Department of War Hosts Technology Readiness Experimentation Event, Showcases North Dakota C-UAS Ecosystem

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EMERADO, N.D. - The skies above North Dakota were filled today with cutting-edge vehicles being pushed to their limits and beyond in a series of tests and simulations hosted by the U.S. Department of War (DOW). This Technology Readiness Experimentation (T-REX) event was hosted simultaneously at the GrandSKY unmanned aerial system (UAS) tech park near Grand Forks and the North Dakota Army National Guard's Camp Grafton close to Devils Lake. It brought together government and industry officials and gave policymakers an opportunity to take the pulse of the industry and plan for the next evolution in drone warfare.

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), chair of the Senate Armed Services (SASC) Airland Subcommittee, joined the event as part of his efforts to build an unmanned aerial fleet to adapt to the changing tactics and technologies adversaries are deploying on battlefields around the globe. Whether rapidly testing and evaluating counter unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) technology or defining innovative capabilities, Cramer says the DOW is noticing how North Dakota is driving one of the nation's fastest growing industries.

"We're living in an interesting time, to say the least," said Cramer. "Necessity is the mother of invention, and that's truer today in the defense world than it's ever been. We've got more to learn than we do to share, in some respects, particularly in Europe. What we're here to do is see beyond those things, to identify beyond those things, to incentivize properly beyond the RQ-4 and some of the other traditional systems and legacy systems, to keep up with the asymmetric but very lethal threat of UAS and provide the counter to that. Those are still real threats that we need to defend against. Thanks to the partnership between the Department of War and our state, today's event is a unique opportunity for industry partners to work side by side with the Department to accelerate the development of advanced capabilities."

The event underscores North Dakota's central role in DOW's push to modernize through hands-on experimentation and closer industry collaboration. Participating companies demonstrated platforms and prototypes across multiple simulated mission sets, allowing the DOW evaluators to assess performance, scalability, and operational impact. T-REX events are designed as a fast-track proving ground, giving companies direct access to operators, realistic mission scenarios, and rapid feedback from acquisition officials.

North Dakota has been a leader in next-generation UAS development. The 319th Reconnaissance Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB) leads the new Point Defense Battle Lab, an initiative designed to safeguard military installations, protect critical assets, and ensure uninterrupted air operations. The lab is central to testing and developing advanced technologies to counter UAS threats.

In a related move, DOW announced in May that GFAFB was named one of four sites for a C-UAS pilot program. It will employ systems such as high-powered microwave, laser, and similar technologies. The program was authorized in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which Cramer helped craft as chair of the SASC Airland Subcommittee.