Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, passed an amendment that prohibits the Department of Defense (DoD) from procuring or operating light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology that is manufactured by our foreign adversaries including Communist China. Read the amendment here.
“As the U.S. military increases its use of autonomous unmanned systems, my amendment sends a clear signal that the U.S. cannot rely on untrusted LiDAR that jeopardizes our national security and undermines the competitiveness of American companies. LiDAR is a remote sensing technology that is used on many autonomous systems to map out the surrounding environments and we must ensure that no LiDAR in DoD systems is manufactured by our greatest strategic adversary Communist China,” said Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.
Congresswoman Stefanik’s amendment will prohibit the DoD from operating or procuring LiDAR that is manufactured in China or by a foreign adversary.
Last year, Congresswoman Stefanik joined her colleagues in sending a letter to the Departments of Defense, Commerce, and Treasury urging them to investigate Chinese LiDAR companies for inclusion on their respective blacklists. In January, the Department of Defense added Chinese LiDAR company, Hesai, to its Chinese Military Company list which means Hesai directly works to advance the modernization goals of the Chinese military.
