Hoeven: North Dakota has Increasing Momentum in Counter-UAS

Hoeven: North Dakota has Increasing Momentum in Counter-UAS

Senator Marks Start of Point Defense Battle Lab, Outlines Role as Part of Grand Forks UAS Tech Ecosystem

EMERADO, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today marked the formal beginning of the Point Defense Battle Lab at a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Grand Forks Air Force Base. As a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, Hoeven worked with Air Force leadership to advance Grand Forks' selection for the battle lab, which will test and validate advanced technologies to defend installations from small, unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) threats. Specifically:

• Hoeven made the case to Air Combat Command (ACC) Commander General Adrian Spain to advance Grand Forks' selection.
  • In discussions with Spain, the senator outlined how Grand Forks' unmatched UAS technology ecosystem provides the capabilities needed to make the battle lab possible.
  • Hoeven also discussed the need for counter-drone with then-ACC Commander General Kenneth Wilsbach, who now serves as Air Force Chief of Staff, during his visit to Grand Forks in 2024, highlighting the role the region could play in developing protections for military facilities.
• The battle lab will work to rapidly test and validate technologies that can help defend specific locations against UAS threats.
• This project will build on a range of initiatives Hoeven has been working to advance in North Dakota, including:
  • Hoeven's Project ULTRA, which is working to quickly develop cost-effective measures to detect and neutralize threats from unmanned aircraft.
  • The Technology Readiness Experimentation (T-REX) event being held at Camp Grafton in August.
    • This event, a partnership between the Department of War and the North Dakota National Guard, will test and evaluate counter-UAS technology during the last two weeks of August, with additional events to follow.
    • Hoeven worked with the Pentagon to leverage North Dakota's technology ecosystem for the T-REX event.
  • The more than $100 million that Hoeven secured in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 for the Grand Forks region's high-tech aerospace ecosystem.

"Between the Point Defense Battle Lab, Project ULTRA, the T-REX event at Camp Grafton, and the major investments we continue to secure in this region's aerospace tech ecosystem, our state has real momentum in counter-UAS," said Hoeven. "Conflicts in Ukraine, Israel and Iran clearly demonstrate the dangers rising from the increased use of drone technology, and the Department of War increasingly recognizes the value our ecosystem provides in responding to these threats. That's why we're working to leverage North Dakota's expertise to ensure the U.S. has the counter-UAS capabilities needed to protect our nation and its installations against attacks. The battle lab, in conjunction with our broader tech ecosystem, is positioned to move this priority forward in a big way."

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