Post by Stanford Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation

🚨 Why is the American Homeland still vulnerable to small drone attacks? In 2025, the United States saw more than 1.2 million small-UAS incursions — yet we still lack a unified, legally durable framework to protect critical sites, public spaces, and major events. A new report by our students lays out a practical operational path forward. It proposes: 🔹 A central federal governance entity to replace fragmented ownership. 🔹 Risk-based authorities that scale detection and mitigation to the sensitivity of each site. 🔹 Tiered State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial pathways so first responders can act lawfully and effectively. This report is designed to translate congressional intent into real-world execution and help implement the FY26 NDAA. This is only beginning of our students’ efforts. To learn more, reach out to Kennedy Adkison, Alexander Grande, Lily Messing, Brian (Jeongwoo) Park, and Jeremy Roznowski.