The US will invest $115 million in counter-drone measures to bolster security around the FIFA World Cup and ​America’s 250th Anniversary celebrations, the Department of Homeland Security said on Monday, the latest sign of governments stepping up drone defenses. The FIFA World Cup will be a major test of President Donald Trump’s pledge to keep the US ‌secure, with over ‌a million travelers expected ‌to ⁠visit ​for ‌the tournament and billions more watching matches from overseas. The threat of drone attacks has become a growing concern since the war in Ukraine has demonstrated their lethal capabilities. And recent drone incidents have worried both ⁠European and US airports. “We are entering a new era ‌to defend our air ‍superiority to protect our ‍borders and the interior of the ‍United States,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. Defense companies are developing a range of technologies aimed at countering drones, including ​tracking software, lasers, microwaves and autonomous machine guns. The DHS did not specify ⁠which technologies it would deploy to World Cup venues. The announcement comes weeks after the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which sits under DHS, said it granted $250 million to 11 states hosting World Cup matches to buy counter-drone technologies.
Last summer, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, called on Trump, a Republican, to bolster federal support for ‌defending against drone attacks.