The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) strongly supports the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s request of federal agencies to open an investigation into Unitree Robotics. The entire Select Committee – a bipartisan group of twenty-four Members of Congress – signed the letter asking for Unitree to be investigated for it’s role in advancing PRC military objectives and based on those findings, consider designating it under Section 1260H of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (FY21 NDAA), adding it to the Entity List, and including it on the Covered List.

This latest Congressional action follows the discovery of a critical vulnerability in Unitree’s Go1 robotic dogs. According to security researchers, the vulnerability acted as a backdoor, enabling potential foreign surveillance of users at U.S. research institutions and beyond.

“The U.S. must act decisively now to prevent a repeat of the drone sector, where reliance on adversarial nation-made platforms compromised our technological edge and jeopardizes U.S. national security,” said Michael Robbins, President and CEO of AUVSI. “This is not an isolated flaw but a symptom of a broader campaign to undermine U.S. industry and U.S. strategic security. Our national security, industrial resilience, and technological leadership depend on eliminating vulnerabilities across the entire uncrewed systems ecosystem. AUVSI applauds the Select Committee for its leadership.”

As AUVSI noted in recent comments to Congress on the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act, DoD must prioritize secure, resilient robotics sourced from domestic or allied partners. Continued procurement of low-cost, foreign-manufactured systems entrenches U.S. dependence on supply chains that are neither trusted nor transparent.

AUVSI urges the Administration and Congress to adopt a comprehensive strategy that not only protects against foreign threats but also builds U.S. industrial capacity. This includes producing robotics platforms and critical components domestically, securing access to key raw materials, and working closely with allied nations to strengthen the supply base.

See related: AUVSI Calls on Congress to Ban DOD Use of Unsecure Autonomous Vehicles in the National Defense Authorization Act