--- title: Using the Safer Skies Act to Build a Counter-UAS Strategy | SkySafe description: Learn how the Safer Skies Act is reshaping counter-UAS readiness and the steps organizations can take now to build a proactive, intelligence-driven drone security program. image: https://blog.skysafe.io/hubfs/Drone%20Detection%20on%20the%20Horizon-2.png --- [![skysafe logo](https://blog.skysafe.io/hubfs/skysafe%20logo.svg "skysafe logo")](https://www.skysafe.io/) - Platform ##### [![Live Demo: Drone Detection in Action](https://blog.skysafe.io/hubfs/IOcuQcYaa7sHxeXHbfVncNZ7AEg.png) Live Demo: Drone Detection in Action Watch Webinar](https://www.skysafe.io/demo-on-demand) #### Platform [![Drone Detection](https://blog.skysafe.io/hubfs/search.svg) Drone Detection](https://www.skysafe.io/drone-detection) [![Drone Forensics](https://blog.skysafe.io/hubfs/4GcAqqzK2CYrnpDPs0GpCDY14.svg) Drone Forensics](https://www.skysafe.io/drone-forensics) - Industries ##### [![Protecting What Powers the World: Airspace Intelligence for Critical Infrastructure](https://blog.skysafe.io/hubfs/raw_assets/public/SkySafe%20Theme/assets/images/mTUA4NR3M3dotHvDbVlSU0ykPk.png) Protecting What Powers the World: Airspace Intelligence for Critical Infrastructure WATCH ON DEMAND](https://www.skysafe.io/2026-ci-webinar-registration) #### Industries ##### Public Sector [![Military & Government](https://blog.skysafe.io/hubfs/Military%20%26%20Government.svg) Military & Government](https://www.skysafe.io/industries/military-government) [![Law Enforcement](https://blog.skysafe.io/hubfs/Law%20Enforcement.svg) Law Enforcement](https://www.skysafe.io/industries/law-enforcement) [![Correctional Facilities](https://framerusercontent.com/images/88aKVcnOuC5xH5Eemd9lijQsGTU.svg) Correctional Facilities](https://www.skysafe.io/industries/correctional-facilities) ##### Critical Infrastructure [![Utilities](https://blog.skysafe.io/hubfs/Utilities.svg) Utilities](https://www.skysafe.io/industries/utilities) [![Oil & Gas](https://blog.skysafe.io/hubfs/Utilities.svg) Oil & Gas](https://www.skysafe.io/industries/oil-gas) [![Critical Infrastructure](https://blog.skysafe.io/hubfs/Critical%20Infrastructure.svg) Critical Infrastructure](https://www.skysafe.io/industries/critical-infrastructure) ##### Transportation & Aviation [![Airports](https://blog.skysafe.io/hubfs/Airports.svg) Airports](https://www.skysafe.io/industries/airports) [![Ports & Maritime](https://blog.skysafe.io/hubfs/Airports.svg) Ports & Maritime](https://www.skysafe.io/industries/ports-maritime) ##### Events & Large Venues [![Universities and Stadiums](https://blog.skysafe.io/hubfs/Universities%20and%20Stadiums.svg) Universities and Stadiums](https://www.skysafe.io/industries/universities-stadiums) ##### Corporate & Executive Security [![Corporations & Executives](https://framerusercontent.com/images/KCyRZSgMMypLP7SYlwKolWJtQDI.svg) Corporations & Executives](https://www.skysafe.io/industries/corporations-executives) - [Company](https://www.skysafe.io/company) - [Partners](https://www.skysafe.io/partners) - Resources ![FIFA World Cup Readiness: Drone Detection & Airspace Intelligence](https://blog.skysafe.io/hubfs/raw_assets/public/SkySafe%20Theme/assets/images/qh3uCvhumb7j2P3ngLDUHAuIso.png) ##### FIFA World Cup Readiness: Drone Detection & Airspace Intelligence Watch On-Demand #### Resources [![Events & Webinars](https://framerusercontent.com/images/bMW8vZgyLIpyvhPjvpUsbfiHgo.svg) Events & Webinars](https://www.skysafe.io/events-webinars) [![Blog](https://framerusercontent.com/images/4zpKVSrwG67JOgs37CAOoFX3V8.svg) Blog](https://blog.skysafe.io/) [![Case Studies](https://framerusercontent.com/images/88aKVcnOuC5xH5Eemd9lijQsGTU.svg) Case Studies](https://www.skysafe.io/case-studies) [![Guides & Reports](https://framerusercontent.com/images/KRpjOo2U1PhiTgBdQRKWWS9zL0.svg) Guides & Reports](https://www.skysafe.io/guides-reports) [![Press Release](https://framerusercontent.com/images/KCyRZSgMMypLP7SYlwKolWJtQDI.svg) Press Release](https://www.skysafe.io/press) - [Contact](https://www.skysafe.io/contact) - [SCHEDULE A DEMO](https://www.skysafe.io/schedule-a-demo) - [LOG IN](https://app.skysafe.io/login) ![SkySafe](https://blog.skysafe.io/hubfs/logo-skysafe_icon.png) SkySafe October 6th, 2026 # From Reactive to Ready: Using the Safer Skies Act to Build a Counter-UAS Strategy From the Ground Up latest insights #### Counter-UAS readiness starts before an incident occurs. Now is the time to build the strategy, capabilities, and visibility your organization will need." For years, organizations have approached drone security reactively. When a drone appears over a facility, stadium, campus, or public event, security teams respond spontaneously, and the incident just becomes another data point in a growing conversation about unmanned aircraft. With the [Safer Skies Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3481/text/is), that conversation is changing. Security leaders now understand that drones are a persistent concern for the modern security landscape. They need to know how often they're flying, who is operating them, whether the same aircraft has appeared before, what patterns are emerging, and what they can legally do when a drone becomes a threat. Major events and increasingly complex operating environments have accelerated that shift, making airspace awareness a more important part of modern security planning. Fortunately, the regulatory environment surrounding [counter-UAS](https://blog.skysafe.io/counter-uas-explained) is evolving to meet the challenge. The Safer Skies Act represents part of a broader movement toward expanding the role state and local agencies can play in addressing drone threats. **Counter-UAS readiness starts before an incident occurs. Now is the time to build the strategy, capabilities, and visibility your organization will need.