U.S. Rep. Mike Carey (R-OH) recently led two dozen of his Republican colleagues in questioning the Trump administration about defense measures against the threat of drones.
“We write to inquire … about the current state of drone attack countermeasures for our military installations, government buildings, embassies, and consulates, both domestic and abroad,” the members wrote in a June 27 letter sent to the secretaries of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have demonstrated that large-scale, highly coordinated mass-drone attacks can be highly effective if the defender lacks adequate counter-drone defenses,” wrote the lawmakers.
Among the members who joined Rep. Carey in signing the letter were U.S. Reps. Troy Balderson (R-OH), French Hill (R-AR), Dave Joyce (R-OH), Bob Latta (R-OH), August Pfluger (R-TX), and Adrian Smith (R-NE).
With the former administration’s open border policies and most drones being purchased from DJI, a Chinese Communist Party drone company, the lawmakers wrote that it’s becoming increasingly likely that the United States could see a similar attack to those led by Ukraine’s Operation Spider’s Web and Israel’s Operation Rising Lion that could threaten U.S. service members and cripple operations if the nation isn’t prepared.
“Since 9/11, our nation has not suffered a major coordinated attack on our own soil,” wrote Rep. Carey and his colleagues. “While the government has done good work in preventing an attack like 9/11 from happening again, we want to ensure that we are preparing for a new paradigm in which relatively cheap drones can quickly and effectively wipe out core military and government infrastructure.”
The members requested that the secretaries provide responses to several questions, including what the status is of American countermeasures to deter and counter mass drone attacks against military installations, government facilities (including Washington, D.C.), and critical infrastructure like roads, bridges, and manufacturing sites, and if DOD or DHS is aware of or is actively working to deter potential threats posed by foreign-owned land near critical military and infrastructure sites in the U.S. that could be a launching point for a mass drone attack.
“While American threat projection globally is strong among all the branches of the military, we need to be prepared for a new paradigm of covert, but potentially disastrous, threats to our core military interests, including our nuclear triad in the homeland,” they wrote. “We must take all necessary measures to safeguard our service members and defend our interests at this time.”