JIATF‑401 (Joint Interagency Task Force 401) is a Department of Defense task force, established in 2025, that centralizes and accelerates DoD counter–small unmanned aircraft systems (C‑sUAS) efforts. It reports to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, is charged with delivering joint C‑sUAS capabilities, consolidating R&D/forensics/exploitation, and was granted acquisition/funding flexibilities (including up to ~$50M discretionary approval per initiative) and personnel authorities to field capabilities rapidly.
The public War Department summary of the updated JIATF‑401 guidance does not list operational counter‑UAS measures; it only says the guidance empowers installation commanders to take ‘‘decisive action’’ to protect installations. The specific tactics (e.g., detection, tracking, electronic defeat, seizure or kinetic defeat) were not disclosed in the release and are normally constrained by separate legal and interagency rules for domestic C‑sUAS operations.
JIATF‑401’s mandate is department‑wide for DoD C‑sUAS efforts, but application of guidance on specific domestic sites depends on authorities, mission sets, and interagency arrangements; the public summary does not limit or enumerate covered installations or territories. In practice, DoD C‑sUAS actions in U.S. airspace require coordination with civil authorities (FAA, DHS, local law enforcement), so implementation varies by site and legal authorities.
JIATF‑401’s guidance must operate within U.S. law and interagency aviation authorities: the FAA controls the national airspace and the Department of Homeland Security (including TSA and Customs/Border Protection) and local law enforcement play roles for civilian airspace safety. DoD domestic C‑sUAS actions require coordination with FAA/DHS and legal review because many active countermeasures (radio jamming, seizure, kinetic defeat) are restricted in civil airspace under federal law and FAA regulations.
The public summary does not state any change to statutory use‑of‑force rules or explicit new seizure authorities for civilian drones; because domestic use of electronic countermeasures and kinetic force implicates federal communications law and FAA safety rules, any change to rules on force/interdiction would require explicit legal authorities and interagency coordination — none of which were detailed in the release.
The War Department release gives no effective‑date or implementation timeline. Establishment documents show JIATF‑401 was set up in August 2025 and the task force has since issued guidance and training efforts, but the updated guidance’s effective date and how installation commanders will be formally notified/trained were not specified in the public summary.