US Agency Seeks New Authority to Disable Threatening Drones

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen testifies before a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "Authorities and Resources Needed to Protect and Secure the United States," on Capitol Hill on May 15. REUTERS/Erin Schaff

WASHINGTON—The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on May 15 told Congress that the agency needs new legal authority to track threatening drones and disable or destroy them if necessary.

Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told the Senate homeland security committee that the department needs “clear legal authority to identify, track, and mitigate drones that could pose a danger to the public and to DHS operations.”