Pentagon chief announces creation of anti-drone task force

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has announced the establishment of a joint, interagency task force to counter hostile unmanned aerial systems (UAS), Report informs.

"There is no doubt that the threats we face today from hostile drones grow by the day," he said in a video address on his X page.

Being operated overseas and at the country"s borders, hostile UASs are seeking to harm US warfighters, bases and even the sovereignty of the national airspace, Hegseth said, adding that the new task force will be "a unified team that will seek to bring together the best talent from multiple government agencies to counter UAS threats and restore control of the skies."

"It's called counter-UAS - counter-unmanned aerial systems," Hegseth said.

The Pentagon is currently moving quickly to cut through bureaucracy and consolidate resources, so as to empower the task force with "the utmost authority to outpace our adversaries," he noted.