WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) – The top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee said on Thursday that a recent incident involving the Texas government’s use of a laser counter-drone system puts the flying public at risk and government agencies must address serious issues.
“These incidents highlight serious process failures that expose the flying public to unacceptable safety risks,” Sen. Maria Cantwell wrote to the Pentagon, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies. “Deploying this system without adequate coordination with the FAA is unacceptable and may violate the law.”
Cantwell noted that the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will face potential drone threats, and said that every U.S. government agency with counter-drone responsibilities needs to be prepared now to act quickly in the face of any such threats without compromising aviation safety.
(Reporting by David Shepherdson; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
