AUVSI Drone & AAM Policy Symposium: Lawmakers, Regulators & Industry Convene in DC as Drone & AAM Rules Take Shape

ARLINGTON, VA, UNITED STATES, October 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- New Executive Orders are in effect. The FAA Reauthorization Act is moving into implementation. Secure supply chains and the FCC Covered List are drawing sharper scrutiny, and pressure is building on aircraft certification and airspace coordination. The rules written in the months ahead will determine how quickly drones and advanced air mobility (AAM) can scale in the United States.

That is the backdrop for the Drone & AAM Policy Symposium, hosted by the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), on Monday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 10, at Nationals Park. The two-day forum puts the officials shaping the national airspace in the same room as the people who depend on it.

“Restrictions protect the industry, and strategy is what builds it,” said Heather Lee, Interim President and CEO of AUVSI. “With the FAA Reauthorization Act being implemented and new Executive Orders in effect, AUVSI is bringing policymakers and industry together to help get that strategy done.”

Below are the key themes shaping this year’s program.

Sharing the Sky: Automated Flight Rules and Air Traffic Modernization

Airspace is getting more crowded, and crewed and uncrewed aircraft must share the sky safely. Sessions will examine how automation can support that goal and where FAA investment is headed. Highlights include:

-- AUVSI’s Automated Flight Rules working group on how crewed and uncrewed aircraft can share increasingly busy airspace

-- Air traffic control modernization and what it means for drones and AAM

Scaling Up: BVLOS Rules and the Path to Routine Operations

BVLOS flight is the key to drone work at scale, from agriculture to infrastructure and inspection. Operators want clarity on what the new rules require and how soon they can plan around them. Programming will cover:

-- What Part 108 and Part 146 mean for operators across industries

-- Industry response to NPRM 2209, one of the most consequential proposed rules for large UAS operations

-- Certifications and implementation of the FAA Reauthorization Act

Trusted Technology: Supply Chain Security and Domestic Manufacturing

Security concerns are reshaping which aircraft and components can buy and fly. Speakers will address compliance and what it takes to build a stronger American industrial base. Key sessions will explore:

-- NDAA Compliance, the FCC Covered List and domestic manufacturing

-- Perspective from the Department of Commerce, including Steven Haines, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for industry and analysis

-- Enforcement and policy views from the Federal Communications Commission, including Hunter Deeley, Chief of the Enforcement Bureau, and Arpan Sura, senior counsel to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr

Protecting the Airspace: Counter-UAS and Public Safety

Major events and emergency response are placing new demands on the low-altitude airspace. Sessions will look at how agencies and commercial operators can protect and share it. Applications highlighted will include:

-- Counter-UAS planning for major events, from the World Cup to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

-- Drone as first responder programs and how they will share low altitude airspace with commercial operators

-- Remarks from Steven Willoughby, Executive Director of the UAS/C-UAS Program Executive Office at the Department of Homeland Security

Keynotes and Featured Speakers

Rep. Dina Titus, co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Unmanned Systems Caucus, will discuss where Congress sees drone and AAM policy heading, including implementation of the FAA’s Part 108 BVLOS rule (Tuesday, Nov. 10, 11:30 a.m. ET). Sen. Peter Welch, lead Senate sponsor of the bipartisan Aviation Innovation and Global Competitiveness Act, will address making FAA certification faster and more predictable (Tuesday, Nov. 10, 12:15 p.m. ET).

Leaders from the Department of the Interior, USDA Forest Service, TSA and the Ohio and Florida departments of transportation will also take part. Industry and international speakers include Amazon Prime Air, BETA Technologies, Reliable Robotics, Southern Company, Skyports, Manna Air Delivery and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

“Operators are deciding now how to build fleets, hire crews and commit capital, and they need to know what the FAA will require,” said Scott Shtofman, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at AUVSI. “Manufacturers face the same question about which aircraft and components will clear security standards. Attendees will leave knowing what is changing, when it should take effect and how to weigh in before it is set.”

AUVSI Defense

Located in the same space, AUVSI Defense will take place November 9–10, bringing together defense, government and industry leaders to discuss the future of uncrewed systems and defense innovation.

The growing speaker lineup includes Senator James Lankford, Congressman Rob Wittman, Vice Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and William Kimmitt, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade. Colonel Gregory Merkl, the Army’s Director for Drone Dominance, will also join the program, offering an operational and acquisition perspective on the direction of the Army’s Drone Dominance initiative.

The forum is closed to media and conducted under the Chatham House Rule to facilitate candid, substantive discussion among participants.

Media Encouraged to Attend

Credentialed media can register for access to keynotes, sessions and interviews with policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders. AUVSI Interim President and CEO Heather Lee and Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Scott Shtofman are available for interviews on-site or virtually before and after the event. Explore the full program here.

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About AUVSI
The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of uncrewed systems and robotics. AUVSI represents corporations and professionals from more than 60 countries involved in the defense, civil and commercial markets. Learn more at auvsi.org.

Alison Wyrick-Mendoza
AUVSI
media@auvsi.org