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U.S. Air Force Senior Airman John Ives, 90th Ground Combat Training Squadron defender, pilots a drone during an X4 and SMASH 2000L Systems Firing Qualification at Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center’s North Training Area, Wyoming, May 15, 2026. The drone carried balloon targets to help operators practice acquiring, tracking and engaging simulated aerial threats. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Michael A. Richmond)

One year in, America’s counter-drone task force still has ‘a ton of work to do’

JIATF-401 leaders met to discuss inroads made and what’s next as pressure mounts to mitigate domestic UAS threats.
Aug 24, 2026 By Brandi Vincent Lindsey Wilkinson
U.S. Air Force Airmen attach balloons to a drone during at Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center’s North Training Area, Wyoming, May 15, 2026. The balloons served as aerial targets, allowing defenders to simulate engagements against small unmanned aircraft systems. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Michael A. Richmond)

U.S. military to host directed energy ‘shoot-off’ amid governmentwide counter-drone push

Officials leading the Joint Interagency Task Force 401 shared new details about that pilot program and other updates on recent progress.
Aug 21, 2026 By Brandi Vincent
A team of Air Transportation Specialists assigned to the 101st Air Refueling Wing in Bangor, Maine, unloads cargo from a KC-135 Stratotanker, June 3, 2026. The team, reinforced by augmentees from multiple units, have efficiently processed critical MICAPs, morale pallets, and essential supplies bound for U.S. Central Command. (DOD Photo by Andrew Sinclair, DVIDS)

Why unauthorized drone incursions are ‘a clear and present issue’ for US Transportation Command

Counter-drone operations go beyond protecting stationary military installations, Gen. Randall Reed told DefenseScoop.
Jun 5, 2026 By Brandi Vincent
The U.S. Coast Guard Commandant, Adm. Kevin Lunday, attends the Association for Rescue at Sea award ceremony Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Carmen Caver)

‘Best of times, worst of times’ for the Coast Guard, commandant says, amid historic funding and legislative woes

The fiscal 2027 budget request calls for billions and billions more for the service. But amid the spring of subsidized hope, there is a cold-snap of congressional…
Apr 22, 2026 By Drew F. Lawrence
A quadcopter drone hovers in an indoor training area on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Jan 28, 2026. Many small, commercially availabe drones come equipped with high-definition camers and can be programmed to automatically transmit data to adversaries. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Theodore Gowdy)

DOD threatens ‘severe consequences’ for drone operators flying in restricted airspace

Drone incursions over stateside military bases and other restricted areas have been widespread in recent years as commercially available systems proliferate.
Mar 20, 2026 By Jon Harper
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)

Inside a ‘first of its kind’ counter-drone laser test in the American desert

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…
Mar 16, 2026 By Drew F. Lawrence
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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)

Customs and Border Protection personnel — not U.S. troops — used military laser to shoot object near El Paso

Joint Task Force - Southern Border trained CBP personnel on the equipment who used it during the incursion.
Feb 11, 2026 By Drew F. Lawrence
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