Blue UAS vs Green UAS Certification and the Blue List
Green UAS certification for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) is an authorized route onto the Blue UAS Cleared List, so Blue UAS vs Green UAS describes two linked drone programs. The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) recognized the Green-to-Blue pathway on July 16, 2025, and platforms that complete Green UAS certification are added to the Blue list. Green UAS itself is a cybersecurity and supply chain certification that AUVSI runs for the commercial and non-defense drone market. At Drone and Defense, we track drone programs and the companies behind them. Blue Select is a separate third category, for platforms that were competitively selected or sponsored by a military Service or Combatant Command and then received an authority to operate.
Blue UAS vs Green UAS: the Short Answer
Blue UAS and Green UAS are not competing programs, because DIU accepts Green UAS certification as one way to reach Blue UAS Cleared status. DIU's July 16, 2025 release said the pathway took effect immediately and built on DIU's data-sharing agreement with AUVSI. Platforms that complete Green UAS certification are added to the Blue UAS Cleared List, and DIU said the Blue UAS website now included Green UAS Certified platforms on that list.
AUVSI describes the same link from its side. Its Green UAS page states that "Green UAS Cleared is the faster, simplified pathway designed to align directly with the Blue UAS Cleared standards." DIU's release refers to Green UAS certification and to Green UAS Certified platforms, and it does not separately address the Green UAS Cleared tier.
Blue Select is a separate category with its own entry route. DIU's release said the Blue UAS website now delineates "Blue UAS Cleared" from "Blue Select". It defines Blue Select platforms as those competitively selected, or sponsored by a Service or a Combatant Command (CCMD), that also received an authority to operate (ATO). The release lists no Green UAS route into Blue Select.
The Four Designations Defined
Blue UAS Cleared is the destination list, the one that Green UAS Certified platforms join. Its website and management are transferring from DIU to the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), a move DIU targeted for the end of 2025. DIU's release also describes Recognized Assessors that provide third-party assessments of platforms or components, plus a Blue UAS Checklist to support certification pathways set out in a July 10, 2025 memorandum.
Blue Select requires two things at once. A platform must have been competitively selected, or sponsored by a Service or a CCMD, and it must also have received an ATO. DIU's release does not publish a separate application route for Blue Select beyond those conditions.
Green UAS Cleared is AUVSI's two-area tier. It covers "Product & Device Security" and "Supply Chain Risk Management", and AUVSI calls it the faster, simplified pathway aligned with Blue UAS Cleared standards.
Green UAS Certified is AUVSI's four-area tier. It covers the same two areas as Green UAS Cleared and adds "Corporate Cyber Hygiene" and "Remote Operations & Connectivity".
Program Matrix for Blue UAS vs Green UAS
The four designations differ on who maintains each label, what it assesses, how a platform earns it and what holding it gets you. Each cell below comes from DIU's July 2025 release or AUVSI's Green UAS page, and "Not published" marks a question neither source answers.
The two Green rows carry one name, AUVSI, which also describes itself as a Blue UAS Recognized Assessor.
| Designation | Who Maintains It | What It Assesses | How a Platform Gets It | What It Gets You |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue UAS Cleared | Defined by DIU; website and management transferring to DCMA (target: end of 2025) | Not published on the pages still served | Green UAS certification is an authorized pathway; DIU's release also describes Recognized Assessor reviews and a Blue UAS Checklist | A place on the Blue UAS Cleared List. Other benefits not published |
| Blue Select | Defined by DIU; shown on the Blue UAS website separately from Cleared | Not published | Competitive selection, or sponsorship by a Service or CCMD, plus an authority to operate (ATO) | Listing in the Blue Select category. Other benefits not published |
| Green UAS Cleared | AUVSI | Product & Device Security; Supply Chain Risk Management | AUVSI's "Submit for Certification" link; steps, timeline and eligibility not published | AUVSI describes it as the faster pathway aligned with Blue UAS Cleared standards |
| Green UAS Certified | AUVSI | The two Cleared areas plus Corporate Cyber Hygiene and Remote Operations & Connectivity | AUVSI's "Submit for Certification" link; steps, timeline and eligibility not published | Addition to the Blue UAS Cleared List, per DIU's July 2025 release |
Green UAS as a Pathway to Blue UAS Cleared Status
DIU made Green UAS certification an authorized pathway to Blue UAS Cleared status in its July 2025 release, effective immediately. DIU described the step as building on its data-sharing agreement with AUVSI. The release does not publish the terms of that agreement or what data passes between the two organizations.
The same release set up Recognized Assessors (RAs), organizations that provide third-party assessments of platforms or components. The initial cohort is MTSI, Dark Wolf Solutions and AUVSI. DIU said the RAs would be ready to receive platforms or components for assessment by September 2025.
AUVSI holds two roles in this arrangement. It runs Green UAS, and its own page describes AUVSI as a Blue UAS Recognized Assessor formally aligned with DIU. Our Defense Innovation Unit explainer covers DIU's wider work.
