GUEST BLOG: Layered defense is key to the domestic threat posed by unmanned systems
BlogDecember 12, 2025
Erik Grant
CACI
The U.S. is underprepared for the urgent and serious threat that unmanned aerial systems (UASs), also known as drones, pose to our nation.
It’s uncomfortable to think about, but many small drones are affordable, widely available, and capable of carrying sophisticated tech. They can be used for both short- and long-range applications, in standalone or swarm configurations, and by operators with minimal training. They can be launched from the air, sea, or ground, and from within, near, or far beyond our borders – all with the potential to avoid traditional defenses and cause devastating effects.
This is far from alarmist talk, and yet many do not seem alarmed enough. To its credit, the new administration issued an executive order in June 2025, titled “Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty,” which is aimed at addressing the policy and regulatory frameworks for UASs. The executive order enables a number of law-enforcement task forces and the use of already purchased counter-UAS systems. It does not, unfortunately, address the rising threat of systems that operate on land or at sea, nor does it create any immediate action in terms of deploying new, layered, and advanced C-UAS systems.
The risks these systems pose are not hard to imagine. Earlier this year, Iran launched a swarm of 300 drones at Israel from at least 1,000 kilometers away, a move that opened eyes throughout the defense world regarding next-generation security requirements. Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb demonstrated that infrastructure, such as cellular networks, can be exploited to conduct attacks deep within a rival nation’s borders. Cartels launch more than 300 drones carrying illegal narcotics across U.S. borders every day, while extremists openly discuss online weaponizing drones for domestic attacks.
With the U.S. preparing to host events including the World Cup, the Olympics, and the nation’s 250th birthday, we must quickly modernize outdated policies and deploy technology suited for homeland defense. Overseas, kinetic options like bullets and missiles are effective; but here at home, that literally wouldn’t fly, and it’s imperative Americans are as protected from collateral damage to life and infrastructure as possible.
So how do we safely defend ourselves against this threat? There is no one-size-fits-all solution; we need to deploy portable and stationary counter-UAS (C-UAS) technology to create a fully layered defense system that detects and defeats Groups 1-5 UAS, including new cellular drones. Additionally, scalable and rapidly updatable software plays a key role in any C-UAS solution. The urgency cannot be overstated: we need to prioritize systems that can eliminate these threats across all ranges and sizes with nonkinetic precision, ensuring mission success without collateral damage.
Autonomous sensing systems can quickly process data from multiple sensors to identify potential threats and identify courses of action for human operators tasked with employing kinetic or nonkinetic effects. The ability to integrate data from long-range radio frequency (RF) sensors and radars is crucial for effective operation. This fusion of sensor data – coupled with tailorable low-collateral defeat options such as nets, RF jammers, and other sophisticated electronic countermeasures – should be the first line of defense against domestic drones. The potential collateral damage resulting from kinetic effects means they should be a last resort domestically.
The threats UAS systems pose to our life and liberty may be unimaginable to many, but they are also very real – and these threats are here now. We cannot ignore this evolving and critical situation. While many in the defense community are grateful for the administration’s executive order to protect U.S. airspace against these threats, it should act as a call to arms to respond more fully and without hesitation. Elected officials must make this a top priority to ensure that U.S. critical sites and events are protected with a new generation of effective and advanced C-UAS solutions. Our citizens deserve no less.
CACI International · https://www.caci.com/
