A group of five Republican Congress members recently sent a letter to Pete Hegseth, Department of Defense secretary; Kristi Noem, Department of Homeland Security secretary; and Chris Rocheleau, Federal Aviation Administration acting administrator; to question how the agencies are monitoring and countering unmanned aerial systems (UAS) at the southern border.
Mexican drug cartels are increasingly using UAS for illicit operations. The drones pose a security risk to federal law enforcement officers and deployed military personnel in the area.
The lawmakers request within 30 days of receipt of the letter, the answers to six questions including which agency is primarily responsible for responding to UAS threats, what steps are being taken to determine if a drone poses an immediate threat, and how quickly a determination can be made regarding shooting down a hostile drone.
“During our time at the border, we heard firsthand from commanders and supervisors on the ground regarding their concern to be able to conduct c-UAS operations should the cartels attempt a drone attack on U.S. service members or federal law enforcement,” the letter said.
Signees are U.S. Reps. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), Jeff Crank (R-CO), Mike Kennedy (R-UT), John McGuire (R-VA) and Derek Schmidt (R-KS).