U.S. Military Tests Counter-Drone Systems Along Southern Border

U.S. Northern Command is testing counter-drone systems along the southern border, where troops report regular overflights by cartel-operated drones. Gen. U.S. Northern Command, said the border functions as both an operational area and a testing ground for equipment that can protect soldiers on the move.

"We have a lot of fixed and movable counter-UAS capabilities, but not really anything that would follow a patrolling soldier," Guillot said during a panel at the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida. U.S. soldiers and Marines regularly.

The military currently fields hundreds of counter-drone systems along the border. Guillot said developers can send equipment to the border for evaluation, and the military will report whether it works against real threats. "If you're willing to bring it down to the southern border, we'll put it to use.

We'll tell you if it works," he said. "If it does, we'll probably buy it. " Adm. U.S. Special Operations Command, said inexpensive commercial drones have lowered the barrier for acquiring lethal capabilities. U.S. defenses were built for high-end threats rather than widely available small drones.

U.S. service members were killed in Kuwait in March by an Iranian drone strike. Three soldiers died in Jordan in 2024 after a drone attack by an Iran-backed militia. Those incidents have increased attention on counter-drone readiness. U.S. troops are currently assigned to the southern border, where they conduct both mounted and dismounted patrols while encountering cartel drones.