US congressmen demand immediate interagency action to secure airspace over 11 World Cup 2026 host cities, calling for National Guard deployment to address drone threats, reports Todayinfo.
Two Republican congressmen – Michael McCaul and Elijah Crane – sent an official letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. They urged immediate interagency measures to protect the airspace over the 11 US cities hosting World Cup matches this year.
The lawmakers warned that potential personnel shortages and complex jurisdictional divides between event organizers and host cities could create a fragmented security environment. They emphasized that the National Guard, with its rapid deployability, nationwide scalability, and extensive experience in domestic emergencies, is uniquely positioned to assist federal and state authorities with counter-drone mitigation and unified coordination.
“With its rapid deployability, nationwide scalability, and extensive experience responding to domestic emergencies, the National Guard is uniquely positioned to assist federal and state authorities with C-UAS mitigation and unified coordination for World Cup security,” they wrote.
The Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The call came a day before a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, raising new security concerns about the World Cup. White House spokesman Davis Ingle stated that the matches will be safe and that President Trump is focused on ensuring the tournament is the safest in history.
