Blue UAS Working Group

(a) Establishment Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall establish a Blue UAS working group, leveraging existing workstreams and expanding scope as needed, inclusive of government, industry, and academic experts, to— (1) assess Taiwan’s domestic drone production capacity, including research and development, legal and regulatory frameworks, testing, certification, and production capacities for dual-use drones; (2) evaluate opportunities for public-private partnerships between the United States and Taiwan for co-development and co-production of UAS systems and components, including pilot programs; (3) identify barriers to the inclusion of Taiwan-manufactured components and systems manufactured in Blue UAS programs; (4) identify regulatory, export-control, and certification barriers that impede Taiwan’s participation in Blue UAS programs; (5) provide recommendations to expand and improve incorporation of Taiwanese suppliers into Blue UAS programs; (6) identify specific UAS components or systems that could be integrated into Blue UAS programs within 12 to 24 months; (7) analyze opportunities and impediments to including Taiwan in Replicator programs and similar initiatives; and (8) assess opportunities for collaboration with the Army Organic Industrial Base, including its arsenals, depots, and ammunition plants, to support the testing, evaluation, production, maintenance, and sustainment of Blue UAS components and systems, including those co-developed or co-produced with Taiwan. (b) Reporting Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for three years, the Working Group shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees an unclassified report on its activities, including findings, recommendations, timelines, resource needs, and potential funding mechanisms, with a classified appendix as necessary.