White House holds summit on AAM

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is hosting a summit today on AAM.

The summit will include NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, FAA acting chief Billy Nolen and Joby Aviation CEO, JoeBen Bevirt. It will look at the “the future of aviation in America and the regulatory strategy towards responsible and equitable adoption of these technologies”.

The summit is looking at how AAM can help to assist US domestic policy, national security, climate and job creation, said the White House. It will also look at the “future of aviation in America and the regulatory strategy towards responsible and equitable adoption of these technologies.”

Also speaking will be Gary Batton, chief of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Alondra Nelson, acting director of OSTP, deputy White House Homeland Security adviser, Josh Geltzer and National Football League (NFL) chief security officer, Cathy Lanier.

The White House is pressing Congress to extend and expand government powers to detect and disable threatening drones. The current expanded authority is set to expire in October.

On July 14, the NFL, Major League Baseball, NCAA and NASCAR sent a joint letter to Congress backing proposals for expanded drone authority. The expansion of drone authority “will play an important role in helping to ensure the safety of major sporting events, including the safety of the millions of American fans who attend these events each year,” the letter stated.

There are over 800,000 registered drones in the US. The FBI has conducted 70 drone and counter-drone protection operations at large events since 2018.