Kirstjen Nielsen, secretary of Homeland Security, said in a statement that the recently passed FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 would increase the government’s capacity to protect U.S. citizens from drone-induced threats.
She highlighted that existing regulations constrained the Department of Homeland Security’s jurisdiction to address drone threats prior to the bill’s passing, the DHS said Thursday.
“The department’s lack of authorities also prevented us from testing truly needed drone-defense technologies,” Nielsen said.
“Today Congress took a major step forward to address these vulnerabilities,” she added.
Nielsen highlighted the bill’s role to help the government detect, track and mitigate armed and threatening unmanned aerial vehicles in the country’s airspace.
To conclude her statement, the secretary thanked members of Congress who were instrumental to the bill’s passing.
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 renews the Federal Aviation Administration‘s authority as a federal agency and includes provisions that allow the government to attack drones threatening to national assets.
