Idaho National Laboratory Partners on National Counter-Drone Security Initiative
IDAHO FALLS — The Idaho National Laboratory has entered a landmark three-way partnership focused on developing and testing counter-drone technologies for national security, as the threat posed by unmanned aircraft to America’s critical infrastructure, borders, and public events continues to escalate.
INL has joined West Virginia University and Summit Point Training Facility — located less than 90 minutes from Washington, D.C. — in a memorandum of understanding signed in November that divides responsibilities across the full technology life cycle. The collaboration has been described by those involved as the most significant coordination of drone and counter-drone efforts in support of domestic national security ever assembled outside of direct defense applications.
A Threat That Is Growing Fast
The urgency driving this partnership is grounded in hard numbers. In the final six months of 2024 alone, more than 27,000 drones were detected within 500 meters of the U.S. southern border. Transnational criminal organizations have increasingly turned to drone technology to move illegal goods and conduct surveillance on law enforcement activity. Meanwhile, unmanned aircraft are causing hazardous interference at airports nationwide, and tactics refined in overseas conflict zones are now being pointed at domestic infrastructure and large public gatherings.
INL Chief Homeland Security Advisor Ollie Gagnon called the moment both urgent and consequential. “This is a great opportunity to deliver impact at an important and exciting time for our country,” Gagnon said.
The timing takes on additional weight as major national events approach — including the FIFA World Cup, celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary, and the 2028 Summer Olympics — each of which will require sophisticated airspace security solutions on a massive scale.
What Each Partner Brings to the Table
Under the agreement, each organization covers a distinct phase of drone security development. INL is responsible for applied science, engineering, and validation — leveraging its unique 890-square-mile desert site in East Idaho and the roughly 8,000 square miles of restricted airspace above it. That environment allows for comprehensive research, development, and testing of both drone and counter-drone systems at a scale few other facilities in the country can match.
Bob Schumitz, director of INL’s Defense Systems Division, noted that the laboratory’s unmanned aerial system capabilities span a wide range of platforms with varying payload capacities. The site supports testing of advanced sensors for radiation detection, hyperspectral imaging, and encrypted communications, and can simulate the contested and congested communications environments that operators encounter in real-world threat scenarios. INL’s cybersecurity infrastructure adds another layer of rigor to the testing process.
West Virginia University, which brings nearly two decades of drone research experience to the partnership, handles the academic and long-term research dimensions of the effort. Summit Point Training Facility, positioned close to the nation’s capital, focuses on operational readiness and rapid technology transfer — getting proven solutions from the lab environment into the field quickly.
National Security Programs Director Michael Norman emphasized Summit Point’s ability to move at the speed of need. “It just requires a green light,” Norman said of the facility’s capacity to deploy without extended lead times.
Federal momentum is building behind these efforts as well. The Department of Homeland Security has stood up a new Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems, with expanded enforcement authorities and rapid grant-deployment capabilities. Recent executive orders from the Trump administration addressing drone technology advancement and airspace sovereignty have further elevated the policy priority around counter-drone development.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape both drone capabilities and the regulatory environment surrounding them, INL’s position at the center of this partnership places East Idaho at the leading edge of one of the nation’s most pressing homeland security challenges.
The INL’s role in this initiative builds on its growing national security profile. Idaho is also competing to host a new Nuclear Innovation Campus that could significantly expand the INL workforce, underscoring the laboratory’s expanding footprint as a hub for both energy and security research in the American West. For broader context on INL’s statewide economic and policy significance, visit Idaho News.
What Comes Next
With the memorandum of understanding already signed, the three partners are expected to move into active research, testing, and training operations at INL’s East Idaho site. Federal investment through DHS’s new program office will support expanded capabilities across all three organizations. As major national events draw closer and the drone threat continues to evolve, the partnership is positioned to deliver operational counter-drone tools on a timeline the nation’s security demands.