S.Amdt. 6609

The amendment, titled the Unmanned System Command and Control Integration Assessment Act of 2026, aims to add a new subtitle to bill S. 4784. Its primary purpose is to require the Secretary of Defense to conduct a comprehensive assessment of open-architecture frameworks used to command and control unmanned systems.

The amendment seeks to change the bill by adding requirements for the following:

• Operational Assessments: The Secretary must review existing frameworks, specifically those used by Ukraine (Delta system) and Israel (Multiple Drone Operating System), to analyze their technical architecture, effectiveness, and cybersecurity resilience.

• Detailed Analysis: The assessment must cover architectural analysis, compatibility across different unmanned system tiers, interoperability with existing Department of Defense systems, and the ability to accommodate future technologies like artificial intelligence and swarming capabilities.

• Accountability and Guidance: The amendment mandates the creation of an independent advisory panel of 10 to 15 members to provide technical guidance and review.

• Reporting: The Secretary must submit both an interim report (within 180 days) and a final report (within one year) to congressional defense committees. The final report must determine if developing a Department unmanned system command and control framework is feasible, necessary, and cost-effective.

• Cybersecurity Standards: Any recommended framework must use a modular open systems architecture, comply with NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0, undergo penetration testing every two years, and exclude any entities found on the FCC Covered List or the Department of Defense Covered Foreign Entity list.

• Coordination and Sharing: The Secretary must ensure the framework is compatible with current modernization programs and the domestic industrial base, and must share unclassified findings with the Federal Aviation Administration.