In a significant move to streamline and accelerate the United States military’s ability to counter the growing threat of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), the Pentagon is establishing a joint interagency task force focused on drone defense.

The initiative aims to unify efforts across the armed services, each of which has been working independently to develop electromagnetic and kinetic countermeasures for UAS threats.

General James Mingus, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, unveiled the formation of the new task force during a recent event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

His comments highlighted the urgency and complexity of the drone threat, as well as the military’s struggle to keep up with the pace of technological advancements in drone warfare.

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“The military cannot move fast enough in this space,” Mingus admitted, acknowledging that bureaucratic inertia has slowed progress. He emphasized the importance of establishing a joint body capable of coordinating rapid responses and acquisitions.

“We need an organization that is joint, interagency, has authorities, a colorless pot of money and the authorities to go after, from requirements all the way through acquisition in a rapid way to be able to keep pace with that. We are in the process of standing that organization up and get it going.”

While specific details about the task force's structure remain undisclosed, Mingus made it clear that the Army will take the lead. Still, the focus will remain on creating a fully joint organization that is able to respond with cross-service solutions.

“This will be a joint organization to be able to deal with joint solutions in the future,” Mingus stated.

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The increasing prominence of drones in modern warfare has been a key concern for the U.S. military, particularly since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That conflict has demonstrated the tactical effectiveness of drones on the battlefield.

However, it is the events of the past 18 months in the Middle East that have heightened the urgency for a more unified and cost-effective counter-drone strategy.

U.S. forces operating in Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and near Yemen have faced coordinated missile and drone attacks that have led to dozens of injuries and three fatalities.

These asymmetric threats are often delivered through inexpensive drones that can overwhelm expensive U.S. defense systems, such as Patriot missile batteries or Navy destroyers using multi-million-dollar Standard Missiles to take down drones costing only a few thousand dollars.

Recognizing this imbalance, defense officials have been pushing for more scalable and affordable counter-UAS capabilities. Last spring, then-underSecretary of War for acquisition and sustainment, William LaPlante, voiced concern over the unsustainable cost of current defenses.

“Getting too expensive,” he warned, referring to the cost of neutralizing drone threats with current systems.

In line with this strategic shift, the Army has already requested over $800 million for counter-drone programs in its fiscal year 2026 budget. Earlier this year, a memo from the Army outlined plans for integrating drones into its operations while simultaneously expanding countermeasures at the tactical level.

A central focus of the memo was the development of inexpensive, effective tools that can be deployed by small maneuver units as soon as next year.

Other military branches are also advancing their own approaches.

The Navy is testing low-cost interception technologies suited for maritime drone threats, while the Marine Corps is equipping its units with prototype countermeasures designed to complement small-unit tactics.

Despite these branch-specific efforts, the Pentagon's new task force represents a shift toward consolidating resources and knowledge to better combat a rapidly evolving threat landscape.

Mingus compared the emerging drone challenge to the threat posed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Like IEDs, drones are often low-cost, widely accessible, and can be deployed with devastating effect.

The formation of this interagency task force signals that the Pentagon is taking the drone threat seriously and is moving to ensure U.S. forces are not left behind.

As adversaries become more adept at using drones in both surveillance and attack roles, the military’s ability to develop and deploy agile, cost-effective countermeasures will be vital.

The success of this initiative will likely hinge on its ability to cut through traditional red tape, rapidly deploy new technology, and maintain a joint-service focus—factors that have historically proven difficult in large defense bureaucracies.

Still, with growing pressure from both lawmakers and military leadership, the interservice task force may represent the best hope for staying ahead in this new era of aerial threats.

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