On December 27th, FBI Director Kash Patel announced the opening of the National Counter-UAS Training Center at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. It's being described as "the nation's premier hub for preparing law enforcement to detect, assess, and counter emerging UAS threats."
The development is positive. The timeline is constrained.
The World Cup starts in 162 days. Eleven stadiums require protection. Seventy-eight matches. Millions of spectators.
G.B. Jones, Chief Safety & Security Officer of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, assessed the situation candidly at a recent counter-drone summit: "We don't have the training, we don't have the equipment, and we don't have the number of personnel that are skilled in mitigation technology."
His assessment merits attention.
The Capacity Challenge
Since the FBI was granted counter-UAS authority in 2019, they've conducted 69 operational missions. In six years.
They've detected over 1,000 drones violating federal law at major events—Super Bowls, World Series games, the Rose Bowl. They seized approximately a dozen.
Meanwhile, there are over one million registered drones in the United States. Thousands fly legally daily. The FBI acknowledges they can only "cover a tiny fraction" of major events because "demand for protection across the country vastly exceeds available federal resources."
The math illustrates the challenge: The United States has 18,000 police departments. The federal government has four agencies authorized to take action against hostile drones: DOD, DOJ, DHS, and DOE.
Four agencies. Eighteen thousand police departments. One million drones.
The World Cup Security Environment
In five months, 11 American cities will host one of the largest sporting events globally. Arlington, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and Seattle.
Seventy-eight matches. June 12 through July 19.
Law enforcement leaders are being direct about the challenge.
In November, Washington state hosted a Counter-UAS Summit where over 100 public-sector leaders conducted a tabletop exercise. The scenario: a coordinated drone incident at Lumen Field during a World Cup match.
They examined potential launch points. Response methods. Coordination protocols.
The conclusion wasn't surprising: significant gaps exist.
Funding Is Being Deployed
Congress addressed the funding dimension. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, signed by President Trump in July, created two major funding streams:
$500 Million C-UAS Grant Program
- Half distributed in 2026, half in 2027
- Focused on detection, identification, and tracking capabilities
- State, local, tribal, and territorial agencies eligible
$625 Million FIFA World Cup Grant Program
- Distributed through FEMA to the 11 host cities
- Specific to World Cup security operations
Over a billion dollars total. Substantial funding.
The timeline challenge: DHS Science and Technology is still "evaluating ways to leverage advanced technology"—radar, RF sensors, optical systems, kinetic solutions. They conducted a test exercise in Philadelphia in June. They're "refining operational protocols."
The World Cup is in June. This June.
The Authority Framework
The legal structure presents its own challenge: state and local police cannot legally take action against drones.
Only four federal agencies have "mitigation authority"—the legal right to jam, disable, or destroy an unmanned aircraft. This authority was granted in 2018 as a five-year pilot program. It's been extended eight times through continuing resolutions.
Never expanded to the 700,000+ state and local law enforcement officers who would actually respond first to incidents.
The NDAA 2026, signed December 18th, begins to change this. It includes provisions to extend C-UAS authority to trained state and local officers and correctional agencies. But there's a requirement: they must be trained at the FBI's new center first.
The center that just opened. Five months before the World Cup.
The Training Pipeline
Director Patel's new training center is designed to "deputize" state and local officers for counter-drone work. Through FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces, local officers can become "temporary federal agents for this limited purpose."
The question: how many officers can complete training in 162 days?
The FBI is coordinating with the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026. They're working with industry. They're conducting summits and tabletop exercises.
Training thousands of officers on complex detection and mitigation systems—while simultaneously protecting ongoing events, investigating drone incidents, and managing existing responsibilities—represents a significant operational challenge.
The Stakes
A drone incident at a World Cup stadium would have consequences beyond immediate impact.
The security credibility of the United States. The precedent set for future major events. The demonstrated vulnerability.
Cartels are already using drones for surveillance and smuggling along the border. The FBI's own officials have stated: "The drone threat isn't in the future, it's in the now."
Ukraine has demonstrated what commercial drones can accomplish in combat. FPV drones defeating armored vehicles. Consumer platforms adapted for military purposes.
Major events in stadiums with limited drone defense capability present a documented concern.
Assessment
The FBI's new Counter-UAS Training Center is a positive development. The billion dollars in new funding is substantial. The NDAA provisions expanding authority to state and local police address a real gap.
But implementation takes time.
The World Cup isn't in 2028. It starts in 162 days.
For law enforcement agencies, getting into the FBI training pipeline matters. Soon.
For critical infrastructure, stadium security, and event planning professionals, detection capabilities merit attention regardless of federal resource availability. Understanding what's in your airspace is the foundation.
For everyone: the officials responsible for security have been candid about the timeline challenge. That candor is itself informative.
Looking Ahead
This topic will merit continued attention through the World Cup. The technology deployments. The training progress. The incidents that will test capabilities.
The drones are already flying. The question is whether defensive capabilities will be positioned when they matter.
Brian Rutherford is a Marine Corps Reconnaissance veteran, combat veteran, and FAA-certified drone pilot who writes about UAS threats, counter-drone technology, and security preparedness.
Sources
- FBI Creates National Counter-UAS Training Center — Fox News
- Counter-Drone World Cup Plans Include Deputization of State, Local Law Enforcement — FedScoop
- White House Task Force Coordinates Counter-Drone Efforts Ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 — DRONELIFE
- $1B in FEMA Funding to Bolster Law Enforcement Security for World Cup 2026 — Police1
- Washington Military Department Hosts Counter-UAS Summit — Washington State Military Department
- How FIFA Plans to Mitigate Drone Risks at the 2026 World Cup — IDGA
- NDAA FY 2026: Key Counter-UAS Provisions Explained — DRONELIFE
- FEMA Counter-UAS Grant Program — FEMA
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