The University of North Dakota (UND) and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site have signed an agreement with the US Department of Defense’s Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) to help identify and evaluate counter-drone technologies.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding, UND will become the first university in the US to serve as a clearinghouse for JIATF-401’s counter-drone technology efforts, combining the university’s research expertise with the test site’s operational testing capabilities.
JIATF-401 coordinates counter-drone defence across the US military services. The partnership aims to help the task force assess emerging technologies and identify those suitable for further development.
The agreement builds on previous collaboration in North Dakota, including the T-REX technology experimentation event held at Camp Grafton earlier in 2026, where military personnel and technology developers evaluated counter-drone systems.
Discussions between JIATF-401 and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site began in January, with the agreement signed by JIATF-401 on 31 August and announced publicly on 14 October.
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Image: UND President Andrew Armacost (left), U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (centre) and Col. Jason Idleman display the signed memorandum of understanding. The agreement establishes UND as the first university in the nation to serve as a clearinghouse for the task force’s counter-drone technology efforts. Photo by Chloe Piekkola/UND Today.
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