US accelerates deployment of counter-drone systems — Al Jazeera

In the United States, President Donald Trump’s administration has launched interagency work to accelerate the use of systems to counter unauthorized drones. The Pentagon and the Departments of Transportation, Energy and Justice signed a memorandum on assessing relevant technologies and their rapid deployment, Al Jazeera reports.

Protecting airspace

The Department of Homeland Security is also involved in the initiative, led by a White House task force. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration, the agencies will work with the FAA and the Federal Communications Commission on systems capable of detecting, tracking, stopping or taking control of dangerous or unauthorized drones.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said authorities are taking a whole-of-government approach to protecting American airspace from emerging threats. According to him, coordination among federal agencies should strengthen the ability to counter drone threats and protect air passengers.

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More than a thousand deployment requests

FAA representative Liam McKenna told Reuters that the agency has already approved more than 1,000 coordination requests for the deployment of counter-drone measures in cooperation with the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security. According to him, the approval process for some systems being considered by law enforcement agencies may be completed within 24 hours.

US Attorney General Todd Blanche also said that this summer the FBI arrested five men accused of planning to use drones with explosives during and near a White House event that drew thousands of visitors. Last month, the FAA imposed a temporary ban on unauthorized drone flights along the entire US border with Mexico: it applies up to an altitude of 400 feet, or 122 meters, and to a strip one nautical mile, or 1.8 km, wide north of the border.