by WorldTribune Staff, January 3, 2025 Real World News

Terrorists learning from the example of the lethal capability of drones being perfected in the skies over Ukraine and the Middle East could launch explosives-dropping or gun-firing drones inside the United States, an ex-FBI agent said.

“There has not been enough preparation proactively to prevent an incident associated with drone warfare, not even close,” retired FBI Executive Assistant Director Christopher Piehota told Just the News on Thursday. “Government, I think, is waking up to it. But it’s a day-late, dollar-short type of situation.

“We’re pretty far behind the defensive curve, so to speak. And unfortunately in the United States, it takes a tragedy for us to really snap out of our of our malaise and work against the threats proactively,” warned Piehota, who oversaw the FBI’s counter-drone program before he retired.

The Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) admitted in a 2021 report that was only recently declassified that it was aware of the rising threat of terrorists using drones and frustrated by slow U.S. efforts to recognize that a technology it devised to fight terrorists might now be used to hunt Americans.

“The United States has a history of being reactionary to unforeseen or misunderstood national security threats,” the ODNI report said. “Recently, the United States was caught off guard yet again by terrorist groups’ ability to adapt their tactics on the battlefield and cause bloodshed in new and surprising ways. These groups are infringing on a battlespace long dominated by the U.S. military: the air domain.”

“The recent incorporation of unmanned aerial systems (UASs), commonly referred to as ‘drones,’ into the tactics and techniques of terrorist operations is forcing the United States to reassess its policies and defense measures to protect its employed military forces,” the report added.

A study prepared for the Homeland Security Department late last year by the security contractor Rand Corporation detailed how drones are becoming more numerous and would be attractive to strike a target in America.

“UASs can carry explosive payloads and have the ability to maneuver into secure areas without detection,” the report noted. “UASs can also give the operator the ability to act anonymously and a greater chance to avoid detection and capture. The growing use of UASs in both the private sector and government operations likely means that more people will have access to these systems in the future and the expertise to operate them, making the use of UASs for attacks increasingly likely.”

Countering drone attacks requires knowing how to identify good from bad drones in the skies in real-time, something the government proved last month when unexplained drone sightings in New Jersey created widespread public panic and little official explanation.

“That’s the problem, total unawareness by the American people and complete inability of law enforcement and the executives in these cities to evolve as fast as the terrorist tactics,” retired FBI Special Agent Jonathan Gilliam, who used to oversee major event planning for the bureau’s New York office, told the Just the News.

“The terrorists will do whatever they can to carry out these attacks. But these officials refuse to step outside their normal box and say, ‘OK, we don’t normally do it this way, but let’s try it.’ That’s not what they say. They say we don’t do it that way. And so they never try something new and even inexpensive,” Gilliam said.

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  Ex-FBI agent warns terror drone tech poses threat in United States, unmanned aerial systems, WorldTribune.com