A bipartisan group composed of U.S. Representatives Susie Lee, D-NV, Mark Amodei, R-NV, Seth Moulton, D-MA, and Chuck Fleischmann, R-TN, has introduced bicameral legislation aimed at strengthening the security of nuclear assets and facilities.
Congresswoman Lee said Tuesday the Nuclear Ecosystem Drone Defense, or NEDD, Act is intended to enhance the protection of the National Nuclear Security Administration and other nuclear assets and facilities under the Department of Energy against unmanned aerial systems.
Core Provisions of the NEDD Act
The bipartisan legislation aims to address the current lack of security measures for nuclear facilities against drones. It is meant to empower DOE to develop and deploy systems capable of defending the assets and facilities from drones. The NEDD Act would also authorize the department to safeguard a wider array of nuclear assets, including facilities and vehicles used for nuclear weapons. Furthermore, it enables the DOE to procure advanced UAS technology for enhancing counter-UAS systems.
“Unauthorized drones pose a serious threat to America’s nuclear resources related to national security, including at the Nevada National Security Site where we maintain America’s nuclear weapons ecosystem,” said Lee. “Our bipartisan NEDD Act bill will give the Department of Energy the tools it needs to defend all its nuclear and national security assets from unauthorized enemy drones,” she added.
“At present, the Department of Energy lacks the authority to intercept these drones and investigate their origins and intentions, allowing them to freely gather sensitive data for malign purposes,” said Amodei. “This bill empowers us to counter these threats in real-time and ensure they are not equipped to undermine our national security,” he added.
“As Chairman of Energy and Water Appropriations and Co-Chair of the Nuclear Security Working Group, it is my priority to ensure that our entire nuclear enterprise is protected throughout all stages of production,” said Fleischmann.
“Our adversaries should not be able to fly a drone over anywhere in this country that makes part of a nuclear weapon,” remarked Moulton.
