US Administration Expands CIA Powers To Deal With Drones That Threaten Aviation And Safety

JAKARTA - US lawmakers and sports leagues on Thursday, July 14 supported the White House's efforts to expand Congress' powers to detect and disable threatening drones.

Congress in 2018 expanded the powers of the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to disable or destroy threatening drones, officially known as unmanned aerial systems (UAS). But the Joe Biden administration says Congress needs to renew existing authorities and expand its powers as the number of registered drones soars. That 2018 drone authority will end in October.

The Biden administration wants to extend its drone detection and destruction powers to agencies such as the CIA and the State Department to protect US facilities because officials say drones cost millions of dollars in flight delays at US airports.

Senator Gary Peters, the Democratic congressman who chairs the Homeland Security Committee, said at a hearing last Thursday that he plans to release proposed legislation in the coming weeks to expand the existing authority and "strengthen counter-UAS authorities to address this threat better."

On Thursday, the National Football League, Major League Baseball, NCAA, and NASCAR also sent a joint letter to Congress in support of the Biden administration's proposal, saying expanding drone authority "would play a critical role in helping ensure the safety of major sporting events, including the safety of the millions of American fans that attend this event every year."

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brad Wiegmann told the Senate last Thursday that "mass outdoor gatherings, such as outdoor sports stadiums, are particularly vulnerable to drone attacks."

The White House wants to extend powers to detect and destroy or disable threatening drones to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for airports and the US Marshals Service for the transport of prisoners.

DHS official Samantha Vinograd said TSA since 2021 "has reported nearly 2,000 drone sightings near US airports, including attacks on major airports on an almost daily basis."

He added that "since 2019, drone incidents have caused US airports to cease operations completely three times, and by 2021, more than 30 partial flight suspensions of operations - resulting in millions of dollars in economic losses."

The sports league praised Biden's plans to "implement a pilot program that extends counter-drone authority, under proper supervision and training, to certain state and local law enforcement officials involved in protecting mass gatherings at sporting events."

White House Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall said Biden's proposal would "be a breakthrough in increasing our defenses against exploiting UAS for inappropriate or harmful purposes."

There are more than 800,000 registered drones in the United States. The FBI has conducted 70 drone and counter-drone protection operations at major events like the Super Bowl since 2018.

During the operation, "FBI counter-UAS teams detected 974 unauthorized drones operating in a restricted area of flight, located operators in 279 incidents, and attempted mitigation against 50 drones."