Joint Interagency Task Force 401 has rapidly committed over $600 million to strengthen counter-unmanned aircraft systems for Operation Epic Fury, the FIFA World Cup, and homeland defense.
Under Epic Fury, JIATF 401 allocated $350 million in the first month to meet urgent Central Command, Air Combat Command, Global Strike Command, and Army Transportation Command requirements—protecting warfighters and power projection platforms.
“For us, speed and purpose are everything,” said Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director of the task force. “We translate operational needs into fielded capability while staying focused on homeland defense.”
JIATF 401 also committed $100 million for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, providing mobile counter-drone technologies for stadiums and fan zones across 11 cities in nine states. The War Department, with interagency and law enforcement partners, is fielding sensing and non-kinetic mitigation systems as layered defense. Under the Army’s Transformation in Contact, National Guard units will employ these assets, which after the World Cup will become part of installation and critical infrastructure defense plans.
Additionally, the task force allocated $158 million under the Domestic Shield initiative to defend highest-priority defense critical infrastructure, using expedited site surveys and requirements validated quickly for integrated protection.
“The speed and scale reflect extraordinary coordination across the War Department and interagency partners,” said Michelle Self, deputy of the rapid acquisition division. “What took years now takes months—delivering relevant capability at speed. This whole-of-government approach is essential to defending the homeland and sustaining global operations.”
