Defense agencies of Mexico and the US have announced they are implementing a new collaborative strategy to combat drones used by criminal organizations. The operation, dubbed High Eagle, or Águila Alta, builds on recent tests of anti-drone technologies carried out along the border between the two countries. The first phase of the strategy took place between August 31 and September 2 along the border between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico. Initially, both military forces—simultaneously on the ground from their respective territories—tracked commercial drones used by criminal entities. In the second phase, the agencies neutralized the unmanned aerial vehicles, with support from fixed and mobile anti-drone systems. These activities began on September 7 and will continue through September 21. The information released by Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense, known as SEDENA, does not specify the kind of technology involved in the mission. However, US Northern Command has suggested that the operation might employ high-energy lasers. These extremely concentrated beams of light can—in various phases—detect, track, illuminate, damage, or destroy drones from a distance. The US Army …