White House two Pivotal Executive Orders Outlined
- Mark Bathrick
- Jun 10
- 3 min read
Pilots,
On Friday, June 6, 2025, the President signed two pivotal executive orders—"Unleashing American Drone Dominance" and "Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty"—which are set to redefine our approach to drone technology and national airspace policy.
UNLEASHING AMERICAN DRONE DOMINANCE - https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/06/unleashing-american-drone-dominance/
RESTORING AMERICAN AIRSPACE SOVEREIGNTY -
This executive order focuses on advancing U.S. drone capabilities by accelerating integration into the National Airspace System, supporting domestic manufacturing, streamlining regulatory processes, and promoting American drone exports. It mandates swift regulatory updates to enable Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations, deploy AI-assisted waiver approvals, establish an eVTOL pilot program, strengthen the American drone industrial base, and prioritize U.S.-made drones in defense procurement. Additionally, it directs agencies to secure supply chains from foreign risks and expand market access for American drone technology.
Additional Sources:
These summaries outline the key requirements, deadlines, and responsible parties. They also provide insights into important considerations that the orders do not explicitly cover, along with a curated list of online resources for further information.
Understanding these executive orders is critical as they not only shape current policies and regulations but also influence industry trends. While the language of EOs can be dense and challenging to interpret at first glance, the summaries are designed to clarify the directives and help you stay ahead of the regulatory curve.
An additional article by Charles Werner, " New Executive Orders Chart Bold Path for U.S. Drone Innovation and Air Security" goes even deeper.
The Executive Order titled "Unleashing American Drone Dominance" focuses on advancing U.S. drone capabilities by accelerating integration into the National Airspace System, supporting domestic manufacturing, streamlining regulatory processes, and promoting American drone exports. It mandates swift regulatiory updates to enable Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations, deploy AI-assisted waiver approvals, establish an electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) pilot program, strengthen the American drone industrial base, and prioritize U.S.-made drones in defense procurement. Additionally, it directs agencies to secure supply chains from foreign risks and expands market access for American drone technology."
The Executive Order titled "Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty" focuses“on protecting U.S. airspace from threats posed by UAS, especially unauthorized drone operations by criminal organizations, terrorists, and foreign actors. Key provisions include:
Federal Task Force to Restore American Airspace Sovereignty
Stricter Airspace Restrictions
Enhanced Detection & Tracking of Drones
Stronger Enforcement Against Illegal Drone Operations
Protection of Mass Gatherings & Large Events
Counter-UAS Capacity Building
Improved Airspace Notifications
Risk-Based Assessment for Airspace Protection.“
A key element of this order is the rapid process outlined for the issuance of the long-awaited Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) BVLOS (Part 108) Rule, which will allow for more flexibility and foster the acceleration of autonomous flight without the need for individual waivers for public safety and every relevant vertical. This will lead to innovation, commercialization, workforce development, and a new era of drones. Implementing artificial intelligence (AI) will accelerate the ability of sectors to obtain necessary waivers more quickly and operationalize many new drone operations.
Strengthening the American drone industry is an important aspect to help American drone companies be competitive in the areas of cost and capability. Ideally, this will be accompanied by federal subsidies to help level the playing field for American companies.
Comments