S. 4711

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4711 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4711

To establish a United States-Ukraine Strategic Defense Innovation 
Working Group, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

June 9, 2026

Ms. Rosen (for herself and Mr. Rounds) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To establish a United States-Ukraine Strategic Defense Innovation 
Working Group, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Strategic Unmanned Systems 
Partnership Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

In this section:
(1) Congressional defense committees.--The term 
``congressional defense committees'' has the meaning give such 
term in section 101(a) of title 10, United States Code.
(2) Covered system.--The term ``covered system'' means--
(A) an unmanned system that--
(i) is designed for a limited number of 
missions;
(ii) is expendable in high-threat 
environments; and
(iii) is characterized by a low per-unit 
cost, relative to the value of the targets the 
unmanned system is designed to engage; and
(B) includes--
(i) the enabling software and hardware of 
such an unmanned system;
(ii) unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned 
underwater vehicles, and unmanned surface 
vehicles;
(iii) capabilities to counter unmanned 
systems, including early warning systems, 
jamming systems, and interceptors; and
(iv) command and control architecture, 
including software and hardware, to enable the 
integrated, secure, and resilient operation of 
unmanned systems and capabilities to counter 
unmanned systems.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
of Defense.
(4) Working group.--The term ``Working Group'' means the 
Strategic Defense Innovation Working Group established under 
section 3.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF STRATEGIC DEFENSE INNOVATION WORKING GROUP.

(a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in coordination with the 
Secretary of State, shall seek to engage with relevant stakeholders in 
Ukraine to establish a Strategic Defense Innovation Working Group to 
explore--
(1) pathways for the co-development, co-production, 
acquisition, and transfer of covered systems; and
(2) the development of related mutual technology transfer 
frameworks.
(b) Composition.--The Working Group shall be co-chaired by the 
following:
(1) The Under Secretary of Defense.
(2) The Director of the Defense Innovation Unit.
(3) The Director of the Joint Interagency Task Force 401.
(4) The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 
Sustainment.
(5) The Commander of the Joint Special Operations Command.
(c) Other Participants.--The Secretary shall seek the participation 
in the Working Group of representatives of the following:
(1) The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
(2) The military forces of Ukraine.
(3) The Brave1 Defense Tech Cluster.
(4) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization-Ukraine Joint 
Analysis, Training, and Education Center.

SEC. 4. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.

(a) In General.--The co-chairs of the Working Group shall be 
responsible for engaging with the other participants in the Working 
Group--
(1) to systematically analyze and apply lessons learned 
from the methodologies employed by the military forces of 
Ukraine and the domestic defense industrial base of Ukraine to 
accelerate the development, production, and fielding of covered 
systems;
(2) to identify the Ukraine-designed covered systems that--
(A) have demonstrated high operational utility in 
active combat; and
(B) offer strategic capability enhancements for the 
United States Armed Forces;
(3) to provide recommendations to expand and improve 
incorporation of Ukraine-designed covered systems in Blue UAS 
programs;
(4) to develop defense trade foundational agreements 
between the United States and Ukraine, including--
(A) a mutual technology transfer framework, which 
shall include--
(i) mutual data exchange protocols to 
facilitate the secure sharing of relevant 
battlefield and military information, such as 
telemetry data and other electronic warfare 
signal profiles; and
(ii) joint intellectual property ownership 
frameworks that--
(I) protect the background 
intellectual property of all 
participants; and
(II) facilitate the co-development 
and co-production of Ukraine-designed 
covered systems; and
(B) a memorandum of understanding on reciprocal 
defense procurement; and
(5) to assess the feasibility of testing United States-
manufactured covered systems in Ukraine, including by deploying 
United States-manufactured covered systems to operational units 
of Ukraine for evaluation in active combat scenarios.
(b) Meetings.--The Working Group shall convene not less frequently 
than once every 120 days, with meeting frequency determined by the co-
chairs, in consultation with the other participants in the Working 
Groups.

