Secret Service is embracing new solutions to combat malicious drones, director says

The U.S. Secret Service is moving to embrace kinetic mitigation technologies to counter the threats posed by unmanned aerial systems — or drones — ahead of multiple upcoming large-scale events, the agency’s head said on Thursday.

During a budget hearing held by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Secret Service Director Sean Curran noted that the agency is preparing for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in a few months, America’s 250th birthday celebration in July and other high-profile meetings like the G20 Summit in December. He said, however, that 2028 “will be our busiest year on the calendar,” with the U.S. both hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as being in the midst of the next presidential campaign that year.

Curran warned that adversaries are increasingly looking to use drones and other new technologies to threaten U.S. leaders and other targets, which has necessitated that the agency enhance its own counter-drone abilities — particularly in preparation for these events. 

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