This Act, the Protecting Military Bases from Connected Vehicles of Concern Act of 2025, would prohibit the operation of certain connected vehicles on Department of Defense property after January 1, 2028. The prohibited vehicles are those designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied by entities owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction of a foreign entity of concern, and that pose risks to defense, critical infrastructure, or national security.
The Secretary of Defense must publish by January 1, 2027 a publicly accessible list of such vehicles, incorporating existing federal rules and ensuring annual updates with explanations for removals. The Department must also develop an implementation plan and brief Congress by June 1, 2027, outlining lead offices, processes for identifying prohibited vehicles, interagency coordination, threat metrics, compliance measures, and resource needs.
At a Glance
What It Does
The Secretary of Defense will publish a list of prohibited connected vehicles by 2027 and ban operation on DoD property after 2028. The list incorporates existing federal rules and is subject to annual review and updates. An implementation plan and congressional briefing are required.
Who It Affects
DoD installations and property managers; manufacturers and suppliers of connected vehicles; DoD components responsible for security, procurement, and compliance; other federal agencies coordinating on risk assessment.
Why It Matters
Creates a formal, transparent mechanism to shield DoD and critical U.S. infrastructure from foreign-linked vehicle risk, with a process for ongoing updates and cross-agency coordination.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The bill targets a specific class of vehicles—connected vehicles designed or supplied by entities under foreign influence—and restricts their operation on Department of Defense property. A list of prohibited vehicles will be published by January 1, 2027 on a public DoD website and will be updated annually, with explanations provided for any removals.
To implement the ban, the Secretary of Defense must present an implementation plan to Congress by June 1, 2027, detailing the responsible office, the process for evaluating vehicles, how coordination with other federal agencies will occur, the metrics to assess threats to national security, and the resources necessary to enforce the prohibition. The definitions anchor the scope: a “connected vehicle” follows existing federal rules; a “foreign entity of concern” aligns with the Thornberry NDAA standard; and “military installation” follows the U.S. Code.
The measure creates a structured risk-management framework intended to safeguard DoD operations and, by extension, national security and critical infrastructure. The approach is iterative, relying on regular reviews of the prohibited list and a formal mechanism to adjust it over time.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill bans operation of certain connected vehicles on DoD property after 2028.
A public list of prohibited vehicles must be published by January 1, 2027 and kept up to date.
The list incorporates existing federal rules and is subject to annual revisions.
An implementation plan detailing leadership, processes, and resources must be submitted to Congress by June 1, 2027.
Definitions anchor the scope to existing federal regulatory concepts and NDAA-derived terms.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Short title
This section provides the act’s official name: the Protecting Military Bases from Connected Vehicles of Concern Act of 2025. It sets the framework for all operative provisions that follow.
General prohibition
After January 1, 2028, no connected vehicle on the prohibited list may operate on a Department of Defense military installation or other DoD property. The ban applies to vehicles that meet the criteria in the list and are designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied by entities under foreign influence.
Prohibited vehicles list
By no later than January 1, 2027, the Secretary of Defense must establish and publish a list of prohibited connected vehicles on a publicly accessible DoD website. The list targets vehicles designed by or supplied by entities owned by, controlled by, or subject to a foreign entity of concern and that pose specified national-security risks.
Implementation plan and briefing
Not later than June 1, 2027, the Secretary must deliver to the congressional defense committees an implementation plan. The plan identifies the lead DoD organization, describes the process for identifying and assessing prohibited vehicles, outlines interagency coordination mechanisms, defines threat metrics, explains how bases will ensure compliance, and assesses the resources needed to implement the prohibition.
Definitions
Key terms are defined for clarity: “connected vehicle” follows existing CFR definitions; “foreign entity of concern” uses the Thornberry NDAA framework; “military installation” aligns with 10 U.S.C. definitions; the section also references the regulations that establish these terms to ensure consistent interpretation.
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Explore Defense in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Military installations and base security teams gain a clearer, enforceable framework to reduce sabotage and disruption risks.
- The Department of Defense’s leadership and security offices benefit from a centralized risk-management mechanism tied to a published prohibited-vehicle list.
- Federal agencies coordinating on national security and critical infrastructure risk gain a standardized process for interagency collaboration.
- Congressional defense committees receive a concrete implementation plan and ongoing oversight capability.
Who Bears the Cost
- Vehicle manufacturers and suppliers of connected vehicles may face market access restrictions and lost revenue tied to the prohibited-list designation.
- DoD installations and procurement offices incur costs to monitor, enforce, and audit compliance on base sites.
- DoD budget and staffing may need to absorb costs for implementing the plan, updating the list, and coordinating with other agencies.
- Contractors and service providers that support connected-vehicle deployments may need to adjust products and services to meet the prohibition.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
Balancing robust national-security protections against potential delays, costs, and market disruption from a dynamic prohibited-vehicles list that must be kept current without stifling beneficial innovation.
The bill creates a strong security posture by tying the prohibition to a formal list updated through annual reviews, but that design raises policy and operational questions. The process relies on accurate, timely identification of vehicles that meet the foreign-entity-of-concern criteria and pose substantial threats to national security.
Keeping the list current requires ongoing interagency coordination, transparent rationales for additions and removals, and sufficient resources within DoD to implement enforcement across numerous bases. The reliance on existing federal rules helps align the measure with established standards, but it also risks entanglement with other regulatory regimes that govern vehicle design, certification, and procurement.
Implementation will need to balance security with the practicalities of DoD logistics and modernization.
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