SEC. 5. PRIORITIZATION OF UKRAINE-DESIGNED COVERED SYSTEMS.

(a) In General.--The co-chairs of the Working Group shall 
prioritize the Ukraine-designed covered systems identified under 
section 4(a)(2) for co-development, co-production, and acquisition, 
including by--
(1) analyzing the extent to which Ukraine-designed covered 
systems meet existing statutory requirements with respect to 
fielding;
(2) identifying authorities that may be used to accelerate 
the establishment and approval of joint ventures, cooperative 
production agreements, or licensed production agreements 
involving the Department of Defense and the military forces of 
Ukraine;
(3) identifying authorities that may be used to accelerate 
traditional procurement pathways for Ukraine-designed covered 
systems;
(4) conducting a detailed supply chain assessment of the 
components and inputs that would be used in the co-production 
of Ukraine-designed covered systems;
(5) identifying the costs associated with co-developing and 
co-producing Ukraine-designed covered systems in the United 
States; and
(6) identifying the steps necessary in order to produce 
Ukraine-designed covered systems at scale in the United States, 
including a description of opportunities to leverage civilian 
manufacturing expertise and infrastructure to address 
production bottlenecks.
(b) Remediation Pathway.--With respect to Ukraine-designed covered 
systems identified under section 4(a)(2) that do not meet existing 
statutory requirements with respect to fielding, the Working Group 
shall explore alternative pathways for the fielding of such covered 
systems, including through--
(1) SkyFoundry;
(2) the UAS Marketplace; and
(3) Drone Dominance.

SEC. 6. REPORTS AND BRIEFINGS.

(a) Initial Strategy and Action Plan.--Not later than 120 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Working Group shall 
provide the congressional defense committees with a briefing on the 
initial strategy for the co-development, co-production, and acquisition 
of Ukraine-designed covered systems.
(b) Semiannual Updates.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date on 
which the briefing required by subsection (a) is provided, and 
every 180 days thereafter until the date on which the Working 
Group terminates, the Working Group shall submit to the 
congressional defense committees a report on the progress of 
the Working Group.
(2) Elements.--Each report required by paragraph (1) shall, 
to the maximum extent practicable, include, for the preceding 
180-day period, the following:
(A) A list of Ukraine-designed covered systems 
identified for prioritization, including the current 
status of such covered systems with respect to 
technical and legal evaluation, certification, and 
integration with existing United States force posture 
and operational needs.
(B) A detailed list of specific fast-track 
acquisition or waiver authorities that may be used to 
accelerate the co-development, co-production, or 
acquisition of Ukraine-designed covered systems.
(C) A supply chain analysis of the sourcing of 
inputs and component parts to eliminate dependence on 
countries of concern, such as the Russian Federation, 
the People's Republic of China, Iran, and the 
Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
(D) A comprehensive framework to facilitate the 
transition of prioritized Ukraine-designed covered 
systems from identification to co-development and co-
production at scale, including an assessment of the 
feasibility of using of the following for such purpose:
(i) Joint ventures.
(ii) Cooperative production agreements.
(iii) Licensed production agreements.
(E) A detailed description of intellectual property 
ownership frameworks that could be used to facilitate 
the co-development and co-production of prioritized 
Ukraine-designed covered systems.
(F) A description of specific regulatory, legal, or 
policy barriers that hinder the establishment of joint 
ventures, cooperative production agreements, or 
licensed production agreements.
(G) A description of regulatory, export-control, 
and certification barriers that impede the acquisition 
of Ukraine-designed covered systems.
(3) Form.--Each report required by paragraph (1) shall be 
submitted in an unclassified form but may include a classified 
annex.

SEC. 7. TERMINATION.

(a) In General.--Subject to subsection (b), the Working Group shall 
terminate on the date that is five years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
(b) One-Year Extension.--The Working Group may continue in effect 
until the date that is six year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act if the Secretary--
(1) determines that a one-year extension is vital to 
national security; and
(2) submits to the congressional defense committees a 
written justification for such an extension.
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