\u201cThis is very normal. \u2026 The problem is, this is going to happen more and more and more because drones are the new normal; drones are going to be operating,\u201d Ritondale said.<\/p>\n
I think what this shows is there was a breakdown just within the federal government. Clearly the FAA and the Department of Transportation [were] not talking to the DOD, right?<\/p>\n
He said the 10-day NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) shutdown of airspace over El Paso made little to no sense considering the size and population of the city. He speculated that communications became muzzled from Joint Task Force Southern Border up to NORTHCOM, and then within the DOW, the base command within Fort Bliss, and then with the FAA.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Jorge Rueda, 20, and Yamilexi Meza, 21, who arrived from Las Cruces, N.M., walk through a parking lot at El Paso International Airport in El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo\/Morgan Lee)<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this was just a\u00a0cluster of mistakes where they felt like the helicopter’s pilots or like whatever assets were flying felt threatened,\u201d Ritondale said. \u201cThey took a drastic response to address it without properly communicating across the chain of, hey, this has broad implications because if you look at the airport, it’s not away from the city; it\u2019s smack dab in the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was also left \u201ckind of scratching my head\u201d when he heard the initial announcement, wondering why El Paso International Airport is the one that got the NOTAM but not Juarez Airport.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt shows there was an emergency and then this was a drastic response that just wasn’t coordinated properly,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Timeline of Closure, Reopening<\/p>\n
The FAA announced on social media that the 10-day NOTAM was swiftly lifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal,\u201d the FAA wrote on X at 8:54 a.m. ET.<\/p>\n
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also wrote on X: \u201cThe FAA and DOW [Department of War] acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion. The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region. The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Military.com<\/a> reached out for comment to the FAA and Department of Homeland Security, in addition to the El Paso mayor, council members and the El Paso Airport.<\/p>\n Questions remain about the 10-day timeline and whether the closure was done to respond to urgent threats, or whether it was planned in advance.<\/p>\n Military.com<\/a> asked the Pentagon about the confusion of the messaging, notably the 10-day NOTAM.<\/p>\n Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace. The Department of War took action to disable the drones. The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel. – Trump administration official to\u00a0Military.com<\/a><\/p>\n Social media users continue to question the NOTAM and 10-day warnings, and the speedy turnaround on mitigating the supposed threats in a matter of a couple short hours.<\/p>\n ‘Sloppiness’ in the Situation’s Handling<\/p>\n Ritondale is also co-founder and chief Intelligence officer at Artorias,\u00a0an AI-driven intelligence analysis company that uses mostly open-source intelligence that leverages artificial intelligence for geopolitical and threat assessments and security. His X account, All Source News, routinely covers Mexican cartel operations.<\/p>\n
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