Whereas intelligence gathering and intervention will be key to mitigating the security threat risk posed by intentional actors.
The threat-risk posed by drones is unique from that of manned aircraft, and as a consequence, existing security regulatory frameworks used for manned aircraft are unlikely to be effective in the management of the broad spectrum of drone-related threats. Responsibility for drone security regulations in the U.S. is likely to fall under the remit of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The TSA have not specifically addressed the security concerns relating to drones and any effort to develop new regulations will require close coordination with various other agencies within the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration, to name but a few.
With all that said we shouldn’t be alarmed about the potential misuse of drones. All technologies have associated security issues; the challenge lies in developing effective strategies to manage these risks without loss of the many benefits drones offer society. It’ll take the collective and coordinated effort of industry, associations, and government agencies to comprehensively address the security issues surrounding this technology. Education of the broader community on the responsible use of drones will go a long way towards reducing the number of unintentional security incidents. Tackling the intentional and malicious actor will be a more challenging task that will require the implementation of both preventative and reactive security risk controls. Further research to objectively identify and assess the security risks associated with drones, and to explore the effectiveness of various risk controls is needed. This research will be key to informing the development of regulations and for ensuring security regulation does not come at unnecessary cost to the drone operators.
BIO Dr Reece Clothier is the president of the Australian Association for Unmanned Systems, lead researcher at RMIT University’s UAS Research Team, and the Director of UAS safety and technology consultancy company, Aegis Aerospace.
Dr Clothier has a Bachelors Degree in engineering (Aerospace Avionics) and PhD from Queensland University of Technology on the safe design and certification of unmanned aircraft systems. His primary areas of research are in safety, autonomy, and security of complex systems, and the design, certification, and operation of unmanned aircraft. Current and previous research collaborators include Boeing Research & Technology - Australia, Australian Department of Defence, Northrop Grumman, Thales Australia, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), and NASA.
For more than a decade Dr Clothier has helped to establish, and has actively led, national initiatives for the establishment of safety regulations for UAS. Reece was the elected industry co-chair of the CASA Standards Consultative Committee, UAS Sub-Committee – the national forum supporting the development of standards and regulations for UAS in Australia.
Dr Reece Clothier President, Australian Association for Unmanned Systems Research Lead, RMIT University UAS Research Team Director, Aegis Aerospace Pty Ltd