The Honorable Attorney General Todd Blanche
U.S. Department of Justice
The Honorable Secretary Pete Hegseth
U.S. Department of War
The Honorable Director Kash Patel
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation
Dear Attorney General Blanche, Secretary Hegseth, and Director Patel:
As implementation of the Safer Skies Act moves forward, we appreciate the Administration’s efforts to provide state and local law enforcement partners with meaningful authorities to protect the public from threats posed by malicious unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). These new authorities recognize an important reality: state and local officials are increasingly on the front lines of responding to UAS-related threats affecting critical infrastructure, correctional facilities, major public events, transportation systems, and public safety operations.
To fully realize the promise of the legislation, however, expanded operational authorities must be matched with expanded access to federally approved training. Without sufficient training capacity, many jurisdictions will be unable to responsibly exercise the authorities Congress has provided.
We respectfully encourage your agencies to substantially expand the availability of counter-UAS training opportunities, with particular focus and priority in three areas.
First, additional training seats through the FBI’s National Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training Center (NCUTC) should be made available for state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement agencies. Demand for counter-UAS expertise has grown significantly as agencies prepare for increasingly sophisticated drone threats. Existing training opportunities remain limited, and many agencies face lengthy wait times before personnel can attend. Increasing the number of available seats or opening additional regional training offerings would enable agencies to build qualified personnel more quickly while reducing travel costs and operational disruptions.
Second, we recommend that you, or another relevant agency, urgently develop a specialized counter-UAS curriculum for correctional officials. As the Safer Skies Act acknowledges, correctional institutions face unique and rapidly evolving threats from unmanned aircraft delivering contraband, weapons, narcotics, and communication devices into secure facilities. The operational environment inside and around correctional facilities differs substantially from other public safety settings and warrants training tailored to correctional operations, legal authorities, evidence collection, coordination with law enforcement, and safe operational response. A dedicated training program for corrections professionals would significantly enhance institutional security while promoting consistent national best practices.
Finally, we encourage expanded access to training for the National Guard, either through the NCUTC or through Department of War programming. Governors increasingly rely upon their National Guard forces to support homeland security missions, major public events, emergency response, and critical infrastructure protection. Ensuring Guard personnel have access to the same high-quality counter-UAS instruction will strengthen their ability to integrate seamlessly with federal, state, and local partners during both planned events and emergency operations. Additional training opportunities should be made available across the National Guard enterprise to support these missions.
Expanding training capacity in these three areas will strengthen implementation of the Safer Skies Act by ensuring newly authorized personnel possess the knowledge, technical proficiency, and operational judgment necessary to employ counter-UAS authorities safely, lawfully, and effectively.
We appreciate the continued partnership between the federal government and state and local agencies in protecting the homeland from emerging threats. We look forward to working with your agencies to ensure that implementation of the Safer Skies Act is accompanied by a robust and accessible training infrastructure capable of meeting the growing operational demands across the country.
Thank you for your leadership and your consideration of these recommendations.
Sincerely,
Governor Josh Stein, State of North Carolina
Governor Henry Dargan McMaster, State of South Carolina
Governor Katie Hobbs, State of Arizona
Governor Jared Polis, State of Colorado
Governor Ned Lamont, State of Connecticut
Governor Mike Braun, State of Indiana
Governor Andy Beshear, State of Kentucky
Governor Jeff Landry, State of Louisiana
Governor Janet Mills, State of Maine
Governor Wes Moore, State of Maryland
Governor Maura Healey, State of Massachusetts
Governor Gretchen Whitmer, State of Michigan
Governor Mike Kehoe, State of Missouri
Governor Jim Pillen, State of Nebraska
Governor Joe Lombardo, State of Nevada
Governor Mikie Sherrill, State of New Jersey
Governor Kathy Hochul, State of New York
Governor Mike DeWine, State of Ohio
Governor Kevin Stitt, State of Oklahoma
Governor Josh Shapiro, State of Pennsylvania
Governor Larry Rhoden, State of South Dakota
Governor Bill Lee, State of Tennessee
Governor Spencer Cox, State of Utah
Governor Phil Scott, State of Vermont
Governor Abigail Spanberger, State of Virginia
Governor Bob Ferguson, State of Washington
Governor Patrick Morrisey, State of West Virginia
Governor Tony Evers, State of Wisconsin
Governor Mark Gordon, State of Wyoming
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