🎈🇺🇸 👮‍♂️ According to a U.S. official, the directed energy/laser counter drone technology was in CBP's control when the balloon was mistakenly shot down near El Paso, Texas earlier this week,” per Fox’s Liz Friden

“Every General and Admiral at NORTHCOM is pissed that DHS did an operation and told no one because homeland defense is what NORTHCOM does. Even the base commander at Ft. Bliss called the Pentagon and NORTHCOM furious about the airspace thing because he had nothing to do with it -- and the Pentagon and NORTHCOM also didn’t know anything about the airspace closure. It’s like DHS is trying to hide the fact that their spec ops group is there with the laser gun.”

📎 OSINTdefender

🎈 🇺🇸 🇲🇽 Natasha Bertrand on X:

Here’s what happened in El Paso per multiple people briefed

The Pentagon planned to use a high-energy, counter-drone laser without having properly coordinated with the FAA first about potential risks to civilian flights

The Pentagon has been testing this tech for a while now in more remote areas and FAA and Pentagon officials had been scheduled to meet February 20 to review potential impacts and mitigation measures for a test of the laser system

But for unclear reasons (perhaps there was a drone incursion, which happen multiple x per day) the Pentagon sought to deploy the system sooner around El Paso, prompting the FAA to impose the temporary flight restriction until proper coordination could occur. The 10-day restriction would have expired on February 21, one day after DoD and the FAA were set to meet.

The FAA did not tell the WH it was closing the airspace

A source familiar with the timeline of events said that the US military did use the laser technology around El Paso this week— to shoot down four mylar balloons. That contributed to the decision by the FAA to shut down local airspace until the aforementioned proper coordination could occur.

And yet another update: the Pentagon allowed CBP to use this technology after loaning it to them in recent weeks, people familiar with the matter said. Defense personnel were present at the time CBP used it to shoot down balloons this week, per one of the sources.

📎 Natasha Bertrand