America’s skies are becoming a new front in the fight to protect our national security.

In this episode of the Peace Through Strength Podcast, host Laurence F. Sanford, ASCF Vice President – Operations, leads an important and timely discussion about the growing use of drones near military installations, critical infrastructure, and other sensitive American property.

Joining Sanford are two experts with extensive experience in law, security, aviation, and national security:

Alexander Penalta, J.D., is an attorney and founder of the Penalta Law Firm, with extensive experience in aviation and drone law, national security, military courts, critical infrastructure, and civil and criminal law. A licensed FAA private pilot and U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain, Penalta brings a unique perspective to the increasingly complex legal questions surrounding drones and the protection of American airspace.

Dr. Joseph A. Finley, Jr., Ph.D., CPP, ATAP is an Executive Security Consultant with Security Consulting Services Group and a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) with more than 35 years of experience in federal law enforcement and the security industry. His expertise includes executive and physical security, threat assessment, risk management, loss prevention, active-shooter preparedness, workplace violence mitigation, asset protection, and forensic crime-scene analysis.

Together, Sanford, Penalta, and Finley examine a critical question: What can legally be done when drones are operating over or near military bases, critical infrastructure, and other protected locations?

The discussion explores the roles and limitations of the FAA, federal authorities, military installations, and local law enforcement, as well as the legal challenges surrounding the detection, tracking, identification, and potential disabling or interception of a threatening drone.

The conversation also examines the concerns raised in the recent Vanity Fair article “Spies on the Space Coast,” and what increased drone activity around Florida’s strategically important Space Coast could mean for national security.

As adversaries gain access to increasingly sophisticated and inexpensive drone technology, America must ensure that our laws, law enforcement capabilities, and national-security policies keep pace with the threat.

This is ultimately a conversation about more than drones. It is about protecting American sovereignty, defending critical infrastructure, securing our military installations, and ensuring that those entrusted with protecting the nation have the authority and tools they need to do their jobs.

Peace Through Strength means being prepared to defend America—on land, at sea, and in the skies above us.