Secret Service plans drone exercises in DC

The Secret Service announced it will conduct a series of drone exercises in the Washington, D.C., area in the next few weeks.

The agency offered few details about the exercises in the three-sentence announcement. A spokeswoman told The Hill on Wednesday that no further information is being released.  

{mosads}“The United States Secret Service, in conjunction with other inter-agency partners, will conduct a series of exercises involving unmanned aircraft systems, in the coming days and weeks,” the statement read. 

“Because these exercises will be conducted within the normally flight restricted areas in the Washington D.C. area, they have been carefully planned and will be tightly controlled. In preparation for these exercises the Secret Service has coordinated with all appropriate federal, state and local agencies,” according to the statement. 

The release was put out to allay any concerns from the general public if someone does notice a flight in generally restricted airspace, the Secret Service spokeswoman said. 

The announcement comes a little less than a month after a small recreational drone crashed into the White House grounds. Recreational use of drones is generally permitted in the United States, but there are strict flight restrictions in the nation’s capital.

Earlier this month, the Federal Aviation Administration released new regulations this month that would open the door to commercial use of small drones.