AUVSI backs GUARD Act to curb China’s robotics push

AUVSI told Congress that China is applying the same subsidize-and-saturate strategy in robotics that once helped it dominate the U.S. drone market, and urged quick passage of the GUARD Act. The group says the bill would help block adversary systems before Chinese robotics scale further, while leaving U.S. industry and allies largely protected.

Why it matters: - AUVSI says the U.S. has a narrow window to stop China from repeating in robotics what happened in drones. - The group argues early action would be cheaper than trying to unwind a large installed base later. - The testimony frames robotics as a security issue, not just an industrial-policy fight.

What happened: - AUVSI President and CEO Michael Robbins testified before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology on July 22, 2026. - Robbins urged Congress to advance the Guarding the U.S. Against Adversarial Robotics Dominance, or GUARD, Act. - AUVSI said the People’s Republic of China is using a market-capture strategy in robotics similar to the one it used in drones.

The details: - Robbins said Chinese manufacturers dominated the drone market after using state subsidies, IP theft and market dumping to undercut U.S. rivals. - Robbins said one subsidized Chinese drone maker accounted for 96% of uncrewed aircraft detected in U.S. airspace before meaningful restrictions took effect. - Robbins said Chinese manufacturers shipped about 90% of the world’s humanoid robots in 2025. - Robbins said that expansion was backed by more than $20 billion in Chinese robotics subsidies in 2024-25 and a roughly $137 billion national AI and robotics fund. - Robbins warned that a compromised robot can expose data and also move, map, surveil or physically disrupt operations. - Robbins cited security research that found an undocumented backdoor in a Chinese quadruped platform and data transmission from Chinese humanoid robots to servers in China. - Robbins also pointed to the Department of Defense’s Section 1260H designation of Unitree Robotics as a Chinese Military Company. - AUVSI said the GUARD Act would have minimal near-term impact on U.S. industry because China supplies only about 4% of U.S. industrial robotics imports, or roughly $30 million in 2024. - The testimony said the bill targets finished adversary systems and control software, not components. - AUVSI backed the bill’s protections for NATO allies and Major Non-NATO Allies.

Between the lines: - AUVSI is trying to separate national-security restrictions from broad anti-import measures. - The group’s message is that the U.S. should block high-risk systems now while still building domestic capacity to compete long term. - Robbins said risk-based restrictions alone are not enough to secure American leadership.

What’s next: - AUVSI urged the subcommittee to advance the GUARD Act and Congress to pass it. - The group asked lawmakers to add the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security to the review process. - AUVSI also wants allied protections extended to future robotics-related Covered List actions. - The group wants the bill to cover adjacent autonomous mobile ground robots that it says pose similar risks. - AUVSI called for paired investment measures, including the National Commission on Robotics Act, the Magnets Value Chain Support Act and the Make More in America Act. - AUVSI is also pressing for broader federal support for U.S. robotics manufacturing, supply chains and workforce.

The bottom line: - AUVSI wants Congress to treat robotics the way it treated other strategic technologies: restrict adversary systems early, then invest harder at home.