Drone activity at US-Mexico border drops 75% after laser deployment

The US military's use of a laser weapon system to target suspicious unmanned aerial vehicles along the southern border has produced a roughly 75 percent decrease in drone activity in less than two weeks, according to CBS News, which cited senior defense officials familiar with the operations.

Laser system neutralizes aerial threats

The system was first employed on August 25 and 26 to destroy three drones following months of training exercises, including an incident earlier this year that prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to briefly suspend operations at the El Paso, Texas airport. Military personnel have intercepted 300 drones since the beginning of the year, with 11 of those neutralized by the laser system over a 10-day period, officials said.

Commanders cite tactical advantages

Army Col. Robert Felicio, commander of the 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, said the ability to permanently destroy drones marks a departure from previous jamming tactics that merely returned aircraft to their operators. "When you just send it back and then it comes back up or is defeated temporarily, but the game changer is ensuring that that tool can't be used again against you," Felicio said.

Cartel operations disrupted

Defense officials said drug cartels operating in Mexico have increasingly relied on unmanned systems to monitor American service members and law enforcement, using the intelligence to identify vulnerable smuggling routes for narcotics and human trafficking. Army Lt. Col. Ray Richards noted that degrading this capability carries substantial financial implications for criminal organizations. "When you think of 75% reduction of that capability and how that spreads based on X amount of dollars are tied to that — I think when you talk about disruption to the cartels, that is a huge part of that story," Richards said.

Border security assessment

While jamming technologies remain in use to redirect some aerial threats, the laser system provides commanders with the option to eliminate suspected hostile platforms entirely. Military officials are currently assessing risks to approximately 8,000 US service members and law enforcement personnel deployed along the border, particularly as cartels have deployed armed drones against rival factions within Mexican territory.