My question is pretty simple: Is our U.S. airspace safe from drone threats?
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) questioned the Acting Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Chris Rocheleau, during a House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing & Urban Development (THUD) hearing – and pressed the FAA Administrator about the United States’ level of preparedness when it comes to Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) drones in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war.
His questions included asking how the FAA monitors how many UAS systems/drones are in American airspace at any given time.
- Click here to watch Congressman Gonzales line of questioning during the House Appropriations' THUD Committee Hearing
Congressman Gonzales: I want to talk about safety. We often talk about aircraft falling out of the sky, which is important, or getting clipped as you’re taxiing. But I’m worried about these increased amounts of unmanned aircraft systems, UAS drones, that are falling out of the sky. We just saw Ukraine conduct one of the most significant operations of the Russia-Ukraine war, and with a small amount of money, with a small amount of quadcopters, they were able to decimate Russia’s long-range strategic bombers—to the tune of billions of dollars. I’m worried about that. That’s not a “what if”—that’s now.
My question is pretty simple: Is our U.S. airspace safe from drone threats?
Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau: I would refer that question to national security, but our airspace today is capable of managing the safe integration of UAS.
Congressman Gonzales: This is what I worry about. After 9/11, everyone was pointing fingers, and everyone saw this coming—but it’s always somebody else’s purview. And I’m trying to figure out—everyone has a piece of it—and I’m trying to figure out what role the FAA plays in this, when it comes to drone technology, drone interaction…
Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau: It’s a great question, and I should highlight the close coordination, collaboration, and communication between the FAA, the DOT, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security for the things you’re talking about. As we work through integrating UAS into the airspace, we’re working alongside our national security partners every day.
Congressman Gonzales: Let me ask you another question. How many drones were in U.S. airspace yesterday?
Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau: I’ll have to take on IOU on that one for you. I know we fly thousands of drones every day in the airspace. I don’t have an accurate count for you today.
Congressman Gonzales: We should absolutely know what drones are in our airspace every single day, and that’s what I want us to get to. Who’s in the air? What are they doing in there? What are their intentions? And I don’t want to wait until it’s after the fact—I want to get ahead of that.
To that point: What resources does the FAA need from Congress to ensure that critical infrastructure is safe from future drone threats?
Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau: So our budget, in fact, does incorporate our need and support from Congress, to make sure that as we work through this safe integration into the airspace, we’re working specifically on things like drone detection and drone mitigation—again, working with our national security partners who do this for a living.
Congressman Gonzales: I think it’s important. Once again, this isn’t the future—we’re here, right? And guess what? Every drone that’s up in the air isn’t necessarily going to cause harm, but there may be some that do. And we’re at a point where, very soon, Amazon packages are going to be delivered—it’s going to be a very busy airspace. It already is.
We need to know how many drones are in the air. We need to know what those drones’ intentions are. And we also need to have counter-UAS incentives—our mitigations involved in that and I think FAA plays a role in that. I understand you’re working with other partners, but the airspace belongs to you, right, in many cases. So, how do we continue to work with that?
A big part is a budget on that. I’d love to continue to work with you and hear back on some of your answers.
Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau: I’d be happy to do that. We are very much in favor of drone detection and, of course, mitigation when appropriately utilized.
Congressman Gonzales: My last question is on this: Section 570 of the FAA Reauthorization Act directs the Department to partner with the National Academies to assess the loss of commercial air service in small communities and identify options for restoring it.
I appreciate the directive, and it comes at a critical time for Del Rio. Del Rio is a border community central to Laughlin Air Force Base, as well as the Del Rio Border Patrol sector. Can you speak to how the Department is implementing Section 570 and whether Del Rio, given its proximity to international trade, military installations, and key trade corridors, will be considered in this assessment?
Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau: Having just returned from the general aviation, business aviation community, I understand the importance of small community air service. I know that our team has been working intensely on doing the analysis that you talk about—that the reauthorization directs us to. I will circle back with you with the latest on that effort.
THUD Subcommittee Chairman Womack: I think Mr. Gonzales, in his previous question, asks a good question. I’m going to follow up real quickly. How would it even be possible for the FAA to know how many drones were in U.S. airspace in a given period of time, based on our current requirements, based on current law? Is it even possible?
Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau: I don’t believe I would know—the FAA would know—every single drone in the sky today. But we do, in fact, work with legal operators, and we would be able to collect that through them. A child with a drone would be more challenging.
But I would tell you that the systems that we have in place and the companies that we work with—I just returned from Texas and watched some of the demonstrations there utilizing what we call UAS Traffic Management. It’s an incredible system, and it will keep count of the drones you’re talking about.
