Trump Administration Initiates Section 232 Investigation into Imports of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Seeks Public Comments

On July 1, 2025, the Department of Commerce initiated an investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended, to determine the effects on the national security of imports of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and their parts and components. The Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) subsequently issued a Notice of Request for Public Comments indicating that interested parties may submit written comments, data or other information pertinent to the investigation no later than August 6, 2025.

BIS is particularly interested in comments addressing the following:

1. the current and projected demand for UAS and their parts and components in the United States;
2. the extent to which domestic production of UAS and their parts and components can meet domestic demand;
3. the role of foreign supply chains in meeting United States demand for UAS and their parts and components;
4. the concentration of U.S. imports of UAS and their parts and components from a small number of suppliers or foreign nations and the associated risks;
5. the impact of foreign government subsidies and predatory trade practices on the competitiveness of the UAS and their parts and components industry, in the United States;
6. the economic impact of artificially suppressed prices of UAS and their parts and components due to foreign unfair trade practices and state-sponsored overproduction;
7. the potential for foreign nations and companies to weaponize their control over supplies of UAS and their parts and components;
8.  the potential for foreign nations and companies to weaponize the capabilities or attributes of foreign-built UAS systems and their parts or components;
9. the feasibility of increasing domestic capacity for UAS and their parts and components to reduce import reliance;
10. the impact of current trade policies on domestic production of UAS and their parts and components, and whether additional measures, including tariffs or quotas, are necessary to protect national security

Comments must be submitted via the Federal rulemaking portal at: www.regulations.gov. The Docket ID for this notice is BIS-2025-0059, and submitters must refer to XRIN 0694-XC130 in all comments. In initiating this investigation, the Secretary of Commerce must, within 270 days, submit a report to President Trump with findings and recommendations on potential actions to mitigate any national security threats. While the Section 232 process allows for public hearings, it is unknown at this time whether Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick will direct such a process.