Joint Interagency Task Force 401 Conducts Multicommand Counter-UAS Qualification

June 3, 2026 | By Air Force Staff Sgt. Michael Richmond, 90th Missile Wing |

Airmen assigned to the 90th Missile Wing joined personnel assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Combat Command, U.S. Strategic Command and the Air National Guard for a counter-small unmanned aircraft systems firing qualification conducted in partnership with Joint Interagency Task Force 401 at Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center, Wyoming, May 14-15, 2026. 

As the battlefield continues to evolve, tactics, techniques and procedures must adapt alongside emerging threats. One of the most rapidly developing areas is the counter-small UAS environment, where technology, training and operational requirements are transforming quickly. 

In August 2025, the War Department established JIATF 401 as the lead organization for synchronizing efforts to rapidly deliver counter-small UAS capabilities at scale to defend the homeland, protect U.S. and allied forces, defend critical infrastructure and assist federal agencies.  

The task force has one measure of effectiveness: rapidly delivering state-of-the-art counter-small UAS capabilities to warfighters at home and abroad. 

The two-day firing qualification tested and enhanced operators' ability to engage ground and aerial targets at varying distances using technologically advanced small-arms target acquisition systems. 

"Protecting our power projection platforms is a critical component of enhancing warfighter lethality," said Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, JIATF 401 director. "I am grateful for the partnership with the 90th Missile Wing, Air Combat Command and Air Force Global Strike Command that is enhancing [counter]-UAS training to keep our warfighters, installations and critical assets safe from drone threats." 

Beyond supporting department-level counter-small UAS objectives, the qualification also provided 90th Missile Wing personnel with hands-on experience using emerging capabilities that support the Air Force Global Strike Command's broader modernization efforts and strengthen the wing's national security mission. 

The qualification comes as the Air Force Global Strike Command continues to modernize the tools and platforms that support missile field security and nuclear deterrence. With the transition from Humvees to Joint Light Tactical Vehicles and the replacement of UH-1N Hueys with MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters, the command is adapting its capabilities to meet current and future security demands.  

Counter-small UAS training represents another layer of that modernization, preparing defenders to counter emerging unmanned threats to critical assets, personnel and the intercontinental ballistic missile mission. 

"The system is a game changer," said Air Force Col. Jeremy Sheppard, 90th Security Forces Group commander. "When you hear one of our young defenders say they feel more confident and prepared, that's the metric that matters most to me as a commander. That confidence, born from having the best tools and training, translates directly into a more lethal and decisive force on the ground. This isn't just about fielding new technology; it's a direct investment from our [major command] in our most critical weapon system: the individual defender. We are sharpening the spear at every level, and this is what it looks like." 

For the airmen who participated, the qualification offered direct experience with systems designed to counter emerging threats and improve defender readiness in operational environments. 

"This training makes me more effective by giving me hands-on experience with systems designed to counter hostile drones," said Air Force Senior Airman Preston Reiger, a small UAS specialist assigned to the 90th Missile Security Operations Squadron. "It shows the wing is taking [counter-small UAS] seriously and actively building another layer of defense to protect our mission, assets and personnel." 

The qualification provided practical experience with capabilities designed to meet an evolving threat environment. Through continued collaboration with JIATF 401, the 90th Missile Wing is strengthening its ability to defend the nation's intercontinental ballistic missile mission today, while preparing for the security challenges of tomorrow.

Soldiers Assist Air Force Squadron With Drone Warfare Training

March 13, 2026 | By Melissa Buckley, Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs |

More than 200 airmen training with the Air Force's 368th Training Squadron spent Feb. 27 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, learning about unmanned aerial systems during an exercise designed to cultivate Air Force airmindedness and the warrior ethos. 
 
The training squadron, based at Fort Leonard Wood, provides initial skills and advanced level training in the areas of ground transportation, engineering, emergency management and pavements and construction equipment. 

 
According to Air Force Tech. Sgt. Christopher Moss, a specialty code instructor assigned to the training squadron, airmen at various specialty schools on base usually train separately, but this day was unique because it brought them all together. 
 
"It allows them to integrate with our other schoolhouses, bringing them together as one force instead of each person learning just their craft," Moss said. "Producing more well-rounded airmen for the force." 
 
Air Force Capt. Nathan Elking, 368th Training Squadron director of operations, said the unique training event is called Bracer Forge and is an operational readiness exercise. 
 
"It is a continuation of the training airmen receive at basic training," Elking said. "Both exercise initiatives are designed to instill airmindedness and warrior ethos in our airmen." 
 
The squadron's exercise topics vary, but the current unmanned aerial system focus was driven by the unit's specialty codes, which according to Elking play a key role in airfield damage assessment and rapid airfield damage recovery. 
 
"Before each iteration of Bracer Forge, we provide the participating airmen with an operation order for the day and reporting instructions with a training scenario to recover a damaged airfield," he said. 
 
Squadron instructors prepared four stations for the airmen to rotate through. 

 
At the airfield damage assessment challenge, Elking said teams conducted an assessment on a simulated airfield and relayed the information to their teammates in an emergency operations center. 
 
"The airmen in the EOC were tasked with creating a map of the airfield using the details their counterparts called in over the radio," he said. 
 
While at the UAS reporting challenge, teams established defensive fighting positions and reported UAS activity to their teammates in the EOC by consolidating the information into a report to send up. 

The other two stations were a high intensity physical fitness event and a UAS capabilities overview. Soldiers assigned to the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence Combat Training Company gave the UAS portion of the training. 
 
"We are not subject matter experts on counter-UAS and UAS employment. Being able to leverage our Army partners at [center of excellence] played a significant role in the exercise's success," Elking said. 
 
According to Army Sgt. 1st Class Austin Priebe, Combat Training Company UAS chief, his mission was to introduce small UAS threats, and teach the basics of identifying, reacting to and reporting small UAS threats. 

 
Priebe said most trainees he instructs have watched or controlled a simulated UAS in video games, but being able to experience a UAS in person, see and hear a drone up close, is "essential to prepare service members for what they will see in current and future conflicts." 
 
"We conducted practical exercises on scanning for [small] UAS, completing a report and showed the airmen what they look like from an elevated viewpoint," Priebe said. 
 
This was the training company's first time facilitating interservice UAS training. 
 
"I've largely been focused on enabling training and instruction to the Army units here on Fort Leonard Wood since the inception of our UAS program this past fall," Priebe said. 
 
As the battlefield changes rapidly, so does our training requirements. If our organization can provide more realistic and in-depth training to our brothers and sisters in other branches, we only stand to benefit as a military." 

Priebe said his team is looking forward to conducting more interservice training events in the future. 
 
At the end of the day, the exercise was a catalyst for innovation, Elking said. 
 
"By exposing airmen to the dual nature of UASs — both as a threat to counter and a tool to master — we challenge them to rethink their mission sets and pioneer new solutions for the modern battlefield," he said.