Without formally pledging to defend Albania's soil, the alliance could help Albania's own border-monitoring efforts through aerial surveillance.

ECONOMIST: Why Albania feels lonely

The legislation would require constant surveillance of high-risk border areas and require that border officers turn back at least 90% of those who attempt illegal crossings each year.

CNN: Boston terror fears raised at Senate immigration hearing

There are also two military investigations, one by the Marine Corps and the other by Joint Task Force 6, the agency which oversees military drugs-surveillance operations along the Texas border.

ECONOMIST: The Mexican border

According to the person familiar with the proposals, the new border security requirements call for 100 percent surveillance and a 90 percent apprehension rate of border crossers or would-be crossers in sectors where the majority of unauthorized entries take place.

NPR: AP Source: Senate Plan To Stiffen Border Security

Money would be used to fortify border fences, boost patrols, and acquire surveillance technology from the Department of Defense -- including drones and drone pilots.

CNN: Boston terror fears raised at Senate immigration hearing

Backers hope they will prove a cheaper alternative to helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for tasks as varied as power and pipeline inspection, mapping, security, border surveillance, research, filming, fire fighting, search and rescue and delivering supplies.

ECONOMIST: A small Welsh airport has become an unlikely tech cluster