Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth tests a Dronebuster while touring static displays led by the 3rd Battalion, 10th Mountain Division (3/10 MTN) Warriors and Foreign Legion Force Poland Battle Group in Powidz, Poland, Feb. 15, 2025. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander C. Kubitza)
The new task force will be expected to serve as the Defense Department’s lead organization for developing capabilities to defeat small unmanned aerial systems.
The move comes after a ProPublica investigation that found a Microsoft program leveraging "digital escorts" to foreign-based tech experts could have exposed the Pentagon's networks to cybersecurity…
A report from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is seen as US President Donald Trump holds a meeting with his Cabinet, in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, of April 30, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)
A small unmanned aircraft system, developed by the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), takes its initial flight on Oct. 10, 2024, at Fort Campbell, Ky. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Kaden D. Pitt)
Launched effects are expected to bring a critical capability to the Army with advanced teaming between crewed and uncrewed systems to detect, identify, locate, and report pacing threats in contested environments. (Photo by Shawn Nesaw)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth looks on during a meeting with President of the Philippines Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos at the Pentagon in Washington, DC on July 21, 2025. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
The order comes after an eye-opening investigation revealed Microsoft had been relying on China-based engineers to support DOD cloud computing systems.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael tour multi-domain autonomous displays in the courtyard of the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., July 16, 2025. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)
During an event in the Pentagon courtyard, DOD leaders shared new details about near-term plans to quickly and drastically enhance the military’s drone arsenal.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing a series of executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on January 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosts a drone demonstration at the Pentagon, July 10, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Isaac Llanez Delgado)
