On Dec 11, senior leaders from military, law enforcement, and interagency organizations met at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia, to discuss C-UAS strategies.
The symposium, hosted by the Joint Task Force National Capital Region in partnership with Joint Interagency Task Force 401, focused on threat detection, mitigation best practices, and resource sharing.
Building on Lessons Learned
The event leveraged insights from a recent counter-small UAS exercise at Fort McNair, Washington, to bridge knowledge gaps and strengthen partnerships. Leaders from the War Department, civilian law enforcement, and World Cup host cities discussed capabilities, limitations, and procurement strategies for counter-drone technologies.
Brig. Gen. Antoinette Gant, commanding general of the joint task force, said the goal was clear:
“The goal of the day is to be able to share the lessons learned from our recent threat simulation exercise and work together to strengthen the law enforcement correlation, as required for high-profile events that are on the horizon.”
Gant added that collaboration remains essential to address evolving security challenges:
“We must leverage the insights we gained today to enhance our small UAS capabilities and our operational readiness as we continue to break down barriers internally and externally to the military and interagency, state and local law enforcement partners.”
Urgency and Coordination
Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll highlighted the complexity of drone threats:
“The problem with a drone is it is completely indifferent to land boundaries, it’s completely indifferent to where federal property becomes state property, becomes a local monitor area, and the violence that can be inflicted is nearly limitless because of the low price. From the Army perspective, now is the time we have to, we have to do it together.”
Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director of Joint Interagency Task Force 401, reinforced the urgency:
“It’s not a matter of if, but when we’ll have to exercise our counter drone defenses. We all share the same sense of urgency to keep pace with this growing threat, and I believe that collectively in this room, we’ve got the resources, and the expertise to keep the public safe. Nothing is more important than the homeland, our people, our first responders, and supporting warfighters both at home and abroad.”
Next Steps
The symposium underscored the need for real-time information sharing and clear command structures during incidents. These principles were demonstrated during the Fort McNair exercise, where federal and local agencies worked together to detect and neutralize simulated threats.
Post Image Credit: Army Sgt. Tien-Dat Ngo, US DoW
