What is “Left of sUAS (drone) Launch (LoDL)” and why is it important to security professionals?

The LoDL builds on the Drone Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (DVRA) and operationalizes the analysis to support a proactive security posture as it pertains to the “air domain.”

The LoDL will support the Drone Emergency Response Plan (DERP) as it will provide additional framework components that support an active documented standard of operating concerning a drone event at any facility, venue, or environment.

The LoDL emphasizes environmental and technical analysis of the operating environment that is defined by the staff.

The LoDL supports a facility focus and brings internal and external stakeholders together.

The LoDL brings proactive action to the forefront concerning the air domain and overall security program development.

LoDL assists with preparing, detecting, locating, and identifying potential left-of-launch locations to support proactive action during or for any scenario.

LoDL also supports warfighters and tactical operations. The framework, like the DVRA and DERP, can be customized to a military application.

All the steps in the LoDL course apply to military operations. Each step can be replicated by a military organization in a garrison or a deployed location. Military operations must also consider defensive tools for Service personnel serving in tactical environments. Examples include tactical mitigation technologies, cloaking camouflage, and Kevlar blankets/tarps for stationary protection.

The “Left of sUAS Launch” course is designed to help security professionals operationalize a response to a sUAS event during a major event at their facility or venue. The LoDL uses the results of the DVRA and DERP analysis to support an executable plan that puts security in action and creates a proactive posture for the security team. The LoDL removes the potential for being purely reactive and gives security operations a mechanism to act if an event is identified through the “air domain.”

The LoDL is the response plan. It is developed through data that has been accumulated via the DVRA, DERP, and Environmental Analysis of Step 1. Additionally, the LoDL creates an environment where internal and external stakeholders have true buy-in to the response posture and understand how the facility, venue, or environment intends to assimilate the “air domain” into the overall comprehensive security program that exists for major events and public mass gatherings. In essence, the LoDL is the action arm of the security program as it pertains to sUAS events