Newsweek - USA (2021-11-26)

28 NEWSWEEK.COM NOVEMBER 26, 2021

drones are difficult to defend against because of
their ability to conduct random, hard-to-detect ma-
neuvers. The U.S. military official Newsweek spoke
with is skeptical about drone defense systems being
acquired by the Department of Defense.
“The DOD is pouring a lot of money and effort
into counter-UAS technology, but I think the DOD’s
PR exceeds the actual capability of these devices,”
the official says.
The Pentagon has designated the Army to take
the lead on counter-UAS strategy. Army public
affairs officer Jason Waggoner points to the cre-
ation of a new multi-service Joint C-sUAS Office.
“The JCO is focusing efforts on small-UAS threats
and hazards both at domestic DoD facilities and
abroad,” he says. “While there are some unique as-
pects to the approach the DoD takes in countering
the UAS threat in the homeland, we have the ca-
pabilities needed to protect designated resources
and assets and we are continuously working with
our interagency partners to enhance our abilities
even further.”
Also keeping an eye out for domestic UAS activity
is the Federal Aviation Authority. An FAA spokes-
person says “The FAA is tasked with ensuring the
safety of the National Airspace System (NAS) as well
as people and property on the ground.”
“When criminal activity is suspected, we work with
our federal, state and local law enforcement part-
ners by providing them assistance with their inves-
tigations and prosecutions,” the spokesperson says
One way the FAA is seeking to improve the ability
for authorities to spot UAS is by enforcing remote
identification, through which drones would be re-
quired to provide key information such as identity,
altitude and current location as well as the loca-
tion of its operator and take-off point. “Remote
identification requirements for all UAS operators,
when combined with our current registration re-
quirement, will enable more effective detection
and identification,” the spokesperson says. “This
will also help law enforcement to connect an un-
authorized drone with its operator.”

Defense Tech

the rise of the drone threat has given birth

to a booming new industry of counter-drone

technologies. Among the leading companies is

DroneShield, an Australian firm that has supplied

THE RISE OF

THE DRONE THREAT

HAS GIVEN BIRTH

TO A BOOMING NEW INDUSTRY

OF COUNTER-DRONE TECHNOLOGIES.

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