Duffy: FAA And Military “Acted Swiftly” To Combat “Cartel Drone Incursion” On US Border

Update (0950ET):

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed on X that the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of War “acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion” at or near the border town of El Paso.

“The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region. The restrictions have been lifted, and normal flights are resuming,” Duffy said.

The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion.

The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.

The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming. https://t.co/xQA1cMy7l0

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) February 11, 2026

Our assessment this year is that next-gen counter-drone security will be an emerging theme for guarding high-value assets such as stadiums, government buildings, data centers, and, increasingly, parts of the border (see the report).

*   *   * 

Update (0925ET):

The Federal Aviation Administration announced moments ago that the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) across the border town of El Paso and a large area of southern New Mexico west of Santa Teresa has been lifted.

The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal.

— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) February 11, 2026

The NOTAM that halted all commercial, cargo, and general aviation flights across the region was issued overnight.

CNN reporter Pete Muntean cited an FAA source who “tells me the El Paso flight ban was driven by military operations from Biggs Army Air Field at Fort Bliss. The FAA acted after the Defense Department could not assure civilian flight safety.”

BREAKING: A source briefed by FAA tells me the El Paso flight ban was driven by military operations from Biggs Army Air Field at Fort Bliss. The FAA acted after the Defense Department could not assure civilian flight safety. pic.twitter.com/r3Vdrmpday

— Pete Muntean (@petemuntean) February 11, 2026

Another reporter, this one with Reuters, said, “Airline sources told Reuters the grounding of flights in El Paso was believed to be tied to the Pentagon’s use of counterdrone technology to address Mexican drug cartels’ use of drones on the U.S.-Mexico border.“

Airline sources told Reuters the grounding of flights in El Paso was believed to be tied to the Pentagon’s use of counterdrone technology to address Mexican drug cartels’ use of drones of the U.S.-Mexico border. @davidshepardson

— Idrees Ali (@idreesali114) February 11, 2026

At this point, what exactly happened in the border town or nearby remains unclear.

What has our attention is the alleged use of counter-drone technology along the border, reportedly aimed at disrupting Mexican drug cartels’ growing reliance on drones.

*   *   * 

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) late Tuesday, closing the airspace above the U.S. border town of El Paso and a large area of southern New Mexico west of Santa Teresa for 10 days. The notice suspends all commercial, cargo, and general aviation flights in the affected area.

The FAA has issued a NOTAM halting all flight operations at El Paso International Airport (ELP/KELP) for 10 days.

The reason given is “Temporary flight restrictions for special security reasons.” pic.twitter.com/H7NWZ3KnBp

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) February 11, 2026

The reason for the NOTAM is listed on the FAA website as “Special Security Reasons.” No further explanation was provided, but given that El Paso sits on the U.S. border with Mexico and the Trump administration is targeting drug cartels across the Western Hemisphere, the closure could be tied to a new perceived threat – or impending US military operation. 

The NOTAM took effect at 11:30 p.m. Mountain Time Tuesday, and expires at 11:30 p.m. Feb. 20, or next Friday.

The El Paso city government issued an advisory earlier that read, “The FAA, on short notice, issued a temporary flight restriction halting all flights to and from El Paso and our neighboring community, Santa Teresa, NM. The restriction prohibits all aircraft operations (including commercial, cargo and general aviation) and is effective from February 10 at 11:30 PM (MST) to February 20 at 11:30 PM (MST).”

Local newspaper El Paso Matters points out:

Closing off airspace over a major U.S. city is a rare action, and officials with the Federal Aviation Administration didn’t immediately respond to questions from El Paso Matters on the reasons for the action.

A person familiar with the notices, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly, said the action to close airspace over a major U.S. city for security reasons over an extended period hasn’t happened since immediately after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Our assessment is that this unusually broad NOTAM over the border town reflects a time-bound, high-issue security concern rather than routine airspace management. It comes as the Trump administration repostures the military to secure the Western Hemisphere, including the early January capture of Nicolas Maduro and ongoing kinetic strikes against suspected narco trafficking vessels.

One of the consequences of the Trump administration blowing up narco boats and dismantling cartel command-and-control nodes is an increased risk of retaliatory threats against the U.S.