The U.S. military is preparing to stand up quick-reaction teams capable of responding within 24 hours to drone incursions at domestic installations, according to Gen. Gregory Guillot, head of U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM).
The announcement came during Falcon Peak 25.2, a counter-drone evaluation held at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where NORTHCOM demonstrated one of the new “fly-away kits” designed for the mission.
The move follows a sharp rise in drone activity reported near U.S. bases. According to NORTHCOM, there were about 230 reported incursions between September 2023 and September 2024, a figure that grew to roughly 420 over the following year.
Previously, NORTHCOM’s role was limited to advising installation commanders and facilitating the loan of equipment. The new response teams will be able to deploy with detection and defeat systems, including low-collateral kinetic interceptors, to directly support base commanders facing incursions they cannot manage with local assets.
“This is the first quick reaction force for drone response that we’ve had in the homeland,” said Jason Mayes, NORTHCOM’s deputy test director.
The initial team will be based at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, with C-130 Hercules aircraft from the co-located 302nd Airlift Wing available to transport the kits nationwide. The plan is to expand to three teams covering the East Coast, West Coast, and Alaska.
The first kit, developed by Anduril, integrates multiple sensors and effectors, including the Anvil interceptor drone, which was demonstrated at Eglin by destroying an aggressor drone in flight. Guillot stressed, however, that the command does not plan to rely on a single vendor and will evaluate additional systems for future kits.
The response teams are not intended to counter surprise one-off attacks but to provide layered defense in the event of sustained or complex incursions. Guillot acknowledged that demand for such capabilities will likely grow.
“We’re at a million drones flying in the U.S. annually. I think we’re going to go over 2 million very, very quickly,” he said. “I’d expect to see more and more of these engagements.”
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