The stupidity, it burns: The Department of Defense just shot down a drone being flown by the Department of Homeland

Security

As if we needed more evidence that our federal government has been beaten into a corrupt, incompetent, kakistocratic pulp by Donald Trump and his minions, today we learned that the Department of Defense had used a laser to shoot down a drone that was being flown by the Department of Homeland Security in the El Paso, Texas area. Yes, you read that right: One of our federal agencies downed an unmanned aerial vehicle being flown by another one of our federal agencies above our own soil.

The Defense Department used a high-energy laser to shoot down a drone belonging to the Department of Homeland Security over a small border town near El Paso Thursday, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to shutter the airspace nearby, according to four people familiar with what transpired who were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

The strike was startlingly reminiscent of a similar episode earlier this month, also near El Paso. Officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, using the same technology on loan from the military to combat drug-smuggling, fired a high-energy laser at what they thought was a drone, but turned out to be a metallic balloon. The F.A.A. briefly closed the airspace.

Even more absurd was that after the drone was downed, the Department of Defense, DHS’ Customs and Border Protection agency, and the Federal Aviation Administration put out a joint statement claiming that they are working together. No, really:

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https://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2026/02/the-stupidity-it-burns-the-department-of-defense-just-shot-down-a-drone-being-flown-by-the-department-of-homeland-security.html