America isn’t messing around. And even Democrats are starting to rattle the sabers.
Because a bipartisan bill to declare war on this foreign threat gains steam in Congress.
Bipartisan Bill Bolsters Military Defense Against Drones
A groundbreaking bipartisan bill, the COUNTER Act, is gaining traction in Congress to empower U.S. military bases to counter unauthorized drones, addressing a critical vulnerability exposed by incidents like the 2023 drone incursions over Langley Air Force Base.
The legislation, championed by President Donald Trump’s allies and forward-thinking lawmakers, aims to strengthen national security by expanding the authority to shoot down drones that threaten military facilities, aligning with Trump’s emphasis on robust defense measures.
In late 2023, dozens of drones breached restricted airspace over Langley, a key hub for national security and home to F-22 Raptor stealth fighters. Military officials, constrained by existing regulations, lacked the authority to neutralize the 20-foot-long unmanned vehicles, leaving them to hover near classified facilities.
“Leaving American military facilities vulnerable to drone incursions puts our service members, the general public and our national security at risk,” said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a lead sponsor of the bill. The Pentagon has remained tight-lipped about the incidents, confirming only their occurrence without clarifying the drones’ origins or purposes.
Expanding Authority to Protect Bases
The COUNTER Act, led by Senate Armed Services Committee members Cotton and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), with companion legislation from Reps. August Pfluger (R-Texas) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) in the House, enjoys broad bipartisan and bicameral support.
Currently, only half of the 360 U.S. domestic military bases qualify as “covered facilities” with permission to engage unidentified drones.
The bill broadens this definition, allowing any military facility with a well-defined perimeter to apply for approval to counter drone threats. It also streamlines decision-making by delegating engagement authority to combatant commanders, reducing delays in emergencies.
“As commercial drones become more commonplace, we must ensure that they are not being used to share sensitive information with our adversaries, to conduct attacks against our service members, or otherwise pose a threat to our national security,” Gillibrand said.
The legislation responds to incidents like the 350 unauthorized drone detections over 100 military installations in 2023, as reported by Gen. Gregory Guillot, chief of Northern Command (NORCOM) and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). “The primary threat I see for them in the way they’ve been operating is detection and perhaps surveillance of sensitive capabilities on our installations,” Guillot noted during a February Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
Addressing a Growing Threat
The urgency of the COUNTER Act was further highlighted by a surge in mysterious drone activity over New Jersey in late 2024 and early 2025, which sowed confusion and exposed regulatory gaps. Guillot criticized current restrictions, stating that they created “significant vulnerabilities that have been exploited by known and unknown actors.”
He advocated for expanding Section 130i of Title 10 to cover all military installations and extend engagement authority beyond base perimeters, noting, “I’d also like to see the range expanded to slightly beyond the installation, so they don’t have to wait for the threat to get over the installation before they can address it, because many of these systems can use side looking or slant range, and so they could … surveil the base from outside the perimeter. And under the current authorities, we can’t address that.”
The bill’s bipartisan support and alignment with Trump’s focus on fortifying national defense position it as a critical step toward safeguarding military assets.
By empowering bases to act decisively against drone threats, the COUNTER Act aims to close a dangerous loophole, ensuring that incidents like those at Langley become a thing of the past and reinforcing Trump’s commitment to a secure America.
