The US military is sending new, advanced systems to detect threats from commercial drones being used by ISIS to carry explosives. Last week, Kurdish forces shot down a small drone and then two fighters were killed when they were taking the device apart, reported the The New York Times. The coalition has for months tracked the use of drones by ISIS for surveillance, which is still something that happens “fairly” regularly, said Air Force Col. John Dorrian, spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, during a Wednesday briefing. The US military, including the Army and the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization, is “supplementing capabilities already in theater” with new systems that can detect, track, and defeat threats from commercial drones. Dorrian would provide additional details about those systems, however, citing operational security.
Three of four congressional committees with influence over defense policy have voted to change the official name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War—but final approval of the Pentagon rebrand is months away and not yet assured.