Richard L. Hanna: “I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, across our Nation, aviation is quickly changing. Today, basic unmanned…”

“I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, across our Nation, aviation is quickly changing. Today, basic unmanned aircraft can be purchased for a few hundred dollars, flown virtually anywhere by an operator with little or no experience. When a small quadcopter landed on the east lawn of the White House in January, we saw the potential danger of such aircraft. In my district, the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, New York, working with NUAIR, is one of the six FAA test sites in the country to integrate these systems into our national airspace. We are on the cutting edge of advances in UAVs, unmanned aerial aircraft. My amendment would simply require the Secretary of Defense to conduct a departmentwide review of its current capacities to detect, identify, and remotely disarm unmanned aircraft. It would further require the Secretary to examine how the Department of Research and Development resources can be leveraged to enhance these capacities. Within the Department of Defense, some of our Nation's most advanced research is taking place. I appreciate the committee's recognition and including this in the en bloc.”