The Biden administration is urging Congress to give federal and local governments more authority to intervene in the malicious use of drones in the United States, which is becoming a growing security threat and aggravation.
The White House issued an action plan on Monday that includes increasing the number of agencies that can identify and control drones flying in their airspace, as well as establishing a national training center to combat hostile drone usage.
According to the White House, Congress must "pass legislation to eliminate major gaps in existing law and policy that presently prevent government and law authorities from safeguarding the people of America and our essential security concerns."
The federal government's interest comes as the Federal Aviation Administration predicts that more than 2 million drones will be in use in the United States by 2024, yet detection and prevention technologies, such as jamming systems, are prohibited under existing law.
In certain cases, the White House plan asks for the departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Defense, and Energy, as well as the Central Intelligence Agency and NASA, to strengthen existing counter-drone authorities. The proposition also aims to provide state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies, as well as essential infrastructure owners, more drone monitoring authorities.
A six-year pilot program for a select number of federal, county, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies to participate in drone detection and mitigation missions under the oversight of the Justice Department and Homeland Security is also proposed in the plan.
At the moment, no state or local agencies have this authority.
Drones have become increasingly common, as well as essential instruments for law enforcement, agriculture, commercial photography, and hobbyists in the country. However, there are mounting concerns.
After a possible drone spotting nearby, Newark Liberty International Airport paused all arrivals and rerouted planes for almost an hour in January 2019. The gadget has been used by drug smugglers to bring illegal substances into the country. Drones tumbled on the grounds of the White House in two different incidents in 2015.
According to federal and municipal police, drones have also been used to transport contraband into jails, such as cell phones and drugs.
The counter-drone strategy calls for the creation of a system to coordinate federal research, development, testing, and assessment of detection and mitigation technology.
The White House also wants to work with Congress to pass a criminal statute outlining the legal and illegal purposes of drones, as well as strengthen international collaboration on counter-drone technologies.
