Trump to spend $500M on anti-drone defense for 2026 World Cup
The Trump administration is redirecting $500 million from Homeland Security's extensive budget to bolster defenses against drone threats, as part of a broader government strategy aimed at enhancing security for the 2026 World Cup and other major events.
The move, first reported by Politico, will let state and local governments tap into federal funds to develop anti-drone defenses — including the potential to jam devices or disable them entirely — ahead of dozens of soccer matches across North America, News.Az reports citing The Independent.
Federal agencies currently only have authority to intercept and disable unmanned aircraft in restricted areas, though members of Congress are mulling legislation that could expand that authority to state and local law enforcement. If that fails, the Trump administration is considering a backup plan through the Department of Justice that could authorize local cops to take down drones.
“Everybody from the governors to different commissioners of the police in these different cities to the stadium chief security officer say that this is something that they need in order to protect the [World Cup] sites,” White House’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Task Force director Andrew Giuliani told Politico.
The task force — which coordinates with Homeland Security, the Justice Department and National Security Council — was formed by Trump’s June executive order in an effort to “increase enforcement of current laws to deter two types of individuals: evil doers and idiots," counterterrorism director Sebastian Gorka said at the time.
Similar news
