To provide a prohibition on certain reductions to MQ-9 aircraft units, and for other purposes.

Protect MQ-9 aircraft and units

If enacted, the bill would stop the Secretary of the Air Force from reducing or retiring any MQ-9 aircraft or MQ-9 unit that existed on the enactment date. The rule would apply from enactment through September 30, 2032. It would bar cuts to aircraft counts, Air Force MQ-9 primary mission inventory, and Air National Guard vehicle authorizations if those cuts would lower unit capability. It would also bar reducing MQ-9 operations and maintenance personnel if that would impair a unit’s designed operational capability. The Secretary would have to consult the Chief of the National Guard Bureau and the Director of the Air National Guard before changing any MQ-9 unit assigned to the Air National Guard. Two exceptions would allow removing an individual MQ-9 that is unsafe or uneconomical to repair, and would allow a unit to change its primary mission if the state governor approves and the Secretary certifies and submits a personnel, capability, funding, and timeline plan to the congressional defense committees.