WCCC starts program to counter illegal and threatening drone use

Warren County Community College is enhancing its acclaimed drone development and piloting curriculum with one of the nation’s first higher education programs to train professionals in protection against illicit or threatening use of the unmanned systems. The program is being developed by two of the leading experts in drone security.

Warren President Will Austin, who played a key role in the founding and growth of the Warren drone program (WarrenUAS), said the credit curriculum and workshops for working professionals will start next fall at the college’s Washington, N.J. campus.

“Drones are an expanding, incredibly valuable tool for nearly every sector of our economy, but it is clear that in the wrong hands they can present a threat to public safety or the security of our infrastructure,” he said. “Our mission at WarrenUAS is to meet the need for professionals who can develop, maintain and pilot drones safely and effectively, but we also want to address the rare but serious threats they can pose.”

Austin and WarrenUAS began discussing the need for greater drone security expertise two years ago. This year the college brought on board two of the leading experts in drone deployment and countering unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) and asked them to develop a program to address the issue and oversee it as it takes shape next fall.

Brandon Youngblood, vice president for government programs for Spatial Persistent Software Air Domain Awareness, has consulted with Austin about the general structure of the program and is building the curriculum along with L Scott Parker, founder of Aerisq Solutions, which helps critical infrastructure owners and public safety organizations understand and manage the risks posed by drones.
Austin noted that Youngblood and Parker, are developing a concise, thorough curriculum that will train students in the threats posed by drones and how to distinguish those threats from safe and legal flight and report and respond to them. Students will enter the program after they completed the general WarrenUAS drone operation training that has gained the program national attention

“Students entering this program will gain the latest knowledge and training about drones that our WarrenUAS program provides and then explore this critical field of drone security and gain the credential to take positions in the government and private sector where these experts are so critically needed,” Austin said.

“We are very fortunate to have Brandon and Scott building this program to provide the best and most current thinking and technical expertise in the growing, critical C-UAS field.”

Youngblood has had 22 years of UAS experience with the last seven focused on domestic C-UAS national policy, technology and operations. He is a former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) manager responsible for the oversite of UAS security, interagency C-UAS operations coordination and security airspace management.

As head of the FAA UAS Security and C-UAS Integration Office, he was responsible for national security policy development, collaborating with leaders from five cabinet-level agencies. He also was the senior FAA representative to the policy committee that developed and published the C-UAS National Action Plan (NAP) and devised C-UAS legislation for the executive branch.

He is now vice president for government programs for Spatial Persistent Software Air Domain Awareness, where he

Parker served 27 years in the U.S. Army, including as a senior enlisted leader and Pentagon advisor for special operations, and has built and led national-level UAS security programs and coordinated security and resilience efforts across all 16 critical infrastructure sectors.

He was a senior leader at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), serving as chief of UAS security, where he established the agency’s first dedicated UAS security program and helped shape the federal approach to managing drone-related cyber and physical risks.

Parker also launched CISA’s “Be Air Aware” campaign to strengthen public awareness, convened a whole-of-government working group spanning federal, state and private sector partners to protect critical infrastructure, and coordinated DHS-sponsored temporary flight restrictions over sensitive sites in New Jersey and New York in late 2024.

He also regularly advised interagency leaders and Congress on UAS and counter-UAS policy, including legislative and supply chain considerations. Previously, as CISA’s chief of Advanced Threats Security, he led national efforts to bolster protections for cyber-physical systems and soft targets, supporting White House-directed initiatives after the Colonial Pipeline incident and advancing federal capabilities to address emerging threats to critical infrastructure and crowded places."

His firm, Aerisq, provides a “practical, mission-focused approach that improves awareness, preparedness, and resilience in real-world operating environments”.

The two noted that there is a critical need for both a broader understanding of drone threats and security and for training of professionals who can assist public and private entities with a better understanding of the distinction between safe and threatening use of the technology and how to protect assets.

“A thousand-dollar drone could potentially take out a $200 million f22 fighter jet or poison a water supply or cripple an airport, costing millions,” Youngblood said. “Finding ways to provide protection is now getting a lot of attention and WarrenUAS will be ahead of the curve in broadening our understanding of how to handle those threats and in training professionals to provide that expertise.

Parker noted that it is also critical for governments and public safety agencies at every level to have a clearer understanding of the safe usage of drones, how they are regulated and how threats can be regulated without stifling the productive use of the technology

“A lot of people see threats in areas of conflict around the world and make that the perspective they take away That certainly is real problem but there are distinct differences between that and the variety of domestic threats out there,” Parker said. “This program will give students an understanding of both and improve industry knowledge in that realm,” Parker said.

“Beyond that, drones are increasingly being used for a wide range of productive, useful purposes, but they may be flying alongside systems used for more nefarious purposes. We need a better understanding of the distinction and trained professionals with a clear conception of both.”

