Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty
The order establishes a new Federal Task Force on drone (UAS) security chaired by the National Security Advisor and directs the FAA, DOJ, DHS, and other agencies to take coordinated action — including rulemaking, data sharing, and updated enforcement guidance — to protect critical infrastructure, borders, and public gatherings from drone threats.
It sets multiple binding deadlines across agencies and directs steps toward a National Counter-UAS Training Center, with an eye toward major upcoming events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics.
What this order does
What it orders
The order establishes the Federal Task Force to Restore American Airspace Sovereignty, chaired by the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (APNSA), to review drone-threat frameworks and recommend solutions. It directs the FAA to initiate rulemaking to restrict drone flights over fixed-site critical infrastructure, make flight restriction notices freely available online in an open format, and share real-time drone remote-identification data with federal and state law enforcement agencies. It directs the DOJ and DHS to open existing federal grant programs so that state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies can buy drone-detection equipment. It also directs agencies to revise a 2020 advisory on drone-detection technology, publish guidance for private critical infrastructure operators, and explore integrating counter-drone responses into Joint Terrorism Task Forces.
The order further directs agencies to submit a recommendation on whether borders, airports, federal facilities, and military installations should receive formal "covered facility" designation under existing statutory counter-drone authority, and instructs the DOJ to pursue establishment of a National Counter-UAS Training Center. The order does not itself change any criminal statute, restrict any drone operation, or designate any new covered facility — those actions depend on future rulemaking, legislation, or executive decisions triggered by the reports and recommendations required here.
Who it affects
Federal agencies directed to act include the FAA, DOJ, DHS, DOT, FCC, OMB, and DOD. State, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies gain access to federal grants for drone-detection equipment. Private owners and operators of critical infrastructure receive new federal guidance on drone-detection technologies.
Why it matters
State and local law enforcement agencies that previously could not use certain federal grants to buy drone-detection gear may now be able to do so. Private infrastructure operators receive new federal guidance. Law enforcement agencies gain real-time access to drone remote-ID data, which could expand surveillance and identification capabilities during incidents.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
The APNSA-chaired Task Force serves as the coordinating hub: agencies must route recommendations and proposed rules through it. Implementation flows through tiered deadlines — 30, 60, 90, and 180 days — assigned to different agencies in sequence. The FAA handles rulemaking and data sharing; DOJ and DHS handle grants, enforcement, and legislative proposals; FCC, DOT, and DOD coordinate on training and the revised technology advisory. There are no explicit enforcement consequences for agencies that miss deadlines, and the order notes implementation is subject to appropriations.
Actions and deadlines
- Ensure federal grant programs allow SLTT agencies to purchase drone-detection equipment and services
- Revise the August 2020 Advisory on drone-detection technology to reflect updated federal law
- Explore integrating counter-UAS responses into Joint Terrorism Task Forces for mass-gathering protection
- Provide automated real-time access to UAS remote-identification personal data to federal and SLTT agencies
- Publish guidance for private critical infrastructure owners on drone-detection technologies
- Submit recommendation on designating borders, airports, federal facilities, and military installations as covered facilities under counter-drone statutes
- Make NOTAMs and Temporary Flight Restrictions freely available online in an open, drone-geofencing-compatible format
- Submit NPRM to OMB and the Task Force establishing the process for restricting drone flights over fixed-site facilities
- Promulgate a final rule on drone flight restrictions over fixed-site facilities after NPRM publication
- Take all appropriate steps to implement the March 2022 Feasibility Report recommendations on the National Counter-UAS Training Center
- Submit recurring legislative proposals to revise criminal penalties for restricted-airspace violations