Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced a bipartisan bill to strengthen the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s air defense capabilities against unmanned aerial systems, including military drones. In recent months, Russian drones have entered the airspace of several NATO allies, including Romania and Poland; Russia also deployed fighter jets into the airspace of Estonia, another NATO ally.
“Putin is not satisfied with attacking Ukraine, and instead continues to test NATO’s resolve by deploying drones and fighter jets across the borders of key allies, including Estonia, Romania, and Poland,” said Bennet. “The United States must work hand-in-hand with our allies to deter this threat and defend every inch of NATO territory.”
“In the face of Russian aggression, strengthening NATO’s ability to counter drone incursions is essential to deterring the threats of today and stopping Putin in his tracks,” said Ernst. “I’m proud to work with Senator Bennet to prepare our partners to close potential gaps. Through a more strategic air defense plan, Russian drones can be kept at bay and prevented from encroaching on a single inch of NATO territory.”
The bill requires the Secretary of Defense to engage NATO to develop and implement a strategy to field a multi-layered, integrated air defense system to defeat unmanned aerial systems and deter Russian aggression, particularly against NATO’s eastern flank.
The bill further requires this strategy to identify gaps – and steps the Department of Defense (DOD) plans to take to fill these gaps – in NATO’s defense against unmanned aerial systems, particularly with regard to using mass-produced, lower-cost technologies and next-generational technologies. Additionally, the bill requires the Pentagon to identify plans the United States will take to produce more of these mass-produced, lower-cost technologies, including through cooperation with Ukraine, given Ukraine’s demonstrated success on this front.
These efforts would build upon NATO’s “Eastern Sentry” effort to bolster the alliance’s eastern flank posture by deploying both traditional capabilities and novel technologies to address new challenges, including those posed by unmanned aerial systems.
Bennet is a leading advocate for greater U.S. cooperation with NATO allies and continued support for Ukraine.
In March 2025, Bennet introduced the Baltic Security Initiative Act (BSI) to codify the Baltic Security Initiative, which the DOD created in 2020 to deter Russian aggression and strengthen the NATO alliance by enhancing regional planning and cooperation. Bennet also worked with colleagues to secure language in the Fiscal Year 2026 Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which the Senate passed last month, authorizing the BSI to deepen security collaboration with our Baltic allies. The bill authorizes $350 million for the BSI for each fiscal year through 2028.
In September, he introduced an amendment to the NDAA directing the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence to continue sharing information, intelligence, and imagery to support Ukraine on the battlefield. He has traveled to Ukraine twice since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, visiting in February 2024 and February 2025.
The text of the bill is available HERE.
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