Commercial Drone Alliance Promotes Whole-of Government Approach to Secure U.S. Drone Dominance
WASHINGTON, D.C.– March 31, 2026– The Commercial Drone Alliance (CDA), an independent non-profit organization led by key members of the commercial drone industry, today urged the Administration to adopt vital reforms needed to bolster U.S. manufacturing, create high-skilled American jobs, and reduce reliance on foreign critical components. The CDA called for a whole-of-government approach to support the collective ambition of the Administration to ensure the economic and societal benefits of commercial drone innovation is fully realized on U.S. soil.
Recent Administration actions send a clear signal about the importance of securing the domestic drone ecosystem, which has the potential for major benefits for all Americans, from safer and more efficient bridge and power station inspections, early wildfire detection and crop health monitoring, to last-mile delivery for medicine and retail goods. The next critical step is to ensure the industry has the resources and certainty required to scale in this new regulatory environment. Achieving a fully domestic ecosystem that ensures American innovation and manufacturing dominance will require sustained engagement, investment, and coordination across the federal government and industry over the next decade.
The CDA highlighted six policy priorities including enhancing whole of government accountability, strengthening the domestic drone demand signal, providing financing options for domestic production, improving business and investment certainty, reducing regulatory barriers for domestic manufacturers, and ensuring physical infrastructure, technology development and workforce needs keep pace.
“While recent policy actions have reinforced the importance of a domestic drone ecosystem, operators and manufacturers continue to face real constraints and risk quickly losing ground to foreign competitors,” said Liz Forro, Policy Director, CDA. “Operators are navigating a complex and evolving regulatory environment, while manufacturers face ongoing supply chain challenges. Addressing both sides of the equation is a national security and economic imperative to ensure the success of the American commercial drone industry.”
“This is a pivotal moment. With the right policy framework, the Administration’s recent action banning all foreign drones and components can serve as a powerful catalyst for U.S. commercial drone dominance,” said Lisa Ellman, CEO of the CDA. “Now is the time to invest in a strong, resilient domestic drone industry that will shape our nation’s technological future. The CDA stands ready to work with Congress, the White House, and the broader executive branch to make U.S. drone dominance a reality.”
The CDA’s full white paper, Advancing the Domestic Drone Industry, is available here: CDA Supply Chain White Paper.
About the Commercial Drone Alliance
The CDA is an independent non-profit organization composed of leading members of the U.S. commercial drone industry, including companies that design, manufacture, and operate UAS and the associated technology for autonomous capabilities. We bring together commercial drone operators and end users, manufacturers, service providers, advanced air mobility companies, drone security companies, and vertical markets, including oil and gas, precision agriculture, construction, security, communications technology, infrastructure, newsgathering, filmmaking, and more. We advise and educate all levels of government and the public on policies essential to enable U.S. leadership in commercial drones, and on the benefits arising from their safe and responsible use.
Learn more at www.commercialdronealliance.org.
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