Watch: Gillibrand Touts Her Law To Protect Large Public Events From Drone Attacks On CBS Saturday Morning

Dec 20, 2025

***Watch the segment here***

In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee, appeared on CBS Saturday Morning with Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR) to discuss their legislation to protect large public events from drone attacks. Their bill, which passed earlier this week as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, authorizes state and local law enforcement who have been trained by federal authorities to disable drones that pose a credible threat to large gatherings of people. With major events like Buffalo Bills playoff games, the Super Bowl, the FIFA World Cup, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics rapidly approaching, this legislation is vital to help protect civilians from the growing threat of drone incursions.

CBS News: Police can now take down drones at public gatherings, new defense law says

TRANSCRIPT:

Anchor: This week, ahead of a series of high-profile sporting events like the Super Bowl, FIFA Men's World Cup, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, lawmakers passed the National Defense Authorization Act. This new defense bill enables local law enforcement to take down drones at public gatherings. That's something pro sports teams and police have been pushing for. Our Nicole Sganga has the details of how the new law made it across the finish line.

REPORTER: Drones hovering above. For years, local police could see them but not stop them. In their last two playoff seasons, the NFL's Baltimore Ravens saw games disrupted by rogue drones flying near M&T Bank Stadium, and in 2023, a swarm of unidentified drones breached skies above Langley Air Force Base, putting the Pentagon on alert.

Gillibrand: When we had multiple, day-after-day drone incursions over Langley, it created huge concern, and it's what got me so focused on this issue, because we didn't have the policy in place to take them down.

REPORTER: Senators Tom Cotton and Kirsten Gillibrand, leading Republican and Democratic voices on drone threats, say the new defense bill, signed into law by President Trump Thursday night, closes a dangerous security gap, creating a pathway to train local law enforcement to disable threatening drones.

Cotton: There aren't enough FBI agents and Homeland Security officers to protect it. So this legislation will empower state and local authorities with training from the federal government to, say, protect the airspace over Razorback Stadium or protect the airspace for a Buffalo Bills game.

REPORTER: According to the NFL, since 2017, drone incursions over football games have increased by more than 20,000 percent, inspiring companies like D-Fend Solutions.

Halachmi: Right now, these drones are accessible to everyone. In order for you to get a drone, all you need is a credit card and an internet connection.

REPORTER: CEO Zohar Halachmi gave us an inside look at the sophisticated counter-drone technology.

Halachmi: When we see drones, what we actually see is a virus-a virus with wings-and what we actually developed is an antivirus. It's a cyber technique that enables us to detect those drones and penetrate into them.

REPORTER: That cyber technique enabling operators like [operator name] to take remote control of a rogue drone and reroute it safely.

Drone Operator: As it hits around 2.5 kilometers, we can take over the drone and actually tell the drone where to land in a safe area.

REPORTER: Disabling aircraft without shooting them down, jamming signals, or tipping off the pilot.

Drone Operator: So everything that we're doing is invisible to the pilot. The only thing the pilot will see is that he got disconnected from his drone.

REPORTER: Lawmakers hope new counter-drone technology also won't tip off the fans. Do you think the public will notice a difference?

Gillibrand: Hopefully not. Hopefully they will be blissfully unaware and delighted to be watching the Bills or watching some other great team.

REPORTER: When it comes to countering drones, are we at the finish line, or are we at the kickoff?

Cotton: Maybe the 40-yard line. The administration has six months to get all the training in place and then to help state and local law enforcement start using the technology to protect large gatherings and critical infrastructure. So I'd say we're at least moving into field goal territory.

REPORTER: Ahead of the World Cup and Olympics, a small win for the home team, or at least the Homeland Security team. For CBS Saturday Morning, I'm Nicole Sganga in Washington.

Anchor: Sounds like a touchdown, right?

Anchor: It's a touchdown.

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