Offensive Drone Strike ↙↘ On Any Given Sunday

I remind you, the planes that crashed into the Twin Towers and Pentagon were your own. Failure to guard well your commercial air space puts you in a weak position.

Super Bowl and World Series are over, but don’t overlook what happened at the Playoffs at Petco Park in San Diego, California. A drone was spotted at approximately 21:34 reportedly coming from outside the stadium.

Assessing the area of the stadium, we find its proximity to hotels, university, apartment, and high rise parking lots. Petco Park is situated at a midpoint southwest of the San Diego airport and northeast of the Naval Base.

Americans have for decades looked to the skies for threats or UAOs. Not surprisingly, the recent balloon caused a stir. Yet, it fails in comparison to the blimp in the film “Black Sunday.”

This past October, Sports Business Journal  reported that “The NFL, MLB, NCAA and NASCAR penned a joint letter to Congress back in June promoting a proposal from the Biden Administration that would have extended and grown the existing Preventing Emerging Threats Act, which was originally signed in 2018 and just expired.”

So WTF happened? “Biden’s proposal would have not only granted the authority for on-site federal agencies to bring down drones, but also expand drone detection…” Hello, have you forgotten 9/11?

Lessons from 9/11? Drone Security Risk Measures

In 2021, Sports Illustrated expanded on what stadium officials can and cannot do. “The FAA has strict regulations about how drones, like any other aircraft, can be treated by a commercial entity like a ballpark. A stadium can’t just, say, shoot the drone out of the sky. (Not that it would want to—a falling drone would pose a serious safety risk.) It can’t legally seize control of its operations to land the drone…”

Looks like the obstacles in countering balloons have much in common with taking down drones. Spycraft or Prime Drone in U.S. and Canadian Air Space?  

According to Vern Conaway, Vice President of Public Safety and Security for the Maryland Stadium Authority, “There’s so many potential commercial uses for drones that it’s only a matter of time before drones are as common as birds in our skies.”

“Turf wars” was a major reason cited for the failures in communication between agencies after 9/11. By contrast, FAA administrator Steve Dickson by his own account asserts “the agency is alerted any time a drone violates flight restrictions, more generally, and that happens “several times a day.”

MLB Vice President of Security and Ballpark Operations David Thomas appears to have open lines of communication with key agencies. Thomas says, “league discusses drones “regularly” in meetings with the FBI, FAA, Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security.”

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), as I have noted before reside in the U.S. – be they nuclear missiles, heavy arsenal, guns or drones. But liken to guns, Drones may be a bigger problem.

According to the Sports Business Journal, “The FAA has estimated there are 860,000 registered drones in the U.S. and that the number could expand to 2.6 million by 2025.” Failure to successfully plan, track and control drones will constitute a nationwide emergency. U.S., are you prepared to incur the cost of greedy capitalists? 

Again, I remind you, the planes that crashed into the Twin Towers and Pentagon were your own. Failure to guard well your commercial air space puts you in a weak position.

“They hate us for our freedoms” say some Americans.  No, they love it! Free to play ball and fly your drones.  Just ask Amazon.

Recall in 2016 when “Amazon delivery drones get green light for UK trials”? Concern from Brits ranged from drone malfunction and crash downs to avoidance of “air taxes.” Canada, UK, Europe, and Israel were said to be early launchers. Increase surveillance in adding another channel of communication? Right, from pigeons to drones.

Still, all are confronting economic, geopolitical, and security risks. Israel, tech sector layoffs sure explain the unexpected cut in engineers and computer scientists. And this coming from the ‘start-up nation?”

“Spy balloons?” Pentagon, surprised there was no mention of India, Russia or North Korea. Unwise to underestimate both ally and adversary. Many of you may have seen the film “Sum of all Fears.” But how many discount the likelihood of such an incident? Well, as other “hits” on the big screen have shown us, “life imitates art.”  

Winston Churchill words of “All Fears” seem more prescient since 9/11. But today the three sitting at the table are countered not by a foreign enemy but an adversary from within, the Corporation.  Airman, Sailor and Soldier find themselves in an arm wrestle with the Representative of the Business of War.  

Colin Snow, the CEO of Skylogic Research, shared his views with AP News on drones and terrorism. “A method will be needed to let law enforcement identify drones flying over people — federal officials are worried about their use by terrorists.” Colin, sometimes it’s as simple as child’s play. Ask “South Park.”

I wonder what survivors faced with the reality of burying their loved ones would say to the statement, “We are committed to making our goal of delivering packages by drones in 30 minutes or less a reality,” by Amazon spokeswoman Kristen Kish.  

Amazon, we already get our pizza in 30 minutes or less. How about leaving the high tech stuff to the professionals: SpaceX, Microsoft, and Oracle.

With thousands of open air sport stadium games, what are the odds of an offensive drone strike on any given Sunday, and while eating pizza?

WW III? Tic, toc, tic, toc, tic, toc,  Striiiiiiiiiiiiiiike Three!