The Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have agreed to conduct joint anti-drone laser tests in New Mexico, following two incidents in which military laser deployments forced sudden airspace closures over Texas — the latest flashpoint in a pattern of coordination failures between the two agencies.
Newsweek reached out the Pentagon and FAA via email outside of normal business hours on Saturday for comment.
Why It Matters
The agreement comes after weeks of mounting concern over communication breakdowns between the military and the FAA. The incidents exposed what lawmakers described as a significant gap in interagency coordination, raising questions about how the military deploys counter-drone technology on United States soil — and who is accountable when operations go wrong.
The failures also come against the backdrop of last year’s deadly midair collision near Reagan National Airport, in which the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found the FAA and Army had failed to share critical safety data with each other.
What To Know
Testing is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, aimed at “specifically addressing FAA safety concerns,” according to a military statement released Friday.
The incidents date to early February, when the Pentagon allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to use an anti-drone laser near Fort Bliss without notifying the FAA — even as a coordination meeting between the two agencies was already scheduled for later that month. The FAA responded by abruptly closing El Paso’s airspace for several hours, canceling 14 flights and rerouting medical evacuation aircraft. The Trump administration said the deployment was aimed at countering Mexican cartel drones along the southern border, which officials say numbered more than 27,000 detections within 500 meters of the border in the final six months of 2024 alone.
A second incident occurred Feb. 26, when U.S. forces used the laser to shoot down what they described as a “seemingly threatening” drone near the U.S.-Mexico border — only for it to turn out to belong to CBP itself, lawmakers said. The FAA closed airspace around Fort Hancock, roughly 50 miles southeast of El Paso. Under existing law, the military is required to formally notify the FAA before any counter-drone action inside U.S. airspace. Neither February deployment met that standard.
What People Are Saying
Federal Aviation Administration, in part: “The FAA and DOW [Department of War] are working with interagency partners to address emerging threats posed by unmanned aircraft systems while maintaining the safety of the National Airspace System.”
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, Ranking Member, Senate Aviation Subcommittee: “The lack of coordination that’s endemic in this Trump administration.”
Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, a New Mexico Democrat, said in a statement in February that he was seeking answers from the FAA and the Trump administration: “About why the airspace was closed in the first place without notifying appropriate officials, leaving travelers to deal with unnecessary chaos.”
What Happens Next
The White Sands tests are a first step toward establishing a formal coordination framework for future laser deployments.
Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
