The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice would be given new authorities to protect critical facilities from threats posed by unmanned aerial systems (UAS) under a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate this week.
The Preventing Emerging Threats Act of 2018 would also direct DHS to assess emerging threats posed by UAS and to advance research and testing to mitigate them. U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND), a co-sponsor of the bill, highlighted the importance of integrating UAS defense systems into the national airspace.
“Developing UAS detection and counter-UAS technologies is necessary for us to safely integrate unmanned aircraft into our National Airspace,” Hoeven said. “This legislation provides the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice with the tools they need to protect against UAS threats to our national security, which will help to ensure the safe use of legitimate UAS so this industry can continue to grow and develop.”
Hoeven has pushed for UAS facilities in Grand Forks, North Dakota, to be used to develop UAS defense technologies and to provide training to DHS UAS pilots. Additionally, Hoeven recently announced that North Dakota had been selected as one of the nation’s 10 test sites for the FAA UAS integration pilot program.