US What “NDAA compliant” means
NDAA compliant is industry shorthand for equipment that meets the supply chain ban in Section 889 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is passed every year to set the US defense budget, and each one carries its own rules, but when a datasheet or tender says “NDAA compliant” it almost always means Section 889.
Section 889 bars the US government from buying, and from contracting with companies that use, telecommunications and video surveillance equipment or services from five named Chinese manufacturers and their subsidiaries and affiliates. A compliant product contains none of that equipment, including as a component inside something else.
There is no NDAA test, certificate or official approved list. A manufacturer declares that a product complies, and the buyer relies on that declaration. That makes the paperwork, and how far it goes down to component level, as important as the product itself.
What Section 889 prohibits
The section has two parts, which came into force a year apart and are applied to contracts through Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause 52.204-25.
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Part A, from 13 August 2019. Federal agencies may not buy covered equipment or services, or anything that uses them as a substantial or essential component of a system or as critical technology.
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Part B, from 13 August 2020. Agencies may not contract with a company that uses covered equipment or services anywhere in its business, whether or not that use relates to the federal contract.
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Covered telecommunications equipment. Equipment from Huawei and ZTE, and their subsidiaries and affiliates.
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Covered surveillance and telecoms equipment. Video surveillance and telecommunications equipment from Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua, and their subsidiaries and affiliates, where used for public safety, security of government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure or national security.
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Grants and loans. The same ban reaches federal grant and loan money through 2 CFR 200.216, so state and local bodies spending federal funds are covered too.
NDAA rules that affect hardware
Later defense acts added further supply chain restrictions, and the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) runs a separate list that is often confused with them. The table sets out the ones hardware buyers meet most often. Dates and scope are simplified, so check the clauses in the contract.
| Rule | What it covers | Who it binds | In force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section 889, FY2019 NDAA | Telecoms and video surveillance equipment from the five named companies | Federal agencies, contractors, grant and loan recipients | 2019 (Part A), 2020 (Part B) |
| Section 848, FY2020 NDAA | Drones and key drone parts made in a covered foreign country, including China | The Department of Defense | Enacted December 2019 |
| American Security Drone Act, FY2024 NDAA | Drones from covered foreign entities | All federal agencies | Phased in from 2023 to 2025 |
| Section 5949, FY2023 NDAA | Semiconductors from SMIC, YMTC and CXMT, and their affiliates | Federal agencies buying electronic parts and products | From December 2027 |
| FCC Covered List (not an NDAA rule) | New equipment authorizations for the five named companies | Anyone selling radio and telecoms equipment in the US | Authorizations barred since 2022 |
So “NDAA compliant drone” usually means Section 848 and the Drone Act, not Section 889. As the semiconductor ban approaches, buyers are also starting to ask about the chips inside electronic products, not only the brand on the box.
How to check that hardware is NDAA compliant
Because compliance is declared rather than certified, the checking falls to the buyer and the system supplier. These are the points that usually matter.
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A written declaration by part number. Ask for a statement that the exact model supplied meets Section 889, not a general claim about the brand.
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Rebranded products. Cameras and recorders from the named companies have been sold under other brand names. Ask who manufactured the device, not only whose logo is on it.
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Components inside. A product from a compliant brand can still contain a covered part, for example a camera chip from HiSilicon, which is a Huawei subsidiary, or a cellular module of covered origin.
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Services and software. The ban also covers services, so check cloud video, remote management and firmware update services as well as hardware.
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Records. Contractors make an annual representation in the US System for Award Management (SAM) under FAR 52.204-26, so keep the declarations for every delivered configuration.
NDAA, TAA and edge computing systems
NDAA compliance is often requested alongside TAA compliance, but they test different things. TAA asks where a product was made, while Section 889 asks who made the equipment inside it. Our answer on TAA compliance covers the country of origin rule, and a product can pass one test and fail the other.
For an edge AI computer, the Section 889 check rarely concerns the processor. It usually falls on what is connected or fitted: IP cameras, the network video recorder, cellular modems and radios. Our guide to TAA-compliant NVIDIA Jetson part numbers shows how origin and NDAA checks fit together for a Jetson system, including rugged Jetson computers for defense programs.
The network matters too, because Section 889 names telecommunications equipment as well as cameras. Antaira lists a number of the switches in our industrial PoE switch range as TAA and NDAA compliant, which suits camera networks on federal and defense sites.
Quick answers on NDAA compliance
NDAA compliance: common questions
What does NDAA stand for?
National Defense Authorization Act. It is the annual US law that sets defense spending and policy. “NDAA compliant” refers to Section 889 of the act for the 2019 fiscal year.
Is NDAA compliance a certification?
No. There is no test laboratory, certificate or official list. The manufacturer declares compliance, and buyers keep that declaration on file.
Are Hikvision and Dahua cameras NDAA compliant?
No. Both companies are named in Section 889, so their video surveillance equipment, including rebranded versions, is covered.
Does NDAA apply outside the US?
Only to US government buying. Non-US suppliers meet it when they sell into US federal programs. The USA has its own guidance: in 2022 it told departments to stop fitting surveillance cameras from companies subject to China’s National Intelligence Law on sensitive sites.
Is NDAA the same as TAA compliance?
No. TAA tests country of origin. Section 889 tests whether covered equipment from named companies is inside the product.
For defense and government programs we source the cameras, network equipment and computers in a system against the contract’s TAA and NDAA clauses, then integrate and test it as standard and supply the manufacturers’ compliance declarations with it.