State oversight panel hears testimony on drone capabilities, counter‑UAS gaps and supply‑chain risks

At a Wednesday meeting of the House Oversight Committee on Homeland Security and Foreign Influence, a witness from Grand Rapids told legislators that commercially available drones and UAS (unmanned aerial systems) now deliver high‑resolution sensing and autonomous behavior that state and military officials must treat as both an economic opportunity and a security risk.

"If we fail to invest, streamline regulations, and push innovation forward, we risk being outpaced in the world of autonomous technology," Dakota Greenman, founder and CEO of Westwood AI, told the committee. Greenman described demonstrations of automated 3‑D mapping and object‑detection software, and warned that widely available sensors and open‑source code make advanced capabilities accessible to small teams or individuals.

The testimony framed three connected concerns: the expanding commercial uses and market growth for drones; reliance on foreign manufacturers and fragile supply chains; and a gap in practical, lawful counter‑UAS options available to military and law‑enforcement operators. Greenman said U.S. firms and researchers can build many mission applications but face commercial and liability barriers to competing with established foreign manufacturers.

Why this matters: UAS technologies now contribute to farming, infrastructure inspection, disaster response and law enforcement while also being used in modern conflicts. Committee members pressed whether Michigan and U.S. installations can lawfully and practically collect information about drones over sensitive sites or disrupt…