Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), John Curtis (R-Utah), and Andy Kim (D-N.J.) introduced the Blue Skies for Taiwan Act of 2026. The legislation expands Taiwan’s ability to develop drone system components that do not rely on technology or supply chains potentially compromised by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), amid increasing CCP pressure on Taiwan and expanded control over the global UAS supply chain. This bipartisan legislation deepens U.S.–Taiwan cooperation on unmanned aerial systems (UAS) development.
Sen. Cruz said, “The Chinese Communist Party expends countless resources to erode the status of our Taiwanese allies and isolate them globally. This legislation will modernize the development and production of unmanned aerial system supply chains, strengthen supply chain integration, and deepen U.S.-Taiwan defense cooperation. It also importantly expands opportunities for collaboration on Blue UAS, including with efforts like the Army’s SkyFoundry program and the Advanced Automation Manufacturing project at Red River Army Depot in Texarkana, Texas. I’m proud to join Senator Merkley in introducing this bill.”
Sen. Merkley said, “Our longstanding partnership with Taiwan demands the United States use all the tools at our disposal to strengthen Taiwan’s security and counter China’s coercive tactics. Our bipartisan effort not only protects American strategic interests and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, but it also ensures that Taiwan is well-equipped to develop unmanned aerial systems in support of its own defense and our national security. As Beijing escalates its pressure campaign, American support for Taiwan will remain ironclad.”
Sen. Curtis said, “Strengthening our partnership with Taiwan is critical to advancing both American security and the stability of the Indo-Pacific. Our bipartisan legislation expands cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan to build secure, resilient drone systems—cutting China out of the supply chain and reinforcing deterrence in the region.”
Sen. Kim said, “Drones are becoming increasingly central to defense systems worldwide — and the United States and our partners are unprepared to produce them at the necessary scale. Making matters worse, the majority of commercially available UAS technology relies on components sourced from China, leaving the U.S. and partners like Taiwan vulnerable to supply chain manipulation. Supporting Taiwan’s UAS manufacturing through this legislation is how we close that gap and secure long-term stability for ourselves and our partners.”
Read the bill text here.
BACKGROUND:
Taiwan’s efforts to cooperate with the United States on producing drones are constrained by reliance on CCP-sourced components, barriers to accessing capital, and challenges meeting U.S. export control requirements.
The Blue UAS program is a DOW initiative that vets and certifies secure drone systems and components that do not rely on CCP technology or supply chains.
The Blue Skies for Taiwan Act of 2026:
Establishes a Blue UAS Working Group, led by the Departments of State and War, to assess Taiwan’s drone production capacity and identify opportunities and impediments to incorporating Taiwan-manufactured UAS and components in the Defense Contract Management Agency’s Blue UAS program and associated lists.
Directs the establishment of a cooperative framework with regional allies to support secure, PRC-independent drone supply chains and expand opportunities for Taiwan’s drone industry.
Allows the Departments of State and War to develop a fast-track certification process for Taiwan drone and component manufacturers.
In December 2025, Sen. Cruz authored and passed into law a provision to modernize and transform Red River Army Depot (RRAD) into the nation’s premier organic industrial base hub for small, unmanned aircraft systems (s-UAS), which was signed into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2026.
