The Biden administration has called on the US Congress to expand the authority of federal and local governments to take action against the illicit use of drones in the United States, which has become a concern. and growing security nuisance.
The The White House in Monday release an action plan that calls for expanding the number of agents that can be tracked and monitored Unmanned aircraft fly in their airspace. It calls for the establishment of a list of U.S. government-authorized detection devices that can be purchased by federal and local governments and the creation of a national training center on countering the use of drones. driver with malicious intent.
The White House in a statement said it is important that Congress “passes legislation to close critical gaps in existing laws and policies that stand in the way of government and law enforcement from protecting the American people.” and our vital security interests”.
The federal-government focus comes as the Federal Aviation Administration projects that more than 2 million drones will be in circulation in the US by 2024 and due to the availability of emerging technologies. detection and mitigation – including system interference – are limited by applicable law.
The White House plan calls for expanding existing anti-drone authorities to the departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Defense, and Energy, as well as the Central Intelligence Agency and NASA. limited situations. The proposal also seeks to expand the drone detection agency to state, local, territorial and tribal law enforcement agencies as well as infrastructure owners and operators. important.
The proposal also calls for the establishment of a six-year pilot program for a small number of state, local, territorial and tribal law enforcement agencies to engage in targeted detection and mitigation activities. under the supervision of the Departments of Justice and the Departments of Homeland Security.
Currently, there is no state or local authority with such authority.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the administration’s legislative recommendations “are critical to enabling DHS and our partners to have the necessary agencies and tools to protect the public, the President and other senior officials, federal facilities, and critical U.S. infrastructure from threats posed by malware and illegal use of drones.
In the US, drones have become increasingly useful and popular tools for law enforcement agencies, agricultural use, commercial photographers as well as hobbyists. But there are also growing concerns.
In January 2019, Newark Liberty International Airport halted all aircraft landings and diversions for more than an hour after a potential drone was sighted nearby. Smugglers have been using drones to transport illegal drugs into the country. And Major League Baseball has had several incidents since 2020 when games were delayed after privately owned drones were brought onto a playing field. In 2015, there were two separate incidents in which drones crashed on White House grounds.
Federal and local authorities say drones have also been used to transport contraband, including cell phones and drugs, into prisons.
National security officials have also uncovered the use of drones in last November’s failed assassination attempt on Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and an August 2018 attack. targeting Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro is “quite troubling”, a senior administration official told reporters on condition of anonymity ahead of Monday’s official announcement.
The Anti-Drone Plan calls for a mechanism to coordinate research, development, testing, and evaluation of federal government impact detection and mitigation technology.
The White House said it also wants to work with Congress to enact criminal statutes that set standards for the legal and illegal use of drones, and strengthen cooperation with states. other anti-drone technology.
