The El Paso No-Fly Debacle Is Just the Beginning of a Drone Defense Mess

[Reporter] Last week, the US

unexpectedly shut down airspace over El Paso, Texas

and parts of New Mexico.

The closure was supposed to last 10 days,

but ended up lasting just eight hours.

Now the episode is raising serious questions

about America's anti-drone defenses.

As low cost drones become more worldwide,

security experts have repeatedly warneed

that destructive drone attacks are inevitable.

But stopping them isn't simple.

Jamming signals or shooting drones down can be dangerous,

especially in populated areas

where civilian aircraft are flying overhead.

In the case of the El Paso incident,

the Trump administration initially said the airspace closure

was due to possible Mexican cartel drone activity.

However, reporting from The New York Times and others

revealed that customs and border protection

had deployed a Pentagon provided anti-drone laser weapon

in the area

despite the Federal Aviation Administration's concerns

about potential dangers to civilian aircraft.

A cybersecurity expert told WIRED that the FAA's move

to shut down airspace was likely precautionary,

and that the original 10-day window suggests the FAA

may not have been fully informed

about how long the laser would be in use.

According to Reuters, the system used was called LOCUST,

A 20-kilowatt directed energy weapon

designed to take down small drones,

which reportedly shot down what turned out to be,

well, a party balloon.

A White House official told The Hill

that the FAA made the closure decision

without notifying the White House or Pentagon,

and insisted civilian aircraft were never in danger.

But members of Congress are now demanding

a detailed classified briefing,

asking what went wrong and where communication broke down.

Pilots meanwhile say the episode was deeply unsettling,

as one told WIRED,

I do not want to be stuck anywhere for 10 days

or get hit by a laser.

There is currently no procedure for that.