Army Uses High-Energy Laser to Defeat Hostile Drones at Southern Border

Three hostile drones were taken down by the U.S. military this week using a high-energy laser system in an operation aimed at protecting troops and Customs and Border Protection personnel along the southern border in the Rio Grande Valley.

Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB), operating under U.S. Northern Command in support of CBP, said its personnel used the Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) during the late-night hours of August 25 and 26 to engage and defeat three adversarial unmanned aircraft systems.

The military determined the drones were hostile because they were being used in direct support of activities posing a physical threat to U.S. military personnel and CBP partners.

"The successful defeat of these adversarial drones is a direct testament to the readiness, vigilance, and technological edge of the JTF," said Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commander of JTF-SB.

Taylor said cartel networks are increasingly using unmanned aircrafts to facilitate illicit human smuggling and spy on military personnel and law enforcement partners.

The operation marks the first use of the AMP-HEL system to defeat cartel-linked drones on the southern border.

The military said approximately 8,000 service members are currently deployed under JTF-SB across 1,954 miles of difficult terrain. Since taking over the mission in March 2025, JTF-SB forces have reinforced hundreds of miles of border with wire obstacles, conducted tens of thousands of detection and monitoring patrols, carried out thousands of observation flights and cleared vegetation in remote areas.

Those efforts have helped improve CBP's situational awareness and response times while supporting efforts to disrupt cartel-led illegal activity.

"We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our CBP partners to secure this border, protect our service members, and disrupt these criminal organizations at every turn."