Photo By Erica Bodker | AITEC USCG PSRA Team Leads the Way in Drone-Assisted Infrastructure Assessments. Photo...... read more read more
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia National Guard’s Port Security and Resilience Assessment team is spearheading vulnerability assessments of critical port facilities across the United States and its territories through the innovative use of drone technologies.
The PSRA team, a unit within the Army Interagency Training and Education Center headquartered in St. Albans, West Virginia, conducts assessments at port locations throughout the nation in cooperation with the United States Coast Guard. These assessments provide an all-hazards look at a port's ability to detect threats, prevent attacks, protect critical infrastructure, and respond effectively to potential incidents. The results of these assessments help local, regional, and national-level decision makers enhance protective measures at ports and strengthen national security.
While multiple other Department of Defense units conduct port assessments, the WVNG’s PRSA team is currently the only National Guard or USCG unit utilizing unmanned aerial systems to execute missions.
Beginning in 2018, the Coast Guard’s Group-1 Unmanned Aerial System Prototype Program Initiative began utilizing commercial off the shelf UAS platforms to capture high-resolution imagery and video over land and water — tasks traditionally performed by helicopters. UAS platforms provide lower operating costs and can be rapidly deployed providing greater efficiency and cost savings.
In April 2022, a memorandum from the USCG Commandant formally authorized National Guard members to support USCG PSRA missions as short-range UAS pilots. Under the directive, team members are qualified after undergoing training to meet Coast Guard Aviation Forces standard operating procedures and obtaining Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 certification.
Recognizing the rapidly developing potential of such systems, the WVNG PSRA team began investing in UAS platforms in 2018, and now includes five certified UAS pilots operating a variety of airframes.
“Our PSRA team has far outpaced their competitors in achieving UAS pilot credentialing and operations in support of port assessments,” said Lt. Col. David Reynolds, AITEC deputy brigade commander. “With these capabilities, the team is setting a new standard providing rapid, cost-effective, and reliable comprehensive imagery for infrastructure monitoring and resiliency.”
UAS flight missions are highly regulated. Before each flight, the designated pilot reviews airspace restrictions and files a flight plan if required. Each drone mission mandates the presence of a pilot-in-command and a visual observer.
Once the flight is conducted, the imagery captured is then processed and stitched into a virtual tour of facilities resulting in products that integrate aerial views with 360-degree roadway images. These products are then used by government and civil agencies for emergency planning, tabletop exercises and detailed vulnerability assessments. Additionally, the products can help support Port Security Grant Program justifications, Area Maritime Security Assessment updates, and Maritime Security Risk Analysis Model data validation.
Since the drone program’s implementation with the USCG in 2022, the team has also served as a testing program for assessing UAS longevity. Under current guidelines, pilots are expected to complete at least six sorties per drone type every six months, with updated standards that took effect in 2025.
“Our UAS capabilities continue to put the WVNG and AITEC at the very forefront of national security operations,” said Reynolds. “The National Guard motto is, ‘Always Ready, Always There,’ and we will continue to do all we can to identify and mitigate risks, protect critical infrastructure, and protect and defend the United States and our fellow citizens today and always.”
| Date Taken: | 02.07.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.03.2025 07:48 |
| Story ID: | 491443 |
| Location: | CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 130 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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