The Pentagon has released updated guidelines for counter-unmanned aerial system (UAS) operations, granting installation commanders expanded authority to protect military facilities and personnel.
Signed last month by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the guidelines remove the previous fence-line restriction, allowing commanders to establish broader defensive perimeters and respond decisively to drone incursions.
The guidance also clarifies that any unauthorized surveillance of a designated facility constitutes a threat and empowers commanders to assess risk based on the full context of each situation.
“Drones are a defining threat for our time. Technology is evolving fast, and our policies and counter-UAS strategy here at home must adapt to meet this reality,” Joint Inter-Agency Task Force 401 Director Brig. Gen. Matt Ross said Monday.
“Countering drones does not start and stop at the fence line. This new guidance empowers installation commanders to address threats as they develop and makes clear that unauthorized drone flights are a surveillance threat even before breaching an installation perimeter,” Ross added.
The guidance also strengthens interagency cooperation, allowing the sharing of UAS tracking and sensor data with the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and other partners.
Additionally, Service Secretaries are authorized to designate covered facilities or assets based on risk assessments, with the option to delegate this authority to Service Chiefs to ensure protection is applied where it is needed most.
The guidance emphasizes a proactive approach and direct leaders to pinpoint vulnerabilities, conduct rigorous training exercises, and build a robust defensive posture to deter and counter aerial threats. Installation commanders are required to issue facility-specific operating procedures within 60 days.
U.S. Northern Command head Gen. Gregory Guillot earlier said that the department observes about one or two drone incursions per day on military sites.
A spokesperson later said that 230 drone incidents were reported at military installations between September 2023 and September 2024. That number jumped by 82 percent to around 420 incidents during roughly the same period the following year.
