SECRETARY
OF
DEFENSE
1
000
DEFENSE
PENTAGON
WASH
I
NGTON
,
DC
20301
-
1000
AUG
2 7
2025
MEMORANDUM FOR SENIOR PENTAGON LEADERSHIP
COMMANDERS OF THE COMBAT ANT COMMANDS
DEFENSE AGENCY AND DOD FIELD ACTIVITY DIRECTORS
SUBJECT: Establishment
of
Joint Interagency Task Force 401
References: (a)
DoD
Directive
3800.0lE
, "
DoD
Executive
Agent for Counter Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Unmanned
Aircraft Groups 1, 2, and 3
,"
February
21
, 2020
•(b) Executive Order 14305, "Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty
,"
June 6,
2025
(c) Title
10
, United States Code, section 130i, "Protection
of
certain facilities and
assets from unmanned aircraft"
(d) DoD Strategy for Countering Unmanned Systems, December 1, 2024
(e) Secretary
of
Defense Memorandum, January
17
, 2025, "Implementation Plan for
the Department
of
Defense Strategy for Countering Unmanned Systems"
Purpose.
To
direct the Secretary
of
the
Army
(SecArmy) to disestablish the Joint
Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-sUAS) Office (JCO) and to establish a Joint
Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401) that reports to the Deputy Secretary
of
Defense, to
better align authorities and resources to rapidly deliver Joint C-sUAS capabilities to
America's
warfighters, defeat adversary threats, and promote sovereignty over national
airspace. The JCO disestablishment will take effect upon the establishment
of
JIA TF 401.
The JIA TF 401 will have a sunset review at 36 months.
Background. DoD Directive (DoDD) 3800.0lE designated the SecArmy as the
Department
of
Defense (DoD or Department) Executive Agent (EA) for C-sUAS for Unmanned
Aircraft Groups
1,
2, and
3,
under the oversight
of
the Under Secretary
of
Defense for
Acquisition and Sustainment (USD(A&S)), who serves
as
the principal staff assistant for the
DoD EA. The SecArmy established the JCO
to
lead and synchronize DoD efforts
to
counter the
small unmanned systems threat while minimizing unnecessary duplication and redundancy. The
Department has maintained pace with its adversaries in conventional warfighting capabilities.
However, the small UAS threat continues
to
grow exponentially and
is
becoming increasingly
sophisticated. The number
of
DoD organizations involved in C-sUAS since DoDD 3800.0lE
was issued
in
2020 has increased, and those organizations often are unconnected to each another.
DoD needs a single focal point
to
centralize, coordinate, and lead these efforts.
My
priorities for transformation and acquisition reform include improving C-sUAS
mobility and affordability and integrating capabilities into warfighter formations.
DoD
must
focus on speed over process by disestablishing the JCO and establishing JIA TF 401 with
expanded authorities to execute capability development and delivery timelines that outpace
the threat. This change is fully aligned with the President's direction to reestablish air
