President Donald Trump signed three new executive orders Friday aimed at accelerating American drone innovation and supersonic air travel, while also restoring security to American airspace.
The three orders will be critical to American safety and security, White House officials involved in the drafting of the orders indicated, particularly in light of major worldwide events coming to the United States in the next few years, such as the World Cup and the Olympics.
In addition to bolstering safety and security, the new orders will also spur greater innovation in the aerospace and drone sectors, something White House officials said has been stifled in recent years as a result of burdensome regulations.
‘Flying cars are not just for the Jetsons,’ Michael Kratsios, a lead tech policy advisor at the White House said. ‘Since the beginning of his first term, President Trump has recognized the incredible potential of drones to boost American productivity, create high-skilled jobs and meet national needs in areas like public safety, infrastructure, inspection, agriculture and more. But, for too long, red tape has hindered homegrown drone innovation, restricting commercial drone use and burdening their development.’
Kratsios said the same about supersonic aviation, noting ‘Americans should be able to fly from New York to LA in under four hours.’
Besides promoting innovation, the orders seek to shore up American airspace sovereignty. This directive is aimed at not only addressing potentially criminal or terror-related threats. It also aims to increase penalties for and reduce the prevalence of drone misuse in American airspace.
‘The president week one wanted us to take this issue seriously because of the national fury over the events over New Jersey,’ Sebastian Gorka, senior director of counterterrorism on the Trump administration’s National Security Council, said of the new executive orders signed Friday.
‘For far too many years, we have not had a requisite, necessary federal response — not only to the dominance of non-U.S. platforms in this field, but also protecting sensitive sites, military sites, critical infrastructure, but also just sporting events, mass events.’
White House officials who advised the president on these new executive orders said there will be more protection for critical infrastructure for sporting venues as a result of the new directives, including the upcoming FIFA World Cup. They will also enable ‘routine beyond visual line of sight commercial operations,’ such as drone deliveries, infrastructure maintenance and emergency response to incidents like wildfires.
The orders will also reduce the United States’ reliance on foreign countries for drone and other aviation technology, officials added.
‘These executive orders will accelerate American innovation in drones, flying cars and supersonic aircraft and chart the future of America’s skies for years to come,’ Kratsios said. ‘Our message is simple. American innovation belongs in American aerospace.’