Are drones the next national security threat?

♪ ♪. >> Will: WELCOME BACK. A FORMER U.S. MARINE IS FIGHTING. FOR HIS LIFE INSIDE A RUSSIAN. PRISON. THE FAMILY OF ROBERT GILMAN SAYS. HE'S BEEN TORTURED, FORCED TO. TAKE MIND ALTERING DRUGS WITH, AND IS NOW IN A CATATONIC STATE. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION URGING. RUSSIA TO RELEASE HIM. CORRESPONDENT LUCAS TOMLINSON IS. LIVE IN WASHINGTON WITH THE. LATEST. >> GOOD AFTERNOON, WILL.

FORMER U.S. MARINE JAILED IN. RUSSIA FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS. AND ALLEGEDLY BEEN TORTURED AND. INJECTED WITH MIND ALTERING. DRUGS. FORMER HEAD OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT'S HOSTAGE FUSION CELL. SAYS THE 22-YEAR-OLD. MASSACHUSETTS NATIVE IS BEING. FED THROUGH A FEEDING TUBE. >> ROBERT GILMAN IS BY FAR ONE. OF THE WORST CASES I'VE SEEN. WHEN IT COMES TO HOW THE. RUSSIANS ARE TREATING AMERICANS. IN PRISON. THE FACT THAT HE IS IN A NEAR. CATATONIC STATE AND AGAIN WE. BELIEVE HE'S AT RISK OF DEATH IS.

JUST FRIGHTENING FOR THIS. FAMILY. >> WHITE HOUSE AND THE. STATE DEPARTMENT HAVE URGED. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN. TO RELEASE GILMAN. SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO. REPORTEDLY RAISED THE ISSUE WHEN. HE MET WITH HIS RUSSIAN. COUNTERPART IN THE PHILIPPINES. LAST MONTH. GILMAN'S SISTER LEXI SAID "I AM. MORE AFRAID FROM MY BROTHER THAN. I HAVE SINCE THIS HORRIBLE. NIGHTMARE STARTED. I AM WORRIED THAT HE COULD DIE.". GILMAN WAS ARRESTED IN RUSSIA. WHILE ON HIS WAY TO A JOB IN. MOLDOVA. RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES ACCUSED HIM. OF ASSAULTING A POLICE OFFICER. WHILE DRUNK ON A TRAIN.

SOMETHING HIS FAMILY DENIES. HE IS CURRENTLY BEING HELD. 340 MILES SOUTH OF MOSCOW. >> QUITE HONESTLY WE WERE AFRAID. HE MAY ALREADY BE DEAD OR HE MAY. NOT COME OUT OF THIS. >> GILMAN IS ONE OF AT LEAST TEN. AMERICANS BEING HELD IN RUSSIA. SINCE THE CONFLICT WITH IRAN. BEGAN IN FEBRUARY. WAR SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH HAS. ACCUSED RUSSIA OF HELPING IRAN. WAGE WAR AGAINST U.S. FORCES AND. ALLIES IN THE REGION. >> Will: THANK YOU, LUCAS. GROWING CONCERNS ABOUT RUSSIA'S.

NEXT MOVE. "WALL STREET JOURNAL" REPORTS. PUTIN COULD TRY TO TEST NATO'S. RESOLVE WITH A LIMITED ASSAULT. ON AN ALLIED COUNTRY IN THE NEXT. FEW YEARS. ACCORDING TO U.S. INTELLIGENCE. REPORTS, THEY POSIT POSSIBLE. SCENARIOS FROM A CYBER ATTACK TO. A SMALL SCALE LANDING INCURSION. THE ASSESSMENTS DESCRIBED COME. AMID A SHORTFALL OF CERTAIN. CRITICAL MUNITIONS. THE MILITARY WOULD NEED TO. CONFRONT RUSSIA OR CHINA. WHEN IT COMES TO MUNITIONS. STOCKPILES PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS. THERE IS NO REASON TO WORRY.

>> WE HAVE CERTAIN TYPES OF. MUNITIONS THAT ARE VERY POWERFUL. THAT WE HAVE UNLIMITED, VIRTUALLY UNLIMITED SUPPLY. WE HAVE OTHERS WHERE IT'S A. LITTLE BIT TIGHTER. AND WE ARE GETTING THEM ON A. DAILY BASIS. WE'RE LITERALLY MASSIVE AMOUNTS. OF AMMUNITION. >> Will: AS WARNINGS EMERGE AN. ALARMING DISCOVERY OUT OF. GERMANY. A DRONE CARRYING EXPLOSIVES WAS. FOUND AT A MAJOR AIRPORT THAT. SUPPORTS NATO OPERATIONS AND. UKRAINIAN SUPPLY NETWORKS. IT WAS DISCOVERED BY A BUS.

DRIVER WHO LAWMAKERS SAY KICKED. THE LOW FLYING DRONE OUT OF THE. AIR BEFORE IT COULD DETONATE. TOP GERMAN OFFICIALS SAY IT IS A. NEW THREAT AND HAVE LAUNCHED AN. INVESTIGATION TO FIND OUT WHO. WAS BEHIND IT. JOINING ME IS A FORMER ARMY. SPECIAL OPERATIONS INTELLIGENCE. ANALYST AND DRONE ANALYST. HERE'S WHAT GOT MY ATTENTION AND. WHAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT. THE RISING OBVIOUSNESS OF DRONES. AS A WEAPON NOW TO BE USED IN. ANY THEATER OF WAR.