Parker said that the three courses in C-UAS available to students who have completed the WarrenUAS fundamental training segments will cover the malicious and elicit use of the technology, the laws and regulations related to safe use and controlling illicit use and “what it means to detect, track, monitor, seize ordestroy threatening drones”, exploring the latest technology for those purposes.

He noted that because drones are a new and distinct technology, they create unique threats that existing regulations – and longstanding security approaches – aren’t designed to fully address.

“Physical security and aviation policy don’t adequately cover these threats, and in this program, we are addressing that gap. I can tell you from my experience, I’m not aware of anyone else doing this.”

Beyond the formal course offering, the two are developing professional development segment on an ongoing basis for first responders and law enforcement or public utility security officials and others in infrastructure security.

Youngblood noted that he and Parker, with their combined years of experience in the defense industry and private sector, will contribute heavily to the program, but also with their connections in the industry will be able to attract guest speakers and develop experiential learning for students on specific current topics.

“Drone threats impact just about every type of industry infrastructure, including data centers, prison systems and corporate to national security assets. The potential targets of illicit drone operators are virtually limitless,” Youngblood said. “We’re hoping to develop a curriculum to train students as professionals to address those concerns but also public safety and private security workshops, focusing on drone incursion response and organizational drone security policy development.

Youngblood and Parker will also be aiding WCCC cultivate federal security partnerships with the goal of intern and job placement for C-UAS focused students.

Youngblood noted that at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last year, Department of Homeland Security Executive Director for C-UAS Steve Willoughby stated that “nearly every day transnational criminal organizations use drones to convey illicit narcotics and contraband across U.S. borders and to conduct hostile surveillance of law enforcement”.

In addition to drug smuggling along the U.S./Mexico border, drones are being used to smuggle contraband into prisons systems across the globe, he said. For example, in the 12 months prior to March 2025, the number of drone incidents in prisons increased to 1,712.

The new program is part of several growing offerings from Warren in the fields where unmanned system use is booming – areas like agriculture and utilities, transportation, environmental research and in the entertainment, hospitality or real estate industry and other commercial enterprises.

Austin noted that the college will continue to build the program to meet the needs of students with an increasing interest in unmanned systems – and the public and private sectors, whose demand for professionals is growing as fast as any employment segment. The C-UAS training is part of that mission.

“As drone-related security continues to be a growing concern, WarrenUAS is developing curriculum in the counter UAS space utilizing expertise from around the country,” Austin said

C-UAS technology, while behind in being able to reliably defeat drone threats, has significantly gained in sophistication over the last two years to address this new threat, Youngblood noted. Layered defense strategies are being heavily researched, developed and tested by federal security agencies.

“While this development has been ongoing, there is concern on the potential collateral effects to civilian infrastructure,” he said. The development of drone security professionals who understand how to strike the balance of ensuring security while simultaneously maintaining civil safety is an increasingly sought after skillset.

WarrenUAS has grown rapidly in the past seven years, next fall expecting to enroll over 100 students who will have an opportunity to work with $5-million worth of drone and robotic equipment, including the latest technology such as advanced multispectral sensing, aerial robotic spraying and treatment, and data processing through artificial intelligence.

Austin points out that Warren graduates are often getting jobs well before graduation, in a wide range of fields, some with starting compensation of over $100,000

And WarrenUAS is collaborating with other colleges, along with building connections to a variety of other organizations in the field and in the community. It is collaborating in a number of ways with the leading aeronautical university in the country, Embry-Riddle, based in Daytona Beach, FL.

Warren has invested significantly to create an uncrewed aircraft system comprehensive $500,000 state-of-the-art outdoor Smith Flight Training Center, procured a fleet of over 75 UAS comprising over 30 unique systems for student usage, as well as ground and maritime robotic vehicles. The Joseph Warren robotics center opened in summer 2022 with over 5,000 square feet dedicated to CTE and STEM educational opportunities.

Custom training for working professionals is an important part of what Warren County Community College offers as an educational institution, Peter Miller , chief pilot, said.

“As a community college it is a vital part of our mission to strengthen our county and community. Warren will be adding counter UAS to its current offerings for law enforcement and other essential personnel in and out of Warren County,” he noted.

Additionally, Warren Community College was awarded $15,000 grant from FirstEnergy Foundation that will help defray the cost of conducting such custom training in order to make such important high-level skills more accessible to smaller municipal police departments and first responders who otherwise might not have the budgets for such training.

It has also gained wide ranging recognition for its precision agriculture program, which trains students and people in the agriculture sector in the advancing ways that drones can analyze farmland, very specifically treat and even seed land and protect it from wildlife and pests.

WarrenUAS has enjoyed a well-developed relationship with the Federal Aviation Administration, with the FAA hosting their regional conference at the college. The college has also gained several FAA waivers so it can safely train students in the latest methods for drone use.