Congressmen call for National Guard to address drone threat at World Cup

Congressmen call for immediate interagency action to secure airspace over ‌the 11 US ​World Cup 2026 host cities.‌Two Republican members of Congress are calling on the Trump ⁠administration to ⁠empower the National Guard to address potential drone-related threats and ensure a “unified federal security posture” at the upcoming World ⁠Cup games.The letter by US Representatives Michael McCaul and Elijah Crane, who both sit on the House of Representatives’ Committee on Homeland ⁠Security, was sent to US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4PSG pose ‘toughest challenge’ to Bayern Munich’s Champions League dreamlist 2 of 4Mbappe could miss El Clasico after Real Madrid confirm thigh injurylist 3 of 4Spanish football: Zaragoza goalkeeper punches player, starts brawl in derbylist 4 of 4World Cup injury watch: Which players could miss the 2026 tournament?end of listMcCaul and Crane called for immediate interagency action to secure the airspace over ‌the 11 US cities hosting World Cup matches this year.Potential personnel shortages and complex jurisdictional divides between event organisers and host cities risk creating a fragmented environment, they said, adding that the situation requires a unified federal security posture.“With its rapid deployability, nationwide scalability, and extensive experience responding to domestic emergencies, the National ⁠Guard is uniquely positioned to assist federal and ⁠state authorities with C-UAS mitigation and unified coordination for World Cup security,” they wrote.The Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests ⁠for comment. The call to deputise troops to respond to drone threats came a day before ⁠a gunman opened fire at the White ⁠House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, raising new security concerns about this year’s World Cup games.