Lawmaker Presses Pentagon, DOJ, DHS, and FAA for Unified Plan to Counter Rising Drone Threats in U.S. Airspace

Rep. Gabe Vasquez warns that cartel, criminal, and unknown drone incursions demand an all-of-government counter-UAS strategy — not fragmented authorities.

A growing number of lawmakers and national security experts warn that the United States lacks a comprehensive, interagency strategy to protect American communities from increasingly sophisticated drone threats, as uncrewed systems proliferate across the homeland. This week, Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) escalated pressure on top federal officials to close that gap.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, Vasquez urged the administration to jointly craft “new, clear, and effective federal guidance” to counter illicit drone activity threatening public safety and national security.

“This is a national security issue, and I’m calling on the administration to give law enforcement the tools they need to keep our communities safe,” Vasquez told 'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Defense News.

IG Audit Finds Persistent Gaps in Pentagon Tracking of Contractor-Held Government Property

Watchdog warns ineffective remediation steps threaten DOD’s ability to produce accurate financial statements and meet its FY2028 audit goals.

A new watchdog audit warns that the Pentagon still lacks reliable accountability for government property in the possession of contractors (GPIPC) — a long-standing material weakness that jeopardizes accurate financial reporting and could slow the Defense Department’s path to a clean audit opinion.

The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DOD OIG) released a report-in-brief on Monday documenting significant shortcomings in the Pentagon’s efforts to fix its GPIPC tracking systems. The review evaluated the effectiveness of DOD’s corrective action plan to remediate its financial statement material weakness — and concluded that current actions are “ineffective.”

GPIPC includes government-owned equipment — from aircraft components to specialized tools — furnished to contractors or acquired by vendors under DOD contracts. These items remain federal assets even while used in commercial facilities.