Joint Interagency Task Force 401 Marks One Year of Accelerating Counter-UAS Capabilities

The War Department marked its first year since establishing Joint Interagency Task Force 401 in August 2025, with rapid progress in delivering counter-unmanned aircraft systems capabilities to warfighters worldwide.

Over the past 12 months, the task force has translated operational requirements into fielded capabilities while improving the policies, standards, training and partnerships needed to build a more integrated counter-UAS enterprise.

Established to address rapidly evolving unmanned aircraft threats, JIATF 401 focuses on identifying operational gaps, aligning requirements and accelerating solutions across organizational boundaries. Its work combines immediate support to address operational requirements with longer-term efforts to improve how the department prioritizes, tests, integrates and fields counter-UAS capabilities.

These efforts strengthened homeland defense, improved joint force readiness and increased warfighter lethality while laying the groundwork for faster, more effective responses to an evolving threat.

The task force advanced the department's domestic shield mission by establishing a departmentwide prioritization framework, committing more than $158 million to counter-UAS equipment and fielding counter-UAS capabilities at the nation's highest-priority defense sites.

It deployed more than $25 million in counter-UAS technology along the southern border, expanded shared air domain awareness and worked with the Office of the Secretary of War for Policy to clarify authorities for operators supporting the border mission.

It deployed nearly $27 million in capabilities and conducted assessments and training at strategic power-projection locations supporting Operation Epic Fury.

It supported the 2026 FIFA World Cup in coordination with the White House FIFA Task Force, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and state and local partners across 11 host cities. JIATF 401 also provided DOW expertise and, in some cases, capabilities to keep the event and the spectators safe.

It advanced the Directed Energy Pilot Program by selecting sites for operational employment in the homeland and assisting with joint War Department-Federal Aviation Administration testing of counter-UAS systems that established procedures for safely deploying high-energy laser systems in the national airspace.

It amplified the secretary of war's counter-UAS authorities for installation commanders in the homeland, including departmentwide guidance that simplified coordination.

The task force partnered with U.S. Central Command to establish a battle lab in theater to operationally assess emerging technologies and accelerate integration of successful capabilities across deployed locations.

It conducted Operation Clear Horizon, a joint counter-UAS exercise that assessed fielded systems against Groups 1 through Group 3 UAS threats and informed priorities for layered defense, interoperability, common command and control and low-cost interceptors.

It launched a first-of-its-kind centralized marketplace that allows authorized users across the War Department, interagency and allied and partner nations to identify validated technologies and streamlined procurement pathways.

It applied battlefield lessons from the war in Ukraine and Centcom to rapidly assess drone-on-drone systems, low-cost interceptors and other emerging technologies with operational units.

The task force assumed oversight of the Joint Counter-Small UAS University at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, advanced instruction using lessons learned from Ukraine and Centcom, and began a train-the-trainer model to expand counter-UAS expertise across the joint force.

It deepened its partnership with the FBI National Counter-UAS Training Center, where JIATF-401 personnel are embedded and support instruction for interagency personnel.

It published counter-UAS references addressing the drone threat, including practical guides on first principles of counter-UAS, critical infrastructure protection and sensor technology, as well as a quick reference guide on capabilities and employment considerations.

It supported Army and joint doctrine development, incorporating lessons from current operations into new counter-UAS doctrine, operational learning products and tactical reference materials.

The task force established an enterprisewide agreement for a common counter-UAS tactical user interface, creating a pathway toward shared air domain awareness and greater interoperability across the department and interagency partners.

It established standard guidelines for testing and evaluating counter-UAS systems technologies, providing common measures to ensure test data informs procurement and employment decisions across the joint force and interagency partners.

It advanced common data standards with the services and interagency partners to improve system interoperability, including international partners through a U.S.-U.K. joint declaration of intent.

It convened two interagency counter-UAS summits involving more than 50 organizations. It also expanded permanent integration with federal partners, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the FAA; the FBI; the Department of Homeland Security; the State Department; the Department of Transportation; the Federal Communications Commission; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; and the Secret Service.

Together, these efforts demonstrate JIATF 401's focus on improving the processes, standards, training and partnerships that enable operators to effectively employ counter-UAS capabilities at the speed of relevance.

Its work also extends beyond individual technologies. Effective counter-UAS operations require trained personnel, common standards and close coordination among DOW and civilian organizations. By bringing these elements together, the task force is creating an ecosystem that can adapt, as unmanned aircraft technology and tactics continue to evolve.

"Protecting our borders and our people from the threat of drones requires a whole-of-government effort," said Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, JIATF 401 director. "No military service, federal department or law enforcement agency can solve it independently. Beyond that, success is not simply about fielding more systems or finding the latest technology. We must provide the right training, the best processes and the authorities necessary to enable our warfighters to effectively respond to the threat."

As JIATF 401 enters its second year, its work is expanding to include the broader counter-unmanned systems mission as the department establishes the direct reporting program manager for unmanned systems. JIATF 401 will continue moving with urgency, cutting through red tape to address current operational gaps, while building the ecosystem needed to address the threats ahead.

"Our single measure of effectiveness is to deliver state-of-the-art counter-drone capability to warfighters and those protecting the homeland," Ross said. "The threat is moving quickly, and so are we. We are proud of what we've accomplished but know that there is more work to be done."