Unmanned systems in overseas combat opertions are important, members and staff heard at a recent Capitol Hill briefing by U.S. Special Operations Command, hosted by the Congressional Unmanned Systems Caucus (CUSC).
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif), who also chairs the CUSC, and Co-chairman, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) hosted the briefing.
“Unmanned land, air, and sea systems aid our Special Operations forces in performing detailed surveillance and selecting targets, ensuring success on the battlefield,” McKeon said. “As we continue to combat terrorist networks, unmanned systems allow us to detain terrorists faster and more safely than earlier in the war.”
Recently, McKeon and other HASC members toured the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., to see pre-deployment training for units heading for Afghanistan. Some of the training was dedicated to detecting IEDs.
“Fortunately, recent advancements in scientific technology have made it possible for soldiers to detect and detonate these bombs without injury to us or any of our coalition partners,” he said. “The industry has met the demand of the Pentagon and its warfighters and we thank them for their ingenuity and scientific development. These new unmanned systems are saving lives in our civil and military communities.”
Program reviews are finding efficiencies and savings, McKeon said, “but I also want to highlight the critical role of unmanned systems for homeland security. Both land and air systems provide us with the real time data necessary to protect our borders. Unmanned systems continue to expand within homeland security, law enforcement, and scientific fields.”
The voracious appetite for unmanned systems is not only from deployed sources, he said. “Domestic demand for unmanned systems continues to multiply by civil agencies across the country. Many of these organizations apply for Certificates of Authorization for individual flights.”
The dialogue between Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration will continue as planning continues for the safe integration of unmanned systems into national airspace, he said.
The CUSC is working with the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Federal Aviation Administration to find “a safe, expedient solution” as unmanned systems expand within the national airspace, McKeon said.
“Unmanned systems have proven effective tools in theater and we are now using them to patrol and secure our U.S. borders by providing up-to-the-minute, latest information and real-time high-definition images to the United States,” Cuellar said. “Congressman McKeon and I will continue to investigate the many ways that unmanned systems can keep Americans safe.”
The CUSC goal is to educate members of Congress, stakeholders, and the public on the strategic, tactical, law enforcement and scientific value of unmanned systems. Also, members of the bipartisan caucus are committed to the growth and expansion of these systems in all sectors. In January, the UAV Caucus was officially renamed the Congressional Unmanned Systems Caucus.
For more information: http://uavc.mckeon.house.gov/.