Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ) urged that the upcoming 2028 Olympics and 2026 FIFA World Cup be held in domed stadiums during a recent House Homeland Security Committee hearing concerning the threat of drones as technology advances.
"I do not think most Americans have the slightest idea how warfare is evolving, especially over in the Middle East and Europe right now when it comes to drones, and that greatly concerns me," Rep. Crane began, adding that during a previous classified briefing, he recommended the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympics be held in stadiums with roofs, asking the hearing witnesses if they had attempted to contact any groups responsible for hosting the events with this recommendation.
AeroVironment's Chief Growth Officer, Church Hutton, said he would be "happy to follow up in a classified session to talk about some of the things that my company and others have done to support federal law enforcement agencies at high-profile events" but added that he had not made the specific roofed stadium recommendation.
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When Rep. Crane asked why, Hutton answered, "That has been outside of our remit. It makes a lot of sense, and it is entirely possible that at the action officer tactical level, that recommendation has been made. As a company, we have not. It has not crossed our path."
The Arizona Congressman followed up by asking how roofs could mitigate the threat of drones carrying out attacks on stadiums, which Hutton said a roof would "take a significant risk off the table."
Crane concluded his questioning with, "Would you commit to pass that along and help me amplify that message to FIFA and everybody involved in Homeland Security and protecting Americans? Because I also looked up the average stadium size for the World Cup coming up, and it is between 64,000 and 105,000 Americans."
"If we do not think for a second that terrorists and other state actors who would be willing to commit an attack on U.S. soil do not see that as a fat, juicy, vulnerable target, we are out of our minds," Crane concluded.
