US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the formation of the new Joint Task Force 401 by the Army to confront threats and regain control of the United States airspace.

According to the American site “Defense Breaking,” Hegseth said that Task Force 401 is a new unified team that will bring together the best talents from all US agencies to face threats and restore control over US skies, explaining that the task force will be granted maximum authority to overcome adversaries.

Hegseth directed Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to close the Army’s Joint Counter Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office, which used to evaluate weapons for the armed forces but lacked the authority to enforce purchases. He called for the formation of Joint Task Force 401 to improve alignment of authorities and resources, provide capabilities, defeat hostile threats, and enhance sovereignty over national airspace.

The new task force director will report directly to the Deputy Secretary of Defense and will have acquisition and procurement authority.

The task force will manage all research and development efforts related to counter-drone aerial systems at the department level and can approve funding up to $50 million, excluding the development of service-specific capabilities and US Special Operations Command capabilities.