The Pentagon just took a serious step forward in defending airspace and military installations from the growing and unpredictable nature of the drone threat.
The Joint Interagency Task Force 401 selected Anduril Industries’ Lattice platform as the central command and control system for counter-drone operations. That decision puts advanced AI at the center of how the United States detects and defeats those small unmanned aircraft systems in real time.
The Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401), an organization focused on synchronizing C-UAS efforts across the Department of War and broader Federal Government, has selected Anduril’s Lattice software to serve as the tactical command and control solution for C-UAS. This $87 million contract is the first task order under the Army’s recently-announced Enterprise Agreement with Anduril. By establishing both a common command and control software platform for C-UAS and a common process for U.S. Government organizations to procure, deploy, and sustain ever-improving commercial counter-drone software at scale, JIATF-401 is rapidly accelerating the Nation’s response to the UAS threat.
The founder of Anduril Industries, Palmer Luckey, built the company around rapid defense innovation and battlefield adaptability. Lattice reflects that mindset by integrating both existing military hardware and newer systems into a single flexible platform.
Engineers designed it so new sensors or countermeasures can quickly plug in when dealing with evolving threats. That flexibility is important because the other teams continue using low-cost drones in ways that challenge traditional defense systems.
“Based on our testing and evaluation, it became clear that a common command and control system is needed to effectively counter adversary drones. These results were confirmed during my visit to Ukraine, when I saw firsthand how drones have changed the modern battlefield,” Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director of the task force, said in Friday’s news release.
Officials touted the $20 billion deal as an enterprise vehicle that will streamline the Pentagon’s procurement of tools to counter unmanned aerial systems and enhance interoperability among government partners.
The $87 million award serves as the first step under a larger contract vehicle that might expand to $20 billion, a level of commitment that signals how seriously the Pentagon treats the drone threat. War Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized readiness and rapid response as core priorities across the Defense Department, and systems like Lattice fit directly into that mission.
Last year, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the Army to stand up JIATF 401 to get after the problem.
The UAS threat was highlighted during the ongoing U.S. war with Iran. In the early days of that conflict, Tehran launched more than 2,000 drones against targets in the Middle East, U.S. Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a video earlier this month about Operation Epic Fury. Six American troops were killed in an Iranian drone attack on a location in Kuwait that occurred March 1.
Awareness isn’t the goal; immediate action to threats when they appear is the critical goal.
I do wonder, though: when drones recently breached restricted airspace at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, did Lattice play a role, or hasn’t it been implemented yet?
Related: Airspace Breach Near B-52s Signals a Larger Problem
Lattice is a system that promises near-instant awareness across agencies, yet incidents like Barksdale suggest a slow implementation or limits in coverage. Is the rollout still underway? If so, how fast can the system move from contract award to full operational status at every high-value target?
The answers to those questions are important because threats don’t follow a logistical timeline.
The United States continues to lead in building advanced defense technology, a leadership that only holds if deployment matches innovation. A system that works perfectly in testing needs to perform under real-world pressure across every base, every day.
American forces now have a powerful new tool. The next step requires speed, accountability, and clear answers when drones are in the air and heading towards something critically indispensable.
Our people.
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