Updated November 5 2020 Department of Defense Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Unmanned aircraft systems UAS commonly called drones have proliferated rapidly and are available to nation states and to nonstate actors and individuals These systems could provide U S adversaries with a low-cost means of conducting intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance missions against—or attacking—U S forces Furthermore many smaller UASs cannot be detected by traditional air defense systems due to their size construction material and flight altitude As a result in FY2021 the Department of Defense DOD plans to spend at least $404 million on counter-UAS C-UAS research and development and at least $83 million on C-UAS procurement As DOD continues to develop procure and deploy these systems congressional oversight of their use may increase and Congress may have to make decisions about future authorizations appropriations and other legislative actions additionally pursue airborne C-UAS options although the status of such efforts is unclear Figure 1 Man-Portable Counter-UAS Technology C-UAS Technology C-UAS can employ a number of methods to detect the presence of hostile or unauthorized UAS The first is using electro-optical infrared or acoustic sensors to detect a target by its visual heat or sound signatures respectively A second method is to use radar systems However these methods are not always capable of detecting small UAS due to the limited signatures and size of such UAS A third method is identifying the wireless signals used to control the UAS commonly using radio frequency sensors These methods can be—and often are—combined to provide a more effective layered detection capability Once detected the UAS may be engaged or disabled Electronic warfare “jamming” can interfere with a UAS’s communications link to its operator Jamming devices can be as light as 5 to 10 pounds and therefore man-portable see Figure 1 or as heavy as several hundred pounds and in fixed locations or mounted on vehicles UAS can also be neutralized or destroyed using guns nets directed energy traditional air defense systems or even trained animals such as eagles DOD is developing and procuring a number of different C-UAS technologies to try to ensure a robust defensive capability Air Force The Air Force is testing high-powered microwaves and lasers—both forms of directed energy—for C-UAS missions For example in October 2019 the Air Force received delivery of a vehicle-mounted C-UAS prototype— the High-Energy Laser Weapon System HELWS —that will undergo a year-long overseas field test HELWS is intended to identify and neutralize hostile or unauthorized UAS in seconds and when connected to a generator to provide “a nearly infinite number of shots ” As stated in its 2016 Small UAS Flight Plan the Air Force may Source https www military com daily-news 2020 01 15 newpentagon-team-will-develop-ways-fight-enemy-drones html Navy In 2014 the Navy fielded the first—and to date only— operational directed-energy weapon the Laser Weapon System LaWS aboard the USS Ponce LPD-15 LaWS is a 30-kilowatt laser prototype capable of performing a CUAS mission The Navy also plans to deploy ODIN an optical dazzler that interferes with UAS sensors and HELIOS a 60-kilowatt laser aboard the USS Preble DDG-88 in 2021 Both systems are intended to protect U S assets from UAS attacks In addition in a March 28 2019 memorandum the Department of the Navy announced that it would be partnering with the Defense Digital Service to “rapidly develop new cyber-enabled CUAS products to address the evolving UAS threats ” Marine Corps The Marine Corps funds a number of C-UAS systems through its Ground Based Air Defense GBAD program office For example in 2019 the Corps completed overseas tests of the Marine Air Defense Integrated System MADIS which employs jamming and guns The system can be mounted on MRZR all-terrain vehicles Joint Light Tactical Vehicles and other platforms see Figure 2 In July 2019 Marines aboard the USS Boxer LHD-4 used MADIS to neutralize an Iranian UAS that was deemed to be within “threatening range” of the ship As part of GBAD the Marine Corps is also procuring the Compact Laser Weapons System CLaWS the first DOD-approved ground-based laser This system—which reportedly comes in variants of 2- 5- and 10-kilowatts—is also in use by the Army Although the Marine Corps has experimented with man-portable C-UAS technologies now-Commandant of the Marine Corps David Berger testified to Congress in https crsreports congress gov Department of Defense Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems 2019 that they “have not panned out” due to weight and power requirements Figure 2 Marine Air Defense Integrated System Source https www marcorsyscom marines mil PEOs -PEO-LS PMGBAD Army In July 2016 the Army published a C-UAS strategy to guide the development of its C-UAS capabilities