This bill would grant the Department of State authority to detect, disrupt, seize, and destroy unmanned aircraft and drones that pose threats to State Department facilities and assets within the United States. The Secretary of State and authorized personnel, including diplomatic security officers and contractors, could intercept drone communications, jam control signals, use force to disable aircraft, and confiscate drones without prior consent, provided they coordinate with the Federal Aviation Administration to minimize impacts on commercial air traffic. The bill includes privacy protections requiring that intercepted communications be used only to the extent necessary to address drone threats, retained for no more than 180 days unless needed for investigations or ongoing operations, and disclosed only for law enforcement, national defense, or regulatory purposes. The authority would sunset after seven years, and the State Department must submit annual budget information to Congress and provide semiannual briefings to relevant congressional committees detailing instances where the authority was used, policies addressing privacy concerns, and effects on legitimate drone operations and airspace integration.
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