HOW SERIOUS SHOULD WE TAKE THIS. STORY OUT OF GERMANY? I HAVE TO TELL YOU THE DETAIL. THAT A BUS DRIVER KICKED IT OUT. OF THE AIR MAKES ME REALLY. QUESTION THE SERIOUSNESS. HOW SERIOUS IS THIS STORY? >> IT'S VERY SERIOUS. IT SHOULDN'T SURPRISE ANYONE. WHO'S BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO. MODERN WARFARE LATELY. I'VE WATCHED DRONES EVOLVED FROM. BATTLEFIELD RECONNAISSANCE TOOLS. INTO PRECISION STRIKE WEAPONS. IT'S ONLY BEEN ACCELERATED. EXPONENTIALLY EVEN MORE IN THE. LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. WHAT HAPPENED IN GERMANY. DEMONSTRATES THAT THE SAME. TECHNOLOGY CHANGING WARS.

OVERSEAS IS SHOWING UP AROUND. CIVILIAN INFRASTRUCTURE. YOU NO LONGER NEED A. SOPHISTICATED MISSILE PROGRAM OR. SOME MASSIVE TERRORIST NETWORK. TO CREATE STRATEGIC DISRUPTION. A COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE DRONE. MODIFIED WITH EXPLOSIVES AND. FLOWN BY SOMEONE MILES AWAY CAN. SHUT DOWN AN INTERNATIONAL. AIRPORT, DISRURUPT THE MILITARY. LOGISTICS. IT CAN CREATE WORLDWIDE. HEADLINES AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHY. DRONES HAVE BECOME THE WEAPON OF. CHOICE FOR NATION STATES AND. NON-STATE ACTORS. I HAVE SPENT YEARS WATCHING. DRONES CHANGE WARFARE OVERSEAS. AND MY REAL CONCERN ISN'T WHAT.

HAPPENED IN GERMANY. IT'S THAT AMERICANS WILL WATCH. IT ON TELEVISION AND SHRUG AND. ASSUME IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE AND. THAT'S EXACTLY THE MIND-SET OUR. ADVERSARIES ARE COUNTING ON. PREPARED AMERICANS SHOULDN'T. THINK THIS IS PURELY A EUROPEAN. PROBLEM. THAT SAME DRONE TECHNOLOGY IS. AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE. WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF AIRPORTS, OIL FACILITIES, PORTS, CRITICAL. INFRASTRUCTURE, STADIUMS. THEY ALL FACE SIMILAR. VULNERABILITIES AND WE NEED. URGENCY. WE'VE GOT THESE HARD LESSONS. LEARNED FROM WATCHING THESE. CONFLICTS OVERSEAS. THE ADVANTAGE HERE IS THAT WE.

SHOULDN'T BE WAITING UNTIL. TRAGEDY STRIKES. WE ALREADY KNOW WHAT THE THREAT. LOOKS LIKE AND WE NEED TO SET UP. OUR DEFENSES NOW. >> Will: ANY TECHNOLOGICAL. BARRIER? WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS. OUT OF GERMANY, DO YOU THINK. NATION STATE ACTOR OR JUST THIS. IS NOT MUCH ABOVE COMMERCIAL I. MEAN CONSUMER DRONES THAT YOU. CAN BUY AND ARM THEM WITH CHEAP. EXPLOSIVES. >> I THINK WE ARE SO FAR BEHIND. ON OUR DOMESTIC PRODUCTION. THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE. YOU HAVE THESE COUNTRIES.

CHURNING OUT DRONES AND THE. THOUSANDS, TENS OF THOUSANDS PER. MONTH AND WE ARE SO FAR BEHIND. AND IT'S NOT A TECHNOLOGY. PROBLEM. IT'S A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PROP. FOUR CONTRACTING PROBLEM. WE'VE HAD DECADES WHERE WE HAVE. NOT FOCUSED ON THIS. EVERY DAY WE DELAY POURING MORE. MONEY INTO OUR DOMESTIC DRONE. INDUSTRY. THE THREAT GETS CHEAPER, SMARTER, MORE ACCESSIBLE. DOMESTICALLY WE SPEND YEARS. TREATING DRONES LIKE THEY ARE. SOME SORT OF NUISANCE, SOMETHING. THAT INTERRUPTS A FLIGHT OR.

INVADES PRIVACY. MEANWHILE OUR ADVERSARIES, THEY. VIEWED THEM AS PRECISION GUIDED. WEAPONS. YOU'VE GOT IRAN, ISIS, THE. HOUTHIS, RUSSIA. EVERYONE IS FIGHTING MODERN. CONFLICTS. THEY'VE DEMONSTRATED WHAT DRONES. CAN DO AND WE'VE GOT TO REALLY. PROTECT OUR CRITICAL. INFRASTRUCTURE WITH. COUNTER-DRONE DEFENSES AND WE. NEED TO START CREATING AN. INDUSTRIAL BASE HERE THAT CAN. CHURN THESE THINGS OUT IN THE. THOUSANDS LIKE MANY OF THESE. OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN DOING.