Space Force to Deploy Advanced Counter‑Drone Systems at Cape Canaveral

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.— Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will receive new defenses against small drones in the coming weeks, part of a whole‑of‑government effort to better protect the nation’s spaceports as the White House pushes for hundreds more launches per year.

The new equipment will come from Joint Interagency Task Force 401, the Pentagon’s counter‑drone task force, Space Force Col. Brian Chatman told Defense One at the annual Air, Space and Cyber Conference. Chatman commands Space Launch Delta 45, which oversees all East Coast launch missions.

Cape Canaveral is “top of their list” for “investing in additional capability,” Chatman said.

“We’re going to see an inject of new capability here in the very short term from JIATF 401, based on the latest and greatest in technology that’s out there,” Chatman added. “That’ll be integrated with everything we have today.”

Cape Canaveral, the nation’s busiest launch facility, launched 109 rockets last year; its California counterpart at Vandenberg Space Force Base supported 66. Securing such facilities is a growing national‑security priority as the U.S. military calls for more satellites and the White House pushes for 1,000 launches and re‑entries by decade’s end. 

Defense experts and wargame planners have warned about launchpad vulnerability to attacks from land or sea. In June, the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies outlined several potentially catastrophic scenarios. For example, mysterious explosions on the bridges linking the cape to the mainland could halt East Coast launch operations.

Chatman said Cape Canaveral is well‑protected against aircraft but not smaller drones.

“It’s great today that my radars can see a Cessna up to a 747,” he noted, “but I need to be able to detect a 747 down to a quadcopter.”

Chatman and a Space Launch Delta 45 spokesperson did not disclose what specific technology JIATF 401 is providing. The task force deploys defenses as prioritized by combatant commanders.

“While I will not speak to specific capabilities at specific locations, our strategic installations are prioritized for c‑UAS fielding,” Lt. Col. Adam Scher, a JIATF 401 spokesperson, wrote in an email. “In this capacity, we work in support of U.S. Northern Command and each of the Services to ensure their installations are protected from the illicit use of drones.” He added, “There is no silver bullet, and we remain focused on accelerating the delivery of innovative capabilities at speed and scale.”

Private space companies are also interested in spending money to improve security at the base. Chatman said a typical inspection of a truck entering the station takes about ten minutes, but one launch service provider proposed funding an automated rapid‑scan system that could clear a vehicle in 30 seconds.

He described the proposal: “One of the launch service providers came to us and said, ‘With the amount of construction we have going on, we want to pay to put some type of automated scan, like a rapid scan type system’ in. This solution could drive a vehicle through and get a go/no‑go in 30 seconds, reducing the timeline from ten minutes, and the provider is willing to fund it.”

The Space Force also needs more personnel. In July, the Government Accountability Office reported that one‑quarter of the jobs Space Force leaders say they need went unfilled in fiscal 2025, largely because the service could not track its personnel. Officials said the lack of funding for civil‑engineering positions is increasing mission risk, and staffing shortages forced a delta to close one of its six fire stations, leaving the base vulnerable in emergencies.

Chatman said he views the White House’s call for 1,000 launches per year as advocacy for his mission rather than pressure. He emphasized the need for whole‑of‑government partnership, noting, “The Space Force can’t do it alone. It heavily relies on the Air Force for base operations support personnel, and we are advocating across the Air Force for additional bodies, whether it’s firefighters, security forces, or civil engineers, to continue support as we experience expansive growth.”

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