Unauthorized drones over Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. were the trigger. On November 9, the Departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, War, Energy and Justice signed a memorandum of understanding creating a single federal process for testing and deploying counter-drone technology across US airspace, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The MOU is led by the White House Task Force to Restore American Airspace Sovereignty, created by a presidential executive order in June 2025. It gives the FAA a formal role: reviewing proposed counter-drone systems, issuing technical findings on unsafe conditions, recommending mitigations and restricting airspace where needed, so that jamming, tracking or disabling hostile drones does not interfere with legitimate aircraft, navigation equipment or GPS signals.
A response to a specific, mounting threat
The agencies point to concrete incidents rather than a vague risk. FBI Director Kash Patel cited the bureau's operation during the FIFA World Cup, where agents seized more than 700 unauthorized drones working alongside state and local officers. The FBI separately arrested five men accused of plotting a drone attack near a White House event. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin tied the new MOU directly to drug cartel drone activity, saying the agreement "will help counter cartel drone threats, protect our personnel, and strengthen security in the airspace above the border."
As part of the same push, the FAA has already completed a safety assessment of a high-energy laser counter-drone system developed by the Department of War, and a temporary flight restriction is now in place along the southern US border. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the new interagency process "builds on the work already underway with our federal partners and establishes a consistent process" for clearing future systems.
What it means for the counter-drone industry
For companies building detection and mitigation hardware — radar, RF jammers, lasers, interceptor drones — a single federal review pathway is the difference between a years-long, agency-by-agency sales cycle and a repeatable certification process. The market has already drawn serious capital: Anduril, Epirus and a wave of smaller counter-drone startups have raised hundreds of millions of dollars betting that domestic demand, not just battlefield demand, will drive growth.
The timing also matters. Unauthorized drone sightings over US military installations and critical infrastructure have risen sharply over the past two years, prompting Congress to debate expanding counter-drone authority beyond the handful of agencies that currently hold it. By formalizing an FAA-anchored safety review inside the MOU, the task force is betting it can expand counter-drone deployment without triggering the aviation-safety objections that have slowed similar efforts in the past. Whether state and local law enforcement eventually get similar authority remains the open question the task force has not yet addressed.