Overview
- Defence Secretary John Healey announced the move in a London lecture, citing a heightened threat environment and recent NATO airspace violations.
- The new authority will be limited to military locations at first, with the government not ruling out work to extend it to other critical sites such as airports, according to reports.
- Troops and Ministry of Defence Police now rely on tracking and jamming, but the policy introduces a kinetic option to destroy drones when deemed necessary.
- Officials referenced incidents including 19 drones crossing into Polish airspace, drone disruptions in Denmark and Germany, and last year’s sightings over US‑used RAF bases in England.
- Safety concerns remain over debris and errant interceptors if drones are engaged over populated areas, and several European overflights have not been publicly attributed.