Michael Dodd, assistant secretary of war for critical technologies, shakes hands with the newest members of the U.S. Air Force during a Joint Enlistment Ceremony at Indianapolis Motor Speedway at Speedway, Indiana, May 17, 2026. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Austin Goss)
“I’ll say it here, I’m going to knuckle roll the other services to do the same," said Michael Dodd, assistant secretary of defense for critical technologies.
A U.S. Army soldier with 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB), monitors the southern border through binoculars during a patrol in Yuma, Az., Jan. 5, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Sawyer Carleton)
Over two days this week, Joint Task Force-Southern Border used the Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser system to engage three "hostile" UAS, according to a press release.
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. Coast Guard Crew members assigned to Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145) man their battle stations as the cutter prepares for a live-fire exercise while transiting the South China Sea, June 6, 2026. The Coast Guard Expeditionary Cutter Squadron is a deployable force of Fast Response Cutters with organic command, logistics and support capabilities, enabling sustained forward operations from partner nation locations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Dakota L. David)
Anthony Kavanaugh, left, a drone operator with a U.S. Army Unmanned Aerial Systems Mission Assurance team, operates a small-UAS while Ari Snipes, right, a drone operator with a U.S. Army UASMA team, prepares a s-UAS at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., April 23, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo by Hayden Hallman)
"There is no 'silver bullet' to address this challenge," said the task force director. "And this pilot program integrates cutting-edge technology into the department's broader counter-drone toolkit."
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 view of the entrance of White Sands Missile Range where Trinity test site is located, near White Sands, New Mexico on February 21, 2024. (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
The announcement comes after lawmakers from both parties criticized interagency coordination over the use of domestic counter-drone technology in the wake of back-to-back incidents in Texas last…
