ICYMI: RYAN OP-ED IN NY DAILY NEWS: DRONE WARFARE IS MUCH CLOSER THAN WE KNOW

Ryan Op-Ed in NY Daily News: Drone Warfare Is Much Closer Than We Know

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Pat Ryan, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Colin Ahern, New York State's first-ever Director of Security and Intelligence, on Tuesday jointly penned an op-ed for the New York Daily News to lay out the threat posed by drone warfare both at home and abroad.

"Starting on June 13, our region will host eight FIFA World Cup matches including the final. It will be one of the largest mass gatherings on American soil in decades and vulnerable to the weapon that is redefining warfare around the world: the drone," wrote Ryan and Ahern.

Ryan and Ahern detailed the unauthorized drone incursions in New York, including in NY-18, thus far: "In the past year there have been 12 drone incursions at New York State prisons, including in March when a drone dropped contraband into the yard of a correctional facility. In December 2024, Stewart International Airport, home to a New York Air National Guard base, was forced to suspend operations when six drones flew within 50 feet of military aircraft. This was the first time a civilian airport in the United States had to shut down because of a drone threat."

"The capabilities we build for the World Cup should not be temporary. They should form the foundation of a statewide infrastructure that delivers security and economic development. In New York, NUAIR, the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Skydome in Rome, West Point, and Fort Drum already anchor a growing ecosystem," they continued.

Ryan and Ahern underscored the importance of building international partnerships to counter credible aerial threats: "The threats we face require partnerships that no single country can sustain alone. NATO remains the most important military alliance in history. Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan are deeply embedded in our semiconductor supply chains and are essential partners in maintaining Taiwanese democracy. These are not sentimental attachments. They are the infrastructure of our security, and treating them as expendable as threats mount is a grave strategic error."

They concluded: "The question is not whether these threats will reach our communities: they already have. The question is whether we will be ready. We must make sure that we are."

Congressman Ryan sits on the House Armed Services Committee, and is a co-chair of the House Defense Modernization Caucus. He has championed counter-UAS efforts since before the drone incursion at Stewart Air National Guard Base in 2024, and secured several c-UAS investments in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Ryan is also an Army veteran and Bronze Star recipient who served two combat tours in Iraq, and is the first West Point graduate to represent the Academy in Congress.

Read the full op-ed here.

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