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EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The Pentagon allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to use an anti-drone laser earlier this week, leading the Federal Aviation Administration to suddenly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details.
The confusing arc of events began as the FAA announced it was shutting down all flight traffic over the city on the U.S.-Mexico border for 10 days, stranding some travelers, but the closure ended up only lasting a few hours. The Trump administration said it stemmed from the FAA and Pentagon working to halt an incursion by Mexican cartel drones, which are not uncommon along the southern border.
One of the people said the laser was deployed near Fort Bliss without coordinating with the FAA, which decided then to close the airspace to ensure commercial air safety. Others familiar with the matter said the technology was used despite a meeting scheduled for later this month between the Pentagon and the FAA to discuss the issue.
apnews.com
"The trump team let Customs and Border Protection check out a high energy anti drone laser like it was a new toy, then turned them loose to fire it at what turned out to be a party balloon drifting near El Paso International Airport. Nobody bothered to lock in a serious plan with the FAA first, so when CBP pulled the trigger near a busy flight corridor the aviation side of the government found out after the fact and panicked. The result was a surprise “national defense” no fly zone slapped over a major city, flights diverted or grounded, and local officials completely in the dark while travelers sat on tarmacs wondering why their lives just got disrupted over some balloon.
What makes it so baffling is how casually the people in charge treated all of this. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth personally signed off on moving this experimental laser into CBP’s hands even though regulators were still trying to figure out basic safety rules for using it anywhere near civilian airspace. CBP leadership then charged ahead with a live fire test over a metro area of hundreds of thousands, apparently convinced that shouting “cartel drone” would make every reckless decision look tough instead of stupid. At no point did anyone in that chain stop and say, “Maybe we should not practice with a military grade laser next to a commercial airport until every single agency is on the same page.”
The confusing arc of events began as the FAA announced it was shutting down all flight traffic over the city on the U.S.-Mexico border for 10 days, stranding some travelers, but the closure ended up only lasting a few hours. The Trump administration said it stemmed from the FAA and Pentagon working to halt an incursion by Mexican cartel drones, which are not uncommon along the southern border.
One of the people said the laser was deployed near Fort Bliss without coordinating with the FAA, which decided then to close the airspace to ensure commercial air safety. Others familiar with the matter said the technology was used despite a meeting scheduled for later this month between the Pentagon and the FAA to discuss the issue.
Pentagon let CBP use anti-drone laser before FAA closed El Paso airspace, AP sources say
The agency says it will ground all flights to and from the airport for "special security reasons."
apnews.com
"The trump team let Customs and Border Protection check out a high energy anti drone laser like it was a new toy, then turned them loose to fire it at what turned out to be a party balloon drifting near El Paso International Airport. Nobody bothered to lock in a serious plan with the FAA first, so when CBP pulled the trigger near a busy flight corridor the aviation side of the government found out after the fact and panicked. The result was a surprise “national defense” no fly zone slapped over a major city, flights diverted or grounded, and local officials completely in the dark while travelers sat on tarmacs wondering why their lives just got disrupted over some balloon.
What makes it so baffling is how casually the people in charge treated all of this. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth personally signed off on moving this experimental laser into CBP’s hands even though regulators were still trying to figure out basic safety rules for using it anywhere near civilian airspace. CBP leadership then charged ahead with a live fire test over a metro area of hundreds of thousands, apparently convinced that shouting “cartel drone” would make every reckless decision look tough instead of stupid. At no point did anyone in that chain stop and say, “Maybe we should not practice with a military grade laser next to a commercial airport until every single agency is on the same page.”
