A few weeks ago, some news media reports proclaimed that the Department of Homeland Security would be given the authority to order shoot downs of aircraft intended as terrorist weapons. McHale put that notion to rest Tuesday, saying, basically, “it ain’t so.” He did say, though, that DOD and DHS had still to work out the finer details.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
