NEDD Act of 2025
The Nuclear Ecosystem Drone Defense Act of 2025 (NEDD Act) would add the Department of Energy (DOE) to several prohibitions in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (NDAA 2024) related to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS, i.e., drones) sourced from “covered foreign entities.” In practical terms, the bill would permit the DOE to: - Procure, operate, and use UAS from covered foreign entities, lifting some restrictions that previously applied to federal agencies. - Participate in and determine aspects of how classified tracking of UAS is used, and receive related accounting and funding flexibilities. - Expand DOE’s role in protections around certain nuclear facilities and assets from UAS, including involvement in activities related to special nuclear material and components for nuclear weapons. Overall, the bill seeks to broaden DOE’s ability to use drones in its security and research operations, particularly in the context of protecting nuclear-related materials and facilities, while adjusting related authorities around tracking, accounting, and funding.
Key Points
- 1Amends NDAA 2024 sections 1823(b), 1824(b), and 1825(b) to insert “Secretary of Energy” (DOE) after “Secretary of State,” expanding DOE’s eligibility to procure, operate, and use covered unmanned aircraft systems from covered foreign entities.
- 2Section 1827(b) is updated to replace “the Secretary's designee” with “the Secretary of Energy, as appropriate, or their respective designees,” broadening who can determine the usage of classified tracking for UAS.
- 3Section 1827(c) is amended to add “the Department of Energy” for the accounting exception, granting DOE specific leeway or exemptions related to financial handling of UAS programs.
- 4Section 4510(e)(1)(C) of the Atomic Energy Defense Act is amended to expand protections for U.S.-owned or U.S.-contracted assets, explicitly covering storage, transport, or use of special nuclear material and certain non-nuclear components for nuclear weapons, in the context of UAS-related security.
- 5Overall purpose stated in the title: to bolster defense against unmanned aircraft in the nuclear ecosystem by enabling DOE’s participation and authority in UAS-related activities, tracking, and protection measures.