World Cup Counter-UAS summit meets as the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins, preparations are underway not just for the global sporting event, but for securing the venues against one of the fastest-growing threats in modern security: Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), commonly known as drones.
Earlier this month, on November 5, 2025, the Washington National Guard hosted a critical Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (CUAS) Summit, which included a simulation of drone attacks targeting Seattle’s Lumen Field, one of the stadiums scheduled to host World Cup matches. Hosted by Major General Gent Welsh, Washington’s Adjutant General and Homeland Security Advisor, the summit convened over 100 public-sector leaders, alongside academic, legal, public safety, and industry experts, all focused on bolstering national security readiness.
The urgency of these efforts was starkly underscored by Maj. Gen. Welsh, who drew a sobering parallel between today’s emerging drone threats and the nation’s security landscape prior to 9/11. He stated that the world is currently “at a very similar place” to where it was on September 10th. Citing the findings of the 9/11 Commission Report, which highlighted pre-incident red flags and systemic failures. According to the report these included failures of imagination, laws, capabilities, and management. Welsh stressed the critical need to be ready now, before disaster strikes. The ultimate mission, he emphasized, extends beyond simply securing the games; it is about protecting America.
Lack of Imagination to Hyper-Imagination
The centerpiece of the summit was an intensive tabletop exercise designed to expose vulnerabilities and test interagency coordination. The scenario involved a simulated, coordinated drone attack on Lumen Field during a World Cup match, complemented by two additional drone-based attacks targeting critical infrastructure. Participants scrutinized potential drone launch sites and attack tactics, aiming to examine the steps leading to the hypothetical attack and evaluate how response capabilities would hold up under pressure.
While the preparation revealed the dedication of agencies to coordinate, it simultaneously exposed persistent and complex challenges that continue to hinder a unified response to unmanned system threats. These obstacles were identified across the board and include limited authorities granted to various levels of government, significant gaps in resources needed for CUAS operations, and stubborn barriers embedded within current policy and legal frameworks. Maj. Gen. Welsh noted that too often, various interagency partners find themselves “talking past each other” when discussing the problem.
The exercise demonstrates a general trend towards technological solutions in Counter-UAS thinking, which can detract from more effective and less observable approaches that look for intent over capability. Drones present a problem in that they are very difficult to meaningfully counter even in warzones where the use of more capable counter-UAS technology is possible. Actionable solutions are needed to manage the range of threats appropriate for local and state level security services to manage, but threat modeling will be required for more accurate and reasonable mitigations. Drones are highly capable, accepting that this capability will always exist and cannot be eliminated entirely will go farther in managing public expectations as to what is possible to protect from drone threats.
The Drone Will Always Get Through
Identifying actionable solutions to these rising threats was the summit’s overarching goal, with an emphasis on technological solutions. The event served as a rare blending of government and private-sector expertise for this task. Defense industry partners were on hand to showcase the latest technologies available for drone detection, deterrence, disruption, and mitigation. Integrating these rapid innovations into practical public safety operations requires streamlined pathways, something the summit aimed to encourage. As drone incidents become more frequent worldwide, experts concluded that strengthening collaborative planning, foresight, and cooperation across jurisdictions is essential for ensuring community safety in the face of this accelerating threat. UDS Aviation will look at the range of drone
