Matt Ross is a U.S. Army Brigadier General serving as director of jiatf-401 as of April 2026. He has framed the jiatf-401-marketplace as a tool for scaling the C-UAS industrial base “from the tactical edge to critical infrastructure protection in our homeland and for our allies and partners,” in announcing romania’s entry to the marketplace (see src-jiatf-401-marketplace-romania-2026-04).
January 2026 — earliest on-record JIATF-401 quotes
Ross’s first set of public framing statements appear in the DoW January 26, 2026 press release on the SecWar-signed homeland C-UAS guidance (src-jiatf-401-counter-drone-homeland-guidance-2026-01):
“Drones are a defining threat for our time. Technology is evolving fast and our policies and c-UAS strategy here at home must adapt to meet this reality.”
“Countering drones does not start and stop at the fence line. With this new guidance installation commanders are empowered to address threats as they develop.”
“Hardware alone is not sufficient. We need to train service members and work in concert with interagency partners.”
May 2026 directed-energy 5-base pilot
Per src-directed-energy-5-bases-pilot-2026-05, Ross announced on May 7 2026 a Pentagon pilot to deploy directed-energy-weapons (high-energy lasers and high-powered microwaves) at five U.S. bases within 180 days. He framed the pilot as “no silver bullet” — DEW is one element of a layered defense, not a replacement for existing kinetic and RF C-UAS:
“Countering unlawful and adversarial drone activity is a homeland defense imperative. There is no ‘silver bullet’ to address this challenge, and this pilot program integrates cutting-edge technology into the department’s broader counterdrone toolkit.”
May 2026 — Perennial $500M IDIQ
Per src-dronexl-perennial-interceptor-doctrine-2026-05, Ross said the perennial-autonomy partnership gives the joint force “state-of-the-art, counter-UAS capability to remain lethal on today’s modern battlefield,” tied to the $500M three-year IDIQ award.
July 2026 — AeroVironment Domestic Shield IDIQ
“JIATF-401’s single measure of effectiveness is to rapidly deliver counter drone capabilities to our warfighters at home and abroad. By investing in the latest technology, we are adding another tool in a layered defense so we can respond swiftly and effectively to any illicit drone threats.” — Matt Ross (src-aerovironment-jiatf401-idiq-2026-07)
July 2026 — Counter-drone handbook
“While there is no silver bullet to protect against drones, the threat can be mitigated if we are proactive, work with partners across the government and build a layered defense… We should lean in and take every possible step to prepare ourselves to dominate on the modern battlefield.” — Matt Ross (src-jiatf401-counter-drone-handbook-2026-07)
Related Pages
- jiatf-401
- titan-ms
- domestic-shield-program
- joe-amoroso
- src-aerovironment-jiatf401-idiq-2026-07
- src-jiatf401-counter-drone-handbook-2026-07
- jiatf-401-marketplace
- counter-uas
- directed-energy-weapons
- perennial-autonomy · merops-interceptor
- scott-mclellan
- matt-mellor
- src-jiatf-401-marketplace-romania-2026-04
- src-directed-energy-5-bases-pilot-2026-05
- src-dronexl-perennial-interceptor-doctrine-2026-05
- src-army-counter-drone-marketplace-stateside-2026-04 — Ross quoted on the marketplace as a “critical step forward in our whole-of-government approach to countering the threat of unmanned systems” alongside the $13M cumulative-sales disclosure.
- src-jiatf-401-counter-drone-homeland-guidance-2026-01 — earliest on-record Matt Ross quotes; “defining threat for our time.”