USNORTHCOM Archives

A drone shot down by Genesis Arms Gen-12 SBM during exercise Falcon Peak at Cibola Site 17, Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, Sept. 22, 2026. (Dept. of Defense photo by SSgt. Colten Tessness)

Northcom’s next counter-drone demo will be its first in an urban area

The recurring joint military tests refine rapidly maturing technologies that can sense, monitor, and mitigate rogue and hostile drones.

Sep 25, 2026 By Brandi Vincent

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Wirth, a joint fire support specialist, and 1st Lt. Aaron Anderson, a fire support officer, both with 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment (2-32 FAR), 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB) in support of Operation Ardent Vanguard, discuss the observation post during a patrolling operation, near Yuma, Arizona, Aug. 21, 2026. (Dept. of Defense photo by Sgt. Nathan Hislop)

Cartel drone ops on the U.S.-Mexico border ‘get more creative every day,’ task force warns

Tightening security on the southern border has been a top Defense Department priority since the start of the second Trump administration.

Sep 24, 2026 By Brandi Vincent

A pile of discarded drone parts, taken down during Falcon Peak 26.2. (Photo by Brandi Vincent)

What’s unique about Northcom’s Falcon Peak 26.2 counter-drone exercise

Anduril’s autonomous command-and-control software platform Lattice brings something new to this series of demonstrations.

Sep 23, 2026 By Brandi Vincent

Army Staff Sgt. Kristopher Runyon, assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border, aims a Dronebuster Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft System (C-sUAS) during a patrol along the Rio Grande River near Eagle Pass, Texas, June 14, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Adrianna Douglas)

Top Northcom general adds to drumbeat of warnings about weak drone defenses in the homeland

“We’re seeing it used on a daily basis around the world, and we’ve got to figure out how to mitigate that threat,” Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Jarrard…

Aug 14, 2026 By Drew F. Lawrence

U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Christopher Rodriguez observes Pfc. Imn Beasley, both with Combat Logistics Battalion 15, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group, assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB), as he operates a Dronebuster counter-small Unmanned Aircraft System (C-sUAS) during training with U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in Yuma, Ariz., Sept. 16, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Elizabeth Gallagher)

Lack of counter-drone tech to cover troops patrolling the southern border a ‘concern’ for NORTHCOM commander

“It presents us a different challenge. We have a lot of fixed and movable counter-UAS capabilities, but not really anything that would follow a patrolling soldier, and…

May 20, 2026 By Drew F. Lawrence

An Anvil drone interceptor launches from its platform in response to a drone threat during an exercise at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., Oct. 24, 2025. The Anvil is an autonomous drone that, when prompted by an operated, can detect, track and classify a threat, and, if required, mitigate the threat with a non-kinetic, low-collateral defeat option. The fly-away kit, shown here, includes the Anvil launch box, mobile sentry trailer; two Wisp wide-area infrared systems; two Pulsar electromagnetic warfare systems; and command-and-control software called Lattice. (Department of Defense photo by John Ingle)

U.S. military reveals more details about drone incursions at strategic base

A U.S. Northern Command counter-UAS system recently engaged its jamming protocol against multiple drone incursions, a spokesperson said.

Mar 24, 2026 By Brandi Vincent

A B-52 Stratofortress from the 5th Bomb Wing taxis at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., Oct. 26. 2025. The U.S. Northern Command Counter-small Unmanned Aerial System fly-away kit, seen in the foreground, and operators were rapidly deployed to the North Dakota base as part of an exercise to demonstrate the command’s ability to quickly support installation commander experiencing a drone incursion. (Department of Defense photo by John Ingle)

U.S. Northern Command says it thwarted a drone threat over a ‘strategic’ installation hours into the Iran war

Flyaway kits are emerging as a viable rapid-response option to defend domestic military installations against contemporary drone incursions.

Mar 19, 2026 By Brandi Vincent

A Crew Chief assigned to the 163d Attack Wing, March Air Reserve Base marshals MQ-9 Reaper on the Strategic Expeditionary Landing Field on Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, CA July 21, 2022. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Joseph Pagan) — A Crew Chief assigned to the 163d Attack Wing, March Air Reserve Base marshals MQ-9 Reaper on the Strategic Expeditionary Landing Field on Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, CA July 21, 2022. The 163d accelerated change by pioneering the first ever refueling of the MQ-9 Reaper using a Forward Area refueling Point provided by the VMM – 764’s V-22 Osprey. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Joseph Pagan)

DOD eyes tactical drones to accompany troops Trump is surging to the border

The acting defense chief unveiled the Pentagon’s immediate plans for the expedited implementation of the president's executive orders.

Jan 23, 2025 By Brandi Vincent

Photo of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command Headquarters building on Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. (DoD illustration by Lewis Carlyle)

DOD poised to respond if unidentified drones over New Jersey ‘escalate to threaten’ military assets

Multiple Pentagon and military components are actively monitoring the situation.

Dec 12, 2024 By Brandi Vincent

U.S. Northern Command Commander U.S. Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck speaks during a press briefing about the completed global information dominance experiment (GIDE) 3, at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., July 28, 2021. (DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Brittany A. Chase)

NORAD’s VanHerck wants better data sharing, sensor architectures for homeland defense

Homeland defense will look “vastly different” in the future, according to the commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command.

Jun 23, 2023 By Mikayla Easley