Drones are growing threat to US national security: Experts
The article reports on a recent House Judiciary Committee hearing where lawmakers expressed growing concerns about the security threats posed by drones in the United States.Experts testified that drones increasingly threaten national security by being used against civilians at sporting events, major political gatherings, prisons, and particularly along the southern border where smugglers and cartels deploy them too surveil law enforcement and traffic drugs. Both Democrats and Republicans agreed on the need for enhanced “counter-drone” technology and measures to detect and safely neutralize dangerous drones. Currently, only certain federal agencies like the FBI and Secret Service have authority to respond to threatening drones, while local police and civilians lack such powers. Lawmakers emphasized the importance of balancing expanded counter-drone capabilities with protecting civil liberties.
Lawmakers warned of rising security threats from drones during House hearing
Drones present an increasingly serious threat to the United States’s national security against both civilians at sporting events and law enforcement, according to drone experts who testified before Congress.
Democrats and Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee were in rare agreement Tuesday afternoon during a hearing on malicious drones, that unmanned aircraft systems present a plethora of security and safety concerns for Americans.
Lawmakers on the Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance also agreed that the U.S. government, particularly Congress, must do more to develop “counter drone” technology or ways to safely take down dangerous drones.
Sgt. Robert Dooley, Florida’s drone and counterdrone coordinator within the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, testified that drones “continue to proliferate across recreational, commercial, and malicious domains.”
“The ability of public safety agencies to detect and mitigate unauthorized or threatening drones has become a national imperative,” Dooley said.
Subcommittee Chairman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) pointed to the nation’s land borders, where enemy drones flown by smugglers and cartels are used to spy on U.S. law enforcement and to move drugs across the international boundary.
“U.S. Northern Command leadership reported that over 1,000 drones cross into U.S. airspace from the Mexican border each month, with [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] agents noting that in Texas along the Rio Grande Valley alone, over 10,000 drone incursions and 25,000 drone sightings occurred in 2024,” Biggs said.
Drones are also a growing concern at most sports events and major political events, such as conventions and inaugurations.
Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) said prisons in her home state had had multiple incidents of seizing drones as they attempted to smuggle illegal drugs.
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Only the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service have the legal authority to respond to a suspicious drone and take it down through various counter-drone measures. Local and state police, as well as civilians, cannot respond to ones they perceive as dangerous.
Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said any expansion of counter-drone authorities for nonfederal police should be mindful of civil liberties and be used within the bounds of the law.
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