Fact-Based Analysis: Paul Lushenko’s LinkedIn Post on JIATF-401 and Counter-Drone Strategy
On June 30, 2026, Paul Lushenko, PhD, published a post on LinkedIn referencing insights from the Director of Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) and highlighting lessons learned from Operation Clear Horizon regarding the U.S. military’s approach to countering drones. The post included a direct quote from the JIATF-401 Director and linked to an interview published in the June 2026 issue of the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) Sentinel at West Point. The post also garnered a substantive comment from an industry professional regarding drone operational challenges.
This article outlines the factual details of the LinkedIn post, the background of Paul Lushenko, the role of JIATF-401 and its Director, and the context of the referenced CTC Sentinel interview and Operation Clear Horizon.
The LinkedIn Post
Paul Lushenko’s LinkedIn post (Lushenko, 2026a) stated:
“Good thoughts from JIATF 401’s Director and humbled to have led Operation Clear Horizon for the Department of War, which has resulted in consequential adjustments to the U.S. military’s approach to countering drones. Modern War Institute at West Point, United States Military Academy at West Point, Combating Terrorism Center. ‘When I talk about the need for a common C2 and the requirement for physical effectors for Group 1 and Group 2 drones, that all came from Operation Clear Horizon and those lessons learned.’”
The post linked to a PDF document hosted on the Combating Terrorism Center’s website, titled “CTC-SENTINEL-062026_interview.pdf” (Morrow & Rassler, 2026), an interview with JIATF-401 Director Brigadier General Matthew Ross, published in the June 2026 CTC Sentinel.
A comment on the post by Jimmy Burma III quoted the following passage from the interview:
“‘I ask them what their greatest challenges with UAS are, they won’t tell me that they need a new interceptor. They’ll tell me that they need to be able to see everything they can see in the JOC [Joint Operations Center] on a mobile device when they’re out on patrol. That is their greatest limiting factor, and so we should address that problem first before we start progressing into the next piece of advanced technology.’”
Burma added: “Paul, my team can help you address this. Happy to chat more. #waverelay” (Lushenko, 2026a).
Background: Paul Lushenko, PhD
Paul Lushenko is a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and serves as the Chief Strategist for the Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) (Potomac Officers Club, n.d.; Spahr & Lushenko, 2025). He is also an Assistant Professor at the U.S. Army War College and a Professorial Lecturer at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs (Elliott School of International Affairs, n.d.). He holds Senior Fellow appointments at Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute and Institute of Politics and Global Affairs, and serves as a Non-Resident Expert at RegulatingAI (Potomac Officers Club, n.d.).
Lushenko’s military career spans two decades, including service as a commissioned Intelligence Officer (commissioned 2005), service in special operations including with the 75th Ranger Regiment, and ten combat deployments (Elliott School of International Affairs, n.d.; AFCEA, n.d.). He is a distinguished honor graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (AFCEA, n.d.).
His academic credentials include a Ph.D. and M.A. in International Relations from Cornell University (where he served as a U.S. Army General Andrew Jackson Goodpaster Scholar), an M.A. in Defense and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College, an M.A. in International Relations and a Master of Diplomacy from The Australian National University (where he served as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar), and a B.S. from the U.S. Military Academy (Elliott School of International Affairs, n.d.).
Lushenko has authored and edited three books: Drones and Global Order: Implications of Remote Warfare for International Society (2022), The Legitimacy of Drone Warfare: Evaluating Public Perceptions (2024), and Afghanistan and International Relations (2025) (Potomac Officers Club, n.d.). He has published in academic and policy journals including Security Studies and Foreign Affairs, and in media outlets including The Washington Post (Elliott School of International Affairs, n.d.). His ResearchGate profile lists 43 publications with 230 citations (ResearchGate, n.d.).
Online Presence:
| Platform | URL |
|---|---|
| linkedin.com/in/paul-lushenko-phd-5b805113 | |
| ResearchGate | researchgate.net/profile/Paul-Lushenko |
| GWU Elliott School | elliott.gwu.edu/paul-lushenko |
| Army War College War Room | warroom.armywarcollege.edu/author/paul-lushenko |
| RegulatingAI | regulatingai.org/expert/paul-lushenko |
JIATF-401: Organization and Director
Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) was established by the Secretary of the Department of War in August 2025 (Morrow & Rassler, 2026; DoD, 2025). It replaced the former Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO) and is structured as a jointly manned organization with enhanced acquisition and procurement authorities (IDGA, 2026; Spahr & Lushenko, 2025).
