Overview
- U.S. Joint Task Force Southern Border reported it used the Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser (AMP‑HEL) to detect and neutralize three commercial‑model drones during the nights of Aug. 25–26, 2026.
- USNORTHCOM labeled the unmanned aircraft 'hostile' because they posed a physical threat to U.S. military personnel and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents.
- Mexico’s Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional said the drones were used by human‑smuggling networks to surveil authorities and that the neutralizations took place on U.S. territory and were reported to Mexican forces under the bilateral 'mirror' operations framework.
- Officials described the AMP‑HEL as a directed‑energy system that disables small unmanned aircraft without conventional munitions, and U.S. commands called this the first operational use of AMP‑HEL against cartel‑linked drones on the southern border.
- The episode highlights growing cartel use of commercial drones, the U.S. deployment of advanced non‑kinetic countermeasures, continuing operational secrecy about exact tactics and locations, and the political sensitivity in Mexico about foreign military actions near its border.