Pentagon Joint Counter-sUAS Office Announces Directed Energy Pilot Program At Five US Installations
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Pentagon's Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office announced on May 8 a pilot program to field directed energy counter drone systems at five US military installations. The announcement comes against a backdrop of repeated drone incursions over US bases in 2024 and 2025 and the active Iran air and naval campaign, and is the first DOD initiative to put fielded directed energy weapons against drones at named sites under a single program of record.
ANALYSIS
Directed energy systems considered for the pilot include high energy laser and high power microwave variants. Specific site selection was not disclosed in the public announcement; prior Joint Counter-sUAS Office activity has focused on installations along the southwest border, in the southeast, and at depot and weapons storage sites that experienced incursions.
The program is a pilot rather than a fielded capability and is being funded inside the existing JCO budget line. The intended effect is to expand the kinetic and non kinetic interception envelope for Group 1 through Group 3 unmanned aircraft beyond the current radar plus electronic attack mix.
The timing aligns with the Pentagon counter-drone task force findings that base level counter UAS authorities and equipment are uneven across the services. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's separate May 8 announcement of a Pentagon acquisition cell named Deal Team Six, intended to compress procurement timelines, is being framed by DOD officials as one of the vehicles that could accelerate fielded directed energy production.
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