JIATF-401 has three primary lines of effort: (1) defense of the homeland, (2) support to warfighter lethality, and (3) joint force training (Morrow & Rassler, 2026). Its stated single measure of effectiveness is “delivering state-of-the-art counter-UAS capability to warfighters both at home and abroad” (Morrow & Rassler, 2026).
Brigadier General Matthew S. Ross is the Director of JIATF-401 (General Officer Management Office, n.d.). He was promoted to Brigadier General on December 2, 2025 (General Officer Management Office, n.d.). Ross is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, holds a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a master’s degree from Central Michigan University, and was a fellow at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy (Morrow & Rassler, 2026; Presidential Prayer Team, 2026). He previously served as executive officer to the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army and as Deputy Commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, and has deployed at least 14 times overseas (Presidential Prayer Team, 2026). As Director, Ross reports directly to the Deputy Secretary of War and serves as the senior advisor on counter-UAS to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Morrow & Rassler, 2026).
The CTC Sentinel Interview: Key Factual Content
The document linked in Lushenko’s post is “A View from CT Foxhole: Brigadier General Matthew Ross, Director, JIATF-401,” authored by Sean Morrow and Don Rassler and published in the June 2026 issue of the CTC Sentinel (Morrow & Rassler, 2026).
The interview covers the following factual areas:
JIATF-401’s Establishment and Structure. JIATF-401 was established in August 2025. Ross serves as the first program acquisition executive under new acquisition process changes across the Department. He holds authority to approve up to $50 million per initiative (IDGA, 2026).
Operation Clear Horizon. Within 30 days of JIATF-401’s establishment, the organization conducted Operation Clear Horizon at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The exercise was led by Lushenko for the Department of War. The red team consisted of personnel from 10th Special Forces Group who had recently served in Ukraine and eastern Poland. The exercise involved Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3 drones, including radio-frequency, LTE, GPS, and fiber-optically controlled drones. The exercise identified gaps in U.S. counter-UAS capabilities, leading to the requirement for a common C2 network and physical effectors for Group 1 and Group 2 drones (Morrow & Rassler, 2026; Tucker, 2026).
Common C2 and Network. JIATF-401 identified the need for a common tactical user interface for counter-UAS, enabling data sharing between agencies within the continental United States and with partners and allies in OCONUS environments. A single drone-tracking software solution and interface across the services was subsequently established (Tucker, 2026; Morrow & Rassler, 2026).
Sensors and Effectors. JIATF-401 is integrating layered sensors including passive coherent radar, acoustic sensors, and electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) cameras. Effectors include non-kinetic options (jammers, cyber takeover systems) and kinetic options (interceptor drones, directed energy). JIATF-401 is running directed energy pilots for the Department, specifically examining lasers and high-powered microwave systems (Morrow & Rassler, 2026).
Bumblebee V1 and V2. JIATF-401 has tested the Bumblebee V1 and V2, small drone interceptors with automatic target recognition and pilot-enhancing software enabling terminal attack. The automation is software-enabled, allowing capability updates via software load (Morrow & Rassler, 2026).
Counter-UAS Marketplace. The counter-UAS marketplace went live in February 2026 and features at least a dozen counter-UAS systems with a continuously expanding inventory of sensors, effectors, and system components. It is a two-way marketplace where vendors can upload products for JIATF-401 testing and validation. As of April 2026, first purchases totaled $13 million (Scher, 2026a; Scher, 2026b).
Domestic Shield. Domestic Shield (formerly Replicator 2, previously administered by the Defense Innovation Unit) was transitioned to JIATF-401 upon the task force’s establishment. It focuses on protecting defense critical infrastructure and power projection platforms. JIATF-401 surveyed all DoW installations and tiered them by priority. In the four months preceding the interview, JIATF-401 allocated more than $20 million in counter-UAS technology to the southern border effort (Morrow & Rassler, 2026).
Southern Border Operations. JIATF-401 surveyed all 1,954 miles of the southern border to establish shared air domain awareness, working in support of NORTHCOM and JTF Southern Border. More than 3,000 drone incursions were detected along the southern border in the year preceding the December 2025 symposium (Scher, 2025).
