Pete McNall
Law Enforcement Aviation
Mr. Peter McNall has spent the last 30 years managing key military and civilian aviation
operations from concepts to operations and has extensive leadership experience and
knowledge in the complex field of aviation operations and security, having most recently
helped lead the effort to bring Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to bear in the fight
to secure the U.S. Homeland. Mr. McNall most recently served as Director of Air Operations
for the UAS Program for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS), where he helped spearhead the deployment of the first
sustained civilian use of a UAS platform in the border security and U.S. national
security effort. He oversaw coordination efforts between CBP and the F to integrate
UAS into the National Airspace System and and managed the program’s budget in excess
of 100 million dollars. He also led the development and execution of a pilot and
sensor training syllabus, software testing, and validation program, and helped finalize
the creation of the UAS command structure, rapid deployment protocols, and implemented
the collection, tasking, production, exploitation, and dissemination (CTPED) standards
for CBP UAS operational support. He supported the establishment of a CBP and U.S.
Coast Guard joint program office and was a major contributor to the maritime concepts
of operations (CONOPS) for the first maritime Predator B. In 2008, he had oversight
responsibility for operation Empire Shield which saw the first deployment of an unmanned
aircraft to the northeast US supporting border and maritime enforcement efforts with
state, federal, and international partners. Mr. McNall is a qualified MQ-
Prior to heading up the UAS program, Mr. McNall served as the Deputy Director of the Tucson, Arizona Aviation Branch for U.S. Customs and later CBP following the creation of DHS. In this capacity, he had oversight responsibility for the daily flight operations of over 100 pilots, numerous aircraft, and five detached operating locations. As Deputy Director on 9/11, McNall directed the rapid air response and logistics support to federal agencies, including the rapid deployment of a U.S. Customs detachment to Fort Belvoir, Virginia which was operational less than 24 hours after the attacks. He has also played critical roles in securing key National Special Security Events (NSSEs), such as serving as Deputy Director of Air Security Operations for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, where he was responsible for conceiving and executing a comprehensive air security plan for one of the first NSSEs following 9/11. Before being named Deputy Director, Mr. McNall was a senior pilot himself at the Tucson Aviation Branch, flying multiple fixed wing and rotary platforms supporting national interdiction programs at the border.
Mr. McNall began his aviation career as a pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he
ultimately rose to serve as a pilot for HMX-
