U.S. soldiers assigned to the 759th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, under the Joint Task Force-Southern Border, conduct dismounted patrol operations along the southern border in Wellton, Arizona, March 22, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. Erica Esterly)
Officials said the system adds to the burgeoning suite of counter-drone tools the Pentagon is deploying to the U.S.-Mexico border, a region senior military officers have dubbed…
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Michael Aguilar, members of Joint Interagency Task Force 401 and the Federal Aviation Administration, and key leaders from White Sands Missile Range, N.M., support a high-energy laser test using the AMP-HEL system March 7, 2026. (Courtesy Photo)
“Following a thorough, data-informed Safety Risk Assessment, we determined that these systems do not present an increased risk to the flying public,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Michael Aguilar, members of Joint Interagency Task Force 401 and the Federal Aviation Administration, and key leaders from White Sands Missile Range, N.M., support a high-energy laser test using the AMP-HEL system March 7, 2026. (Courtesy Photo)
JIATF 401 and the FAA, along with about half a dozen other agencies, conducted the test between March 7-8, an evaluation fast-tracked by back-to-back incidents involving counter-drone…
A U.S. Soldier, assigned to 277th Maintenance Support Company, Task Force Badger, surveys the southern border at Del Rio, Texas, March 6, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Walker Pino)
A senior defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told DefenseScoop Wednesday that the Pentagon’s counter-drone entity — known as Joint Interagency Task Force 401 —…
U.S. Army Cpl. Gabriel Miranda and Pfc. Haakon Hove, both with 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border, prepare to report suspicious activity to U.S. Border Patrol, July 17, 2025, during a patrol along the southern border near El Paso, Texas. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Caleb Woodburn)
This is the second counter-UAS incident in less than a month that has revealed interagency turmoil over the employment of stateside anti-drone capabilities.
Texas National Guardsmen look for illegal activity in Brownsville, Texas, September 3, 2025. Guardsmen work alongside the United States Border Patrol to deter illegal activity and enforce U.S. immigration law. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Derek Gutierrez)
