QUANTICO, Va. -- The Air Force Office of Special Investigations Center recently stood up its new small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) integration cell to bolster support for detachments responding to drone-related incidents.
Col. Brian Alexander, commander of the AFOSI Center, said the new cell is meant to give the field a clearer hub for reporting, analysis and response support when drone incidents arise near sensitive locations.
“As unauthorized drone activity near military installations has increased, we’ve placed greater emphasis on coordination, information-sharing and readiness,” Alexander said. “This cell is part of that effort to help protect personnel, facilities and operations.”
The integration cell operates within the AFOSI Center’s law enforcement division and is designed to help connect detachments with specialized resources across the command when incidents occur near installations.
“Drones have become so common, and their misuse, whether intentional or unintentional, has become such a growing issue, that this really is a broader effort across the Department of the Air Force (DAF) and with our interagency partners,” said Jennifer Coner, a senior intelligence analyst who oversees analysts assigned to the cell.
Officials said base-level Special Agents often rely on the Center for drone-related incidents, among other cases, for support ranging from analytical coordination to access to specialized capabilities.
According to Coner, the cell also reflects a broader shift in how often law enforcement has encountered drone activity near installations as commercially available systems become cheaper and more capable.
“The cell is designed to support detachments by improving information-sharing, identifying reporting trends and helping investigators better understand what they are seeing when incidents occur,” Coner said.
“Part of our responsibility is to help educate and support the field,” she added. “We want to help them understand what the best collection practices are if there’s a downed drone within the fence line.”
Coner added the team’s analysts are also expected to identify patterns across incidents and present that information to local leaders in a way that helps everyone understand the larger threat picture.
“We’re here to support detachments responding to drone incidents by improving coordination, analysis and access to specialized resources, while local investigators continue working the case at the installation level,” Coner said.
At space bases like Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, or Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, increased launch activity has continued to draw spectators seeking closer views of rocket launches, sometimes leading to drone activity near protected airspace.
Recent cases from these locations, involving unauthorized drone flights near sensitive launch facilities, have shown why coordination across installations and agencies remains important after they occur, officials said.
For example, in California, federal authorities arrested a man after he flew a drone into restricted airspace over Vandenberg Space Force Base. According to an AFOSI counterintelligence agent at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, the aircraft remained airborne and captured aerial images of the installation before security personnel tracked the operator to a nearby park outside the base.
The individual later pleaded guilty to violating national defense airspace and was sentenced to four months in federal custody followed by supervised release.
Another example came in Florida, where federal prosecutors charged a foreign national with using a drone to photograph infrastructure at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station without authorization.
The case came as launch activity on Florida’s Space Coast continued to climb, with the Eastern Range supporting a record 93 launches in 2024 and topping that with 109 launches in 2025, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
An investigator at the local AFOSI detachment in Florida said cases like this highlight the importance of maintaining strong partnerships with fellow law enforcement agencies and awareness of drone activity near installations while ensuring detachments have response plans in place when incidents occur.
“Installations on Florida’s Space Coast, which support the busiest commercial and National Security launch activities in the world, even a single unauthorized drone flight can create real safety and major security concerns,” said the local detachment commander.
As drone technology continues to evolve and become more accessible, Coner said the cell will continue strengthening AFOSI’s ability to support installations and help protect personnel, facilities and operations across the Department of the Air Force.
“As drone technology becomes more accessible and the challenges become more complex, this cell helps us respond in a more coordinated and informed way across the enterprise,” Alexander said. “That strengthens our ability to support installations and protect personnel, facilities and operations.”
Editor’s note: Some AFOSI personnel were not identified by name in this article due to the nature of their work.