Army secretary calls drones ‘threat of a lifetime’ but praises U.S. response

On Sunday in Washington, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told CBS’s Face the Nation that drones represent ‘the threat of humanity’s lifetime’ while expressing confidence in the U.S. strategy to meet that risk. He said the Army has been tasked to lead the Pentagon’s counter-drone effort and is coordinating closely with law enforcement, airports and event organizers. Driscoll warned of drones’ speed, low cost and cross-border reach, describing them as a kind of flying improvised explosive device, but added he is ‘optimistic’ that layered defenses, industry partnerships and regulatory work can reduce the danger.

Key takeaways

• The Defense Department reported more than 350 unauthorized drone flights over roughly 100 U.S. military installations in the last year, a pattern officials say requires new countermeasures.
• DoD detected over 27,000 drones within 500 meters of the U.S. southern border in the second half of 2024, highlighting large volumes near sensitive approaches.
• NFL data show unauthorized flights at sporting events fell slightly last year, though the broader trend of incursions continues upward.
• Driscoll said the U.S. Army now leads the Pentagon’s counter-drone effort and is working ‘hand in glove’ with law enforcement at borders, ports and major events such as NFL games, the Olympics and the World Cup.
• He urged layered defenses and interagency clarity on authorities in the homeland, and expressed optimism that industry and the FAA can ‘deconflict the skies’ to permit commercial drone uses like deliveries.
• Driscoll proposed producing hard-to-get components such as sensors and brushless motors on Army bases to accelerate U.S. supply chains and close the gap with Chinese commercial production.
• The 43-day government shutdown and a resulting $400 million in loans from USAA will delay military projects, Driscoll said, and recovery will take ‘months and months.’

Background

Over the past several years drones have evolved from hobbyist devices into weapons and surveillance platforms that can be bought or fabricated cheaply and deployed at scale. Military and civilian officials increasingly describe some drone uses as analogous to improvised explosive devices because they can be weaponized, are inexpensive to produce or 3D-print, and can cross borders and circumvent traditional defenses. That shift has produced pressure on the Pentagon, federal law enforcement and regulators to clarify authorities, build detection networks and develop defeat mechanisms that work in crowded airspace.

Commercial drone manufacturing is dominated today by Chinese companies, creating a strategic supply-chain and industrial-policy concern for U.S. military and commercial planners. Regulators such as the Federal Aviation Administration face the dual task of opening airspace to beneficial drone services, like package delivery, while enabling robust detection and interdiction of malicious actors. Past incidents and rising detection statistics have pushed Congress, the Defense Department and state and local agencies to seek faster operational and legal solutions.

Main event

Speaking on Face the Nation on November 16, 2025, Driscoll framed the drone problem as urgent and distinctive in modern national security. He said the Army has been assigned the lead role at the Pentagon for countering small unmanned aerial systems and is coordinating closely with law enforcement at borders, ports and large public events. He emphasized the need for ‘layered defense’ to address different threat profiles and legal authorities when operating inside the homeland versus overseas.

Driscoll described drones as inexpensive, rapidly proliferating technologies that can produce outsized damage, noting their ease of manufacture and speed of cross-border transit. He stressed that solutions require not only technology but command-and-control improvements and clearer communications among federal, state and local partners. On regulation, Driscoll said he is ‘pretty optimistic’ the country can build an architecture to know ‘what is in the sky at every moment’ and still permit commercial operations.

On the industrial side, Driscoll laid out a plan to invest in component production such as sensors, motors and circuit boards, including manufacturing capacity on Army bases to supply private-sector partners. He argued this approach would allow the United States to catch up with and surpass Chinese commercial drone capabilities. Finally, he said the recent 43-day government shutdown and emergency loans will slow ongoing programs, delaying return to planned timelines by several months.

