The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) today announced the formation of a new Defense Advocacy Committee. The Committee will advance policies and funding for uncrewed and autonomous systems in the Department of Defense, ensuring the U.S. remains at the forefront of autonomous defense technologies. 

The Defense Advocacy Committee joins AUVSI’s existing government affairs work to champion the uncrewed systems industry and serve as a bridge across advocacy initiatives in the air, maritime, ground and cyber domains.  

Areas of focus in support of the U.S. defense industrial base will include the National Defense Authorization Act, defense appropriations, acquisition reform and cybersecurity requirements. The Committee will also host discussions on challenges in interoperability, interchangeability, human-machine teaming and data strategy. Finally, the Committee will lead the charge on AUVSI’s work on Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) reform, which will inject speed and agility into the DoD acquisition process. 

"The current global condition of strategic competition demonstrates that uncrewed systems are absolutely critical tools in the hands of warfighters. The U.S. cannot afford to fall behind in the innovation and integration of uncrewed systems at scale," said Michael Smitsky, Vice President, Government Affairs at AUVSI. "The Defense Advocacy Committee will champion a strong defense industrial base for uncrewed systems and work with both DoD and Congress to increase necessary investments in these critical capabilities.” 

The Defense Advocacy Committee will provide members with opportunities to engage service branches at the Pentagon, key committees and lawmakers on Capitol Hill and experts in academia and the commercial sector. AUVSI is also working to secure opportunities for members to showcase their uncrewed and autonomous systems capabilities to program managers at the DoD. Benefits of AUVSI Advocacy-level membership include legislative and regulatory tracking updates, high-level briefings and the fostering of information sharing and collaboration across sectors and domains. 

To learn more about AUVSI's Defense Advocacy Committee and how organizations can get involved, visit auvsi.org/auvsi-defense-advocacy-committee.