12/17/2024

DHS Warned Police That U.S. Cities Are Not Ready for Hostile Drones

They were urged to conduct exercises to test their response ability

This summer, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued warnings to state and local law enforcement agencies regarding the "growing illicit use" of commercial drones, internal documents show. Among the recommended steps was to conduct "exercises to test and prepare response capabilities."

A DHS memo from August, which has not been previously reported, paints U.S. cities as woefully underprepared for the "rising" threat of weaponized drones. The capabilities of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are "progressing faster" than available countermeasures offered under "federal prevention frameworks," the memo says, adding that it is common for state and local authorities to observe "nefarious" and "noncompliant" flights but still lack the authority to intervene.

The memo states that violent extremists in the U.S. are increasingly searching for ways to modify "off-the-shelf" drones to ferry dangerous payloads, including "explosives, conductive materials and chemicals," with major advancements in the area being propelled largely by rampant experimentation on foreign battlefields, including those in Ukraine.

Please select this link to read the complete article from WIRED.