Protecting U.S. Critical Energy Investments Through C-UAS and UAS Surveillance Capabilities in Iraq

Description

The Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) announces this funding opportunity to protect American economic interests, personnel, and national security by supporting the Government of Iraq’s (GOI) capabilities to counter unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) threats while simultaneously advancing Iraqi security forces’ capability to protect critical infrastructure. This program should deliver concrete returns for American taxpayers by safeguarding U.S. commercial investments in Iraq’s energy sector and reducing threats to American personnel from Iran and Iran-Aligned Milita Groups (IAMGs). U.S. companies maintain significant investments in Iraqi oil and gas production, representing substantial American economic interests. UAS operated by Iran and IAMGs present a persistent and escalating threat to these American investments and to U.S. personnel operating in Iraq. Recent drone attacks on U.S. facilities in Erbil and Baghdad illustrate IAMGs intent and capabilities to attack American interests. By supporting Iraq’s ability to both defend against hostile UAS and conduct proactive surveillance operations, this program should directly protect American economic assets and reduce risks to American citizens abroad. This program advances critical U.S. national security priorities outlined in the U.S. Department of State Agency Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2026-2030, 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) and National Security Presidential Memorandum-2 (NSPM-2) on Countering Iran and IAMGs by degrading the operational capabilities of their UAS and protecting U.S. interests. This program should be designed to reduce Iraq’s long-term dependency on U.S. taxpayer resources by building sustainable Iraqi civilian law enforcement capabilities to independently protect critical infrastructure, conduct surveillance operations, and respond to UAS threats.

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