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DEVILS LAKE, N.D. – To showcase North Dakota’s leadership in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), counter-drone innovation, and national security readiness, Anno.Ai and Dunlevy Consulting hosted the Versus UAS/Counter-UAS Symposium today at Camp Grafton. The event highlighted North Dakota’s innovative defense ecosystem and the state’s growth as a UAS center of excellence.
U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), chair of the Senate Armed Services (SASC) Airland Subcommittee, delivered opening remarks to symposium attendees. Cramer, who was awarded the UAS Sky Pioneer Award at the 2024 UAS Summit, highlighted the pivotal role North Dakota plays in advancing UAS and counter-UAS technologies. He also reiterated the significance of the Golden Dome missile and airborne defense system in forging U.S. defense policy, international collaborations with allied nations in unmanned systems, and the need for infrastructure to accelerate testing, training, and technology deployment.
“The UAS threat is not new, but we are waking up to how significant the threat is and the absolute need to get ahead of it,” said Cramer. “North Dakota provides the best iteration and testing space in the country with lower levels of bureaucracy, wide open spaces, and a state government unafraid of putting money towards national defense technologies.”
In 2024, a drone attack by an Iran-affiliated militant group on the Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq left three service members wounded, including U.S. Army pilot and North Dakota native Garrett Illerbrunn. U.S. retaliatory strikes were successful, but the attacks highlighted the need for technological capabilities to counter the threat, not just react to it.
“Thanks to everyone who had a part in putting this together, thanks to everyone who traveled here to present or to listen, and thanks to everyone who truly wants to advance counter-UAS so no American or ally is left defenseless like Garrett Illerbrunn,” continued Cramer.
Today’s symposium featured a live demonstration of UAS and counter-UAS systems in realistic operational scenarios. Brigadier General Mitch Johnson, Adjutant General of the North Dakota National Guard, participated in a presentation to provide an overview of how North Dakota is supporting the nation’s growing demand for UAS and counter-UAS testing, training, and technology transition infrastructure.
North Dakota is a leader in next-generation UAS development and plays a key role in national security. It leverages state institutional support like the University of North Dakota’s Space Studies program with federal strategic infrastructure such as Grand Forks Air Force Base. The base is home to key Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations and the Space Development Agency to provide cutting-edge solutions for emerging global threats.
According to the White House, immediate action is needed to ensure American sovereignty and security over its skies, leading President Donald Trump and his administration to prioritize American UAS capabilities. The president signed an executive order in June titled “Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty” which orders the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Secretary of Defense to build counter-UAS capabilities and capacities.
Further, the U.S. Department of Defense announced in July it is standing up a Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) for counter-UAS under the Army with the mission of accelerating the development and fielding of counter-UAS capabilities. Congress authorized more than $1.3 billion in funding for development, production, and integration of counter-UAS programs under President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill and supported the authorization of over $800 million in the National Defense Authorization Act.