I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6846 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary 
of Homeland Security to conduct annual assessments on terrorism 
threats to the United States relating to the malicious use of unmanned 
aircraft systems by covered foreign adversaries, including terrorist organi-
zations, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 18, 2025 
Mr. CRANE (for himself, Mr. GARBARINO, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. STRONG, and 
Mr. OGLES) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Homeland Security 
A BILL 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require 
the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct annual 
assessments on terrorism threats to the United States 
relating to the malicious use of unmanned aircraft sys-
tems by covered foreign adversaries, including terrorist 
organizations, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Detecting and Evalu-
ating Foreign Exploitation of Novel Drones Act’’ or the 
‘‘DEFEND Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ANNUAL ASSESSMENT ON TERRORISM THREATS TO 
THE UNITED STATES ARISING FROM THE 
GLOBAL PROLIFERATION AND MALICIOUS 
USE OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Homeland Secu-
rity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 231 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 324. ANNUAL ASSESSMENT ON TERRORISM THREATS 
TO THE UNITED STATES RELATING TO THE 
USE OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS BY 
COVERED FOREIGN ADVERSARIES, INCLUD-
ING TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 270 days after 
the date of the enactment of this section and annually 
thereafter for six years, the Secretary shall submit to the 
appropriate congressional committees an assessment of 
terrorism threats to the United States relating to the glob-
al proliferation and malicious use of covered unmanned 
aircraft systems by covered foreign adversaries, including 
terrorist organizations, and the resulting implications such 
activities present for the homeland security of the United 
States, including implications for domestic preparedness 
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for the malicious use of unmanned aircraft systems and 
the collective response to related terrorism threats. 
‘‘(b) MATTERS INCLUDED.—Each assessment of ter-
rorism threats under subsection (a) shall include the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(1) An analysis of the methods, trends, tactics, 
and technologies, as of the date of such assessment, 
by which covered foreign adversaries, including ter-
rorist organizations, seek to use covered unmanned 
aircraft systems to surveil, disrupt, damage, or de-
stroy critical infrastructure of the United States or 
a foreign country, target civilian populations, con-
duct kinetic strikes or terrorism attacks, or other-
wise undermine public safety or regional stability. 
‘‘(2) An evaluation of the risks that such meth-
ods, trends, tactics, and technologies may be rep-
licated, adapted, or learned from by other covered 
foreign adversaries, including terrorist organizations, 
or by lone actors or domestic violent extremists, to 
carry out similar terrorist attacks within the home-
land, including efforts to compromise border security 
or port security, exploit vulnerabilities in the home-
land’s transportation systems, soft targets, mass 
gathering events, or other high-risk venues, or to 
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cause mass casualties or disruption through the use 
of covered unmanned aircraft systems. 
‘‘(3) An assessment of how covered unmanned 
aircraft systems are employed for intelligence, sur-
veillance, or reconnaissance purposes by covered for-
eign adversaries, including terrorist organizations, 
including the collection, transmission, or exploitation 
of imagery or geospatial data, and how such data 
could be leveraged to facilitate espionage, cross-bor-
der operations, or attacks against critical infrastruc-
ture of the United States. 
‘‘(4) An analysis of how covered foreign adver-
saries, including terrorist organizations, acquire, 
manufacture, smuggle, or divert covered unmanned 
aircraft systems into conflict zones, including via 
ground convoys, commercial shipping containers, rail 
shipments, small vessels, fixed- or rotary-wing air-
craft, over-the-road freight transport that may con-
ceal or co-transport other illicit or seemingly innoc-
uous goods, or any other illicit trafficking networks, 
and the applicability of such methods to potential 
entry into the homeland through seaports, airports, 
or land border crossings. 
‘‘(5) An analysis of emerging technologies inte-
grated into covered unmanned aircraft systems that 
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