Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, says he agrees with the idea that operational control of unmanned aerial vehicles flying above 3,500 feet should rest with a Joint Force Air Combat Commander, “normally an Air Force [officer].” Speaking with defense reporters in Washington Tuesday, Pace said that it’s “not a bad idea to take a look at all UAV operations, just to see who ought to be on the control stick, so to speak, for those operations.” He added that it makes “absolute good sense to me” that UAVs be deconflicted with other aircraft by virtue of being on the air tasking order. However, he avoided saying he agrees the Air Force should become DOD’s UAV executive agent. Instead, he expressed sympathy for other services that worry a move to eliminate duplication of effort will inadvertently “override the needs of the troops on the ground” by forcing all UAVs to carry “some kind of generic package” of sensors and other capabilities.
Pentagon Task Force, FAA to Test Counter-Drone Laser
March 7, 2026
The Pentagon’s counter-drone task force announced it would conduct a high-energy laser test with the Federal Aviation Administration less than a month after the use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border prompted the FAA to shut down the airspace over El Paso, Texas.