Pentagon leaders are working to expand the nation’s missile defense under the “Iron Dome for America” initiative and considering whether to fold counter-UAS capabilities into the new architecture, according to a senior Army official.
Maj. Gen. David Stewart, who serves as both the director of the Joint Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO) and the Army’s top fires officer, said discussions are underway with the Department of Defense and other agencies to chart the best path forward.
“There’s talk about does that involve counter-UAS or will counter-UAS be established separately,” Stewart told said earlier this month.
The initiative stems from a late January executive order by President Donald Trump, calling for investments in a multi-layered homeland air defense system that includes space-based interceptors. The order gave Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 60 days to develop a plan to defend against ballistic, hypersonic, cruise missiles and “other next-generation aerial attacks,” a phrase that has sparked debate over the inclusion of drones.
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“As we take on Iron Dome for America … the intent is really to [be as] cutting edge as we possibly can as a nation,” Stewart said. “What do we have right now that gets out [to] the cutting edge, and is that the right capability, versus what do we need to invest in.”
The growing threat of drones, both at home and abroad, has already driven major investments in counter-UAS technologies across the services. In the U.S., reports of drone incursions over sensitive military sites have increased, raising concerns about vulnerabilities.
“I have no doubt that there’s significantly more incursions that we don’t see, either with a system or with our eyeballs,” said Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command and NORAD, during an October 2024 press briefing.
While most domestic drone incidents are likely the work of hobbyists, not foreign actors, officials say the need to strengthen defenses is clear. However, Stewart noted that restrictive U.S. regulations currently limit the types of counter-drone systems that can be deployed within the homeland, primarily to low-collateral methods like jamming, spoofing or drone-on-drone intercepts.
“The full breadth of capability is not authorized to be used in the United States, in the homeland,” Stewart said.
In practice, that has led the military to test high-powered systems like Stryker-mounted lasers and microwave weapons overseas instead of at home. But under the Iron Dome for America initiative, or a standalone C-UAS effort, Stewart suggested those policies could be revisited.
“There is no single silver bullet,” Stewart said. “We have to look at this as a layered approach, with both exquisite and affordable capabilities, making sure we provide the right tools to the warfighter to get after this mission.”
As Pentagon officials weigh options, the outcome could reshape how the U.S. counters aerial threats for years to come — from missile strikes to drone incursions on American soil.
