The Pentagon is getting a counter-drone task force as threats from unmanned aerial systems increase
By Hope Seck
February 11, 2025
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Enemy drones are “changing the character of conflict,” according to a recent strategy document published by the Pentagon, and the threat is only increasing as the U.S. military scrambles to act in a unified way to stop them. In the wake of reports in November and December about large and mysterious drones seen in the skies of New Jersey, a new law is taking effect that will create a counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) task force that will align all military bases with procedures for stopping the threat.
The language passed in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act and signed by President Joe Biden before he left office gives the secretary of defense 30 days to establish or designate the task force. The SecDef and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will them have 90 days to, with the help of the task force, review and update all DoD memos and directives related to taking down enemy drones “to provide clarity to and an expedited decision-making process for commanders with respect to effectively countering unmanned aircraft systems or unmanned aircraft incursions at military installations in the United States.”
Within 120 days, the SecDef, having completed a review of existing C-UAS guidance, will have to distribute new guidance to base commanders, who will then issue base-specific operating procedures for how to counter drones. The defense secretary, in the same timeframe, will also have to submit a report to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees on how the military is being trained to defeat hostile drones, complete with a description of training and curriculum provided to commanders.
The Pentagon, which has new leadership with the recently installed Pete Hegseth, has yet to announce initial actions in setting up the task force.
https://www.sandboxx.us/news/the-pentagon-is-getting-a-counter-drone-task-force-as-threats-from-unmanned-aerial-systems-increase/
