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 scenario.
A Democratic congressman from New Mexico is proposing laws that will compel the federal government to finish a examine of all makes use of of unmanned aerial programs in addition to counter-UAS programs by federal, state, native and tribal companies. Consultant Gabe Vasquez stated the Safe Our Skies Drone Security Act of 2025 would offer Congress with the essential information wanted to jot down 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 regulation 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 offers restricted authority to some state, native, tribal and territorial regulation enforcement companies to conduct counter UAS operations.
In an interview, Vasquez stated he proposed the bipartisan Safe Our Skies Drone Security Act in response to requests from regulation enforcement companies from throughout New Mexico for readability on their obligations for coping with drones operated by worldwide drug cartels or different felony actors.
“Native regulation enforcement companies don’t have the sources or the authority to successfully counter felony drones getting into their airspace,” Vasquez stated. “So, the Safe Our Skies Drone Protected Act requires the Authorities Accountability Workplace (GAO) to submit a report back to Congress on using drones and counter-drone programs at the moment in place by federal, state and native and tribal regulation enforcement companies.”
The proposed laws additionally requires the GAO to make suggestions as to what authorized authorities or insurance policies must be modified to enhance regulation enforcement’s capability to counter felony drone threats, he stated. 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 regulation enforcement companies from increasing using UAS produced in america,” or in allied nations.
“This report’s additionally going to dictate what actions have to 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 stated.
The invoice is at the moment pending earlier than the Home Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Vasquez stated he hopes to have the ability to connect the Safe Our Skies Drone Security Act to the bipartisan Floor Reauthorization Invoice, thought-about as must-pass laws.
“I’m going to maintain working to advance this invoice and get it throughout the end line,” he stated.
COUNTER Act Targets Cartel Drones
Along with sponsoring the Safe Our Skies Drone Security Act, Vasquez a member of the Home Armed Providers Committee, additionally secured passage of one other piece of drone-related laws, the COUNTER Act, which strengthens the power of base commanders to defend installations in opposition to harmful drone incursions.
“This extra immediately pertains to drones which can be being utilized by cartels, felony organizations or international adversaries,” he stated. “This laws got here immediately from issues I heard at White Sands Missile Vary.”
In current months, navy installations resembling White Sands have reported dramatic upticks within the variety of incursions from unidentified drones, probably placing troops and regulation 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 fee,” Vasquez stated. The COUNTER Act is included within the 2026 Nationwide Protection Authorization Act, one other piece of should cross laws.
In essence, the invoice expands the definition of a “lined 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 shield their amenities in opposition to the incursion of unidentified drones.
“So, they’ve obtained to knock down an unidentified civilian drone that’s of their airspace. This invoice offers them the power to do this or in any other case handle the menace,” Vasquez stated.
Lack of Coordination Causes Airspace Restrictions
Vasquez additionally addressed two current 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 in opposition to 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 present Vasquez and Texas Consultant Veronica Escobar a full briefing on the incidents, a briefing that thus far has not taken place.
Vasquez stated the 2 incidents apparently occurred when the DOD was conducting exams inside a protected airspace on counter-drone expertise that the FAA had not authorized as a result of it had not evaluated the expertise and its potential impacts on industrial aviation.
“So, the easiest way to elucidate that’s lack of communication. I used to be very dissatisfied to see that the division or the FAA put out info associated to a case of capturing down a celebration balloon or a Mexican drone that now we have no proof of, they usually have been supplied zero proof of,” he stated. “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 nearly a quarter-century of expertise masking technical and financial developments within the oil and gasoline business. After retiring in December 2019 as a senior editor with S&P International Platts, Jim started writing about rising applied sciences, resembling 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 Methods, a publication of the Affiliation for Unmanned Car Methods Worldwide.