The US and Mexico Announce They’re Teaming Up Against Drones
The US and Mexico have launched a joint operation to combat the use of drones by criminal organizations along their shared border. The initiative involves tracking and neutralizing unmanned aerial vehicles, potentially using advanced laser technology.
Why it matters
This collaboration marks a significant escalation in border security and the use of military-grade anti-drone technology against organized crime.
The first phase of the strategy took place between August 31 and September 2 along the border between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico. Initially, both military forces—simultaneously on the ground from their respective territories—tracked commercial drones used by criminal entities. In the second phase, the agencies neutralized the unmanned aerial vehicles, with support from fixed and mobile anti-drone systems. These activities began on September 7 and will continue through September 21.
The information released by Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense, known as SEDENA, does not specify the kind of technology involved in the mission. However, US Northern Command has suggested that the operation might employ high-energy lasers. These extremely concentrated beams of light can—in various phases—detect, track, illuminate, damage, or destroy drones from a distance.
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