to date the only service to do so publicly This was followed in April 2017 by Army Techniques Publication 3-01 81 Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System Techniques which outlined “planning considerations for defending against low slow small LSS unmanned air threats during operations ” as well as “how to plan for and incorporate CUAS soldier tasks into unit training events ” C-UAS is also part of the U S Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s six-layer air and missile defense concept composed of 1 Ballistic Low-Altitude Drone Engagement BLADE 2 Multi-Mission High-Energy Laser MMHEL 3 Next-Generation Fires Radar 4 Maneuver Air Defense Technology MADT 5 High-Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator HEL-TVD and 6 LowCost Extended Range Air Defense LOWER AD Although these systems are still in development the Army has fielded some man-portable vehicle-mounted and airborne C-UAS systems In addition like the Navy it has partnered with the Defense Digital Service to develop computer-enabled C-UAS products DOD-Wide Developments DOD is researching and developing a number of C-UAS technologies For example the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization JIDO formerly the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization hosted a UAS HardKill Challenge in 2017 designed to examine kinetic options for disabling UAS Similarly the Joint Staff and other DOD agencies have participated in C-UAS efforts such as Black Dart an exercise intended to “ assess and validate existing and emerging air and missile defense capabilities and concepts specific to the C-UAS mission set” and “ advocate for soldiers’ desired C-UAS capabilities ” In addition the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA funds technology development programs for CUAS such as CounterSwarmAI which is to “develop systems for anticipating and defeating autonomous systems of the future ” and the Multi-Azimuth Defense Fast Intercept Round Engagement System for ship-based point defense In December 2019 DOD streamlined the Department’s various counter-small UAS C-sUAS programs naming the Army as the executive agent tasked with overseeing all DOD C-sUAS development efforts On January 6 2020 the Secretary of Defense approved the implementation plan of the new office known as the Joint C-sUAS Office JCO Working in consultation with the combatant commands and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment JCO assessed over 40 fielded C-sUAS systems To date it has selected 10 C-sUAS defensive systems and one standardized command and control system for further development According to media reports JCO has produced a Joint Capability Development Document outlining operational requirements for future systems and is finalizing a DOD CsUAS strategy it is to additionally produce a DOD Directive on C-sUAS and a threat assessment of C-sUAS capabilities DOD also plans to establish a Joint C-sUAS academy at Fort Sill Oklahoma by FY2024 The academy is to synchronize training on counter-drone tactics across the military services Potential Questions for Congress  Is DOD funding of C-UAS systems appropriately balanced between research and development and procurement programs  To what extent if at all has the designation of a DOD executive agent for C-UAS reduced redundancies and increased efficiencies in C-UAS procurement  To what extent if at all is DOD coordinating with other departments and organizations such as the Department of Homeland Security the Department of Justice and the Department of Energy on C-UAS development and procurement  Are any changes to airspace management operational concepts rules of engagement or tactics required in order to optimize the use of C-UAS systems and or deconflict with other U S military operations  To what extent if at all is DOD coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration and international civil aviation authorities to identify and mitigate C-UAS operational risks to civil aircraft Related CRS Products CRS In Focus IF11550 Protecting Against Rogue Drones by Bart Elias Other Resources Arthur Holland Michel Counter-Drone Systems Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College December 2019 John R Hoehn Analyst in Military Capabilities and Programs Kelley M Sayler Analyst in Advanced Technology and Global Security https crsreports congress gov IF11426 Department of Defense Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Disclaimer This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service CRS CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role CRS Reports as a work of the United States Government are not subject to copyright protection in the United States Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS However as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material https crsreports congress gov IF11426 · VERSION 7 · UPDATED