Officials echo White House call to broaden US anti-drone powers

US lawmakers, government officials, and even major sports organizations are stepping up to back a Biden administration call to create legislation that would considerably expand the number of actors permitted to undertake anti-drone measures to neutralize potential threats from UAVs.

In hearings by the House Department of Homeland Security Commission Thursday, a host of US administration officials and legislators voiced their support for adopting laws to widen anti-drone capacities. Those were initially outlined in April in the White House’s Domestic Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems National Action Plan. Joining that chorus were the National Football League, Major League Baseball, NCAA, and NASCAR, which in a joint letter urged moves to enlarge counter-UAV capacities to keep step with the rising number of craft in the skies – and potential threats those pose.