A high-tech laser loaned by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security is reportedly responsible for the flight restriction chaos around El Paso, Texas, as more details come to light.
Customs and Border Protection personnel launched the laser-based counter-drone weapon at what the Washington Post described as a Mylar balloon on Tuesday.
The use of the weapon, officials familiar with the matter told the Post, came after a breakdown in communications between the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security. The Federal Aviation Administration responded by imposing a 10-day flight restriction at the airport, which was later rescinded.
The Pentagon temporarily provided the weapon to counter drones from Mexican drug cartels, two people told the Post. Three officials added that Hegseth approved the temporary arrangement.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast, nor did the FAA or DHS.
Earlier Wednesday, CBS News reported that Fort Bliss, which is next to the airport, had received the new laser technology that the Pentagon was eager to test.
Meanwhile, administration officials have claimed the airport closure was necessary because cartel drones were being downed while coming across the border. They have declined to elaborate. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote on social media that the “threat has been neutralized.”
Lawmakers have since demanded answers.
“The airspace closure over El Paso triggered immediate chaos and confusion and cannot be dismissed as a minor misunderstanding,” said Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “A 10-day shutdown of a major U.S. air corridor is an extraordinary step that demands a clear and consistent explanation.”
Reed added that the “conflicting accounts coming from different parts of the federal government only deepen public concern and raise serious questions about coordination and decision-making.”
Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar, whose district includes El Paso, also doubted the administration’s story, saying cartel drones are a fixture in the area.
“There was nothing extraordinary about any drone incursion into the U.S. that I’m aware of,” Escobar said. “There was nothing happening at Fort Bliss that would have impacted a 10-day closure or even an immediate closure.”
