Interior Department Grounds All Of Its Drones, Citing Cybersecurity, Other Concerns

The Interior Department is grounding its fleet of drones -- including Chinese-made models such as this specialized "government edition" Mavic Pro, made by DJI. The Interior Department is grounding its fleet of drones -- including Chinese-made models such as this specialized "government edition" Mavic Pro, made by DJI. The Interior Department has grounded its fleet of more than 800 drones, citing potential cybersecurity risks and the need to support U.S. drone production – suggesting the move is aimed at least in part at China, a leading drone producer. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed an order on Wednesday grounding the drones, formalizing a "pause" he ordered nearly three months ago. "We've had only 12 drone flights since that time for emergency operations related to fires and floods," DOI Spokesperson Carol Danko said. In 2018, the Interior Department reported making 10,432 drone flights -- part of a broad expansion of its use of the aircraft under President Trump.