Nineteen-Member Panel Will Advise The State On UAS Policy

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has named 19 members to the state's Unmanned Systems Commission, which was created by an executive order in June.

In his executive order, McAuliffe said that the Commission will consist of the Secretaries of Technology, Commerce and Trade, Education, Veterans and Defense Affairs, two Representatives from the Virginia Congressional Delegation, and (11) citizen members whose background shall include relevant expertise to be appointed by the Governor and serve at his pleasure.  The Governor shall designate a Chairman and Vice Chairman from among the appointed members. The Governor may appoint additional persons to the Commission at his discretion.

Virginia is home to the eighth largest concentration of unmanned system firms in the nation at a time when the use of unmanned systems is rapidly expanding.  Unmanned systems could provide Virginia with numerous practical benefits: crops could be inspected and maintained using unmanned aerial technologies; traffic jams could be ameliorated by self-driving ground vehicles; and, Virginia’s waterways could be protected from contamination with advanced unmanned marine systems.  As these new and exciting possibilities emerge, Virginia is in a highly competitive position to take the greatest advantage of the industry’s development and reap benefits from it. 

John S. Langford of Fairfax County, VA, chairman and CEO of Aurora Flight Sciences, was tapped to chair the commission.

Other members of the commission include U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, U.S Rep. Scott Rigell of Virginia Beach, Virginia Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson, Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs John Harvey, Virginia Secretary of Education, Anne Holton, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones, Vice Admiral David Architzel, John S. Langford of Aurora Flight Sciences, Nicole Barranco of Volkswagen Group of America, Victoria Cox of Veracity Engineering, Robert E. “Bob” Dehnert of Raytheon Company, Tom Dingus of Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, David Hamrick of The MITRE Corporation, Jim Hughes of Newport News Shipbuilding, Young Kim of Digital Harvest, Guy Sanitate of Scitor Corporation, Scott Strimple of United Airlines and Steve Weidner of National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

“The formation of the Virginia Unmanned Systems Commission shows the commonwealth’s dedication to realizing the potential of these technologies and the importance of collaborating with a variety of stakeholders to enable future successes," said Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.

Aurora Flight Sciences is among the AUVSI member companies that will be represented on the commission.

“We’re pleased the 19-person commission includes seven representatives who are from AUVSI’s membership, Wynne said. “Unmanned systems are already proving a transformative force in lives around the world. From UAS, or drones, that provide critical assistance for search and rescue, firefighting and disaster relief efforts to unmanned underwater vehicles that allow humans to safely survey vital underwater infrastructure and search for wreckages, robotic technologies are extending our capabilities, contributing to a safer world and ushering in a future with limitless possibilities.”

FMI: www.auvsi.org