Nevada Reps. Susie Lee and Mark Amodei will introduce legislation Tuesday aimed to increase protection of the country’s nuclear assets by ensuring that drones cannot fly over areas where nuclear materials are transported.
The Nuclear Ecosystem Drone Defense Act would give the U.S. Department of Energy the authority to protect facilities critical to nuclear security from the threat of drones, including when materials are transported to a different location, according to Lee’s office.
“Unauthorized drones pose a serious threat to America’s nuclear resources related to national security, including at the Nevada National Security Site where we maintain America’s nuclear weapons ecosystem,” Lee, D-Nev., said in a statement.
The DOE currently has the authority to protect facilities that house nuclear material, such as the Nevada test site, but not other facilities that are critical to nuclear security, according to a statement from Lee’s office.
Lee and Amodei’s legislation, co-sponsored with Reps. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee, would expand those facilities under the DOE’s protection from drones to include facilities that house nuclear weapons components and vehicles owned by the U.S. to transport nuclear weapons or components.
Amodei, Nevada’s sole Republican member of Congress, said there has been a growing threat from foreign and domestic drones targeting the country’s nuclear sites in recent years, including six incidents at the Nevada test site.
“At present, the Department of Energy lacks the authority to intercept these drones and investigate their origins and intentions, allowing them to freely gather sensitive data for malign purposes,” Amodei said in a statement. “This bill empowers us to counter these threats in real-time and ensure they are not equipped to undermine our national security.”
Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.
