Bipartisan bill would protect military installations from unauthorized drones

A bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and August Pfluger (R-TX) would help secure the airspace around military bases, officials said.

The Comprehensive Operations for Unmanned-System Neutralization and Threat Elimination Response (COUNTER) Act would expand the definition of a “covered facility” in current law, to include more military bases and allow them to apply for approval to detect, track, if necessary, neutralize drones.

“In recent years, there has been a disturbing increase in threats posed to U.S. military bases by unmanned aircraft systems, including from systems controlled by foreign adversaries. Despite this, our armed forces continue to tell us that they lack the authority to protect the skies over some of our most sensitive military installations,” Houlahan said. “Today’s introduction of the bipartisan COUNTER Act marks the next step towards delivering the expanded authorities our military needs to address the threats of unmanned aircraft systems and keep these facilities safe.”

A companion bill was introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Tom Cotton (R-AK).

“As commercial drones become more commonplace, we must ensure that they are not being used to share sensitive information with our adversaries, to conduct attacks against our service members, or otherwise pose a threat to our national security. This legislation will enable DoD to more effectively mitigate threats from drones and allow for better interagency cooperation to keep Americans safe. I am proud to be introducing this important piece of bipartisan legislation, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to get it passed,” Gillibrand said.