Event

Roundtable participants include:

• Ms. Angela Stubblefield, Deputy Associate Administrator for Security and Hazardous Materials Safety, Federal Aviation Administration
• Mr. Steven Mucklow, Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense Integration and Defense Support of Civil Authorities
• Mr. David Silver, Vice President, Civil Aviation, Aerospace Industries Association (AIA)
• Ms. Lisa Ellman, Co-executive Director, Commercial Drone Alliance
• Douglas Johnson, Vice President for Technology Policy, Consumer Technology Association

Good morning, and welcome everybody to a roundtable discussion of issues surrounding counter-UAS authority.

As the number of UAS, or drones, grows, we see benefits but also emerging safety and security risks.

Unlawful use of UAS presents a difficult problem for our law enforcement and national security agencies.

Many counter UAS systems use radio waves to detect and interdict drones.

As we all know, these systems were developed for use in warzones, therefore their use in our domestic airspace containing thousands of civilian aircraft, sophisticated avionics, and air traffic control systems poses unique challenges that we must consider.

There are also complex legal issues.

It will take close collaboration with the FAA and this Committee and hard work to ensure the safe deployment of counter-UAS systems in our aviation system.

I look forward to discussing all of these issues today.