What happened
US War Secretary Pete Hegseth has signed a new memorandum to accelerate the deployment of counter-drone systems. The memo, titled 'Accelerating Employment of Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems to Protect American Airspace Sovereignty,' aims to reduce bureaucracy and speed up the process of fielding new weapons systems.
The memo directs the department to 'accept prudent risks' but not 'cut corners on law or safety.' It also seeks to reduce redundancies by avoiding repeated weapons safety reviews for the same system and configuration. Additionally, it ensures that commanders have the necessary approval authorities when considering how to defend against incoming drone attacks.
The move comes as the US faces increasing threats from drones, with senior military officials believing that a multilayered system is needed to comprehensively defend against them. This includes physically intercepting incoming projectiles, using electronic warfare, and high-powered lasers.
The US has already seen instances of unauthorized drones flying near domestic military bases, and several bases in the Middle East were damaged by Iranian drone and missile attacks. The US Navy is also exploring the use of high-powered lasers to defend against drones, with the Chief of Naval Operations stating that they can reduce the use of expensive munitions.
