US safety group flags drone risk at Milano Cortina Games

Jan 26 (Reuters) – U.S. officers serving to to safeguard Americans at subsequent month’s Winter Olympics are stepping up planning for potential drone disruptions from illicit filming over venues to worst-case eventualities involving explosive payloads.

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“Our authorities are constantly on the lookout,” Tim Ayers, Director of the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Major Events Coordination Division, stated in an interview.

Ayers described drones as “a massive issue” that host nations and visiting safety groups now deal with as a standing risk class.

MONITORING OUTDOOR MOUNTAIN VENUES

Italian police and their navy counterparts are making ready restrictions and monitoring methods round outside mountain venues for the Milano Cortina Games, the place drones are tougher to manage and simpler to hide, U.S. officers stated.

Legitimate drone use – corresponding to tv broadcasts – will be authorised beneath a credentialing system, however safety planners count on followers to try flights regardless.

As a part of preparations, U.S. officers lately convened a high-level drone symposium in Italy, bringing American specialists to temporary their Italian counterparts and set up direct communication channels for fast problem-solving throughout the Games.

“The Italians have primacy, it’s their country,” Ayers stated. “We’re there as a backstop to share information and expertise as needed.”

Security officers pointed to the Paris Olympics as a current case examine. While authorities deliberate for the opportunity of drones getting used to ship dangerous gadgets, the extra widespread incidents concerned spectators making an attempt to seize unauthorised footage or conduct exercise that would resemble surveillance.

In these instances, officers stated, host-nation forces concentrate on figuring out and apprehending operators, implementing no-drone zones and deploying counter-unmanned plane methods to drive drones down, take management of them or block them electronically.

ADVANCED PLANNING

The American effort is coordinated by DSS by an interagency physique that plans safety help for main occasions outdoors the United States, officers stated.

The group attracts help from the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy and the intelligence neighborhood, amongst others.

U.S. officers stated planning for an Olympics usually begins years upfront, with brokers embedded on the bottom.

Becky McKnight, a DSS particular agent primarily based in Milan for practically two years, stated her day-to-day work has centered on relationship-building with Italian legislation enforcement and venue safety managers and repeatedly visiting Olympic clusters throughout northern Italy to grasp terrain, journey choke factors and command constructions.

“Some of these venues, when we first went out there two years ago, most of them hadn’t been built,” she stated.

CYBER CONCERNS

Beyond drones, officers cited cyber incidents as a significant concern, together with eventualities during which cost methods or ticketing entry might be disrupted.

Officials additionally anticipate protests – each issue-driven demonstrations and routine anti-Olympics exercise – in addition to opportunistic crime focusing on vacationers.

Organisers have stated they’re taking each precaution to ship a protected Games for athletes and followers.

For U.S. residents touring to Italy, officers urged enrollment within the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) for security messages about vital disruptions corresponding to protests or transit points.

They additionally suggested avoiding flashy jewellery, staying conscious of environment and anticipating delays.

“Patience is going to be required,” Ayers stated.

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