On the DJI drones, the security concerns are going to depend on use… If it’s a border team just using them sporadically to check stretches of fence out in the woods, that’s not terribly concerning. No more than existing use cases like measuring collision scenes. These are relatively short endurance and limited capability UAS.
By all means work to replace them with more secure options as they become available, but it doesn’t seem like these would be used in roles where they present much hazard in terms of operational or information security. The overwhelming majority of border-hoppers are gonna just be border hoppers. Of those who are something worse, the overwhelming majority of those will be common criminals, organized or otherwise.
Much of this can likely be risk-managed on a short term basis, particularly given the risk of NOT having adequate ‘right now’ UAS capabilities. The federal government has all the rights needs in various organizations to very thoroughly define how much this is a problem and how to manage it. And, for perspective, there are probably tens of thousands (or more) of DJI drones in private and organizational use on both sides of the border already. I’d be more worried about one flying around CFS Leitrim, or Ogilvie Road, or DHTC than up over a clearing in the woods between the end of Boulevard-des-chutes-de-Tabarnac, and New York State rural route 156. And I’m WAY more concerned about the potential for kinetic weaponization of SUAS in private use… But that’s a different threat vector entirely.
By all means work to replace them with more secure options as they become available, but it doesn’t seem like these would be used in roles where they present much hazard in terms of operational or information security. The overwhelming majority of border-hoppers are gonna just be border hoppers. Of those who are something worse, the overwhelming majority of those will be common criminals, organized or otherwise.
Much of this can likely be risk-managed on a short term basis, particularly given the risk of NOT having adequate ‘right now’ UAS capabilities. The federal government has all the rights needs in various organizations to very thoroughly define how much this is a problem and how to manage it. And, for perspective, there are probably tens of thousands (or more) of DJI drones in private and organizational use on both sides of the border already. I’d be more worried about one flying around CFS Leitrim, or Ogilvie Road, or DHTC than up over a clearing in the woods between the end of Boulevard-des-chutes-de-Tabarnac, and New York State rural route 156. And I’m WAY more concerned about the potential for kinetic weaponization of SUAS in private use… But that’s a different threat vector entirely.
