Abstract
The rapid proliferation and technological advancement of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) is reshaping modern warfare, with adversaries using these systems for disruption, reconnaissance, and strikes against U.S. forces abroad. As these technologies become more accessible, it is clear that there is increased risk to domestic targets such as military bases, critical infrastructure, and special events. The U.S. urgently needs cohesive policies, effective Counter-UAS (C-UAS) testing, training, and defense strategies, informed by lessons from foreign threat encounters in order to ensure domestic security from UAS threats.
This paper examines integrating counter-UAS (C-UAS) solutions into domestic defense, specifically focusing on leveraging insights from UAS threats overseas to enhance preparedness against domestic risks through advanced training capabilities. It highlights the growing incidents of clueless, careless, and criminal UAS uses and underscores the urgent need for the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and other agencies to enhance training programs, including simulation-based exercises and live red teaming, alongside testing and policy alignment, to defeat UAS threats.
This analysis identifies areas for policy improvement, such as fragmented authority, inconsistent response and detection standards, and airspace management constraints across federal, state, and local levels, while balancing ethical, legal, civil liberties, and logistical considerations of expanding domestic UAS countermeasures. Additionally, it proposes innovative frameworks to enhance information-sharing, interagency collaboration, and domestic C-UAS testing and training capabilities—incorporating embedded training and testing within the Live, Virtual, Constructive (LVC) domain—to ensure national security through a robust, exercisable capability for collective training and combat readiness.