Hesset reissues a counter-aircraft memo with a legal chain amendment.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth released a revised copy of a Nov. 5 counter-UAV memo instructing Pentagon components to document any delay or denial of C-UAS use as a "risk of inaction" and report incidents to JIATF-401. The update removes references to the Deputy General Counsel for DRPM programs and redirects completed legal reviews through the JIATF-401 General Counsel.
The change does not change the core intent of the memos to compress approval timelines for anti-UAS procurement and fielding. It does clarify who handles legal coordination within the Pentagon's nascent UAV enterprise, and reduces ambiguity around authority as JIATF-401 remains the central operational node.
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