JIATF 401 launched to protect the U.S. military abroad, U.S. airspace, civilians, and potential targets at home.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) joined nearly 200 federal national security experts at a November summit to launch a three-year, cross-government effort to counter unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS). The initiative builds on the newly formed Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401), which was launched in August, and brought representatives from nearly 50 agencies together in Alexandria, Virginia. S&T highlighted its ongoing work, including recent C-UAS kinetic mitigation testing, and emphasized the need for enhanced communication, data sharing, coordination, and training across federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners.