Michael Lees

Michael Lees joined the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2023 and currently serves as a program specialist for CISA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Security Branch. In this capacity, he develops products and capabilities to mitigate cyber and physical risks posed by UAS to critical infrastructure and public gatherings. Mr. Lees also supports the Department’s counter-UAS (C-UAS) mission.

Mr. Lees most recently supported Idaho National Laboratory's ROUNDS (Remote-Operable Unmanned Navigation of Drones) program where he assisted in the development of technology that enables sUAS to autonomously navigate complex indoor industrial environments without the use of a GPS signal. Prior to this, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard as an active duty Petty Officer for 11 years. In this capacity he worked to protect the nation's critical infrastructure and was involved in the Coast Guard's Group 1 UAS Prototype Program Initiative (GUPPI), where he conducted and evaluated a variety of operational sUAS missions, and trained other remote pilots for the program.