** ## **The Goal Isn't Just Drone Detection** One of the most common mistakes organizations make when beginning a counter-UAS strategy is starting with technology instead of addressing the problem they're trying to solve. Drone detection is important, but an alert by itself only answers one question: *Is there a drone here?* While that information is valuable, security teams require deeper context to react appropriately. They need to understand what type of aircraft it is, where the drone operator is located, whether the aircraft has visited the location previously, what its flight path looks like, and whether its behavior is unusual for that environment. That's the difference between drone detection and airspace intelligence. Consider a drone crossing the perimeter of a refinery at 2:40 a.m. While detecting the aircraft is essential, the real power comes in data that proves the aircraft flew overhead three times this month, has been detected over another secure facility in the same state, and is controlled from a nearby rooftop. Suddenly, an isolated detection becomes a pattern that security teams can investigate. The opposite is equally important. If the aircraft belongs to an authorized operator performing a legitimate mission, context can help security teams recognize that activity quickly instead of treating every detection as an emergency. That's why the foundation of a counter-UAS program isn't simply detecting drones. It's understanding what's happening in your airspace well enough to determine what flights deserve attention. ## Leveraging the Safer Skies Act to Build a Counter-UAS Strategy The Safer Skies Act signals an important shift in how state and local agencies can address drone threats. But expanded authority alone won’t create an effective counter-UAS program. Organizations need to strategically layer detection, data, procedures, training, and partnerships with local authorities to build their operational capabilities. Building those foundations now can help security teams better understand their airspace and respond with greater confidence when threats do emerge. Here’s five steps to help organizations start preparing: ### Step One: Establish Your Airspace Baseline Before building out their counter-UAS strategy, organizations should understand the environment they're trying to protect. How many drones are typically operating around the site? When are they flying? What types of aircraft are appearing? Are certain aircraft returning repeatedly? Without those answers, organizations risk leaving critical gaps in their security posture by planning around assumptions rather than actual drone activity. As discussed during the [SkySafe and Fortem webinar](https://www.skysafe.io/webinar/skysafe-fortem-counter-uas-stack?utm_campaign=380071630-2026-Q3%20WBR%20SkySafe%20x%20Fortem%3A%20Building%20the%20Complete%20Counter-UAS%20Stack&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8sOg6B5dzLhUrfBWlhUNITOEJMJZWgBbJg8_EBzt0phGcy-_jUj4ceVAFcddERbz6cRdn5), establishing a baseline gives organizations a picture of what "normal" looks like in their airspace. That becomes increasingly valuable over time. While a single flight may tell the security team very little, repeated activity across days, weeks, or locations can tell an entirely different story. Historical airspace data can reveal recurring aircraft, unusual operating times, common flight paths, and other patterns that may warrant closer investigation. The more clearly an organization understands normal activity, the easier it becomes to recognize abnormal activity. ### Step Two: Build the Response Before You Need It [Drone Detection technology](https://www.skysafe.io/drone-detection) doesn't create an operational response on its own. When a drone appears, someone needs to know what happens next. Who receives the alert? What information do they need? When does onsite security investigate? When should law enforcement become involved? How is evidence preserved? What happens when an aircraft crosses from one jurisdiction into another? These questions become especially important as laws governing who can detect and respond to drone activity continue to evolve. Technology is most useful when it fits into a defined operating process. Organizations should establish roles, escalation procedures, communications protocols, and jurisdictional handoffs before an incident occurs, and not while a drone is already overhead. State and local law enforcement can take meaningful steps today to strengthen their approach to drone activity. Agencies can establish visibility into their airspace, identify aircraft where possible, locate operators when that information is available, document recurring patterns, investigate suspicious activity, preserve evidence, and