— Federal aviation officials closed El Paso’s airspace up to 18,000 feet late Tuesday night after the Defense Department moved to deploy new anti‑drone technology from nearby Fort Bliss. Agency officials, speaking to reporters and to news organizations, said they had not been given sufficient time or information to complete a safety assessment of the system before the military action. The administration framed the step as a response to a sudden drone incursion linked to Mexican drug cartels; multiple people briefed on the situation told reporters the closure followed an uncoordinated military use of a high‑energy laser system, including an earlier strike on what may have been a balloon. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halted flights beginning at about 11:30 p.m. local time while the risk review remained incomplete.
Key Takeaways
- The FAA closed El Paso airspace up to 18,000 feet on Feb. 11, 2026, with the restriction beginning at about 11:30 p.m. local time.
- Officials briefed on the matter say the Defense Department deployed a new high‑energy laser anti‑drone system from Fort Bliss without giving the FAA adequate time or technical details for a safety assessment.
- The administration (Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, White House and Pentagon representatives) characterized the action as a response to a drone incursion attributed to Mexican cartels.
- Two sources told reporters that an earlier strike by the military targeted what the operators believed was a cartel drone but which may have been a party balloon.
- Four people briefed on the incident said FAA staff had warned the Pentagon they would close the nearby airspace if not given time and information to complete their review.
- The FAA did not publicly confirm whether its decision was driven solely by the lack of a completed safety assessment or by a subsequent intruding drone.
Background
Since 2022 the U.S. military and law‑enforcement agencies have accelerated development of counter‑drone systems, including jamming, net capture and directed‑energy (laser) weapons, to confront illicit drone use along the Southwest border. The Pentagon’s work at bases such as Fort Bliss in Texas has included tests of high‑energy lasers designed to disable or destroy unmanned aircraft at range. The administration has repeatedly linked cartel use of small drones to surveillance of Border Patrol activities and to narcotics trafficking into the United States, prompting political pressure for faster operational deployment of countermeasures.
The FAA’s regulatory role requires safety reviews before new technologies are employed in or over civil airspace; those reviews assess the risk that kinetic or directed‑energy countermeasures could harm nearby aircraft or create debris and other hazards. When military systems could affect commercial or general‑aviation operations, interagency coordination and notice to the FAA typically precede actions that would affect controlled airspace. Past temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) have been coordinated through Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) and joint briefings so pilots and air traffic control can adapt routing.
Main Event
Late on Feb. 11, FAA officials implemented a closure of El Paso airspace to 18,000 feet beginning around 11:30 p.m. local time, according to individuals briefed on the matter. Those individuals — who spoke on background because they were not authorized to comment publicly — said the closure followed the Defense Department’s decision to operate a new laser anti‑drone capability from Fort Bliss. The administration’s public explanation framed the decision as a necessary tactical response to a sudden swarm or incursion of drones from across the border.
People familiar with the sequence of events said the Army or other military units deployed the high‑energy laser system earlier in the week against an object they believed to be a cartel drone. Two sources said that object later appeared to be a balloon from a private gathering rather than an unmanned aircraft. That prior incident, they said, had been executed without full coordination with the FAA.
According to four people close to the matter, FAA staff had repeatedly told Pentagon counterparts that they needed time and technical data to complete a safety assessment of the laser system before it was used over civilian airspace. Those briefed on the dispute said FAA officials warned that lack of adequate review would leave them no option but to curtail flights; shortly afterward the FAA enacted the airspace closure.
The FAA and the Department of Defense provided limited public detail at the time. Administration officials, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Pentagon spokespeople, emphasized an operational imperative to stop unlawful drone activity near the border. FAA spokespeople did not publicly confirm whether the agency’s closure decision reflected disagreement with the administration’s characterization of an ongoing threat or primarily a procedural safety shortfall.
Analysis & Implications
The episode highlights a growing tension between rapid fielding of counter‑drone systems and civil‑aviation safety protocols. Directed‑energy weapons, like high‑energy lasers, present risks — including unintended damage to nearby aircraft, potential blinding effects on pilots or sensors, and debris from disabled drones — that federal aviation authorities must evaluate. When review is truncated or bypassed, the FAA’s default safety posture can be to suspend operations until hazards are understood.
Operational pressure to counter cartel tactics may push military units to act quickly, especially when local commanders assess an imminent threat. But uncoordinated use of technologies that interact with the national airspace system can produce significant economic and logistical disruption: El Paso is a regional aviation hub linking commercial flights, medical air transport and cross‑border traffic. An extended closure up to 18,000 feet affects most commercial arrivals and departures as well as some general‑aviation flights, raising costs and complicating emergency transports.
Politically, the incident could intensify scrutiny of how civilian agencies and the military share information and plan missions. Lawmakers and aviation stakeholders may press for clearer protocols, mandatory notification timelines, and preauthorization procedures for any counter‑drone deployments near populated airports. Industry groups could seek technical transparency about the system’s safety margins and fail‑safes before permitting routine military operations near civil routes.
Comparison & Data
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Airspace ceiling closed | 18,000 feet |
| Closure start | About 11:30 p.m. local time, Feb. 11, 2026 |
| Military base involved | Fort Bliss (near El Paso) |
The table above isolates the confirmed operational facts reported by people briefed on the incident and by administration statements. While the altitude and start time are precise in public accounts, the duration of the closure and the full technical specifications of the deployed system were not released in detail by government agencies at the time of reporting.
Reactions & Quotes
Administration officials said the move was taken in response to what they described as an urgent incursion of unmanned aircraft that required a military countermeasure.
White House / Pentagon statements (paraphrase)
People inside the FAA warned they had not been given sufficient time or technical data to complete a safety review and would be forced to suspend nearby airspace if their concerns were not addressed.
FAA officials (people briefed on condition of anonymity; paraphrase)
Observers called for clearer interagency procedures to ensure that the rush to field anti‑drone capabilities does not endanger civil aviation or produce avoidable disruptions.
Independent aviation and security analysts (paraphrase)
Unconfirmed
- Whether the earlier military strike definitively destroyed a party balloon rather than an operational cartel drone remains unverified by official after‑action reports.
- Whether a subsequent confirmed drone incursion — as claimed publicly by administration spokespeople — directly precipitated the FAA’s closure was not independently confirmed by FAA statements at publication time.
- The full technical specifications and safety mitigation procedures for the high‑energy laser system used over Fort Bliss have not been publicly disclosed and remain subject to government classification or redaction.
Bottom Line
The El Paso airspace closure on Feb. 11, 2026 underscores the friction between rapid military responses to cross‑border threats and the FAA’s mandate to protect civil aviation. When new counter‑drone tools are deployed without complete information-sharing, the FAA may have little option but to halt flights to safeguard passengers and crew.
Expect increased calls for formalized notification windows, standardized data packages for safety review, and congressional oversight of how emerging counter‑drone capabilities are introduced near civilian airspace. For travelers and airlines, the practical concern is clarity: timely, verifiable information from both defense and aviation authorities will be needed to prevent repeat disruptions.
Sources
- The New York Times — news reporting based on administration statements and people briefed on the situation