THUD Subcommittee Chairman Womack: Well, while it may be impossible to know about a child getting a Christmas present and launching a drone, I think Tony’s question is more relative to the nefarious actor out there who wouldn’t be adhering to any rules and regulations?
Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau: That’s where I would just highlight our constant effort with our law enforcement assistance program to go after the clueless, the careless, and the criminal—to make sure that we’re interdicting as quickly as possible.
My question is pretty simple: Is our U.S. airspace safe from drone threats?
Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau: I would refer that question to national security, but our airspace today is capable of managing the safe integration of UAS.
Congressman Gonzales: This is what I worry about. After 9/11, everyone was pointing fingers, and everyone saw this coming—but it’s always somebody else’s purview. And I’m trying to figure out—everyone has a piece of it—and I’m trying to figure out what role the FAA plays in this, when it comes to drone technology, drone interaction…
Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau: It’s a great question, and I should highlight the close coordination, collaboration, and communication between the FAA, the DOT, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security for the things you’re talking about. As we work through integrating UAS into the airspace, we’re working alongside our national security partners every day.
Congressman Gonzales: Let me ask you another question. How many drones were in U.S. airspace yesterday?
Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau: I’ll have to take on IOU on that one for you. I know we fly thousands of drones every day in the airspace. I don’t have an accurate count for you today.
Congressman Gonzales: We should absolutely know what drones are in our airspace every single day, and that’s what I want us to get to. Who’s in the air? What are they doing in there? What are their intentions? And I don’t want to wait until it’s after the fact—I want to get ahead of that.
To that point: What resources does the FAA need from Congress to ensure that critical infrastructure is safe from future drone threats?
Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau: So our budget, in fact, does incorporate our need and support from Congress, to make sure that as we work through this safe integration into the airspace, we’re working specifically on things like drone detection and drone mitigation—again, working with our national security partners who do this for a living.
Congressman Gonzales: I think it’s important. Once again, this isn’t the future—we’re here, right? And guess what? Every drone that’s up in the air isn’t necessarily going to cause harm, but there may be some that do. And we’re at a point where, very soon, Amazon packages are going to be delivered—it’s going to be a very busy airspace. It already is.
We need to know how many drones are in the air. We need to know what those drones’ intentions are. And we also need to have counter-UAS incentives—our mitigations involved in that and I think FAA plays a role in that. I understand you’re working with other partners, but the airspace belongs to you, right, in many cases. So, how do we continue to work with that?
A big part is a budget on that. I’d love to continue to work with you and hear back on some of your answers.
Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau: I’d be happy to do that. We are very much in favor of drone detection and, of course, mitigation when appropriately utilized.
Congressman Gonzales: My last question is on this: Section 570 of the FAA Reauthorization Act directs the Department to partner with the National Academies to assess the loss of commercial air service in small communities and identify options for restoring it.
I appreciate the directive, and it comes at a critical time for Del Rio. Del Rio is a border community central to Laughlin Air Force Base, as well as the Del Rio Border Patrol sector. Can you speak to how the Department is implementing Section 570 and whether Del Rio, given its proximity to international trade, military installations, and key trade corridors, will be considered in this assessment?
Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau: Having just returned from the general aviation, business aviation community, I understand the importance of small community air service. I know that our team has been working intensely on doing the analysis that you talk about—that the reauthorization directs us to. I will circle back with you with the latest on that effort.
THUD Subcommittee Chairman Womack: I think Mr. Gonzales, in his previous question, asks a good question. I’m going to follow up real quickly. How would it even be possible for the FAA to know how many drones were in U.S. airspace in a given period of time, based on our current requirements, based on current law? Is it even possible?
Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau: I don’t believe I would know—the FAA would know—every single drone in the sky today. But we do, in fact, work with legal operators, and we would be able to collect that through them. A child with a drone would be more challenging.
But I would tell you that the systems that we have in place and the companies that we work with—I just returned from Texas and watched some of the demonstrations there utilizing what we call UAS Traffic Management. It’s an incredible system, and it will keep count of the drones you’re talking about.
THUD Subcommittee Chairman Womack: Well, while it may be impossible to know about a child getting a Christmas present and launching a drone, I think Tony’s question is more relative to the nefarious actor out there who wouldn’t be adhering to any rules and regulations?
Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau: That’s where I would just highlight our constant effort with our law enforcement assistance program to go after the clueless, the careless, and the criminal—to make sure that we’re interdicting as quickly as possible.
