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(Bloomberg) — The White House held a meeting Friday to discuss recent incidents where a military laser system was used near the Texas border with Mexico without proper coordination between government agencies, according to people familiar with the matter.
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Officials from several agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration and the Pentagon were among those participating in the meeting, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity about the confidential matter.
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The White House declined to comment. Representatives for the Department of Transportation, FAA and the Pentagon didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
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The meeting comes after the Pentagon mistakenly shot down a US Customs and Border Protection drone near the border. People familiar with the episode said the Defense Department didn’t coordinate with the FAA before using the laser. Following the incident, the FAA said in a statement that it expanded existing temporary fight restrictions around Fort Hancock, Texas, to ensure safety.
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The series of events is similar to a situation two weeks ago where the same high-energy laser was used — leading to a brief closure of the airspace near El Paso, Texas.
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Administration officials, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, have said that closure was prompted by a Mexican drug cartel drone breaching US airspace. But others familiar with the incident have said it was actually caused by DHS’s use of the Pentagon’s laser without proper coordination with the FAA.
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Both events show a breakdown in communication between government agencies over the use of counter-drone technology and have led to increased scrutiny from lawmakers and a call for an independent investigation.
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The Pentagon sent out a joint statement with the FAA and CBP late Thursday saying the agencies “will continue to work on increased cooperation and communication to prevent such incidents in the future.”
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At the same time, they said they are all working together “in an unprecedented fashion to mitigate drone threats by Mexican cartels and foreign terrorist organizations at the US-Mexico Border.”
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—With assistance from Josh Wingrove.
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