Act Title III authorities to strengthen sUAS production capabilities. This was a crucial step to support the sUAS missions of our military, first responders, and law enforcement. However, the use of sUAS during these critical missions results in serious national security implications if these sUAS are manufactured in the People’s Republic of China. For this reason, we urge you to build on the Administration’s actions to date and begin examining the impact that importing Chinese sUAS may have on national security.
Companies domiciled in the People’s Republic of China operate under a 2017 National Intelligence Law, which requires civilian companies to cooperate with Chinese state intelligence operations. As a result, Chinese-manufactured sUAS have the capability and obligation to route sensitive data back to servers located in the People’s Republic of China.
In recent years, Chinese-manufactured sUAS have flooded the U.S. market, posing a myriad of risks to American citizens’ security and privacy, which have been addressed on numerous occasions by the United States Federal Government:
- On August 2, 2017, the Department of the Army released a memorandum ordering a halt on the use of DJI applications and products, citing an “increased awareness of cyber vulnerabilities associated with DJI products.”
- On May 20, 2019, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), issued an industry alert of potential risks to the products that “contain components that can compromise data and share information on a server accessed beyond the company itself.”
- Section 848 of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act specifically prohibits the Department of Defense from operating or procuring unmanned aircraft systems manufactured in China.
- On October 30, 2019, the Department of Interior (DOI) announced that it was grounding its fleet of drones purchased from China until a security review is completed. Secretary Bernhardt issued an order on January 29, 2020, extending the order to ground all drones. Prior to grounding, DOI had supported its use of DJI products by a third party.
President Trump issued a Memorandum in 2017 to promote the safe operation of UAS and enable the development of UAS technologies for use in agriculture, commerce, emergency management, human transportation, and other sectors. As the country works to achieve these goals, we must also recognize that the People’s Republic of China is actively engaging in unfair trade practices by infiltrating our nation with their sUAS technologies, and crippling our ability to compete domestically. It is therefore imperative that we investigate and mitigate all potential national security implications from the importation of Chinese manufactured sUAS.
The Department of Commerce has many statutory tools provided by Congress at its disposal to ensure protections of American interests in trade and technology standards. The International Trade Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Bureau of Industry and Security all are vital to ensure foreign products imported into the United States meet the standards of fair trade practices and national security requirements.
In order to protect national security and the privacy of American citizens, and to protect the essential domestic sUAS industry, we ask that you engage all the appropriate divisions within the Department of Commerce to immediately investigate the national security implications of the importation of sUAS manufactured in the People’s Republic of China and determine any necessary enforcement measures.
Sincerely,