<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/military" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">U.S. troops</a> used a high-energy laser to intercept three hostile drones along the southern border on Tuesday night into Wednesday.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Joint Task Force — Southern Border (JTF-SB) utilized the Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) system to intercept the drones, which U.S. troops had determined “based on their use in direct support of activities posing a physical threat to U.S. military personnel and CBP partners,” the task force stated in a <a href="https://www.dvidshub.net/news/573423/joint-task-force-southern-border-uses-high-energy-laser-system-mitigate-cartel-linked-drone-threats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">statement</a>.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The commander of JTF-SB, Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, stated, “Cartel networks are increasingly employing unmanned aircraft systems to facilitate illicit human-smuggling and actively spy on our personnel and law enforcement partners.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“By integrating layered countermeasures alongside advanced directed-energy capabilities like this laser system, we have made it clear that we will not tolerate hostile surveillance,” he continued. “We also greatly appreciate the support of our Mexican Army partners as we work together to combat this threat to the border region.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The task force did not specify where the drones were intercepted along the border, whether they were in U.S. airspace at the time, or the manufacturer of the laser system. Approximately 8,000 U.S. service members are currently deployed under JTF-SB since assuming the mission in March 2025.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The military has been testing high-energy lasers as a cost-effective alternative to traditional kinetic interceptors, which also pose a lower risk in congested airspace.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The office of the undersecretary of war for research and engineering emphasized the importance of laser technology, stating on social media, “Scaling directed energy capabilities is a critical technology area for the Department of War to protect the homeland and secure our southern border. The Department is collaborating with industry partners to rapidly field low-cost, deep-magazine directed energy solutions to neutralize cartel drone threats.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The <a href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/federal-aviation-administration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Federal Aviation Administration</a> (FAA) and Pentagon conducted an assessment in April regarding the safety of using high-energy laser counter-drone systems near commercial airspace, concluding that there is no “increased risk to the flying public,” according to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) led a test at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) in March, demonstrating that the AV’s Locust high-energy laser system engaged only validated targets without adverse effects on civilian aircraft during controlled evaluations.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">General Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command, indicated in 2024 that there were likely over 1,000 drone incursions into U.S. airspace each month.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I don’t know the actual number — I don’t think anybody does — but it’s in the thousands,” Guillot stated during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in March 2024, adding, “We… probably have over 1,000 a month.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the past decade, federal law enforcement on the U.S.-Mexico border has observed an increase in cartel-operated drones transporting small bundles of narcotics across the border.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Drones can operate several miles from their operators, allowing users to avoid capture by U.S. federal law enforcement while smuggling various items between countries.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">From October 1, 2016, to September 30, 2017, Border Patrol’s San Diego region reported two known drone incidents, with five reported in fiscal 2016. Prior to that, incidents had not been tracked.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Federal law enforcement faces challenges in identifying drone operators and responding to drone sightings, as they are often unaware of the extent of drone usage by cartels.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Carl Landrum, retired chief of the Border Patrol’s Laredo region, now working for counter-drone defense company Dedrone, testified before the House in 2024 about the limited counter-drone technology available for responding to drones on non-military land. He noted that while the U.S. can detect drones, its “offensive” capabilities are severely limited.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) recounted in September 2025 that U.S. Northern Command leadership reported “over 1,000 drones cross into U.S. airspace from the Mexican border each month, with [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] agents noting that in Texas along the Rio Grande Valley alone, over 10,000 drone incursions and 25,000 drone sightings occurred in 2024.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Only the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and Secret Service have the legal authority to respond to suspicious drones and take them down, except over military bases where the military is responsible for its own airspace. Local and state police, as well as civilians, cannot respond to perceived threats.</p>