Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Wednesday acknowledged that the agency is still playing catch-up when it comes to countering drones, even as the threat tops the agency’s list of concerns ahead of major events like the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
"We have spent a tremendous amount of ability and money to be able to be very offensive with drones, but on the counter-drone measures, everybody's a little behind," Mullin said in response to a lawmaker’s question about the World Cup during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on the agency’s budget request.
While the government has made significant progress, unauthorized drones continue to regularly penetrate restricted airspace around high profile venues, Mullin said.
For example, Mullin revealed that during the Miami Grand Prix F1 Race last month, eight drones entered restricted airspace and were intercepted, allowing authorities to identify the operators and make arrests in some cases.
At the April Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, officials detected and neutralized 12 drones that violated a temporary no-fly zone, he added.
