The FBI is dramatically escalating its counter-drone operations as Director Kash Patel warns that unmanned aircraft are now being actively exploited by criminals, terrorists, and hostile foreign actors.
Patel announced this week that the Trump administration has launched a new National Counter-UAS Training Center aimed at preparing law enforcement to detect, track, and neutralize unlawful drone activity before it turns deadly.
“Unmanned aircraft are increasingly exploited by criminals, terrorists, and hostile foreign actors,” Patel wrote on X. “That makes counter-UAS a critical area for the FBI to modernize and adapt to stay ahead of the threat.”
The new training center operates out of Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, and was established after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in June directing federal agencies to accelerate counter-drone capabilities.
According to Patel, the facility will train federal, state, and local law enforcement to safely identify and mitigate drone threats when legally authorized under the National Defense Authorization Act passed by Congress earlier this year.
The urgency is being driven by major global events set to take place on U.S. soil. Patel said the program will play a critical role in securing the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.
“This is an investment that will pay huge dividends for America’s national security in the years to come,” Patel said.
FBI leadership has increasingly framed drones as a present-day threat rather than a future concern.
Deputy Director Dan Bongino echoed that warning, stating bluntly that the danger is already here, per Fox News.
“The drone threat isn’t in the future, it’s in the now,” Bongino wrote, adding that the administration is adapting to an entirely new threat ecosystem.
The push comes as federal agencies take a harder line on foreign drone technology.
Earlier this week, the Federal Communications Commission announced a ban on new foreign-made drones over national security concerns.
The FCC added drones and critical components manufactured in China and other foreign countries to its “covered list,” citing an “unacceptable risk” to U.S. national security and public safety.
Trump’s administration has simultaneously worked to reduce red tape for domestic drone manufacturers in an effort to counter China’s dominance of the global drone market.
Taken together, the moves signal a major shift in how Washington views unmanned aircraft.
Once seen largely as recreational gadgets, drones are now being treated as tools of espionage, terrorism, and organized crime.
Under Patel’s leadership, the FBI is making clear it intends to stay ahead of that threat before it strikes.
