US Edition‘Speed over Process’: New Counter-Drone Task Force Told to Find Fast Solutions for Pressing Problem
Joint Interagency Task Force 401 consolidates counter-drone efforts, with authority to allocate up to $50 million per initiative and streamline deployment to outpace adversary threats.
- In an Aug. 27 memo, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll to establish Joint Interagency Task Force 401, replacing the Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office .
- Hegseth argued the move responds to rapidly growing drone threats, emphasizing speed over process since the Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office lacked purchase authority.
- The new task force director will be empowered with broad acquisition authority, reporting to Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg, with a $50 million funding cap per initiative and hiring powers to recruit four experts from DoD Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratories.
- Driscoll has 30 days to deliver an implementation plan detailing resources, structure and authorities; within 60 days, the comptroller and CAPE must plan funding shifts into JIATF 401, and the Army and Washington Headquarters Services must secure classified office space within one month.
- The reorganization aims to trim timelines from years to months, consolidates Replicator 2 and Defense Innovation Unit efforts under JIATF 401, and seeks fiscal 2027 budget with a 36-month sunset review.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Hegseth directs Army to stand up interagency task force for counter-UAS
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll to stand up a task force that will lead the development and rapid fielding of counter-unmanned aerial systems capabilities across the U.S. military. The Joint Interagency Task Force 401, or JIATF 401, will report directly to the Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg — its director will have acquisition and procurement authority and have access to special hiring aut…
DOD memo on JITAF 401
Friday, August 29, 2025In an Aug. 27, 2025 memo, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directs the Army secretary to dissolve the service's five-year-old Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO) and to stand up what's coined as the Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401) to "better align authorities and resources to rapidly deliver Joint C-sUAS capabilities to America's warfighters." Featured: Related Documents Tags: Counter UAS
Defense News
Army TimesPentagon forms new task force to fast-track counter-drone capabilities
The Pentagon is scrapping its old playbook for defending against small drones, moving beyond years of evaluations and studies toward a model that comes with new money and authority geared to field capability faster, according to a Thursday memo from the defense secretary.The directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the formation of the Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401) to “better align authorities and resources to rapid…
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