US Starting To Respond To Challenge Of Massive Drone Incursions

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The cartels also partner with other dangerous state and non-state actors, most importantly Hezbollah. Hezbollah operatives, long active in the tri-border area (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay), provide cartels with access to global trafficking routes and specialized money-laundering channels.

Hezbollah generates nearly 30% of its operating budget through criminal partnerships, including drug and arms trafficking in collaboration with Mexican cartels.

Because Hezbollah is an Iran-controlled proxy, its presence with the drug cartels in Mexico assists them in potential operations in the United States that can include kinetic operations against military sites and infrastructure (such as nuclear power plants) and surveillance to support Iran's declared effort to kill top American officials. The Ft. McNair intrusion was regarded by experts as part of Iran's attempt on the lives of Hegseth and Rubio.

Ft. McNair

The US has not said, and may not know, where the Ft. McNair drones came from or, for that matter, where they went. The drones operated in a swarm. They were small or medium-sized drones. According to reports from The Washington Post and WTOP, they exhibited high-level maneuverability that bypassed standard ground-level perimeter security. They appeared to operate as a“swarm,” suggesting advanced software control rather than individual manual pilots. They remained over the base for an extended period during a single night, indicating specialized or modified battery systems for long-endurance flight.

Washington, DC, is situated at the convergence of the Anacostia and Potomac rivers and is around 35 to 40 miles from the Chesapeake Bay. Drones can be launched by small water draft, or even from larger vessels in the Chesapeake.

Defenders at Ft. McNair tried to jam the intruders but, similarly to what happened at Barksdale, the jammers failed to stop the drones.

There was no effort to shoot them down and attack jets from nearby air bases were not summoned. The 113th Wing (District of Columbia Air National Guard), specifically the 121st Fighter Squadron, which flies F-16s, is at Joint Base Andrews, less than two minutes by air away from Ft. McNair.

Fighter jets operating a stone's throw from the White House and firing missiles would be a reckless action.

Use of lasers at Ft. McNair is probably not possible because Ft. McNair is located very close to Reagan National Airport, about 5.1 miles. When planes from Reagan National take off in a westerly direction or when aircraft land using the“river approach,” passengers can see key landmarks including Ft. McNair. The risk of hitting a commercial airliner is too great.

The Pentagon FAA controversy

On February 11 the War Department deployed a laser system at Fort Bliss near El Paso, Texas, to neutralize cartel drones. Because the FAA was not notified of the“live fire” operation in advance, it immediately closed the airspace over El Paso International Airport for several hours. A 10-day closure was initially announced but it was lifted after an urgent interagency standoff.

On February 26 military units reportedly used a laser to shoot down a drone that appeared threatening. It was later revealed that the drone actually belonged to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This prompted a second, more localized airspace closure near Fort Hancock, which is across from El Porvenir, Chihuahua, Mexico.

After these events in February the FAA stopped any use of anti-drone lasers. The FAA complained that the military was acting without coordinating with the FAA and risked interfering with commercial aviation. The War Department and the FAA, however, negotiated and reached a deal in April, which is now being implemented.

The FAA, based on tests at White Sands Missile Range in March, agreed that the War Department's automated safety shut off system, which shuts down a laser if a manned aircraft (or other object) enters the laser's operating airspace, was satisfactory.

The War Department also agreed to provide mandatory advanced notification before activating high-energy laser systems. The deal has allowed the War Department to start installing laser defense systems on the southern border.

Locust laser on border

The US has started installing a 20 to 35 kw Locust laser system on the border close to where the cartel's drone activity has been most intense.

These Locust lasers are built by the US company AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV), which develops and deploys autonomous systems, loitering munitions, counter-UAS technologies, space-based platforms, directed energy systems, and cyber and electronic warfare capabilities.

The Locust is palletized and can be truck mounted. It is currently the most combat-proven laser system in the US inventory, having been deployed overseas since 2022. The laser has a range of three to five km (around two to three miles). Reports say that the first Locusts were positioned near the El Paso International Airport and surrounding border zones to mitigate surveillance and smuggling drones.

Lasers have some operating problems that include dealing with bad weather, rain, dust storms, wind and cloud cover. Crews need significant training to keep lasers on targets. Locust uses a commercial X-Box controller.

Last year the government created the Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401). JIATF 401 synchronizes efforts across the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and interagency partners like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Guidance issued in late 2025 allows base commanders to engage drones beyond the“fence-line” if they are deemed a surveillance or kinetic threat. The task force supports Joint Task Force Southern Border, rapidly deploying sensing and mitigation systems. In early 2026, it oversaw the deployment of 13 advanced sensors and seven mitigation systems (fixed and mobile) to key border sectors.

There is has a long way to go before laser defenses can fully cover the sensitive parts of the US Mexico border.

Fly Away Kits

When you get past the ongoing effort at the southern border, the US response to drone incursions is very sketchy, at best. The government solution is called a Fly Away Kit.