Secretary Hegseth announced today, actions the Department is taking to address the growing threat of hostile drones and to enhance its small unmanned systems to protect personnel, equipment, and facilities at home and abroad.
To ensure that American airspace remains secure, Secretary Hegseth directed Secretary of the Army to formally establish the Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401) — a new, unified team that will bring together our best talent from across all agencies to counter these threats and restore control of our skies. The Task Force will report to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, to better align authorities and resources to rapidly deliver Joint C-sUAS capabilities to America's warfighters, defeat adversary threats, and promote sovereignty over national airspace.
"We're moving fast — cutting through bureaucracy, consolidating resources, and empowering this task force with the utmost authority to outpace our adversaries," said Secretary Hegseth. "Make no mistake — under this administration and President Trump's leadership, we will innovate, we will lead, and we will win."
The Department of Defense is committed to enhancing its C-sUAS capabilities to protect personnel, equipment, and facilities at home and abroad.
The memo is posted here.