By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters), Monday’s White House statement said that Congress has given it more powers to disable threatening drones and to find them. It also sought specific authority for airport protection.

The 2018 Congress expanded the power of the Justice Department and Homeland Security Departments (DHS) to destroy or disable threatening drones. These are officially known as unmanned airplane systems (UAS), however the Biden administration believes it requires more authority because the number of drones registered jumps significantly.

This bill will also increase detection capabilities for airport owners and critical infrastructure such as oil refineries.

The White House published its Domestic Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems National Action Plan and stated it would establish a tracking database for drone incidents that will be available to all government departments and agencies, “as a repository for better understanding the threat domestically.”

According to the White House, drone proliferation “has also created new threats to public safety and privacy, as well as homeland security.” UAS are being used more frequently by malicious actors domestically to perpetrate crimes, carry illegal surveillance, or spy on industrial workers, as well as to thwart law enforcement efforts.

A bill sent to Congress this month stated that DHS agencies have been using detection and counter-drone technologies more than 200 times since 2018. This included the U.S Secret Service as well as the Federal Protect Service.

It was reported that the Federal Aviation Administration receives over 100 drone sighting reports per month.