By Dronelife Options Editor Jim Magill
Because the widespread use of UAVs proliferates throughout the nation, together with the inherent risks of the potential misuse of those aerial autos, federal lawmakers are struggling to craft laws to get in entrance of the state of affairs.
A Democratic congressman from New Mexico is proposing laws that will compel the federal government to finish a research of all makes use of of unmanned aerial methods in addition to counter-UAS methods by federal, state, native and tribal companies. Consultant Gabe Vasquez mentioned the Safe Our Skies Drone Security Act of 2025 would offer Congress with the essential knowledge wanted to put in writing future UAS and counter-UAS laws.
The proposed laws would construct on earlier efforts, such because the Safer Skies Act, to contain state and native legislation enforcement companies within the effort to counter the threats that drones flown by hostile actors. Handed as a part of the Nationwide Protection Authorization Act of 2025, that laws provides restricted authority to some state, native, tribal and territorial legislation enforcement companies to conduct counter UAS operations.
In an interview, Vasquez mentioned he proposed the bipartisan Safe Our Skies Drone Security Act in response to requests from legislation enforcement companies from throughout New Mexico for readability on their tasks for coping with drones operated by worldwide drug cartels or different felony actors.
“Native legislation enforcement companies don’t have the assets or the authority to successfully counter felony drones coming into their airspace,” Vasquez mentioned. “So, the Safe Our Skies Drone Secure Act requires the Authorities Accountability Workplace (GAO) to submit a report back to Congress on using drones and counter-drone methods at the moment in place by federal, state and native and tribal legislation enforcement companies.”
The proposed laws additionally requires the GAO to make suggestions as to what authorized authorities or insurance policies needs to be modified to enhance legislation enforcement’s potential to counter felony drone threats, he mentioned. As well as, the report will look at using foreign-produced drones by state and native police companies and look at “value restrictions that stop legislation enforcement companies from increasing using UAS produced in america,” or in allied nations.
“This report’s additionally going to dictate what actions must be taken to bolster the procurement of home and ally-produced drones and gear. Along with that, the report may even embrace the variety of drones bought by non-federal companies from adversarial entities,” Vasquez mentioned.
The invoice is at the moment pending earlier than the Home Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Vasquez mentioned he hopes to have the ability to connect the Safe Our Skies Drone Security Act to the bipartisan Floor Reauthorization Invoice, thought of as must-pass laws.
“I’m going to maintain working to advance this invoice and get it throughout the end line,” he mentioned.
COUNTER Act Targets Cartel Drones
Along with sponsoring the Safe Our Skies Drone Security Act, Vasquez a member of the Home Armed Companies Committee, additionally secured passage of one other piece of drone-related laws, the COUNTER Act, which strengthens the flexibility of base commanders to defend installations towards harmful drone incursions.
“This extra immediately pertains to drones which are being utilized by cartels, felony organizations or overseas adversaries,” he mentioned. “This laws got here immediately from issues I heard at White Sands Missile Vary.”
In latest months, navy installations similar to White Sands have reported dramatic upticks within the variety of incursions from unidentified drones, doubtlessly placing troops and legislation enforcement in danger and undermining U.S. nationwide safety.
“We’ve seen that these drone incursions over protected airspace in navy bases have elevated in my district right here in southern New Mexico at a reasonably exponential price,” Vasquez mentioned. The COUNTER Act is included within the 2026 Nationwide Protection Authorization Act, one other piece of should move laws.
In essence, the invoice expands the definition of a “coated facility” to incorporate all navy bases with a safe perimeter, which permits the bottom commander in locations like White Sands Missile Vary to have the ability to defend their services towards the incursion of unidentified drones.
“So, they’ve received to knock down an unidentified civilian drone that’s of their airspace. This invoice provides them the flexibility to do this or in any other case tackle the risk,” Vasquez mentioned.
Lack of Coordination Causes Airspace Restrictions
Vasquez additionally addressed two latest drone-related airspace restrictions in West Texas, which he attributed to a breakdown in communications amongst federal companies, together with the departments of Protection and Homeland Safety, and the FAA.
The first incident, which occurred in early February concerned the sudden imposition of a brief flight restriction close to El Paso Worldwide Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration initially cited safety issues tied to a purported cartel drone.
Later in the identical month, a second restriction was issued close to Fort Hancock after the U.S. navy used a laser-based counter-drone system towards what was later reported to be a U.S. authorities drone operated by U.S. Customs and Border Safety.
Final month Vasquez grilled Assistant Secretary of Protection Joseph Humire over the DOD’s position within the two incidents. In that listening to, Humire promised to offer Vasquez and Texas Consultant Veronica Escobar a full briefing on the incidents, a briefing that up to now has not taken place.
Vasquez mentioned the 2 incidents apparently occurred when the DOD was conducting exams inside a protected airspace on counter-drone know-how that the FAA had not permitted as a result of it had not evaluated the know-how and its potential impacts on business aviation.
“So, one of the best ways to clarify that’s lack of communication. I used to be very disenchanted to see that the division or the FAA put out data associated to a case of capturing down a celebration balloon or a Mexican drone that we now have no proof of, they usually have been supplied zero proof of,” he mentioned. “This was as a consequence of company incompetence and miscommunication between the FAA and the Division of Homeland Safety.”
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Jim Magill is a Houston-based author with virtually a quarter-century of expertise protecting technical and financial developments within the oil and gasoline trade. After retiring in December 2019 as a senior editor with S&P International Platts, Jim started writing about rising applied sciences, similar to synthetic intelligence, robots and drones, and the methods by which they’re contributing to our society. Along with DroneLife, Jim is a contributor to Forbes.com and his work has appeared within the Houston Chronicle, U.S. Information & World Report, and Unmanned Programs, a publication of the Affiliation for Unmanned Car Programs Worldwide.