DIU said it would evaluate more RA candidates with the Services, SOCOM and A&S partners, then announce additional members. The pages we checked on October 11, 2026 list no additions to the first three.
DCMA Ownership of the Blue UAS Cleared List
The Blue UAS Cleared List is moving from DIU to DCMA. DIU's July 2025 release said the transfer of the list's website and management was underway, with a target of the end of 2025. On October 11, 2026, DIU's Blue UAS pages carried only a transition notice that redirects readers to bluelist.dcma.mil.
The notice says the transition follows a July 10, 2025 memo, and DIU names that memo two ways. Its July 2025 release calls it the Secretary of Defense's memorandum, or "SECDEF memo", and cites it alongside Executive Order 14307, "Unleashing American Drone Dominance". The notice on the Blue UAS pages calls the same memo a "Secretary of War memo" titled "Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance".
The two titles carry the same date and appear on the same organization's website. The program content that used to sit on DIU's Blue UAS pages is no longer served there.
We could not verify the live list. The DCMA portal did not respond when we checked it on October 11, 2026, so which platforms and components are on the Blue UAS Cleared List, and how many, is unconfirmed here. Check the DCMA Blue UAS portal directly for the current list.
Limits of the Public Record
The public record leaves several steps of both programs undocumented. DIU's July 2025 release said a Blue UAS Checklist was being finalized with the office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense and was slated for release on or before August 1, 2025. With it, Empowered Agencies, general officers, flag officers and Senior Executive Service members would be able to certify UAS platforms, components and software.
The same release said instructions on certification, required documentation and coordination through the Services and Components would be published "by the end of the month". Neither the checklist nor those instructions appear on DIU's Blue UAS pages as they stood on October 11, 2026, and the DCMA portal did not respond that day.
AUVSI's Green UAS page has gaps of its own. Beyond a "Submit for Certification" link, it does not publish the application steps, a requirements checklist, a timeline, a renewal or refresh cycle, or explicit eligibility criteria. Those details have to come from AUVSI directly, starting from its Green UAS page.
The Blue UAS Framework has the same gap. No page still served describes what it contains. Look for its current form on the DCMA Blue UAS portal.
Checking a Blue UAS vs Green UAS Claim in 2026
Blue UAS and Green UAS are often written about as rivals, yet on DIU's own account Green UAS is a route into Blue UAS Cleared. The authority that maintains that destination list changed in the same six months that the Green pathway opened.
A 2026 check of a Blue UAS claim therefore runs through a DCMA portal, for a list that a DIU release described. The memo behind the transfer carries two different titles on DIU's own website. A Green UAS claim points to a different publisher, AUVSI, and to a tier that assesses either two areas (Cleared) or four (Certified).
Both DIU's release and AUVSI's page use the phrase "NDAA-compliant" for secure drones, and neither cites a section of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). AUVSI's page does not describe an NDAA assessment as part of Green UAS.
For the wider defense buying process, see our guide to how defense procurement works. To check a specific Blue UAS vs Green UAS claim today, look the platform up on the DCMA Blue UAS portal and match the tier against AUVSI's Green UAS page.
Guides FAQs
What is Blue UAS?
Blue UAS is the drone list program that DIU described in its July 2025 release, split into two categories: Blue UAS Cleared and Blue Select. Platforms that complete Green UAS certification are added to the Blue UAS Cleared List. The list's website and management are transferring to DCMA, and DIU's Blue UAS pages now redirect to bluelist.dcma.mil.
What is the Blue UAS Cleared List?
The Blue UAS Cleared List is the list that Green UAS Certified platforms join under the pathway DIU opened on July 16, 2025. DIU's July 2025 release separated it from Blue Select on the Blue UAS website. Management of the list is moving to DCMA, and we could not verify its live contents on October 11, 2026, because the DCMA portal did not respond.
What is Blue UAS certification?
DIU's July 2025 release describes three mechanisms tied to Blue UAS certification. They are Green UAS certification, third-party assessments by Recognized Assessors, and a Blue UAS Checklist that would let Empowered Agencies and senior officials certify platforms, components and software. Detailed instructions were promised by the end of July 2025 but are not on DIU's Blue UAS pages as served on October 11, 2026.
What is the Blue UAS Framework?
No page still served describes what the Blue UAS Framework contains. DIU's Blue UAS pages now show only a transition notice pointing to DCMA. Look for the Framework's current form on the DCMA Blue UAS portal.
Is Blue UAS the same as NDAA compliant?
Neither DIU nor AUVSI equates the two on the pages verified on October 11, 2026. DIU's release and AUVSI's Green UAS page both use the phrase "NDAA-compliant" for secure drones, and neither cites a section of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). A claim that a Blue listing matches a specific NDAA section is not supported by those pages.
What is the difference between Blue UAS Cleared and Blue Select?
Blue UAS Cleared is the list that Green UAS Certified platforms join, while Blue Select covers platforms that were competitively selected, or sponsored by a Service or a Combatant Command, and that received an authority to operate. DIU's July 2025 release said the Blue UAS website now delineates the two. The release describes no Green UAS route into Blue Select.