Governors warn drone threats pose growing homeland security gap

During a September 16 House Judiciary Committee hearing, experts testified that the United States faces an urgent homeland security gap as malicious drone activity continues to outpace federal, state and local capabilities.

Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Robert Dooley told lawmakers that public safety personnel remain on the “front lines of both natural and manmade crises,” yet lack the counter-drone tools needed to protect communities. “Their lack of [counter-UAS] capability leaves a critical vulnerability in our national preparedness,” he said.

Michael Torphy, FBI unit chief and supervisory special agent, described limitations in federal capacity to protect large gatherings. According to FBI data, the agency can provide counter-drone coverage for just 0.05 percent of the more than 240,000 special events eligible for federal protection. With major upcoming events including the FIFA World Cup, the U.S. 250th anniversary in 2026 and the 2028 Olympics, Torphy said demand will continue to exceed available resources.

Officials have tracked a growing list of domestic drone incidents in recent years. Unauthorized flights have disrupted airports, firefighting operations and disaster response, while drones have also been used to smuggle contraband into prisons and conduct surveillance near military installations.

In Pennsylvania and Tennessee, law enforcement disrupted attempted drone attacks on power stations, while a Chinese national was arrested for using drones to monitor naval facilities in Virginia.

Governors have argued that states are too limited in their ability to respond to such incidents. Federal law grants kinetic and electronic mitigation authority only to agencies such as the FAA, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and FBI. State and local officials, meanwhile, are restricted largely to detection, investigation and penalties after the fact.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, writing on behalf of the National Governors Association Public Health and Emergency Management Task Force, said the gap leaves states unprepared to meet the rising threat. More than 30 governors recently signed a letter urging Congress to grant states legal authority to detect and mitigate drones over critical infrastructure and major events.

The Trump administration has issued executive orders aimed at strengthening airspace sovereignty and reviewing UAS threat frameworks, but governors and security experts told Congress that legislative action remains essential.

“We cannot wait for a catastrophe before taking action on drones,” Landry and Stein wrote.