Defending the Homeland: Pentagon Shifts Strategy on Drone Threats – The Cipher Brief
AI Analysis
The Pentagon has issued new guidance to consolidate outdated policies, empowering commanders to take decisive actions against UAS threats within U.S. airspace. This policy shift allows for expanded defensive measures beyond installation boundaries, demonstrated by a recent incident involving a directed-energy weapon at Fort Bliss.
Key Takeaways
- Pentagon consolidates outdated UAS policies to address complex threat environment.
- Commanders are empowered to take decisive actions against UAS threats in U.S. airspace.
- New policy allows for expanded defensive measures beyond installation boundaries.
- Incident at Fort Bliss involved the use of a 20-kilowatt directed-energy LOCUST weapon.
- FAA temporarily closed airspace following the incident with CBP and the Pentagon.
Why It Matters
This strategic shift in U.S. policy reflects an increased focus on homeland security against UAS threats, highlighting the need for coordination between military and civilian agencies. The use of advanced technologies like directed-energy weapons signifies a proactive approach to countering potential threats from both state and non-state actors.
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Defending the Homeland: Pentagon Shifts Strategy on Drone Threats
17 February, 2026
[Walter Pincus] [Fine Print]
OPINION — “This memorandum consolidates approximately ten separate outdated memoranda that were inadequate to address the current, complex unmanned aircraft system (UAS) threat environment. The new guidance affects a culture shift by empowering commanders to unambiguously apply their authority to mitigate threat UAS. Our message is clear, Department of War (DoW) airspace is off limits, and our commanders on the ground have the discretion to defend our airspace against all manner of UAS threats…Expanding the Defensive Perimeter : Grants commanders the authority to extend defensive actions beyond the physical ‘fence line’ of an installation; allows for the adequate protection of covered facilities, fixed assets, and mobile assets; placing trust in the commander and maximizing their flexibility to defend facilities and assets.”
That’s a quote from last Tuesday’s Defense Department (DoD) press release, Fact Sheet: C-UAS [counter unmanned aircraft systems] Policy in the U.S. Homeland. It was issued just hours before the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) temporarily closed airspace within an 11-mile radius of El Paso International Airport, but after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel on the day before [Monday, February 9] used a classified Pentagon laser system on nearby Fort Bliss Air Base, to shoot down what they thought were drug cartel UAS systems [drones], but turned out to be metallic party balloons.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last month had approved lending the 20-kilowatt directed-energy LOCUST [laser] weapon to CBP for use on the Fort Bliss installation, whose fence line is on the Mexican border.
The CBP test was not coordinated with the FAA and the resultant uproar, which subsequently involved the White House and Congress, marks only the beginning of what I believe will be a series of similar episodes related to homeland protection against suspect UAS drone systems.
An interesting sidelight to last week’s events: The Senate Armed Services Committee was scheduled to have a meeting last Thursday morning with two Pentagon drone experts, Owen O. West, DoD Senior Advisor for Drone Dominance, and Travis Metz, Drone Dominance Program Manager. It was called off at the last minute.
What national security