In December, state lawmakers recommended a statewide ban on first responders buying China-made drones and suggested using taxpayer money to phase out those currently in service.
A specialist testified to Texas lawmakers that Chinese-made drones are a national security threat.
“Foreign dominance in the UAS [unmanned aircraft systems] market, primarily led by Communist China’s DJI, poses both economic and security threats to the United States economy and critical infrastructure,” testified Scott Shtofman of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle System International (AUVSI). “Supported by PRC [People’s Republic of China] subsidies, DJI drones have captured the majority of the global market, raising concerns about potential cyber espionage, data security, and the integrity of U.S. infrastructure.”
This was printed in the December 2024 report of a special Texas House committee.
In 2023, a Texas Scorecard investigation found DJI drone products purchased by both state and local government agencies.
According to research from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), 80 percent of the drone market in North America, and 70 percent of the global market, is supplied by DJI. But they have also spread into other critical markets as well, offering software for public safety, agriculture, infrastructure, and energy production.
Michael Lucci of Austin-based security firm State Armor told state lawmakers how drones fit the Chinese Communist Party’s current war doctrine.
“The CCP has shifted from a strategy of peaceful co-existence to one of attempting to become the leading global power. Mr. Lucci discussed the Chinese government’s strategy for influencing local and state governments in order to make them dependent on their companies as essentially client states,” the House report read.
It is also important to note the CCP is attempting to create dependence on their companies for DNA sequencing technologies, drones, port cranes, connectivity devices for cars, and traffic cameras. Mr. Lucci believes that the CCP wants to dominate in areas where a technology has both civilian and military conflict involving China.
Dependence is not the only threat. Lucci told state lawmakers there is an espionage risk when dealing with any Chinese corporation.
“In 2017, a National Security law passed in China requiring all Chinese companies to collect data and transmit it back to government entities in Beijing, which is referred to as ‘spy and lie,’” the report read. “Mr. Lucci explained the difference between laws adopted in Texas and those in other states is based on differences in economic drivers of those states.”
Members of the House committee warned about CCP dominance in the drone market. “This presents a significant security threat, especially when the unmanned aerial vehicles are deployed in pursuit of law enforcement and other first responder objectives,” they wrote in the House report. “Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI), in many states, provides the government with more than 90% of all drones.”
Professor Adam Klein, of the University of Texas at Austin’s Strauss Center for International Security & Law School, also raised concerns about spying. “Espionage involves covert operations to gather information about individuals, facilities, or technologies of interest to foreign governments,” the House report read. “These operations can occur in the physical world, with reports of Chinese citizens using drones to fly over sensitive sites in the United States.”
The CCP isn’t satisfied with the dominance it already holds. Shtofman told state lawmakers the CCP’s “Made in China 2025” initiative is their effort to “dominate strategic sectors” of the economy, like drones. To accomplish this, the CCP and its tentacles regularly engage in raiding intellectual property. This harms the domestic development of drone technologies.
“Intellectual property theft from U.S. companies alone costs the economy billions annually, and the PRC’s policy of systematic theft stifles U.S. innovation by dissuading investment and reducing competitiveness in the market,” the report read. “The UAS sector’s vulnerability to these practices is notable as it involves rapid technological advancements, including drone delivery services, which have drawn investments from both large corporations and small businesses alike.”
Notably, DJI has previously lobbied in the Texas legislature. State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R–Arlington) previously told his account of how DJI had hired lobbyists, and how through them they lobbied lawmakers in 2019 to widen drone usage and cap restrictions on them. Tinderholt, who warned of the espionage threat of DJI, led the effort that successfully killed the company’s quest that session.
Addressing the Threat
Lucci noted that DJI drones remain a threat today. On January 16, 2025, he shared a screenshot on X of an article identifying a new threat from DJI drones. “China’s drone manufacturer, DJI, has weakened the ‘geofencing’ of its drones in the U.S., making it easier for people to [fly] these drones over military bases.” The screenshot noted that some Chinese exchange students attending the University of Michigan were found to have taken photos of training exercises at a U.S. military installation.
DJI wrote Texas Scorecard that they wanted to “set the record straight” on geofencing in America. “It was updated to align with FAA airspace data on where pilots can and can’t fly. Areas previously defined as Restricted Zones (also known as No-Fly Zones) will be displayed as Enhanced Warning Zones as designated by the FAA,” the company’s public relations team wrote. “That said, the GEO system has always been an educational – not an enforcement – tool. We voluntarily introduced the system in 2013 at a time when consumer drones were a relatively novel technology and formal drone flight rules and regulations were sparse. In the years following, the FAA has advanced the principle of operator responsibility, which we respect and have aligned with. One of the benefits of this change is reducing operational delays for commercial operators, drone businesses, and most critically – public safety agencies performing lifesaving work. We initiated this update to the GEO system in Europe last January, including the UK, Germany, and France, among others, and there has been no evidence of increased risk [emphasis original].”
DJI’s public relations team pointed toward their company’s blog posts that announced the update and their response to “concerning reactions” to it.
Shtofman noted that both the Trump and Biden administrations recognized the risks of CCP drones. They took action at the federal level to restrict the purchase and investment of such drones. “As the U.S. House of Representatives acknowledged in its passage of the Countering CCP Drones Act, future PRC drones could soon be banned from U.S. airwaves, marking a step toward limiting these foreign incursions,” he testified.
Committee members noted that the U.S. Treasury Department had sanctioned DJI for human rights violations, and the U.S. Department of Defense had identified DJI as a Chinese Military Company operating within America.
Shtofman testified to Texas’ similar actions. “Texas, for example, recently placed DJI on its prohibited technologies list, aiming to mitigate risks by blocking procurement of these drones by state agencies,” the House report read.
Committee members noted that the state government had banned Chinese-made drones from government use. They recommended state lawmakers take further steps.
First, “the legislature should amend procurement law to prohibit future purchase of unmanned aerial vehicles by first responder agencies,” they wrote.
What about the CCP drones already in use by first responders in Texas? Committee members recommended lawmakers set up a taxpayer-funded grant “to phase out” these drones.
The chairman of this House Committee is State Rep. Cole Hefner (R–Mount Pleasant). Texas Scorecard asked Cole’s office about why the committee’s recommendation is limited to first responders and not for all local governments and their agencies. His office did not respond before publication.
DJI’s public relations team responded to the committee’s proposals. “Countless public safety agencies in not only Texas but across America have testified publicly on the record that DJI drones are secure, operationally superior, and cost-effective lifesaving tools,” they wrote. “We strongly oppose any country-of-origin-based legislation that would prevent police officers, firefighters, and emergency responders from being able to choose the tools and equipment that they need to keep their communities safe.”
There remains the problem of CCP-connected entities lobbying lawmakers.
Committee members recommended addressing this too. “Create a state-level process requiring registration of foreign agents who are engaged in political activity,” they wrote. “A state-level FARA will address existing loopholes with the federal registration process and ensure that lobbying and advocacy on behalf of foreign agents is disclosed for the benefit of the public and of the policymakers.”
The threat CCP-made drones pose was covered in the interim report from the Texas House Select Committee on Securing Texas from Hostile Foreign Organizations, published in December 2024. The report covered multiple theaters in Texas under threat, and more will be explored in future articles.
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