The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has added previously submitted Department of War letters to the official records of its proceedings involving drone makers DJI and Autel Robotics. But there is an important catch: the agency says it did not rely on these letters when making the related additions to its Covered List.
The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau announced the move in a public notice released October 14, covering ET Docket No. 26-22 for SZ DJI Technology and ET Docket No. 26-23 for Autel Robotics. The documents concern letters the Department of War (DoW) sent to congressional committees under Section 1709 of the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
For drone operators hoping the latest release might finally explain the government’s security concerns, however, the public documents offer few new details.
What has the government actually released?
The FCC says it has placed redacted, unclassified cover pages of the Department of War’s letters into the public record. The classified letters themselves have been filed under seal, meaning their contents are not available for public inspection.
The accompanying documents, signed by Michael P. Cadenazzi, identify the correspondence as a national security agency determination and response. They state that the government has concerns that entities subject to foreign jurisdictions could exploit their roles as producers of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or critical components to harm Americans.
The letters specifically reference DJI and explain that a classified annex would be transmitted through secure communications systems.
That is the extent of the substantive explanation available in the released pages. They do not disclose the classified annex, identify specific vulnerabilities, or provide publicly accessible technical evidence detailing how particular drones could threaten US national security.
Why does Section 1709 matter?
Section 1709 of the FY2025 NDAA established a process for assessing whether communications and video surveillance equipment or services associated with DJI and Autel pose unacceptable national security risks.
The FCC added foreign-produced drones and critical components, alongside equipment and services covered under Section 1709, to its Covered List on December 22, 2025. The action followed a national security determination by an executive branch interagency body.
The Covered List restricts new equipment authorizations, affecting the ability of covered products to enter the US market through the FCC’s equipment authorization process. It does not automatically ground drones Americans already own.
In January 2026, DJI filed a petition seeking reconsideration of its inclusion, while Autel submitted an application for review. Both companies are challenging aspects of the FCC’s actions.
The newly filed letters relate to those ongoing proceedings. But the FCC’s wording is particularly important: it explicitly states that the agency did not rely on these materials when making the related Covered List additions.
In other words, their inclusion in the record does not mean the FCC has revealed new evidence supporting its earlier decision, nor does it mean the agency has issued a fresh security finding against either company.
So, for US drone pilots, commercial operators and public safety agencies, this filing does not announce a new ban or change the existing Covered List status. The broader debate, however, continues.
In September, DJI challenged a separate FCC proposal that could restrict the continued importation and marketing of previously authorized foreign-made drones classified as military-grade. The company argued that the proposal could sweep in widely used civilian technologies, including thermal imaging, LiDAR, and autonomous docking systems.
Related: DJI says FCC is going too far with its latest drone ban proposal
That separate proposal has attracted nearly 4,000 public comments, reflecting concerns about potential consequences for businesses and public safety operations.
The latest Pentagon-letter filing should not be confused with that separate rulemaking. The two proceedings address different regulatory questions, even though both could affect access to foreign-made drones in the US.
What happens next?
The FCC has not announced a final resolution of DJI’s petition or Autel’s application in this notice. The classified correspondence remains unavailable to the public, leaving operators without a detailed new explanation of the underlying security concerns.
For now, the takeaway is procedural rather than substantive: the government’s letters are officially part of the record, but their classified contents remain out of public view, and the FCC says it did not rely on them when making the relevant Covered List additions.
Whether the ongoing review produces more publicly available evidence, changes to the FCC’s position, or further restrictions remains to be seen.
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