US military says drone activity at Mexico border drops 75% after it used laser weapon: Report

Military officials told CBS News in an article published Monday that less than two weeks after it first used a high-energy laser weapon system to down suspicious drones, there has been a roughly 75% decrease in the number of drones probing the southern border in the Rio Grande Valley. 

Reports of the new laser system emerged in February after the military used a laser to shoot a Customs and Border Protection drone in Texas, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to close down more airspace near El Paso.

Military officials said they have since had better communication with the FAA and the system officially debuted last month when the military took down three drones on Aug. 25 and 26.

The military previously used jamming tools to send drones back to their place of origin, but can now eliminate a drone if it feels like a threat from a Mexican cartel. 

"When you just send it back and then it comes back up or is defeated temporarily, but the game changer is ensuring that that tool can't be used again against you," Army Col. Robert Felicio, commander of the 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, told CBS News.

Since the beginning of the year, the military has stopped 300 drones officials believe are linked to Mexican cartels, including eleven the laser took down over a span of ten days. It was not clear how many drones the U.S. sees each day.

Military officials also acknowledged that the drop in drones could be attributed to other things, like cartels finding alternative routes, but that the drop occurred after the laser debuted. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.