Analysis & implications

The Army’s elevated role signals a shift toward treating small unmanned systems as a core defense problem, not solely an aviation or special-operations challenge. Centralizing responsibility may speed procurement and operational testing, but it also requires careful legal and policy work to ensure actions taken in U.S. airspace respect civil liberties and jurisdictional limits. Interagency plans will need clear rules of engagement and rapid information-sharing to be effective at scale.

Technology alone will not be sufficient. Detection, attribution and defeat all present separate technical and legal hurdles: sensors must distinguish benign from malicious flights; attribution must tie incidents to actors; and defeat options — jamming, capture or kinetic measures — must be permissible under domestic law and safe in crowded environments. The Army’s proposal to produce critical components domestically addresses supply-chain vulnerabilities but will take time and investment to scale, and success will depend on private-sector adoption and commercial competitiveness.

Internationally, heightened U.S. activity in counter-drone capabilities could spur allied cooperation and export controls on sensitive components, but it may also accelerate adversary efforts to field swarms or more resilient systems. Protecting major events such as the Olympics or World Cup will test layered defenses under intense public scrutiny; failures would prompt rapid legislative and regulatory responses. Economically, resolving airspace deconfliction with the FAA is essential to unlock commercial uses like delivery, which could themselves become targets if not properly regulated.

Comparison & data

Those figures indicate both episodic pressure points and large-volume activity near borders. The 350-plus incidents over about 100 bases show dispersal across installations, while the 27,000 detections at the southern border point to sustained traffic rather than isolated events. Comparing sporting-event trends, NFL data showed a slight decline in unauthorized flights last year, but officials warn the overall upward trajectory remains concerning.

Reactions & quotes

Officials in Congress and the Pentagon framed the issue as urgent and requiring coordinated federal leadership. Below are representative remarks cited in the public record, with context provided before and after each quote to clarify intent and follow-up actions.

Before the first excerpt: Driscoll emphasized both the destructive potential of cheap unmanned systems and the need for an integrated government response that does not stifle benign drone uses.

‘If you look at the speed and scale of the devastation that can come from drones, we as a federal government have got to lead on it.’

Dan Driscoll, U.S. Army Secretary

After the quote: Driscoll used the statement to justify assigning the Army the Pentagon’s lead for counter-drone work and to describe plans for close collaboration with law enforcement and industry. He framed the approach as combining operational readiness with regulatory and industrial measures.

Before the next excerpt: Senator Tom Cotton, who leads the Senate Intelligence Committee, cited detection data and operational concerns when describing the threat environment to reporters.

‘The threat to military sites and large civilian gatherings is severe and growing.’

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR)

After the quote: Cotton’s remark underlined congressional interest in expanding authorities and oversight. Lawmakers on both sides have questioned whether current statutes and budgets match the pace of the threat, suggesting probable hearings and funding proposals soon.

Unconfirmed

• Driscoll’s projection that the U.S. will ‘catch up and surpass the Chinese incredibly quickly’ is a policy goal; the timeline and feasibility depend on sustained funding, industrial uptake and supply-chain realities and remain unconfirmed.
• The claim that the U.S. can ‘know what is in the sky at every moment across our country’ is aspirational; achieving nationwide, real-time identification would require major sensor coverage, data fusion and privacy safeguards that have not yet been demonstrated at scale.

Bottom line

Dan Driscoll framed drones as an acute, evolving national security threat while expressing confidence in a comprehensive U.S. response that combines military leadership, law enforcement cooperation, regulatory work and industrial investment. The assignment of the Army to lead counter-drone efforts signals a decision to prioritize operational solutions and supply-chain reconstruction to reduce reliance on foreign manufactured components.

Nevertheless, significant challenges remain: scaling detection and defeat without infringing civil liberties, resolving interagency authorities for action in U.S. airspace, and translating industrial proposals into competitive commercial ecosystems. Policymakers and practitioners should watch funding decisions, FAA rulemaking, and congressional oversight in the coming months as the nation seeks to balance innovation with safety and security.

Sources

• CBS News — news report and interview (media)
• U.S. Department of Defense — official data and reporting (official)
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — regulatory authority and airspace rules (agency)