Security & Strategic Review - February 2026

On 12 January the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the launch of a new office dedicated to drone and counter-drone technologies, stating that drones were “increasingly exploited by malicious actors”. This followed a meeting on 11 December of the Mexico-US Security Implementation Group (SIG), a forum created to coordinate efforts against drug trafficking, organised crime, and border threats, which addressed the increasing use of weaponised drones by Mexican criminal organisations, among other things. These developments reflect how cartels’ usage of drones is rapidly moving up the security agenda on both sides of the border.