The University of North Dakota and the Northern Plains Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site joined a U.S. Department of War task force in an agreement to advance counter-drone technologies, UND said in an announcement published Oct. 19. The signing ceremony took place in Grand Forks on Wednesday, Oct. 14, during the 20th UAS Summit & Expo, according to the university.
The memorandum establishes UND as the first and only university in the nation to serve as a clearinghouse for the Joint Interagency Task Force 401’s counter-drone technology efforts, UND said. The university and test site will help identify promising technologies for further evaluation and development, the announcement said. UND President Andrew Armacost signed the agreement, which task force director Brig. Gen. Matthew Ross had signed on Aug. 31, according to UND.
The task force coordinates counter-drone defenses across U.S. military services, the university said. UND will contribute research and technical expertise, while the test site will bring operational experience and testing capabilities, according to the announcement.
UND said discussions with the task force began in January 2026, following an approach to the test site. Representatives from UND and the test site later met jointly with the task force in Washington, D.C., in March, and a draft agreement was presented in July, the university said. The announcement also noted an earlier two-week counter-drone technology evaluation at Camp Grafton near Devils Lake, but did not give its dates.
UND said the agreement builds on the university’s unmanned aircraft systems research and the test site’s testing and development capabilities. The announcement listed David Dodds as the media contact at david.dodds@UND.edu and 701.777.5529.
