Hegseth issues ‘corrected copy’ of recently unveiled counter-drone guidance
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently instructed senior Pentagon and military officials to record any delay or denial in their requests to employ counter-drone capabilities as a “risk of inaction,” and report those instances to Joint Interagency Task Force 401.
Hegseth issued a “corrected copy” of that memorandum — dated Nov. 5 and viewed by DefenseScoop on Tuesday — that outlined multiple policies to reform the Defense Department’s historically lengthy approval processes for buying and fielding weapons that can take down unauthorized unmanned aerial systems.
“Protection against the threat of drones will not be delayed by self-imposed restrictions,” he wrote.
The five-page memo updated directions that were issued by Hegseth in late September, which expanded on others across the second Trump administration.
All these moves are emerging as the Defense Department and other federal agencies hustle to integrate their responses to a recent surge in unauthorized drone incursions over U.S. military bases and sensitive national security sites. Some events have reportedly involved coordinated, potentially high-tech swarms with extended flight durations — sparking fears of foreign surveillance and reconnaissance operations.
“Small unmanned systems are the defining threat of our time,” Hegseth wrote.
Launched last year, JIATF-401 is the Pentagon-led operational hub charged with synchronizing C-UAS initiatives, protection policies, and procurements across DOD, and with its interagency partners and international allies. The team coordinates closely with the nascent Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for unmanned offensive and defensive systems, or DRPM-UxS.
A footnote indicates that this latest version of the memo is updated to remove “specific language referencing a Deputy General Counsel for DRPM Programs in paragraphs 3 and 4 on page 4.”
That text in the previously published guidance (and now retracted from the corrected copy) stated that “JIATF-401 is part of the UxS DRPM established in June of 2026” and that the DOD’s Office of the General Counsel “has a Deputy General Counsel for the DRPM Programs who will coordinate and provide legal assistance to ensure that legal support remains consistent, timely, and effective across the ecosystem.”
The new version also directs components to forward completed legal reviews to the Office of the General Counsel through JIATF-401’s legal advisor — not the previously listed deputy general counsel. It further removes a line in the prior version, which stated that “a fielding review will be coordinated with the assistance of the Deputy General Counsel for the DRPMs.”
A source familiar with the “corrected” copy of the directive (who requested anonymity to speak freely) confirmed its authenticity on Tuesday.
Pentagon spokespersons did not immediately respond to DefenseScoop’s requests for more information about what sparked the change made in this memo, or how it reflects ongoing work unfolding as senior officials build out Autonomous Warfare Command.
