A U.S. soldier preps the Merops counter-drone system for testing at a Polish military training area in Nowa Deba on Nov. 18, 2025. The U.S. Army wants to standardize how allied militaries fight back against drones. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
The U.S. Army is moving to standardize how allied militaries fight back against drones, entering into a new agreement with the U.K. that officials say will quickly expand to a broader coalition in the weeks ahead.
At the center of the effort is a deal between the Pentagon and the British defense ministry to standardize how counter-drone systems share information, ensuring that different systems will be able to operate together.
The plan is to expand the initiative to five other nations in the coming weeks, which will enable dozens of allies to purchase from a standardized pool of technology as early as this summer.
“By establishing common standards with key allies like the United Kingdom, we not only enhance our collective security but also strengthen our defense industrial base and create new opportunities for streamlined foreign military sales,” Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said in a statement Thursday.
Developing drone and counter-drone technology has been a major undertaking for the Pentagon and particularly for the Army, which has sought to speed up production of an array of unmanned systems.
The push to develop more drone technology has been driven by lessons drawn for the Russia-Ukraine war.
The ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran also has shown the need for more affordable unmanned counter-drone systems to contend with waves of attacks by the infamous Shahed drones built by Iran.
A long-standing challenge for allies has been related to getting different technologies for different countries to work together.
Resolving such issues could speed up how quickly new defenses reach troops, making it easier for allies to fight side by side, Army leaders say.
The initiative is being driven by Joint Interagency Task Force 401, which oversees the Pentagon’s counter-drone efforts.
“The lack of common data standards has been a significant barrier to integrating the best available technologies,” Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director of JIATF-401, said in the Army statement.
Vendors who adopt the recommended standards will find a direct path to getting their capabilities into the hands of troops, Ross said.
