With the ongoing tussle between China and the US, the US Department of Defense (DOD) has said that the drone manufactured by China-based Da Jiang Innovation are a potential threat to national security. They further refused the claims that the Pentagon had cleared the DJI drones for use.
Report Was “Inaccurate and Uncoordinated,” Says DOD
As per the statements released by the DOD after the Pentagon reportedly admitted that the two drone models by China’s manufacturer company had been approved by the internal audit. They further reportedly said that the drones were recommended for government use.
However, the Department of Defense said that the existing DOD policies and practises that are associated with the use of such systems by the US government and forces working with the US military, remain unchanged. The reports were not approved by the DOD.
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The DOD further said that the claimed models of the DJI systems were found to be approved of procurement and operations for the US government.
“This report was inaccurate and uncoordinated, and its unauthorised release is currently under review by the department,” it further said.
DOD Banned The Purchase and Use of all Commercial Drones in 2018
Back in the year 2018, the Department of Defense banned the purchase and use of all commercial “off-the-shelf drones”. This was to be followed regardless of manufacturer because of the cyber city concerns.
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In the same year, the Congress passed a legislation specifically to put a ban on the purchase and the use of drone and their components specific manufactured in China. The DOD further noted that mitigating the threats posed by the small UAS including the DJI systems is a priority for the Department. They added that the existing policies will be appropriately implemented.
DJI is a Chinese technology company headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, with manufacturing facilities throughout the world.
