This bill requires the U.S. Department of Defense to work with NATO allies to create a comprehensive plan for defending against drone attacks and deterring Russian military aggression, especially against NATO countries on Russia's border like Poland, Estonia, and Romania. The core problem the bill addresses is that NATO currently struggles to defend itself against cheap, mass-produced drones using expensive weapons—essentially wasting costly military resources to shoot down inexpensive targets. The strategy must identify gaps in NATO's current defenses and propose solutions over the next five years, including ways to produce affordable ammunition and rockets specifically designed to counter cheap drones, develop advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and microwave weapons to coordinate defense responses better, and increase production of low-cost drones (learning from Ukraine's expertise in this area). The Defense Secretary must also work with the State Department and NATO leadership to improve how allied countries communicate and coordinate their air defenses. Essentially, the bill pushes the U.S. military to help NATO allies develop smarter, more cost-effective ways to protect themselves from drone warfare rather than relying on expensive traditional weapons.

A bill to require the Secretary of Defense to develop and implement a strategy to field an integrated air defense system to bolster the capability of NATO to defeat unmanned aerial systems and deter Russian aggression, and for other purposes.