The drone threat is here. Is your community ready?

Drone activity is no longer a problem for distant battlefields; it has landed on our doorstep. 

This month, dozens of flights were canceled in Belgium after drone sightings forced an airport shutdown. Days earlier, unidentified drones were spotted near Kleine Brogel Air Base, where U.S. nuclear weapons are stored, raising serious espionage concerns. Closer to home, a recent analysis of aviation safety found that drones contributed to two-thirds of near midair collisions at the 30 busiest U.S. airports. 

These incidents are a stark warning: if drones can disrupt major U.S. airports and approach nuclear sites in Europe, America’s cities, stadiums, and critical infrastructure are far from immune. As the U.S. prepares to host millions of visitors for the 2026 World Cup, the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations, and the 2028 Olympics, the risk of drone-based incidents is an urgent homeland security concern. But the first line of defense won’t be the Pentagon. It will be the state, city, county and local governments and emergency management services responsible for protecting our communities and critical assets.

The Drone Threat Facing States and Cities

State, city, county, and other local governments have embraced drones as invaluable tools for saving lives, supporting search-and-rescue missions, damage assessments, and wildfire responses. Yet few have prepared for the moment when drones become a threat. 

The war in Ukraine has shown how quickly commercially available drones can be weaponized, transforming inexpensive quadcopters into precision tools for reconnaissance, disruption, and attack. Globally, weaponized and commercially modified drones with autonomous capability have been used to strike power substations, oil fields, disable communications networks, and surveil security operations. With nearly one million drones registered in the United States, and many more unregistered, the potential for misuse is significant, and large public gatherings are highly vulnerable. 

Unauthorized drone flights over stadiums have surged dramatically. The National Football League reported a 20,000% increase between 2017 and 2023. Incidents like these led to major sports leagues supporting the Disabling Enemy Flight Entry and Neutralizing Suspect Equipment (DEFENSE) Act in Congress, which would give state and local law enforcement more agency to respond to drone threats.

Despite increasing awareness of the threat, most state and local governments and emergency management agencies still lack the awareness, training, technology and legal authority to detect, track, or neutralize drones. 

Even a single drone targeting a crowded stadium or critical infrastructure could trigger cascading disruptions across power, communications, and transportation systems, demanding an immediate local emergency response. Effectively managing such incidents will require seamless coordination and integration among federal, state, and local agencies. The question is no longer whether drones will be used maliciously, but whether local authorities will be prepared when they are.

A New Opportunity to Act

State governments have a new opportunity to build meaningful counter-drone capabilities. The Department of Homeland Security’s newly established Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Grant Program provides $500 million to strengthen state, local, tribal and territorial governments’ abilities to detect, identify, monitor, track and mitigate UAS. 

Funding will support public safety officials in protecting public and critical infrastructure and will prioritize 11 states directly or indirectly hosting FIFA World Cup 2026 events, as well as the National Capital Region. This marks a substantial federal investment to expand non-federal counter-UAS preparedness and response capabilities.

To use this opportunity effectively, states must move quickly and strategically. Building effective counter-UAS capability is not as simple as buying sensors or deploying new equipment. It requires planning, clear policy decisions, defined coordination roles, training, communications support, and sustained readiness. Before moving forward, states must consider: Where will systems be deployed? Who will operate them? How are they trained? How will information be shared? And what happens when a drone shifts from nuisance to threat?

It’s More Than Just Hardware

Buying counter-UAS equipment is easy. Building a reliable, lawful, integrated and operationally effective counter-drone posture is far more complex. States, counties, cities and their departments must begin with threat-informed planning to understand what types of drones are most likely to be used in specific areas and events, how they could target critical infrastructure or mass gatherings, and what indicators would signal an escalating threat. 

Without this foundation, even the best counter-drone technology risks being deployed against the wrong problem.

Effective systems require trained people, not just sensors. Emergency managers, law enforcement, and critical infrastructure operators must know how to analyze detection data, distinguish nuisance flights from real threats, and receive clear and direct guidance on when and how to execute coordinated responses under pressure. These skills cannot be improvised during an incident; they must be built through consistent training, education, and exercises.

Equally important is establishing a clear command and control architecture, known as C2. States need defined roles for who detects, who assesses, who communicates with federal partners, and who is authorized to act. A counter-drone response without C2 will result in delays, miscommunication, or unsafe mitigation attempts.

And ultimately, all of this must be integrated. Detection systems, personnel, C2 processes, data collection, and emergency response plans must function as a single, synchronized enterprise, not a series of disconnected tools and agencies. Drone threats are mobile and adaptive, and counter-UAS planning must be equally agile. Counter-UAS readiness is not just about buying hardware. It is about creating a threat-informed, trained, coordinated, and integrated system that can protect communities and infrastructure when it matters.

The Time to Act Is Now

The drone threat is no longer theoretical. These platforms are real, evolving, and capable of attacking critical infrastructure and public spaces in seconds. The safety of our cities, stadiums, and communities depends on a robust state and local layer of counter-UAS preparedness. 

The technology to detect, track and neutralize these threats already exists and continues to advance rapidly. State and local governments must take advantage of new opportunities to act, but the window to build effective defenses is closing. The time to prepare, train, and integrate counter-drone capabilities is now, before the next major event becomes a target.

Lieutenant General Keith J. Stalder (U.S. Marine Corps, Ret.) is the Founder and President of KSA Integration, LLC, an award-winning defense and homeland security provider that delivers advanced solutions through cutting-edge technologies, strategic partnerships, and operational reach. A former F-4 and F/A-18 pilot, LtGen Stalder served over 37 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he led U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific, II Marine Expeditionary Force, and 3D Marine Aircraft Wing.