Testing Standards. JIATF-401 established common characterization standards for counter-UAS evaluation across 77 labs within the U.S. Department of War. The standards allow relative comparison between systems tested at different venues and dates. EUCOM and USAREUR-AF conducted Flytrap 5.0 in Lithuania with 7th ATC, concurrent with testing in Nevada (Morrow & Rassler, 2026).
Budget and Procurement. In the six weeks preceding the April 2026 Sea-Air-Space event, JIATF-401 committed over $600 million to counter-UAS technology integration (Tucker, 2026). The 2027 budget proposal requests $75 billion for new drone technology (Tucker, 2026).
Operation Epic Fury. Ross referenced Operation Epic Fury as an ongoing effort to introduce new counter-UAS technology, TTPs, and solutions into a contested environment. The operation launched on February 28, 2026, as a U.S. military air campaign against Iran (Lushenko & Amoroso, 2026).
Joint Counter-UAS University (JCU). JIATF-401 administers the Joint Counter-UAS University (JCU) as part of its joint force training line of effort (Morrow & Rassler, 2026).
References
Morrow, S., & Rassler, D. (2026). A View from CT Foxhole: Brigadier General Matthew Ross, Director, JIATF-401. CTC Sentinel, Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. https://ctc.westpoint.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CTC-SENTINEL-062026_interview.pdf
Lushenko, P. (2026a). LinkedIn post. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/paul-lushenko-phd-5b805113_good-thoughts-from-jiatf-401s-director-and-share-7477760357365682176-1BNF/
Lushenko, P., & Amoroso, J. (2026). Guest post: “How to Protect the United States Against Drones: Why Securing the Sky is Not Enough.” Lawfire, Duke University. https://sites.duke.edu/lawfire/2026/05/14/guest-post-how-to-protect-the-united-states-against-drones-why-securing-the-sky-is-not-enough/
Spahr, T., & Lushenko, P. (2025). Beyond admiring the problem: JIATF 401’s jurisdictional jump. U.S. Army War College War Room. https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/jiatf-401/
Tucker, P. (2026, April 23). The Pentagon replicated a Ukrainian-style drone attack in Florida. Now it’s changing its counter-drone strategy. Defense One. https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2026/04/pentagon-ukraine-counter-drone/413087/
Scher, A. (2025, December 18). Joint Interagency Task Force Integrates Skills, Creates Layered Counter-Drone Defense. JTF-NCR/USAMDW. https://jtfncr.mdw.army.mil/News/Articles/Article-Display/Article/4377547/joint-interagency-task-force-integrates-skills-creates-layered-counter-drone-de/
Scher, A. (2026, April 15). Counter-UAS Marketplace Streamlines Acquisition, First Purchases Total $13 Million. U.S. Department of War. https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4434848/joint-interagency-task-force-spearheads-contract-unifies-drone-defenses/
U.S. Department of Defense. (2025, August 28). Establishment of Joint Interagency Task Force 401. https://media.defense.gov/2025/Aug/28/2003790021/-1/-1/0/ESTABLISHMENT-OF-JOINT-INTERAGENCY-TASK-FORCE-401.PDF
Elliott School of International Affairs. (n.d.). Dr. Paul Lushenko. The George Washington University. https://elliott.gwu.edu/paul-lushenko
General Officer Management Office. (n.d.). Brigadier General Matthew S. Ross (USA). U.S. Army. https://www.gomo.army.mil/public/Biography/usa-12307/matthews-ross
IDGA. (2026, June 3). JIATF 401 Explained: How the Pentagon’s New Counter-UAS Task Force Is Changing Drone Defense. Institute for Defense and Government Advancement. https://www.idga.org/command-and-control/articles/jiatf-401-explained-how-the-pentagons-new-counter-uas-task-force-is-changing-drone-defense
Potomac Officers Club. (n.d.). LTC Paul Lushenko. https://www.potomacofficersclub.com/speakers/paul-lushenko/
Presidential Prayer Team. (2026, March 19). Brigadier General Matthew Ross, Director, Joint Interagency Task Force 401. https://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/2026/03/19/brigadier-general-matthew-ross-director-joint-interagency-task-force-401/
ResearchGate. (n.d.). Paul Lushenko. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paul-Lushenko
AFCEA. (n.d.). Paul Lushenko Biography. Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association. https://www.afcea.org/event/sites/default/files/files/MAJ%20Lushenko%2C%20Paul%20Biography.pdf
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