AUVSI brings more than 100 industry leaders to Capitol Hill for Hill Day

AUVSI held its annual Hill Day in Washington, D.C., drawing more than 100 industry representatives for 90-plus meetings with lawmakers and staff. The lobbying push centered on autonomy policy, including BVLOS, counter-UAS authorities, procurement and industrial base issues.

Why it matters: - AUVSI used Hill Day to press Congress on policy decisions that will shape the growth of uncrewed and autonomous systems in defense, commercial and civil markets. - The meetings focused on issues tied to U.S. competitiveness, national security and domestic manufacturing. - AUVSI said the advocacy push is meant to help turn industry priorities into federal action.

What happened: - AUVSI hosted its annual Hill Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., bringing more than 100 representatives from member companies to meet with lawmakers and staff. - The group held more than 90 meetings with Members of Congress and congressional staff. - The day focused on policy priorities for robotics and autonomous systems. - Attendees met with lawmakers from both parties. - The agenda included industrial base policy, airspace integration, Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations, counter-UAS authorities and procurement strategies. - The day featured two fireside chats. - Rep. Eugene Vindman joined AUVSI President and CEO Michael Robbins in the morning. - Sen. Elissa Slotkin joined Robbins at midday.

The details: - The meeting schedule covered the economic and national security stakes tied to U.S. leadership in autonomy. - AUVSI said the advocacy program works year-round across air, ground, maritime and cybersecurity domains. - The association described Hill Day as a central part of that broader effort. - Robbins said more than 100 industry leaders on Capitol Hill signals the scale and seriousness of the sector. - Vindman said drones have already reshaped the modern battlefield. - Vindman also said the U.S. is behind on fielding drones and needs low-cost, easy-to-use, attritable drones at scale. - Slotkin and Robbins discussed how Congress can support innovation while addressing security and domestic manufacturing priorities. - AUVSI describes itself as the world's largest nonprofit dedicated to uncrewed systems and robotics. - AUVSI says it represents corporations and professionals from more than 60 countries across defense, civil and commercial markets.

Between the lines: - The event shows how the autonomy industry is trying to move from general support for innovation to specific legislative action on deployment, procurement and operational rules. - The inclusion of both Republican and Democratic lawmakers suggests the group is positioning autonomy policy as a bipartisan competitiveness and security issue. - The focus on BVLOS, counter-UAS and procurement points to the regulatory bottlenecks that industry sees as the biggest barriers to scale.

What's next: - AUVSI said Hill Day is part of a year-round advocacy program. - The association will continue pushing policies it says support the safe and responsible growth of uncrewed technologies. - Further congressional engagement is likely as lawmakers debate autonomy, defense readiness and domestic industrial capacity.