El Paso Airport Closure: FAA and Pentagon Clash Over Border Lasers

[00:00] Nina Park: From Neural Newscast, I'm Nina Park. [00:03] Noah Feldman: And I'm Noah Feldman. [00:04] Noah Feldman: Today, we're tracking a major breakdown in communication between federal agencies. [00:11] Noah Feldman: This friction led to a sudden grounding of flights in Texas. [00:16] Nina Park: We're covering the airspace closure at El Paso International Airport and the internal [00:21] Nina Park: government conflict behind it. [00:23] Nina Park: We will look at how high-energy lasers and misidentified party balloons sparked a major disruption of commercial air travel. [00:31] Noah Feldman: We will also examine the clash between the FAA and the Pentagon over border security protocols. [00:38] Noah Feldman: This incident raises serious questions about communication within the administration as experimental technology enters the field. [00:48] Nina Park: Federal regulators grounded all flights at El Paso International Airport yesterday. [00:53] Nina Park: The decision followed a breakdown in communication between the FAA and the Pentagon. [00:58] Nina Park: This action disrupted travel and emergency services throughout the region. [01:03] Noah Feldman: Administrator Brian Bedford issued the closure notice without alerting the White House or Homeland Security. [01:11] Noah Feldman: He cited concerns about unauthorized military tests. [01:15] Noah Feldman: Those tests involved anti-drone technology near the airport. [01:21] Nina Park: Internal reports suggest the Pentagon planned to use high-energy lasers at Fort Bliss. [01:27] Nina Park: This was set to occur before a scheduled safety review on February 20th. [01:32] Nina Park: The move prompted Bedford to warn that the government might use deadly force against unauthorized aircraft. [01:40] Noah Feldman: The closure was initially scheduled for 10 days. [01:44] Noah Feldman: However, it was lifted within minutes after a meeting in Susie Wilde's office. [01:50] Noah Feldman: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy later confirmed the threat was neutralized. [01:56] Noah Feldman: Normal flight operations have since resumed. [01:59] Nina Park: Turning now to the technology involved, the anti-drone system was deployed to counter what officials described as a cartel incursion. [02:10] Nina Park: But the military's first target turned out to be less dangerous than expected. [02:15] Noah Feldman: Sources indicate that the military misidentified a party balloon as a foreign drone. [02:22] Noah Feldman: They shot it down during the operation. [02:25] Noah Feldman: This occurred while Mexican cartels were reportedly operating their own unmanned systems near the border. [02:33] Nina Park: Customs and Border Protection used the high-energy laser after receiving training from the military earlier this week. [02:41] Nina Park: At least one legitimate cartel drone was successfully disabled during these engagements. [02:47] Noah Feldman: The incident follows a year of heightened FAA sensitivity. [02:52] Noah Feldman: This stems from a previous mid-air collision over Washington, D.C. [02:57] Noah Feldman: It explains why regulators acted so aggressively when they discovered the Pentagon was operating outside normal flight paths. [03:05] Noah Feldman: I'm Nina Park. [03:07] Noah Feldman: And I'm Noah Feldman. [03:08] Noah Feldman: Thank you for joining us. [03:10] Nina Park: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed. [03:14] Nina Park: View our AI transparency policy at neuralnewscast.com.