coordinate with federal partners. In other words, organizations don't have to wait for every regulatory question to be resolved before becoming better prepared. ### Step Three: Think in Layers, Not Silver Bullets [Building a counter-UAS program](https://blog.skysafe.io/counter-uas-explained) also means abandoning the idea that one sensor can solve every drone problem. RF detection, Remote ID, radar, cameras, and other technologies have different strengths and limitations. Their effectiveness can depend on the aircraft, mission, environment, and operational requirements. Security teams shouldn't be asking which sensor wins. They should be asking how to create the visibility and confidence needed to make informed decisions. Detection without context can create another problem: noise. At a busy airport, stadium, city, or critical infrastructure site, hundreds of alerts aren't particularly useful if operators can't quickly distinguish routine activity from something that deserves attention. A layered approach can help solve that problem. [Passive RF detection](https://blog.skysafe.io/rf-drone-detection-guardian-of-the-skies) can provide persistent visibility into aircraft and operator activity without transmitting into the environment. Other technologies can add independent detection, tracking, corroboration, and response capabilities where authorized. The result is not simply more sensors. It's greater confidence in the information driving security decisions. ### Step Four: Prepare for Evolving Counter-UAS Requirements The changing regulatory environment creates an important opportunity for state and local organizations, but it also raises the stakes. Historically, many organizations faced a frustrating gap: they could identify a drone problem but had limited options for addressing the aircraft itself.[The SkySafe and Fortem webinar](https://www.skysafe.io/webinar/skysafe-fortem-counter-uas-stack?utm_campaign=380071630-2026-Q3%20WBR%20SkySafe%20x%20Fortem%3A%20Building%20the%20Complete%20Counter-UAS%20Stack&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8sOg6B5dzLhUrfBWlhUNITOEJMJZWgBbJg8_EBzt0phGcy-_jUj4ceVAFcddERbz6cRdn5)described 2026 as a watershed moment because of changing federal authorities and emerging pathways for state and local agencies to take a larger role in counter-UAS operations. The Safer Skies Act reflects a broader effort to strengthen how state and local agencies prepare for and respond to drone-related security risks. That preparation starts with visibility. Agencies need to understand the drone activity occurring in their airspace, identify aircraft and operators where possible, recognize recurring patterns, preserve evidence, establish procedures, train personnel, and coordinate effectively with federal and other public safety partners. As the counter-UAS landscape evolves, these capabilities provide the foundation for informed, coordinated security operations. The question for security leaders isn't, “When will we have additional counter-UAS authorities?” It's, “Are we building the visibility, processes, and operational readiness needed to address drone activity today and adapt as the security landscape evolves?” ### Step Five: Build Toward a Common Operating Picture A mature counter-UAS program should give security teams one clear view of drone activity, even when information is coming from multiple technologies. Passive RF, Remote ID, radar, and cameras each provide different information and may observe the same aircraft in different ways. Without integration, security teams are left to interpret separate alerts and determine how they relate to one another. This becomes even more important when drone activity crosses facilities or jurisdictions. As counter-UAS programs become more connected, the ability to share relevant drone information across agencies and locations can improve coordination and situational awareness. A common operating picture brings those inputs together, correlating data where possible and giving operators a more complete view of what is happening in their airspace. Open integrations, reliable communications, and shared workflows can help teams assess activity faster and make more informed security decisions. Airspace security is increasingly about more than monitoring an isolated location. It's about building connected awareness that supports a coordinated security response. ## **From Reactive to Ready** The strongest counter-UAS strategies start with understanding the airspace. Organizations need to know what normal drone activity looks like, establish procedures before an incident occurs, and ensure critical information can move quickly between security teams, law enforcement, and other partners. That foundation turns drone detection into operational readiness and gives teams the context and confidence to make informed decisions when it matters most. That's the difference between a reactive counter-UAS program and a mature one. As the counter-UAS landscape evolves through efforts such as the Safer Skies Act, organizations should be building the foundation for stronger airspace security now. Waiting for a serious drone incident means waiting too long. The technology and data needed to build greater visibility already exist. 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