WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters) - New York Governor Kathy

Hochul called on Monday for President Donald Trump to boost

federal defenses against drone attacks, saying events like the

World Cup and the U.S. 250th anniversary celebrations are "prime

targets."

She noted that next summer, "the New York area will be

the epicenter for multiple high-profile events, including the

World Cup, the flotilla of Tall Ships, International Naval

Review, the largest ever Macy's fireworks show, and America's

250th birthday celebration, which will present prime targets."

"We need a comprehensive federal strategy that not only

dramatically improves drone detection capabilities nationally

but also provides robust, multi-layered mitigation measures,"

Hochul said in a letter to Trump released on Monday.

She said the government needed to do a better job of

protecting "critical infrastructure like population centers,

utilities, and military assets."

Hochul urged the White House to take action, citing a

series of incidents last year and the mounting use of drones in

the war in Ukraine and other trouble spots around the world.

The White House did not immediately comment. Last month,

Trump established a federal task force to ensure U.S. control

over American skies, expand restrictions over sensitive sites,

expand federal use of technology to detect drones in real time

and provide assistance to state and local law enforcement.

The FIFA World Cup final will be held on July 19, 2026,

in East Rutherford, New Jersey, about 13 miles from New York

City.

"An attack against strategic military and critical

infrastructure in New York poses an urgent danger to the United

States," Hochul said. "The reality is that the federal

government is unprepared and poorly postured to detect and

mitigate (drone) threats and states are hamstrung by a lack of

legislative authority and action by the Federal Aviation

Administration."

Last month, Michael Kratsios, director of the White House

Office of Science and Technology Policy, said Trump also aims to

address the "growing threat of criminal terrorists and foreign

misuse of drones in U.S. airspace."

He said the country was "securing our borders from

national security threats, including in the air, with

large-scale public events such as the Olympics and the World Cup

on the horizon."

Los Angeles will host the Olympics in the summer of

2028.