In a scene reminiscent of Star Wars, the U.S. military’s Joint Task Force – Southern Border (JTF-SB) carried out a futuristic technological mission last week.
U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) used a high-energy laser system pointed to the sky over the U.S.-Mexico border to disable and ultimately down several drones linked to the Mexican drug cartel.
Mexican drug cartels are a powerful, highly organized criminal enterprise that control the multi-billion-dollar global drug trade with deep influence across Mexico and other international markets. Besides narcotics, cartels generate massive profits through human smuggling, extortion, illegal mining, fuel theft, and other black-market economies.
Former U.S. Air Force combat controller Jacob Poulliot, an expert on laser technology, called the laser mission a victory for the next iteration of military might.
“Demonstrating that capability in a real-world operational environment is a pretty good step forward for high-energy lasers and directed energy weapon systems,” Poulliot, a defense engineer with the company Power Technology, Inc., told Military.com.
“The technology is no longer cradled in a laboratory or part of a carefully managed product test. It’s a real-world system delivering real-world results,” he added.
Late Night Laser Operation Spanned Two Days
The Joint Task Force Southern Border said the operation spanned the late-night hours of August 25 and 26, utilizing the Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) system to engage and defeat three hostile UAS over the southern U.S. border.
“The successful defeat of these adversarial drones is a direct testament to the readiness, vigilance, and technological edge of the JTF,” Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commander of JTF-SB, said in a statement. “Cartel networks are increasingly employing unmanned aircraft systems to facilitate illicit human-smuggling and actively spy on our personnel and law enforcement partners.
“By integrating layered countermeasures alongside advanced directed-energy capabilities like this laser system, we have made it clear that we will not tolerate hostile surveillance.”
The joint task force said operations were the first time the AMP-HEL system was used to defeat cartel-linked drones on the southern border.
Pouliot, who was not involved in the mission, said he believes the lasers were used to not only disable the drones, but to incinerate them.
“Technically, it’s beams of light that are not necessarily seen with the naked eye,” he said. “However, it’s precision light being focused in a tight spot with enough power behind it to create enough heat.”
“And that heat would burn the target up,” Poulliot added, saying that layers of light could have minimal or maximum impact, depending on the desired outcome.
He said that enough energy in one spot is able to produce almost any desired effect, including disorientation or simply destroying a target.
“It may be an adjustment in the power level to where you just disable it to knock it out of the sky,” he added. “But most of the time, you’re looking for a kill or a way to destroy the threat on contact.”
Southern Border Considered Military Hotspot
The southern border is a military hotspot. Some 8,000 service members are currently deployed under JTF-SB across nearly 2,000 miles of difficult terrain.
Since assuming the mission in March 2025, JTF-SB forces have reinforced hundreds of miles along the border with fencing and wire obstacles, clearing vegetation in remote areas while carrying out thousands of observation flights.
“It’s no cakewalk out there on the ground. The environment’s pretty challenging,” Poulliot said. “Lasers face some of the same challenges. They’re affected by heat, dust and other weather conditions. Add to that the dangers of the Mexican drug cartel. I can’t imagine overcoming those challenges.”
Other challenges involve simply aiming the lasers toward the targeted area, he said, including aspects like beam divergence, pointing accuracy, stability, tracking performance, engagement range. It requires precision.
The southern border is considered a vulnerable entry point.
“We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our CBP partners to secure this border, protect our service members, and disrupt these criminal organizations at every turn,” Maj. Gen. Taylor said. “We also greatly appreciate the support of our Mexican Army partners as we work together to combat this threat to the border region.”
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